Weapons & Gear#

Helldivers 2 has a rich and varied arsenal, from assault rifles to energy weapons, from pistols to heavy anti-armor cannons — knowing each weapon’s traits is the key to becoming an elite Helldiver.

Primary Weapons#

Your primary is the weapon you’ll use most — picking one that fits you and the mission type matters enormously.

Assault Rifles#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Fire rate	Traits	Best faction
AR-23 Liberator	55	45	450	The standard all-rounder — balanced and accurate	All
AR-23P Liberator Penetrator	50	30	400	AP rounds — punches through medium armor	Automatons
AR-23C Liberator Concussive	35	35	350	Concussive rounds — knockback + stun	Terminids
AR-61 Tenderizer	70	35	400	High damage — switchable fire-rate modes	Illuminate

Advice: newcomers start with the Liberator; take the Penetrator on bot missions; the Liberator Concussive for bugs

Shotguns#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Traits	Best faction
SG-225 Breaker	40×6	12	Semi-auto shotgun — huge close-range burst	Terminids
SG-225SP Breaker Spray ’n’ Pray	25×8	16	Massive spread — extremely efficient at clearing chaff	Terminids
SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary	35×6	12	Incendiary shells — continuous fire damage	Terminids
SG-8 Punisher	45×8	10	Slug rounds — more accuracy, longer reach	Automatons
SG-8S Slugger	55×8	8	Heavy slugs — AP + knockback	All
SG-20 Halt	35×6	12	Switchable ammo — stun or AP	All

Advice: shotguns rule bug missions — Breaker/Spray ’n’ Pray is a no-brainer

SMGs#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Traits	Best faction
MP-98 Knight	40	50	High fire rate — one-handed	All
Pummeler	35	40	Concussive rounds — slows enemies	Terminids
SG-22 Bushwhacker	30×3	6	Short-barrel shotgun SMG — a secondary slot that performs like a primary	All

DMRs#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Traits	Best faction
R-63 Diligence	115	15	Standard semi-auto marksman rifle — one-tap headshots	Automatons
R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper	170	10	Heavy marksman rifle — AP + high damage	All
R-36 Eruptor	250	5	Explosive rounds — area damage	Terminids

Advice: a DMR is mandatory against bots — long-range headshots delete infantry effortlessly

Energy Weapons#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Traits	Best faction
LAS-5 Scythe	30/sec	Infinite	Continuous beam — infinite ammo (needs cooldown)	All
LAS-16 Sickle	45	Infinite	Laser assault rifle — burst fire + infinite ammo	All
PLAS-1 Scorcher	100	15	Plasma rifle — area explosion damage	All
ARC-3 Arc Thrower	80	Infinite	Arc chains — chains damage across multiple enemies	Terminids

Special Weapons#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Traits	Best faction
JAR-5 Dominator	150	15	Heavy battle rifle — AP + knockback	All
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow	350	1	Explosive bolt — one shot per reload + area explosion	All
TOR-3 Thunder	40/sec	60	Flamethrower — primary-weapon edition	Terminids
SMG-37 Defender	60	35	One-handed SMG — shoot while carrying objects	All

Secondary Weapons#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Traits	Recommended for
P-2 Peacemaker	50	15	Standard pistol — reliable	Default
P-19 Redeemer	35	25	Full-auto pistol — high fire-rate emergency weapon	Panic defense
P-4 Senator	150	6	Heavy revolver — one shot, one chaff kill	Precision kills
P-113 Verdict	100	10	Heavy pistol — between a revolver and a standard sidearm	General use
GP-31 Grenade Pistol	250	1	Fires grenades — can blow nests/factories	Anti-structure
CQC-19 Stun Baton	30	—	Melee weapon — AP + knockback	Melee
CQC-30 Stun Maul	25	—	Melee weapon — fast swings	Melee

Advice: the Redeemer and Senator are the most practical secondaries — Redeemer for emergencies, Senator for executions

Grenades#

Grenade	Damage	Radius	Traits	Best use
G-6 Frag	300	6m	Standard frag — the best all-rounder	Clearing groups
G-12 High Explosive	500	4m	High damage — can blow nests/structures	Anti-structure
G-10 Incendiary	50/sec	8m	Sustained area fire — seal routes/clear swarms	Terminids
G-23 Smoke	0	10m	Smoke cover — blocks enemy vision	Extraction/disengage
G-3 Stun	0	5m	Stuns enemies in range — no damage	Control
G-4 Impact	350	3m	Detonates on impact — no fuse delay	Melee emergencies
G-5 Cluster	150×6	8m	Bomblets — wide coverage	Clearing groups
G-7 Incendiary Impact	30/sec	6m	Detonates on impact + sustained fire	Emergency route sealing

Advice: newcomers take the G-6 Frag — the most versatile. At high difficulty, take the G-12 High Explosive to blow nests

Support Weapons#

Support weapons arrive via stratagem drops — they replace your support slot and deliver firepower far beyond any primary.

Machine Guns#

Weapon	Damage	Mag	Traits	Best use
MG-43 Machine Gun	70	150	Standard MG — the best all-rounder	Newcomer first pick
MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun	100	100	High damage + AP	Suppressing medium enemies
Stalwart	55	200	High fire-rate light MG — a chaff-clearing machine	Swarm clearing

Anti-Armor#

Weapon	Damage	Ammo	Traits	Best use
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle	2000	6	High-damage AP rounds — one shot per tank/Titan	Anti-everything-heavy
EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank	1800	2/drop	One-shot launcher — two delivered every 90 seconds	Fast anti-armor
SPEAR	2500	4	Lock on, then fire — auto-tracking	Long-range anti-armor
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon	1500	Infinite	Chargeable laser — infinite ammo	Sustainable anti-armor
RS-422 Railgun	600	20	Adjustable-charge — overload penetrates heavy armor	Precision anti-armor
AC-8 Autocannon	450	30	Switchable HE + AP rounds	All-purpose anti-armor

Area Clearance#

Weapon	Damage	Ammo	Traits	Best use
FLAM-40 Flamethrower	80/sec	60	Sustained area fire — the Terminids’ nightmare	Bug clearing
GL-21 Grenade Launcher	350	30	Lobs HE grenades at range	Long-range group clearing
LAS-98 Laser Cannon	60/sec	Infinite	Sustained beam — overheat cooldown	All-purpose damage
ARC-3 Arc Thrower	100	Infinite	Arc chains — jumps across multiple enemies	Swarm control

Advice: newcomers bring a machine gun, the anti-armor player a Recoilless or Quasar, the clear specialist a Flamethrower

Faction Loadout Recommendations#

Terminids#

Slot	Pick	Why
Primary	SG-225 Breaker	Shotgun one-shots bug swarms at close range
Secondary	P-19 Redeemer	Full-auto cleanup for leaping bugs in your face
Grenade	G-10 Incendiary	Seal routes — toss one when a swarm comes through a choke
Support	Flamethrower	Nothing feels better than burning bugs
Backup support	Autocannon	Multi-role — AP and group clearing in one

Automatons#

Slot	Pick	Why
Primary	R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper	Long-range one-tap headshots on infantry/scouts
Secondary	P-4 Senator	One shot, one infantry
Grenade	G-23 Smoke	Smoke cover for pushes or extraction
Support	Recoilless Rifle	One-shots tanks and turrets
Backup support	Railgun	Precise charged AP one-shots medium units

Illuminate#

Slot	Pick	Why
Primary	AR-23C Liberator Concussive	Concussive rounds control enemies — break shields, then punish the stagger
Secondary	P-19 Redeemer	High fire rate shreds shields
Grenade	G-4 Impact	Detonates on impact — perfect for fast-moving Elevated Overseers
Support	MG-43 Machine Gun	High fire rate breaks shields + sustained damage
Backup support	Quasar Cannon	One shot kills large units once their shields drop

Weapon Tier Reference#

Tier	Meaning	Representative weapons
S-tier	Strongest in the current patch — prioritize unlocking	SG-225 Breaker, R-63CS Counter Sniper, Recoilless Rifle, 500KG
A-tier	Extremely practical — a good choice in most scenarios	AR-23 Liberator, LAS-16 Sickle, Machine Gun, Quasar Cannon
B-tier	Excellent in specific scenarios	JAR-5 Dominator, PLAS-1 Scorcher, Flamethrower
C-tier	Usable but outclassed	P-2 Peacemaker, MP-98 Knight

Note: weapon strength shifts with patches — the ratings above reflect overall performance in the current version

Version History#

Version	Changes	Date
1.0	Initial weapon guide	2024-02
1.1	Added the new Warbond weapons	2024-04
1.2	Full weapon balance pass — ratings updated	2024-06

End of weapon guide

Recommended Loadouts by Stage#

Beginner Stage (Levels 1–15)#

Slot	Recommended weapon	Why
Primary	AR-23 Liberator	Stable ballistics, fast reload, works on every faction
Secondary	P-2 Peacemaker	Unlocked by default, a reliable safety net
Grenade	G-6 Frag	The most versatile — handles any early situation
Support	MG-43 Machine Gun	Works the moment it drops, no complex reload technique needed

Mid Stage (Levels 16–30)#

Slot	Recommended weapon	Why
Primary	SG-225 Breaker	Maximum close-range pressure on bug missions
Secondary	P-19 Redeemer	Full-auto emergency — saves you when they get too close
Grenade	G-12 High Explosive	Clears nests and structures — smoother pushes
Support	Autocannon	AP and group clearing in one — handles medium enemies

Late Stage (Levels 31–50)#

Slot	Recommended weapon	Why
Primary	R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper	The most efficient long-range killer on bot maps
Secondary	P-4 Senator	One shot, one infantry — superb execution feel
Grenade	G-23 Smoke	Blocks enemy vision during extraction and pushes
Support	Recoilless Rifle	One-shots tanks and turrets — the anti-armor core