This tier list for the best weapons in Helldivers 2 evaluates the top firearms available, especially with the introduction of the new Illuminate faction and the Urban Legends warbond. What does the current landscape look like?
With months of updates, a significant number of weapons have become accessible in Helldivers 2, and various patches have changed how these weapons function in gameplay— the saga of the Railgun has resembled a dramatic series.
Nonetheless, the latest updates have contributed significantly to balancing the weapons, ensuring most are competitive, especially at lower difficulty settings. Below, we’ve compiled a complete tier list of all the weapons and firearms in Helldivers 2, helping you select your loadout before jumping into action.
Complete Helldivers 2 Weapon Tier List
The collection of effective weapons in Helldivers 2 has broadened significantly, thanks to recent patches that increased the effectiveness of previously underwhelming options. Among the standout weapons, the Sickle and Breaker are powerful against all foes, while support weapons like the Railgun and Commando are excellent additions to any loadout.
We’ve categorized each weapon and support option into tiers from S to D, explaining the reasons behind their rankings. If you’re looking to create the best Helldivers 2 loadout, focus on the S-tier selections.
Helldivers 2 S-Tier Weapons
These exceptional weapons are reliable choices for a wide variety of missions and enemies.
- Railgun (Stratagem): A powerful weapon that can deal tremendous damage when overcharged, particularly effective when targeting headshots and weak points.
- Quasar Cannon (Stratagem): An immensely powerful energy weapon that launches a massive laser beam. With no ammo requirements and infinite shots, it excels against larger, armored foes, though it requires a wait between blasts.
- Flamethrower (Stratagem): An excellent choice for battling bugs, this incendiary weapon produces a wide spray of fire that can eliminate swarms of smaller Terminids and some larger enemies at close range. The Enhanced Combustion Helldivers 2 Ship Module boosts its effectiveness. Just be cautious not to ignite yourself.
- Sickle: A lethal energy assault rifle from the Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge Warbond, capable of rapidly taking down foes, both bugs and bots. Theoretically, it has infinite ammo, provided you manage its cooling properly. Recent nerfs haven’t diminished its lethality.
- Breaker: Although its initial launch power has diminished, it remains a top weapon, demanding careful aim and accurate shots.
- Scorcher: This explosive energy weapon fires rapid small bolts with high per-shot damage, but be cautious—its explosive nature means it can harm you if used too closely!
- Commando (Stratagem): This expendable rocket launcher features four controllable rockets post-launch, making it great for tackling bulky armored foes.
- Recoilless Rifle (Stratagem): A rocket launcher that inflicts high damage on enemies and can demolish structures, particularly effective when coordinating with allies for rapid rocket supply.
- SG-451 Cookout shotgun: Introduced with the Helldivers 2 Freedom’s Flame Warbond, this shotgun excels in fire damage with a steady and manageable rate of fire.
- Spear (Stratagem): An anti-armor rocket launcher requiring a target lock to fire, it’s specialized but deadly against heavily armored adversaries such as Tanks and Bile Titans.
Helldivers 2 A-Tier Weapons
These strong weapons come with minor drawbacks or serve specific roles.
- Autocannon (Stratagem): This automatic cannon can effectively demolish structures and boasts impressive range. If you can’t obtain the Railgun, this is a solid alternative, requiring a backpack but offering substantial ammo capacity.
- Incendiary Breaker: A specialized version of the Breaker that deals more fire damage, ideal for exterminating bugs and unarmored foes. While nerfs have decreased its capacity and increased recoil, it remains a formidable choice.
- Expendable Anti-Tank (Stratagem): A decent option for clearing armored targets quickly, though the Recoilless Rifle outperforms it. It has an impressively short cooldown, allowing for frequent calls.
- Grenade Launcher (Stratagem): This high-capacity launcher excels against mid-tier enemies and can destroy nests. Just beware of close-range firing, as the grenades can bounce chaotically!
- Eruptor: The premier weapon from the Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation Warbond, this bolt-action rifle fires exploding shrapnel shells, capable of wiping out groups of enemies but is slow and cumbersome to operate.
- Anti-Materiel Rifle (Stratagem): A lethal sniper rifle effective at breaking armor and delivering long-range damage. It’s a great substitute for the Railgun at lower levels and is useful against Automatons.
- SMG-72 Pummeller: This reliable submachine gun fires concussive rounds that stun enemies, proving effective in combat.
- Stalwart (Stratagem): A highly capable machine gun with an impressive magazine capacity, effective against smaller enemies while allowing for mobility during reloads.
- Redeemer Pistol (Secondary): A fast-firing pistol that depletes ammo rapidly but can quickly take out unarmored enemies.
- Senator Pistol (Secondary): A heavy revolver that uses ammo efficiently, making it a strong option for heavy-hitting encounters.
- Incendiary Grenade: A firebomb useful for controlling areas, effective in extraction or defense scenarios.
- AG-22 Bushwhacker: This triple-barreled shotgun can fire one or all barrels, allowing for precision and power in close combat.
- High Explosive Grenade: The starting grenade remains one of the best, combining high damage with limited blast radius and armor penetration.
- G-13 Incendiary Impact Grenade: This grenade explodes on impact, covering enemies in white phosphorus and damaging any that venture through the affected area. It’s good for battlefield control despite recent nerfs.
- AR-61 Tenderiser: This rifle offers great stopping power, making it one of the more powerful AR options available.
- P-72 Crisper: A short-range, pistol flamethrower that provides fire damage without sacrificing your primary weapon. It’s an effective tool against groups of enemies.
- Jar-5 Dominator: This shotgun launches jet-propelled rounds with substantial stopping power, sacrificing fire rate for damage.
- Diligence: A reliable ranged rifle for dealing precision damage to robot foes.
- Thermite Grenade: Burns targets for several seconds before detonating; precision is crucial to ensure efficacy against armor. One grenade is capable of destroying a fabricator.
Helldivers 2 B-Tier Weapons
Decent options that can be effective with the right build and playstyle.
- Laser Cannon (Stratagem): This laser weapon features infinite ammo and inflicts substantial damage, especially against Automatons.
- Airburst Rocket Launcher (Stratagem): Fires proximity-detonating rockets that release cluster bombs across a wide area, effective against aerial foes, but high potential for friendly fire.
- Defender: A manageable SMG that can be used one-handed, effective against close-range hordes.
- Adjudicator: A solid assault rifle with medium armor penetration, but small magazine capacity can limit effectiveness.
- Grenade Pistol (Secondary): This sidearm shoots a single grenade, useful in pairings with Stun Grenades, although it has limited ammo.
- Stalwart (Stratagem): Again noted for its volume of fire, this versatile machine gun excels against weaker foes.
- Impact Grenade: A zero-fuse explosive ideal for precision blasts but less effective against structures.
- Arc Thrower (Stratagem): A lightning gun with infinite ammo, it generates jolts bouncing between enemies but is less effective against more substantial threats.
- Exploding Crossbow: A unique weapon that impressively combines explosive effects with surprising potency.
- Slugger: A variant of the Punisher that fires high-damage slugs; notable buffs have made it a viable option against mid-tier bots.
- Diligence Counter Sniper: A larger version of the Diligence that improves its strengths, especially useful when firing from a stable position.
- Liberator: The standard starting assault rifle—works adequately in any situation.
- Knight: A rapid-fire SMG that has a high rate of fire and is lethal in close encounters but consumes ammo quickly.
- Punisher: A shotgun that fires slowly but packs a punch with a per-shot reload mechanism, making it useful against mid-range threats.
- Flam-66 Torcher: A shorter-range flamethrower effective against close groups, but limited long-range capability.
- Stun Grenade: This non-damaging explosive temporarily incapacitates foes, making it a valuable crowd control option against Automatons.
- Spray and Pray Breaker: A variant of the Breaker with a larger magazine and quick firing rate, altering its spread pattern to be more effective in chaotic engagements.
- Frag Grenade: A small explosive weapon that balances blast radius and shrapnel damage, beneficial for clearing groups.
- Scythe: A precise and easy-to-use laser beam weapon, effective against both robots and bugs with fire capabilities.
- Dagger Pistol: A compact version of the Scythe that excels against weaker foes, quickly igniting or finishing off mid-tier threats.
- SG-20 Halt: This shotgun from the Helldivers 2 Truth Enforcers Warbond allows for independent ammo loading, dealing decent stun damage on medium armored targets.
- CQC-19 (Secondary Melee): This stun lance deals effective damage for a secondary weapon, excellent against hordes but may put you at risk of counter-attacks.
Helldivers 2 C-Tier Weapons
Average weapons that are adequate but not essential picks.
- Machine Gun (Stratagem): A rapid-fire weapon that can deliver high damage, but is bulky and controls poorly, leaving you vulnerable when reloading.
- Heavy Machine Gun (Stratagem): Incredibly powerful but challenging to aim due to severe recoil. Staying crouched is vital for effective use.
- Peacemaker Pistol: A functional starter pistol with balanced attributes, acceptable in emergency situations.
- Liberator Penetrator: A more mediocre variant of the Liberator balanced with medium armor penetration—broadly unremarkable.
- Arc Blitzer: Functions similarly to the Arc Thrower, firing arcs of electricity without charging but lacks range and damage.
- SMG-32 Reprimand: Effective against Automatons with solid stats, but suffers at range due to high recoil and low magazine capacity.
Helldivers 2 D-Tier Weapons
Subpar weapons that typically don’t warrant inclusion in your loadout.
- Liberator Concussive: An uninspired explosive version of the standard Liberator with unimpressive performance.
- PLAS-101 Purifier: Slow to charge and risky to operate, with a concussive effect that can harm you as much as your enemies.
- AR-23A Liberator Carbine: An assault rifle masquerading as an SMG, increased fire rate decreases control.
- K-2 Throwing Knife: Fun to use but lacks clear utility, making it an ineffective grenade substitute.
- Smoke Grenade: Often ineffective, as escapes rarely form a crucial strategy in Helldivers 2.
- PLAS-15 Loyalist: A somewhat better sidearm than the Purifier, though it still fails to make its mark.
For those interested in acquiring these weapons, we’ve detailed the unlocking process for Helldivers 2 here. Remember that your loadout also gets significant support from various Stratagems that can unleash destruction on Super Earth’s enemies. For more guidance, check out our recommendations for the best Helldivers 2 Stratagems.
Best Weapons for Facing the Illuminate
The Illuminate faction mixes melee units with powerful ranged foes in Helldivers 2. Thus, equipping weapons that excel at crowd control and packing strong damage against shielded opponents is vital. Here are our top recommendations:
- SG-451 Cookout shotgun: When conserved, this shotgun is effective against nearly all Illuminate enemies, delivering significant fire damage. Alternatively, consider the Breaker if this gun isn’t available.
- Anti-Materiel Rifle: This weapon can eliminate shielded enemies quickly with well-placed headshots. Pair it with a secondary weapon or Stratagem for crowd control against Voteless foes.
- Flamethrower: Extremely effective against swarms of Voteless while decimating stronger Illuminate units.
- Senator: Despite being a secondary, this revolver is critical for defeating shielded enemies, especially Harvesters.
- Recoilless Rifle: Capable of devastating shields and efficiently dispatching Harvesters with minimal effort, while also quickly taking down Illuminate ships.
- Guard Dog: Any variant is useful for crowd control and can provide cover during reloads.
Best Weapons for Automatons
Automatons in Helldivers 2 are heavily armored and combat at range, often revealing glowing weak points that should be targeted. The following weapons are optimal for these encounters:
- Railgun: If available, this armor-piercing Stratagem can knock down Helldivers 2 Hulks in just a couple of hits by targeting their glowing eyes (if you dare to use Unsafe mode).
- Sickle: A precise laser weapon that performs well against bots, ideal for targeting those tiny weak points.
- Quasar Cannon: A versatile powerhouse that obliterates Automatons, including bulky units and aerial vehicles.
- Commando: Perfect for taking on larger Automatons like tanks and walking factories.
- Spear: Its targeting lock is effective against many larger bots, including turrets and fabricators. Limited ammo makes every shot count.
- Scorcher: Robots are particularly vulnerable to energy weapons, with the Scorcher being a top choice that can also breach armor.
Best Weapons for Terminids
Terminids in Helldivers 2 usually lack the armor of bots, favoring melee combat and appearing in larger groups, often vulnerable to fire. Consider using these weapons:
- Flamethrower: An outstanding choice for controlling bug swarms, including heavily armored Terminids like Chargers; just watch out for the flames.
- Sickle: Rapidly eliminate weaker bugs while managing your cooling effectively.
- Incendiary Breaker: This fiery variation of a top weapon is excellent for dispatching bugs, though limited ammo may be a downside. Otherwise, the original Breaker serves as a reliable alternative.
- Stalwart: A rapid-fire machine gun with a large magazine, perfect for holding back waves of insects while maintaining mobility.
- G-13 Incendiary Impact Grenade: Laying down white phosphorus is a great way to damage any encroaching bugs.
- SG-451 Cookout shotgun: This weapon’s furious fire output is effective against bug hordes, though visibility may be impaired during combat.
