The original Helldivers contained a bestiary to help players study their enemies between missions. Helldivers 2 has no such compendium for players to look learn from, so we did what any loyal soldier would do and compiled our research for others to learn from.
In Helldivers 2, players are thrown into a galaxy-wide war against enemies they don’t know anything about. For the most part, they know the foes they face consist of giant bugs and machines, but little else is explained to them. This means that players must butt their heads against steel and carapace until they understand their foes and what their weak points are. That’s why we’ve compiled our own guide for every enemy we’ve faced here, so players can jump into the game and know how to kill everything that attacks them a little more efficiently.
Related: 5 Helldivers 2 Trophies That Make Us Afraid to Go for The Platinum
Note that we will continue to add to this article as we battle with more enemies.
All Terminid Enemies in Helldivers 2
The Terminids are the most well-known Helldivers 2 enemy. They’re a race of colossal insects that burrow underground and burst up onto the surface to create nests or just make life generally unpleasant. Below, we’ve listed every creature in the Terminid scum’s roster and how best to take them down.
Scavenger
The Scavenger is the smallest footsoldier of the Terminid swarm. Each one is an insect roughly the size of dog. While their attacks are weak, they can annihilate even the most loyal of soldiers if they get together and all chew at once.
Weaknesses
Scavengers are weak to anything. A pistol or submachine gun bullet is more than enough to put them down. We always keep our secondary weapon equipped while running between objectives because it’s easy to decimate a gang of these bugs as they roam without ever having one of them get close.
Flying Scavenger (Name to be Confirmed)
The Flying Scavenger (name to be confirmed) is a version of the Scavenger that can fly and launch itself at players. There’s nothing more to it than that.
Weaknesses
The Flying Scavenger, much like its flightless friend, is weak to all bullets. Shoot it with a secondary weapon to take it down quickly and avoid getting swarmed by too many of them.
Hunter
The Hunter is a quick Terminid enemy that can launch itself at players from a distance. These bugs can slash and have a huge attack range that even makes diving out of their way impossible.
Weaknesses
The best way to kill Hunters is from afar and as soon as they’re visible. They like to dodge out of the way of the crosshair before diving at players, so it’s best to spray and pray. If they’re clustered together with other enemies, grenades will always work, but they don’t take many bullets to be killed. A pistol or submachine gun will do the trick.
Secret Hunter (Name to be Confirmed)
The Secret Hunter (name to be confirmed) Terminid is a larger version of the Hunter that can hide in plain sight. It has active camouflage, so it’ll sneak up on players and then rip them to shreds with one or two attacks in an instant. This enemy is the bane of our entire Helldivers 2 experience, and we are genuinely terrified when we see it lurking.
Weaknesses
These enemies go down pretty quickly to shotgun or assault rifle fire. The issue is seeing them to kill them. Their camouflage shows up well in smoke, but everywhere else, they’re practically invisible. Placing mines is a great way to prevent them from getting near a squad, and watching the horizon while exploring will help prevent them from sneaking up on anyone.
Warrior
Warriors are the smallest of the large Terminids that will attack players in Helldivers 2. While they’re big, they don’t do anything special, unlike their counterparts. Their role in the swarm is to attack anything that’s deemed a threat, which is why they’re so abundant.
Weaknesses
To kill Warriors, players need to shoot them with whatever they have. We’ve found that shotguns are the most effective weapon. Since Warriors are slightly tougher than their Hunter and Scavenger cousins, they take a few more shots to go down. Two rounds from a shotgun at mid-range will blow their heads off, though.
Brood Commander
The Brood Commander is the slightly larger version of the Warrior that’s often covered in the toxic green gunk some Terminids spit. They’re bigger than Warriors, take more damage, and are much nastier in temperament.
Weaknesses
The best way to kill a Brood Warrior is with a shotgun or grenade. They have slightly more armor than Warriors, so it takes more than a few shots to go down. We’ve found that a machine gun works really well on them because it’s got more power than most primary weapons and can deal with these big bugs in a few seconds.
Taking these enemies down head-on should be no problem as long as players deal with them as a priority. Letting them get close is a disaster that will see players thrown around the map and, ultimately, eaten alive.
Hive Guard
The Hive Guard is the largest variant of the Warrior Terminid. Players will know it in every mission in Helldivers 2 because it’s got a massive armored crest on its head. This armor is no joke, and makes this an incredibly scary foe.
Weaknesses
The only way to take out Hive Guards is with heavy weapons such as the machine gun or railgun. One shot from the railgun kills them deal, while the machine gun takes a few more. Grenades and an Orbital Strike work, but players may struggle to set them up while the enemy moves.
If players are running low on ammo, a great tactic we employ is throwing a Resupply Stratagem onto the back of a Hive Guard. This is where all that time spent playing Stratagem Hero pays off. When it lands, it will crush the bug and provide a niche cache of ammo. The only disadvantage to this strategy is having to get close to the Hive Guard.
Charger
The Charger is one of the biggest Terminids players will fight in Helldivers 2. They’re huge, have armor plating everywhere but their lower abdomen, and they rush at players and throw them around the map to kill them. Hence their name.
Weaknesses
There are two ways to deal with Chargers. First, players can throw grenades in the path of one to cause it to run over them as they explode, injuring it multiple times. Then, they can dive away from its charge and shoot its lower abdomen to deal damage and, hopefully, kill it. This also works with throwing an Orbital Strike on the Charger’s back.
However, we have found that the railgun is a much more effective weapon against the Charger. When shot head-on, it’ll take more shots, so try to aim for the exposed abdomen or the side. Each shot will blow off armor plating, making the next one deal more damage. The bottom line with any Charger is to kill it from a distance because if it gets close, everyone is in trouble.
Spewer (Name to be Confirmed)
The Spewer (name to be confirmed) is a small green Terminid that packs a punch. It won’t rush players to bite them like the Scavenger. Instead, it stays at a distance and fires toxic green sludge at them. This bile will burn players and cause them to slow down, allowing more hits to get them as other Spewers sneak up.
Weaknesses
Spewers (name to be confirmed) are weak to bullets, so killing them with any weapon is advised. Shoot them as soon as possible from any distance, and they’ll pop. It’s better for players to stay away from them because of their toxic spit attack, so using anything that’s to hand is necessary instead of waiting to get a melee attack in for ammo conservation.
Bile Spewer & Nursing Spewer
The Nursing Spewer is what the small green bugs grow into. They’re big, have a huge green abdomen, and sound like a cow. They get into range of a player and spray a stream of toxic spit that deals a tonne of damage. We’ve died to this enemy more times than we’d like to admit.
The Bile Spewer looks exactly the same but is orange. Players will often get a mission to kill these creatures, and it seems as though they need to kill the green ones over the orange ones to complete them.
Weaknesses
The best way to take this enemy down is with a machine gun or railgun. An Orbital Strike Stratagem or grenade works too. The key is to kill them before they get close. Heavy weapons make short work of them and keep them from damaging anyone, but explosives will bring them down fast when placed well. Using Super Credits to buy a more powerful primary weapon will help make these enemies a piece of cake. Shooting their sides is the best place because players aren’t exposed to their damaging spit.
Bile Titan
The Bile Titan is an absolutely massive Terminid enemy that towers over everything on the battlefield. It resembles a Warrior, though its limbs are longer, it’s much better armored, and it sprays a long stream of toxic spit on anything that moves.
Weaknesses
The Bile Titan is a mission in itself, so players will have to kill one at some point. To do this, the best method is to have one player distract it and draw it away from where it was stationed. Then, other players can throw grenades and Stratagems in its path. These will slow it down.
Using any weapon, but heavy ones are the best, to damage the Bile Titan by shooting its underside is the only way to kill it. The monster can really take a beating, so players must ensure they have all the ammo and Stratagems they need to battle it before they start an encounter.
This enemy summons others to its aid, including Chargers. That’s what makes fighting it so difficult. However, a squad of experienced Helldivers using tips from this article will know how to take anything down fast, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
All Automaton Enemies in Helldivers 2
The Automaton faction in Helldivers 2 is made up of deadly machines that want to rip players limb from limb. They’re intelligent and feel like they hit harder because they’re made of metal, which is obviously a lot more brutal than a bug bite. Below, we’ve outlined every Automaton enemy we’ve faced so far and our findings on their weaknesses and how to best deal with them.
Dropship
the Automaton Dropship isn’t a threat for Helldivers to deal with. It’s the method through which the enemy replenishes its forces on the battlefield. By dropping more machines onto the battlefield for Helldivers to have to kill, the Automatons have a tactical advantage because they can appear from anywhere.
Weaknesses
Dropships can be taken out with a tonne of firepower. Any sort of Orbital Strike will do, but timing this is difficult. Often, Dropships will be taken out as additional casualties of war because they’re not worth shooting over the dozens of Automatons they drop off.
MG Raider
The MG Raider is the most basic of all Automaton enemies in Helldivers 2. They’re bipedal Automatons sporting machine guns, and that’s it. While they may sound easy to deal with, they pack a real punch with every shot they land.
Weaknesses
The only way to deal with an MG Raider is shooting it. These machines go down quickly but the damage they can deal from a distance is astounding. Players will be surprised at how quickly they can die to a small group of this type of Automaton, and shouldn’t hesitate to put them down with whatever weapon they’re holding.
Rocket Raider
The Rocket Raider Automaton is a variant of the smaller bipedal robots sporting a rocket launcher. They’re just more fodder the Automatons throw at Helldivers in the hopes that a few rockets hit home and kill some of the enemy soldiers they’re battling.
Weaknesses
Just as with the MG Raiders, players should shoot a Rocket Raider on sight with whatever weapon they’re holding. They go down quickly, but that doesn’t make them easy to handle. Those rockets can murder a squad if players ignore them.
Brawler
The Brawler is a small, melee class Automaton that doesn’t deal too much damage by itself. However, as a part of a cluster of enemies, it can be quite harmful. Players need to keep them at bay by destroying them early when they approach.
Weaknesses
Brawlers will go down to any sort of gunfire, but seeing them is the problem. they’re great at sneaking up on players while something else is going on, acting as the ultimate ambush machine. they’re easily distracted though, so pumping them with bullets and then hiding should allow another player to deal with them if ammo is running low.
Berserker
Berserkers are hell. These enemies have dual chainsaws for arms, red lights everywhere, and feel like they’re screaming at Helldivers as they rush them. They’re designed to put fear into enemies, and that’s exactly what they achieve, in our opinion.
Weaknesses
The best way to take out a Berserker is concentrated fire on its glowing red middle part. This is a weak spot that will down it fast, but their rush attack makes it difficult to kill them. Players are better off running away and dropping grenades if a swarm approaches, especially if the Berserkers decide to jumpjet into battle.
Marauder
The Marauder is a well-armored trooper in the Automaton army. It will roam the battlefield in search of targets and throw itself at them while firing with everything it has. Usually, this means gunfire and rockets in unison.
Weaknesses
The only way to down a Marauder in Helldivers 2 is by shooting it with whatever weapons happen to be available. Grenades and rockets are best since it has a tough armored shell, but players can deal damage to its puny head if they aim right.
Devastator
The Devastator is a melee class enemy in the Automaton army that will get up close to Helldivers and maul them to death. Thankfully, they’re easy to spot coming and can’t surprise players too much unless they approach from behind.
Weaknesses
Devastators are slightly more well-armored than Raider enemies, but the best way to take them out is still with any sort of gunfire. Shotguns work best in our experience, but any weapon should do the trick. These foes aren’t quite enough to justify the use of heavy explosives just yet.
Heavy Devastator
The Heavy Devastator is a larger version of the Devastator Automaton with more armor. It takes a tonne of damage to go down and will wreck anything that gets close to it.
Weaknesses
Bullets, bullets, and more bullets are the only way to destroy a Heavy Devastator. They’re a powerful asset in the Automaton army that will quickly overwhelm players if they don’t deal with them. Throwing grenades into an approaching crowd will thin their numbers and make them more manageable, but good old-fashioned gunfire is the second-best option.
Rocket Devastator
The Rocket Devastator is similar to a standard Devastator enemy, except it has a rocket launcher. As with the basic version, it’s best to shoot it with whatever is available to break through its tough armor and shield.
Weaknesses
Blasting the Rocket Devastator with anything players have will bring it down. We’ve seen the most success from launching all our grenades in the general direction of wherever these are coming from. It usually does the job, or distracts them long enough for others to take them out with heavy weapon fire.
Trooper
The Trooper is a soldier on stilts. They’re not that well defended, but they stand above everyone in battle and can fire hundreds of bullets at once, so they’re something players will want to get out of the way pretty sharpish.
Weaknesses
The only way to deal with Troppers in Helldivers 2 is by shooting them with everything available. The Automaton riding the Trooper can be killed quickly to take them down if players are fast. If they’re not, going for the legs is the best option to bring them down. They’re so weak the entire robot will fall if one goes.
Scout Strider
Scout Striders are well-defended Automatons on long legs. They don’t tower over the battlefield, but they do stand at three times a Helldiver’s height, so they should be feared. Their ability to shoot from a distance without taking much damage in return is what makes them deadly.
Weaknesses
Taking a Scout Strider out in Helldivers 2 is easy once players know how. Their legs are their weak points, and if players aim at them with whatever weapon they have, they’ll bring them down fast. We’ve been able to take out a Scout Strider simply by destroying one leg in some missions, showing how flimsy they really are.
Hulk Buiser
The Hulk Bruiser is a close range specialist in Helldivers 2. Its massive size means it can’t sneak up on Helldivers, but it will pack a punch if they let it get too close. The secret to this Automaton’s success is not its mass, though; it’s the power behind every hit it lands.
Weaknesses
The Hulk Bruiser is hard to kill from the front. Instead, players must distract it and shoot it from behind. It has a weak spot on its upper back that will cause it to explode pretty quickly once players land a few shotgun blasts on it.
Hulk Scorcher
The Hulk Scorcher is a large bipedal Automaton that packs a lot of firepower into two arms. One, as can be seen above, spews fire, while the second focuses on other attacks to keep Helldivers at bay. These enemies can take a lot of hits and must be put down with Stratagems, grenades, or anything that deals a lot of damage very quickly.
Weaknesses
As with most large enemies in Helldivers 2, the Hulk Scorcher can be taken down most effectively from a distance with a high-powered weapon such as the Railgun. Failing that, explosives and Stratagems such as the Orbital Strike will bring it down quickly. We’ve found that having one player distract it and draw its fire while others get behind it to deal damage is the most effective strategy.
Shredder Tank
The Shredder Tank is a force to be reckoned with. It’s a tank in the traditional sense in that it’s a vehicle, but it comes into battle packing a giant melee weapon to devastate players with. The thick armor on almost every part of it makes it pretty much impossible to kill too.
Weaknesses
The only way to deal with a Shredder Tank is to get behind it and shoot the weak spot on the back of its turret. That will destroy it fast. However, in a pinch, landing an Orbital Strike on top of it will cause it to explode too, but players need to clear the blast radius if they want to survive.
Annihilator Tank
The Annihilator Tank is a master of war in Helldivers 2. It’s a colossal tank that stalks the battlefield and fears nothing. That’s because of its incredibly thick armor plating through which barely anything can pass. Nothing the Terminids have compares to this. It’s just an unstoppable machine Helldivers must stop.
Weaknesses
The best way to destroy an Annihilator Tank is by throwing countless grenades and Stratagems at it. Anything explosive will deal damage, but it needs to be high-powered or nothing will break its shell. There are a few heavy weapons such as rocket launches that will deal damage, but their single use nature makes them useless on higher difficulties.
It’s possible to shoot the arms off of a Hulk Scorcher while battling it, even leaving it alive without them. This can take precious time and result in a dead Helldiver, though. So players must weigh up how they want to take a Hulk down before they pick a fight with one.
Strategies for Defeating Tanks in Helldivers 2
Tanks are some of the strongest enemies in the entire game, but you can take advantage of cover and bait tactics to take them down effectively. First things first: avoid their non-stop widespread firepower by ducking into cover. Use the peek-and-shoot method to make quick work of them. Make sure you bring the best gear and items as well, and using everything on you, like orbital attacks and airstrikes. You can also have one teammate act as bait to distract the Tank, while the other teammates lay down damage.
Helldivers 2 is a tough game that can be relentlessly cruel. Items like the Jetpack come in handy for maneuvering all forms of danger, making combat and quests a cakewalk.
