Players in Helldivers 2 have access to an impressive collection of powerful weapons to equip during missions. These weapons range from shotguns and assault rifles to grenades and gas strikes. Traditionally, many players tend to grind for and equip meta weapon loadouts since they deal the most damage and have fantastic stats.
Helldivers 2: 7 Best Missions To Do Solo
Helldivers 2 is mainly designed to be a co-op shooter, but solo players can still tackle many of the game's missions if they're up for a challenge.
However, there’s another set of weapon loadouts that deserves credit. These weapons can compete with the current meta of best weapons in Helldivers 2 if players equip them with the right loadout. The loadout balances some of the weapon’s weaknesses, ensuring players drop into a mission with a balanced arsenal that combats all enemy encounters.
5 Run and Gun Loadout
Ideal For Circling The Map
| Category | Weapon |
|---|---|
| Primary | SG-8 Punisher |
| Secondary | P-19 Redeemer |
| Grenade | G-16 Impact |
| Stratagem | Eagle 500KG Bomb, Machine Gun, Eagle Airstrike, Orbital Precision Strike |
The Run and Gun Loadout is designed for players who want to circle the map, collect samples, loot bunkers, and destroy Automaton fabricators and facility buildings. This loadout is often underrated since it features the SG-8 Punisher, one of the first weapons Helldivers unlock. The SG-8 Punisher is a hard-hitting weapon with a relatively high capacity and high damage that excels at one-shotting lightly armored enemies at close range.
Many players tend to forgo the SG-8 Punisher because of its limited fire rate, and they have to be up close for the best results. However, when paired with the P-19 Redeemer, the SG-8 Punisher can kill light and medium enemies as players run across hot spots. The G-16 Impact comes in handy to take out waves of enemies that swarm from gunships and facility buildings.
4 Armor Piercing Loadout
Breaks Armor Revealing Weak Spots
| Category | Weapon |
|---|---|
| Primary | SG-225 Breaker |
| Secondary | P-2 Peacemaker |
| Grenade | Impact Grenade |
| Stratagem | RS-422 Railgun, Arc Thrower, Jump Pack, Shield Generator Pack |
The Armor Piercing Loadout works best in the Automaton faction since the robots wear heavy armor that can be hard to penetrate. This loadout is designed to pierce through the armor and reveal weak spots for players to target and kill robots, making it the best Automaton loadout. Some weapons in this loadout, such as the Arc Thrower and the RS-422 Railgun, can fully penetrate armor and one-shot enemies.
Helldivers 2: Best Light Armor, Ranked
Light armor offers increased mobility at the cost of damage protection. For players that prefer this playstyle, choosing the right light armor is key.
The Arc Thrower was criticized for being hard to master and causing games to freeze. However, Arrowhead Game Studies have buffed the Arc Thrower, increasing its stats across all ranges. Now, this electric gun is armor-piercing, boasts variable range, and never runs out of ammo, eliminating the need to reload when swarms of Automatons or pesky bugs attack.
3 Support Weapon Loadout
Ensuring A Balanced Loadout For All Combat Situations
| Category | Weapon |
|---|---|
| Primary | AR23-P Liberator Penetrator |
| Secondary | P-4 Senator |
| Grenade | G-16 Impact |
| Stratagem | SH-32 Shield Generator Pack, Orbital Laser, Orbital Railcannon Strike, RS-422 Railgun |
The Support Weapon Loadout is designed to ensure a player’s weapon arsenal is well-balanced and can support all types of combat situations. It has close-range weapons, long-range rifles, grenades to take out waves of enemies, stratagems to blow up facilities, and sidearms to support players when they run out of ammo on their primary weapons. This support loadout features the P-4 Senator, one of the most underrated sidearms in Helldivers 2 due to the small magazine capacity that gives players only 6 bullets.
However, the P-4 Senator is a great sidearm to use to finish off bugs and Automatons after dealing damage with a primary weapon. It can easily kill light-armored enemies at close and medium range and boasts a full empty reload of 6 seconds. This loadout ensures players survive any mission and side objective in Helldivers 2 and extract successfully.
2 Tank Destroyer Loadout
Takes Out Annihilator And Shredder Tanks
| Category | Weapon |
|---|---|
| Primary | JAR-5 Dominator |
| Secondary | P-19 Redeemer |
| Grenade | G-16 Impact |
| Stratagem | GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, Eagle 500Kg Bomb |
Automatons in Helldivers 2 have heavily armored Annihilator and Shredder Tanks equipped with heavy cannons and machine guns. The tanks rain down bullets on players, making it almost impossible to complete objectives and major orders. Luckily, the Tank Destroyer Loadout ensures players can quickly destroy these tanks with a single shot.
Helldivers 2: Best Emplacements
Calling in an unmovable and powerful object of war, emplacement stratagems can turn the tides against the enemies of Super-Earth in Helldivers 2.
When destroying Automaton tanks, players should consider using heavy-duty stratagems as they’re more powerful and deal extensive damage compared to primary and secondary weapons. The LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, for instance, can destroy tanks with two shots to the vents, while the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle can blow them up from a distance. The Eagle 500kg Bomb is also an excellent option for taking out tanks.
1 Wave-Clearing Loadout
Clears Waves Of Automatons Or Terminids
| Category | Weapon |
|---|---|
| Primary | SG-225 Breaker |
| Secondary | P-19 Redeemer |
| Grenade | G-12 High Explosive |
| Stratagem | Eagle Cluster Bomb, Grenade Launcher, Supply Pack, Orbital Walking Barrage. |
The Wave-Clearing Loadout helps players deal with large groups of Automatons and Terminids who use swarming tactics to succeed. Taking out individual enemies with light and medium penetration weapons as they swarm is a suicide mission waiting to happen. This loadout boasts an impressive selection of heavy-duty explosives like the G-12 High Explosive and the Grenade Launcher that explode on impact.
Players can use this loadout to destroy Automaton Fabricators, bug nests, and facility buildings by throwing them down the vents. They can adobe used to clear clusters of enemies charging at players. Players who love seeing things blow up or want to quickly wipe off Terminids as they circle the map should highly consider using this loadout.
