Helldivers 2 features a number of powerful weapons, gorgeous armor sets, and explosive Stratagems to add in endless variety in your builds and loadouts when facing down the enemies of Super Earth. Some of the best loadouts in the game feature fun and creative combinations of weapons and Stratagems that can get you through most missions. Even among the best loadouts, however, any online shooter inevitably develops some sort of meta, some ‘ideal’ combination of abilities and equipment to give you the greatest chance of success.

A game’s meta naturally evolves overtime as certain weapons are seen to perform specific tasks in the ‘best’ way, though it’s easy to lose sight of Helldivers 2’s ultimate premise as a team-based co-op shooter — no single build is going to handle every situation in the best way. So, this guide aims to break down several meta loadouts into their individual parts (primary weapon, secondary weapon, Stratagems) that are intended to complement each other. No one loadout is going to see you through the hardest challenges the game throws at you, but with a well-balanced team utilizing the best tools at their disposal, each squadmate will be able to contribute meaningfully toward a flawless victory for Democracy.

Updated by Jeff Brooks on March 29, 2024: This guide has been majorly overhauled to include the powerful new Quasar Cannon Support Weapon, EAT-17, Stalwart, Patriot Exosuit Stratagem, and several other tweaks and additions due to the meta shake-ups over the past several weeks. Additional changes have been made to the high-priority target meta and horde-clear meta sections, reflecting balance changes and community trends.

Currently, the primary and secondary weapons meta is pretty bland, which is part of the reason we’re seeing players asking the devs for weapon and Stratagem balancing — not to nerf anything, but rather, to provide more viable options. The developers responded with a weapon rebalancing patch on March 6 (patch notes here), which brought the Breaker down a few pegs. Even with the decreased magazine size from 16 to 13 and with the recoil increased from 30 to 55, the king of Primary Weaponry is still the SG-225 Breaker Shotgun.

The SG-225 Breaker is accessible on the free Helldivers Mobilize Warbond, which will remain accessible for all players (Warbonds will not expire).

Shotguns in Helldivers 2 have a surprisingly effective range, contrary to many video games, and the Breaker is no exception. Put simply, the Breaker offers a high rate of fire (especially with its semi-automatic fire mode), each shot delivers strong damage, holds 13 shots per clip, it uses clips rather than slugs (making for faster reloading), and it is deadly even at medium range. This weapon is not only excellent at pinpointing those pesky enemies on the verge of calling in an Automaton Dropship or Bug Breach, but you can really let loose in those tense situations when you’re overwhelmed.

With the increased recoil in the March 6 patch, you’ll find the Semi alternate fire mode a bit more appealing for longer range targets, but you’ll still find plenty of use out of the full Auto alt fire when you’re overwhelmed by enemies.

This weapon is effective at all levels of play, but it’s established itself firmly as the best primary weapon in the game. Sure, some other Breaker variants put up a fight thanks to the recent balance changes, but the OG Breaker remains firmly perched as the meta primary of choice among high-level players.

Following up the ‘obvious’ pick of the Breaker for the meta primary weapon, the inevitable follow-up is the P-19 Redeemer as the best secondary weapon in the game, firmly establishing its place in the meta. Granted, this isn’t as competitive of a category (there are only 3 secondary weapons in the game at the time of writing), but don’t let that detract from just how effective the Redeemer can be!

The P-19 Redeemer is a rapid-fire juggernaut. Its impressive fire rate (1100) far outpaces the other two pistols in the game (900 for the Peacemaker, 200 for the Senator). Emptying a clip at lightning speed, you can dish out a lot of damage in a very short amount of time.

This does lead to its main drawback — with a 4-magazine max, and with how quickly you can burn through a clip, the Redeemer can run out of bullets easily in ~20 seconds if you’re not careful.

As your backup weapon, its low ammo supply doesn’t come up too often, as its best use-case is for those quick, panicky moments in-between reloads, and you need to handle the final few enemies rushing your position. The Redeemer truly shines in those quick, final moments of an encounter to ensure you still come out on top.

A case could be made for the Senator if you’re in the market for a slow, slug-loading revolver that does strong, pinpoint damage, but when stacked up against the Redeemer, it falls short across the board, firmly establishing itself as the meta choice for a Helldiver’s secondary weapon.

Now, onto the more complicated meta options. Support Weapons cover the best hand-held firepower your ship can deploy at the drop of a Hellpod. Some weapons are noticeably weaker and won’t be making an appearance today, but there is no single ‘best’ option here. Not overall, anyway. Instead, this section will be detailing the sort of ‘best in class’ for different battlefield purposes. Below, we’re breaking down the best Support Weapons you want being used in your squad to be ready for anything and everything thrown your way.

High-Priority Target Meta – Quasar Cannon / EAT-17 / Railgun / Autocannon

These four weapons feature a variety of use-cases against high-priority targets, offering great tools against the most heavily armored enemies, medium-armored threats, and also specific mission objectives. While the Railgun once reigned supreme in this regard, several rounds of balance changes (including reducing spawn rates for certain enemy types like Chargers) have put the high-priority target meta is in a much healthier place now than it was at launch.

• Quasar Cannon: The newest addition to this grouping, the Quasar Cannon delivers some phenomenal power with unlimited ammo. This weapon covers a very similar use-case to the EAT-17 (more on that below). This thing can one-shot Chargers, two-shot Bile Titans, blow Automaton Dropships out of the sky, and generally cause devastation from near limitless range. It’s counterbalanced by its 3-second charge time and 10-second cooldown, but if you utilize spacing well, this weapon is a godly tool on the battlefield.
• Expendable Anti-Tank (EAT-17): The EAT-17 has flourished since the March 6 nerf to the Railgun, delivering quick devastation against heavily armored enemies. Delivering similar power as the Quasar Cannon, the EAT-17 is a single-use rocket that can one-shot Chargers and (with good aim) 2-shot Bile Titans. a Hellpod delivers 2 EAT-17s at a time, and with a 70-second cooldown by default, many players recommend simply calling them down as often as you can all over the map. This scattershot approach creates wonderful opportunities to discover a powerful weapon during random encounters around the map. Its Hellpod can also be a great instakill on big enemies in a pinch!
• Railgun: After the nerf to the gun’s standard fire mode (Safe Mode), this weapon sees less frequent use, but its Unsafe Mode is still just as devastating as it ever was. Unsafe Mode can be hazardous to the unprepared Helldiver, but once mastered, it delivers a powerful weapon in the hands of an experienced soldier. In Unsafe Mode, you’re able to basically overcharge the weapon to dangerous levels, and as long as you release the shot before the charge meter hits 100%, you can deliver fast, powerful armor-piercing shots in quick succession. Finding the right rhythm to supercharge the Railgun without blowing yourself up takes practice, but you’ll be able to take out Automaton Dropships in one shot to the thrusters after mastering Unsafe Mode.
• Autocannon: This powerful Support Weapon doesn’t offer heavy armor penetration, but it does a phenomenal job at destroying medium-armored targets (it can even deal with a Charger in a pinch), it can take out Bug Nests, Bot Fabricators, and Shrieker Nests at long range, and it can even disable a Bile Titan’s projectile attack. You won’t be able to utilize another backpack Stratagem since the Autocannon comes with its own backpack of ammunition, but it’s worth having one on the field. Also, with some light horde clearing potential, the Autocannon delivers excellent utility across combat encounters.

The key to utilizing these powerful, high-priority target tools is not to have too many. A team fully loaded out with these above four weapons could easily get overwhelmed by the many smaller horde enemies without the proper tools to deal with those threats. Sure, you could counterbalance these weapons with other Stratagems geared toward horde clear, but a well-balanced team should include some horde-clear capabilities as well.

The Autocannon stands as a sort of bridge between the heavy-armor Support weapons and the horde clearing Support weapons, but aside from that, I wouldn’t recommend more than 2 of the heavy-armor penetration weapons in any given squad.

Horde Clear Meta – Arc Thrower / Grenade Launcher / Flamethrower / Stalwart

All four of these weapons work fantastically well not only at horde clear — keeping enemies from overwhelming your Railgun wielder(s) — but these also do significant damage to Medium-armor targets. You’ll need to be a bit more precise with your shots with the Grenade Launcher and Autocannon (not so much the Flamethrower), but you can be effective at taking down Chargers while also blowing up swarming bugs and bots.

• Arc Thrower: The electric current of the Arc Thower completely bypasses armor, and it comes with unlimited ammo. This is not only great at some smaller-scale ad clear, but it can even provide crucial supporting damage against heavier targets. It’s also very good at accidentally cooking your nearby allies.
  • With the newer arc-resistant armor included in the Cutting Edge Warbond, this Support Weapon can be even more valuable — if your allies are wearing the arc-resistant armor, you can operate without fear of killing allies.
• Grenade Launcher: This weapon is a little less effective at taking down Medium armored targets compared to something like the Autocannon, but it makes up for it with superior ad clear and extremely accurate (and fast) grenade placement — it’s excellent for clearing bug nests and bot fabricators, as well as blowing up pockets of smaller Scavengers and Troopers.
• Flamethrower: The Flamethrower got a huge buff in the March 6 patch, increasing its DPS by 50%! It’s still a very risky weapon, as you can easily light yourself and your allies on fire, and it doesn’t have great range, but it completely bypasses armor, just like teh ARc Thrower, and it can clear out adds pretty quickly now with the +50% DPS.
  • Excels against Terminids but feels less useful against Automatons due to the frequency at which you’ll engage bots at longer ranges.
• Stalwart: The Stalwart is a bit of a dark horse here, as it’s often seen as a glorified primary weapon by many in the community due to its complete ineffectiveness against medium-armored targets. But in a well-balanced team, the Stalwart absolutely shines as a true Support Weapon. Featuring 150 bullets per clip and minimal recoil (even while moving), this weapon is ideal for a run-and-gun strategy, delivering devastation on hordes of smaller enemies. This is one of the best weapons capable of covering your Quasar Cannon or Railgun-wielding allies, helping clear off the smaller deadly enemies so they can focus on the larger ones.

A well-balanced loadout across your entire squad — sporting a couple high priority target weapons and a couple horde clear weapons — will allow for you and your team to deal with any situation the Automatons or Terminids can throw your way.

• Shield Generator Pack: This Backpack Stratagem sat on the top of the pack for a long time, but with the March 6 nerf extending the time it takes to recharge after getting taken out, it’s not as dominant as it once was. It will still save your life from a nearby Eagle 500kg Bomb, and it will still allow you to escape getting slowed down by aggressive Terminids, but the longer recharge means you can’t be as reckless as before. For your less cautious squadmates, this Backpack Stratagem can be immensely helpful.
• Supply Pack: For when you just want to put the team on your back. Everyone loves a squadmate with a Supply Pack. It helps keep those high-damage, low ammo count Support Weapons in the fight longer, which is a huge boon on higher difficulties. Between regular Resupplies and the Supply Pack, you’ll keep everyone in the fight longer.
• Support Weapon Ammo: Inevitably, you’ll have 1 or 2 backpacks that serve to hold excess ammo for your heavy-duty weaponry, like the Recoilless Rifle or the Autocannon. Buddy up with a teammate to dish out this ordinance quickly and furiously!

For your best offensive Stratagem options, you’ve got a wide variety of explosive options before you. Some can be pretty underwhelming, while others stand ahead as the clear meta options available to you. Like with the weaponry covered above, it’s important to have a spread of these meta options, as they all work beautifully with one another, filling different use-cases and delivering maximum carnage to the enemies of Democracy.

• Orbital Laser: This Stratagem excels at its flexibility. Due to its passive nature, you can ‘set it and forget it,’ and it will simply seek out any nearby enemies. It’s great when it fixates on a Bile Titan; it’s great when it’s popping smaller bugs left and right. It’s effective no matter the situation. With only 3 uses per mission, however, it should be used sparingly, but whenever you bust this out, it’ll alter the course of any battle.
• Orbital Railcannon Strike: This devastating blow is perfect for precision take-downs — excellent for pesky Chargers. Though it won’t consistently down a Bile Titan, it will always make an immediate impact on the battlefield. Due to its admittedly lengthy cooldown, its use-case drops off considerably in the highest difficulty tears, as you’ll be dealing with too many heavy units to make much of a difference with it; it’s best to pair this with something quick and devastating, like the Eagle Airstrike.
• Eagle 500KG Bomb: Its single use before cooldown might feel a bit limiting, but it delivers such incredible destruction that it’s practically a must have if for the spectacle alone — though its damage is critical as well. Once you unlock the Expanded Weapons Bay Ship Module, it’ll have 2 uses before needing to recharge, doubling your destructive firepower. This Stratagem can still run into some wonky hitboxes here and there, but pound for pound, the Eagle 500KG Bomb is a must.
• Eagle Airstrike: This Stratagem is fantastic; quick to deploy, predictable spread ahead of you, and devastating to groups, it’s great to have multiple Eagle Airstrikes among your squad. You can intermix with some Eagle Cluster Bombs or Eagle Napalm Strikes, as they all work well at clearing hordes of enemies, but the Airstrike definitely stands out the brightest in this grouping.

This section deals with more defensive-minded Stratagems, but all of these mentioned here can be used offensively to devastating effect. There are few things quite as satisfying as a whole squad setting up a battery of Autocannon Sentries overlooking a large Bug Nest and raining destruction down on the whole area.

• Patriot Exosuit: This newer mech is an impressive defense tool in the game, delivering strong firepower for situations where you’re attempting to hold a position, such as when rescuing civilians or awaiting evac. Especially during those final 2 minutes of an evac mission, the Patriot Exosuit can truly shine. It sports a heavy machine gun mount (1000 bullets) and rocket launch mount (15 rockets), giving it some impressive longevity during these defend situations. You can also use it more aggressively around the map, but armor-penetrating enemies can shred this poor mech if it gets swarmed, so make sure you’re moving in a pack with your allies.
• Orbital EMS Strike: This disruptive Stratagem is fantastic when used in conjunction with other heavy damaging options. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, or the enemy is threatening to push you from a strong defensive position, Orbital EMS Strike can stun pretty much everything on the field aside from Automaton Tanks and Terminid Bile Titans. This can provide crucial extra moments to call down an Eagle 500KG Bomb or an Orbital Laser — or a few Sentries!
  • Orbital EMS Strike won’t stun or damage allies, but it will apply the Slow condition and fully drain Stamina when you or allies are inside the field.
• Autocannon Sentry: A devastating tool on the battlefield, the Autocannon Sentry can make quick work of even the toughest enemies. Excellent for defending the extraction zone, or great for just setting up a barrage of destruction on an enemy base, the Autocannon Sentry is a fantastic inclusion on any loadout, but especially on more defense-oriented missions.
  • This Sentry delivers even more impressive firepower than its handheld counterpart.
• Mortar Sentry: A bit of a controversial pick, the Mortar Sentry has probably killed the most Helldivers out of all Sentry options available to players. In order for this Stratagem to not be a hindrance, there must be some solid coordination between players to avoid close-range combat with the enemies. Because of this, the Mortar Sentry is quite abit less effective vs Terminids since they tend to push into melee more quickly than Automatons. If players can keep their distance and set up defensively around the Mortar Sentry, this can be a deadly force on the battlefield.
  • Especially useful on Extraction-style missions, though you’ll probably incur a few casualties.

For more information for how to approach every enemy type in Helldivers 2, check out our guides for taking on all Terminid enemies and all Automaton enemy units.