There is no single best loadout in Helldivers 2. The strongest builds work by covering different battlefield problems across your primary, secondary, throwable, and four stratagem slots. This guide collects 26 current, meta-viable full builds for Automatons, Terminids, and Illuminate, ranging from machine gunners and laser skirmishers to grenadiers, stealth...
Updated for Devoid of Liberty 7.0.0, August 2026
There is no single best loadout in Helldivers 2.
The strongest builds work because every piece of equipment has a job. Your primary handles one set of threats, your secondary covers another weakness, your throwable gives you utility or emergency damage, and your stratagems solve the problems your carried weapons cannot.
That creates several completely different ways to play the game.
You can become the squad's machine gunner, anti-tank specialist, grenadier, scout, engineer, demolition expert, laser skirmisher, shield trooper, vehicle crewman, or mobile support diver without leaving the high-difficulty meta.
The core rule is simple:
Build for coverage, not for the number of S-tier items you can equip.
An Eruptor, Senator, Autocannon, and Thermite might all be excellent individually, but if every piece of your loadout specializes in armored targets, a swarm of fast enemies can expose the hole immediately.
Below is a collection of meta-viable and high-difficulty loadouts designed around distinct playstyles rather than one universal tier list.
The Devoid of Liberty 7.0.0 update changed the Illuminate front considerably with enemies such as Wretches and Crushers.
The current battlefield particularly rewards sustained damage, mobility, crowd control, limb destruction, and reliable ways to break Crusher armor.
Primary: LAS-13 Trident
Secondary: Bolt Pistol
Throwable: Gas Grenade
Stratagems:
LAS-98 Laser Cannon
Guard Dog Rover
Eagle Napalm Airstrike
Orbital Gas Strike
Playstyle: Mobile sustained-fire generalist
The Trident handles regular infantry and Wretches without creating much ammunition pressure. The Laser Cannon gives you sustained precision against harder targets, while the Rover continuously protects your flanks.
Napalm and Gas allow you to control the enormous groups the current Illuminate can produce.
This is a great loadout if you want to stay mobile and continuously contribute rather than wait for cooldowns.
Primary: R-36 Eruptor
Secondary: Bolt Pistol
Throwable: Incendiary Impact
Stratagems:
LAS-98 Laser Cannon
Guard Dog Rover
Eagle Napalm Airstrike
Orbital Gas Strike
Playstyle: Precision utility and crowd control
Instead of treating the Eruptor as your everyday rifle, use it as a utility weapon.
The Eruptor handles demolition, Fleshmobs, clustered enemies, and distant targets. The Laser Cannon becomes your sustained fighting weapon against harder enemies.
The Rover protects you while operating the slower Eruptor, and the Bolt Pistol provides a safer close-range answer when an explosive round would be a bad idea.
Primary: LAS-13 Trident
Secondary: Bolt Pistol
Throwable: Gas Grenade
Stratagems:
M-105 Stalwart
Warp Pack
Gatling Sentry
Eagle Napalm Airstrike
Playstyle: Run-and-gun assault
The Stalwart effectively becomes your primary weapon.
Move constantly, fire constantly, and use the Warp Pack whenever positioning begins to collapse.
The Trident gives you an ammunition-efficient backup while the Bolt Pistol provides a harder-hitting precision option.
This is one of the cleanest builds for players who simply want to spend most of a mission shooting.
Primary: R-36 Eruptor
Secondary: Bolt Pistol or LAS-58 Talon
Throwable: Gas Grenade
Stratagems:
M-105 Stalwart
Gatling Sentry
Guard Dog
Machine Gun Sentry
Playstyle: Maximum infantry suppression
The Stalwart does most of the fighting.
The Eruptor comes out when you encounter structures, clustered enemies, or targets that reward explosive or heavier penetration.
Meanwhile, your Guard Dog and sentries create an enormous amount of autonomous fire.
You sacrifice some heavy-target redundancy in exchange for overwhelming continuous pressure.
Primary: CB-9 Explosive Crossbow
Secondary: Bolt Pistol or LAS-7 Dagger
Throwable: Gas Grenade
Stratagems:
StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher
Tesla Tower
Guard Dog Rover
Eagle Napalm Airstrike
Playstyle: Priority-target hunter
The Crossbow provides explosive utility and objective destruction while the W.A.S.P. rapidly deals with priority targets.
Tesla and Napalm control the battlefield around you, allowing you to concentrate on whatever deserves immediate attention.
This is less about sustained conventional gunfighting and more about identifying the most dangerous problem and deleting it.
Primary: Eruptor or Explosive Crossbow
Secondary: Bolt Pistol
Throwable: Thermite
Stratagems:
MGX-42 Bullet Storm
MLS-4X Commando
Guard Dog
Orbital Gatling Barrage
Playstyle: Disposable weapons specialist
Instead of worrying about preserving one support weapon for an entire mission, repeatedly call down fresh equipment.
The Bullet Storm provides enormous sustained fire while the Commando gives you expendable anti-armor capability.
Once one tool is depleted, call another.
It produces a very different rhythm from traditional support-weapon builds.
Primary: PLAS-101 Purifier
Secondary: GP-31 Grenade Pistol
Throwable: Incendiary Impact
Stratagems:
MLS-4X Commando
Eagle Strafing Run
Orbital Precision Strike
Machine Gun Sentry
Playstyle: Plasma generalist
The Purifier provides strong ranged damage and crowd control.
The Grenade Pistol handles demolition, the Commando gives you heavier firepower, and the remaining stratagems all have relatively straightforward battlefield applications.
This is a good choice when you want a conventional all-purpose loadout without leaning heavily into one gimmick.
Primary: ARC-12 Blitzer
Secondary: P-19 Redeemer
Throwable: Impact Grenade
Stratagems:
MLS-4X Commando
Guard Dog
Orbital 120mm HE Barrage
Orbital Laser
Playstyle: Close-range control
The Blitzer controls nearby infantry while the Redeemer provides immediate burst damage.
Your personal weapons handle enemies close to you while Commando rockets and orbital stratagems address larger battlefield problems.
Primary: MP-98 Knight
Secondary: CQC-2 Saber
Throwable: Stun Grenade
Stratagems:
Ballistic Shield
MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun
Orbital 120mm HE Barrage
Machine Gun Sentry
Playstyle: Shield infantry
This is not the most universally efficient build in the game, but it provides a completely different experience while remaining viable.
Advance behind the shield, fight aggressively at close range, and establish firing positions with the HMG and sentry.
Sometimes meta variety is valuable precisely because the playstyle changes so dramatically.
Terminids support an enormous variety of viable playstyles because they create simultaneous problems involving hordes, armored enemies, breaches, nests, mobility, and area denial.
Primary: SG-451 Cookout
Secondary: GP-31 Grenade Pistol
Throwable: Stun Grenade
Stratagems:
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
Eagle 500kg Bomb
Eagle Cluster Bomb
Orbital Laser
Playstyle: Traditional all-rounder
The Cookout controls close-range pressure.
The Grenade Pistol handles nests and explosive utility.
The Recoilless Rifle answers major armored threats.
Your remaining stratagems give you increasingly large solutions when the battlefield becomes unmanageable.
This is an excellent baseline for understanding conventional high-difficulty Helldivers.
Primary: SG-451 Cookout
Secondary: GP-31 Grenade Pistol
Throwable: Thermite
Stratagems:
GL-21 Grenade Launcher
EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank
Eagle 500kg Bomb
Orbital Laser
Playstyle: Explosive objective clearer
The Grenade Launcher destroys groups and nests while the Cookout keeps enemies away from you.
When a heavy appears, temporarily drop the Grenade Launcher, grab an EAT, fire it, then recover your launcher.
You don't need one support weapon to solve everything.
Primary: LAS-16 Sickle
Secondary: P-19 Redeemer
Throwable: High Explosive Grenade
Stratagems:
MG-43 Machine Gun
Guard Dog Rover
EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank
Eagle Cluster Bomb or Eagle Airstrike
Playstyle: Horde gunner
The MG-43 does the majority of the fighting.
The Rover helps protect you while firing or reloading, while the Sickle provides an ammunition-efficient backup.
When something too large for the machine gun appears, call an EAT.
Simple, effective, and extremely satisfying.
Primary: ARC-12 Blitzer
Secondary: P-113 Verdict
Throwable: Impact Grenade
Stratagems:
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
Jump Pack
Orbital Precision Strike
Eagle Airstrike
Playstyle: Mobile control
Jump into a position, control nearby enemies with the Blitzer, eliminate priority threats, then move again before the swarm closes around you.
The Quasar supplies reusable anti-armor firepower without occupying your backpack.
This is one of the strongest options if mobility itself is part of what makes a loadout fun.
Primary: ARC-12 Blitzer
Secondary: GP-31 Grenade Pistol
Throwable: Incendiary Grenade
Stratagems:
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
Jump Pack or Warp Pack
Eagle Airstrike
Orbital Precision Strike
Playstyle: Infinite-ammo control generalist
The Blitzer handles normal engagements without conventional ammunition.
Grenade Pistol covers demolition.
Quasar covers armor.
Your mobility backpack allows you to avoid getting trapped.
Every major loadout responsibility has a clear home.
Primary: AR-61 Tenderizer
Secondary: P-19 Redeemer
Throwable: Stun Grenade
Stratagems:
EAT-17
Gatling Sentry
Autocannon Sentry
EMS Mortar Sentry
Playstyle: Battlefield architect
Your job is not simply to shoot enemies.
You create positions where the enemy loses.
EMS slows the advance, Gatling handles infantry, and the Autocannon Sentry attacks larger targets.
You personally fill whatever gaps remain.
This feels more like managing a defensive system than playing a traditional shooter.
Primary: AR-2 Coyote
Secondary: GP-20 Ultimatum
Throwable: Stun Grenade
Stratagems:
EAT-17
Orbital Railcannon Strike
Machine Gun Sentry
Warp Pack
Playstyle: Mobile heavy hunter
Coyote handles everyday combat.
The Ultimatum and EAT provide two separate layers of heavy-target response.
Warp mobility lets you choose engagements and escape bad positions.
This is a strong specialist setup when large priority targets are the primary concern.
Primary: Blitzer or Sickle
Secondary: Stim Pistol
Throwable: Stun Grenade
Stratagems:
Quasar Cannon
Supply Pack
Orbital Laser
EMS Mortar
Playstyle: Random-team support
Keep teammates supplied.
Heal people from range.
Control dangerous groups with EMS.
Carry a Quasar so you're still capable of personally answering armored threats.
This becomes particularly interesting when answering SOS calls because your loadout is designed around making an unknown team harder to kill.
Primary: Cookout
Secondary: Grenade Pistol or Senator
Throwable: Incendiary Impact
Stratagems:
FLAM-40 Flamethrower
Supply Pack
Orbital Napalm Barrage
Eagle Napalm Airstrike
Playstyle: Area denial
The objective is simple:
Make the ground itself hostile.
Fire weapons handle enemies directly while Napalm controls routes, breaches, and choke points.
The Supply Pack lets you sustain the aggression instead of conserving ammunition.
Automatons reward precision, positioning, armor penetration, base destruction, stealth, and deliberate use of cover.
Primary: PLAS-101 Purifier
Secondary: GP-20 Ultimatum
Throwable: Thermite
Stratagems:
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
Eagle Airstrike
Orbital Laser
Eagle 500kg Bomb
Playstyle: Anti-armor specialist
You are deliberately over-investing in heavy destruction.
Purifier handles normal combat, while nearly everything else exists to ensure the squad never lacks an answer to major armored targets.
Not every loadout needs perfect balance. Sometimes specializing is the point.
Primary: R-36 Eruptor
Secondary: GP-20 Ultimatum
Throwable: Thermite
Stratagems:
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
Orbital Laser
Eagle Cluster Bomb
Autocannon Sentry
Playstyle: Heavy demolition
The Eruptor handles structures and medium targets.
Recoilless, Ultimatum, and Thermite create extensive anti-heavy redundancy.
Cluster Bomb and Autocannon Sentry compensate for how heavily your personal weapons lean toward armored targets.
Primary: R-72 Censor
Secondary: P-4 Senator
Throwable: Dynamite
Stratagems:
C4 Pack
Portable Hellbomb
Orbital Laser
Eagle 500kg Bomb
Armor: Reduced Signature
Playstyle: Stealth demolition
This build changes the objective entirely.
Instead of asking:
How do I win this firefight?
Ask:
How do I complete this objective without needing the firefight?
Avoid unnecessary patrols, infiltrate bases, plant explosives, destroy infrastructure, and leave.
For players who enjoy rapidly solving changing tactical problems, this can feel like an entirely different game.
Primary: Purifier
Secondary: LAS-58 Talon
Throwable: Thermite
Stratagems:
Ballistic Shield
Quasar Cannon
Eagle 500kg Bomb
Orbital Laser
Armor: Fortified
Playstyle: Armored infantry
Use the one-handed Talon while advancing behind the Ballistic Shield.
When the shield is unnecessary, transition back into Purifier or Quasar fire.
It turns positioning and orientation into central pieces of your gameplay.
Primary: LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle
Secondary: LAS-58 Talon
Throwable: Thermite
Stratagems:
Quasar Cannon
Shield Generator Backpack
Orbital Laser
Bastion Tank
Armor: Heavy Fortified
Playstyle: Vehicle crew
A highly specialized setup designed around operating armored vehicles while retaining enough personal equipment to remain useful when dismounted.
It's not something to run every mission.
That's exactly why it belongs in a rotation.
Primary: Eruptor
Secondary: Ultimatum
Throwable: Gas Grenade
Stratagems:
Recoilless Rifle
Eagle Smoke Strike
Orbital Laser
Flexible mission-specific slot
Armor: Fortified
Playstyle: Objective-first runner
This isn't designed around maximizing kills.
Smoke interrupts sightlines, Orbital Laser creates space, and the rest of your loadout gives you enough destructive capability to force the objective when necessary.
Complete the task and move.
These are useful when you want a familiar framework that can function across several fronts with only minor adjustments.
Primary: Coyote or Purifier
Secondary: Talon or Bolt Pistol
Throwable: Thermite
Stratagems:
AC-8 Autocannon
Eagle Airstrike
Orbital Precision Strike
Machine Gun or Gatling Sentry
Playstyle: Maximum personal capability
The Autocannon is one of the strongest general-purpose support weapons because it combines penetration, explosive damage, range, and utility.
Your primary handles ordinary combat.
Your sidearm gives you a fast fallback.
Thermite supplies additional heavy-target insurance.
Airstrike, Precision Strike, and the sentry give you tools for situations too large for your personal weapons.
This is a strong benchmark for what a highly independent Helldiver feels like.
Primary: AR-2 Coyote
Secondary: GP-20 Ultimatum
Throwable: G-142 Pyrotech
Stratagems:
GL-21 Grenade Launcher
Supply Pack
Eagle Airstrike
Orbital Precision Strike or Orbital Gas Strike
Playstyle: Resupply-powered destruction
The Coyote handles conventional fighting.
The Grenade Launcher handles groups and structures.
Supply Pack turns ammunition into something you can aggressively spend instead of conserve.
Ultimatum provides a heavyweight emergency answer.
This is a great loadout if your philosophy is:
Problems disappear faster when you throw more explosives at them.
Trying to unlock and memorize every possible loadout immediately defeats the point.
A better approach is to build a collection of loadouts that create different combat loops.
Eruptor + Bolt Pistol + Stalwart
Your support weapon becomes your primary gun.
Trident + Bolt Pistol + Laser Cannon + Rover
Sustained damage, mobility, and low ammunition pressure.
Coyote + Grenade Pistol + Recoilless Rifle
A traditional rifleman with dedicated demolition and heavy-target tools.
Coyote/Purifier + Talon + Autocannon
Highly independent and capable against almost anything.
Coyote + Ultimatum + Grenade Launcher + Supply Pack
Explosive battlefield control.
Blitzer + Verdict + Quasar + Jump Pack
Mobility and close-range control.
Cookout + Grenade Pistol + Grenade Launcher + EAT
Constantly switch tools according to the immediate problem.
Tenderizer + EAT + Triple Sentries
Turn terrain into your weapon.
Censor + Senator + C4
Avoid battles and destroy objectives surgically.
Purifier + Talon + Ballistic Shield
Slow, deliberate armored advance.
Eruptor/Crossbow + Bolt Pistol + Bullet Storm + Commando
Constantly cycle disposable support weapons.
Double-Edge Sickle + Talon + Bastion Tank
Change the game entirely by centering your loadout around a vehicle.
Instead of asking whether every item is S-tier, assign responsibilities.
A complete loadout usually needs answers to several questions:
What kills normal infantry?
Your primary or support weapon should handle enemies that appear constantly without requiring valuable cooldowns.
What handles armor?
This could be a support launcher, Thermite, Ultimatum, Autocannon, Quasar, or an offensive stratagem.
You don't necessarily need all of them.
What destroys structures?
Explosive primaries, Grenade Pistol, Grenade Launcher, Autocannon, C4, or offensive stratagems can cover this role.
What saves you when enemies reach you?
A slow Eruptor is excellent until something is standing three feet away.
That is where weapons such as the Talon, Bolt Pistol, Redeemer, shotguns, Rover, or crowd-control tools become valuable.
What creates space?
Gas, Napalm, sentries, stun effects, smoke, EMS, and mobility equipment aren't simply damage tools.
They can change the geometry of an engagement.
What happens when the squad is collapsing?
This may be the most important question at high difficulty.
A good independent build gives you something capable of immediately changing a bad situation rather than requiring another player to solve it for you.
Helldivers 2 becomes much more interesting once progression stops being the reason to play.
A loadout isn't just a collection of equipment.
It's a decision about how you want to solve problems during that mission.
One night you can be the machine gunner.
The next mission you can answer every armored target with a Recoilless Rifle.
Then you can become a stealth saboteur and avoid most battles entirely.
After that, cover the battlefield in sentries.
Then grab a Jump Pack and play like a shock trooper.
Then answer an SOS call with a Supply Pack and Stim Pistol and become the reason three strangers survive extraction.
That is where Helldivers 2's enormous equipment pool starts making sense.
The goal isn't to discover one perfect meta loadout and use it forever.
The goal is to build a collection of meta-viable ways to play the game, understand the strengths and weaknesses of each one, and choose the toolkit that makes the next drop interesting.
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