Best Helldivers 2 weapons and how to unlock

What are the best Helldivers 2 weapons? Helldivers 2 has hit the ground running and quickly become everyone’s favorite squad-based shooter. Whether it’s your first time in a Hellpod or you’re a veteran of Malevelon Creek, any time spent in this game is both chaotic and memorable.

Even after weeks and months of nonstop war, Helldivers 2 shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon and has undoubtedly left its mark on the multiplayer game sphere. But as you push further into enemy territory in the name of managed democracy and encounter greater foes, we have you covered with our curated list of weapons that we think will give you the edge, no matter what front you’re fighting on.

We have painstakingly tested all of these weapons on both the Terminid and Automaton fronts across a range of difficulties (from Trivial to Helldive). We’ve separated our selection based on the enemy you are facing, as each threat requires a unique counter.

Best weapons against Terminids

Terminids are the bug-brained hive-minded enemies located to the galactic east of Super Earth. In-game, Terminids act as the “mostly” unarmored melee-focused enemy that can overwhelm you from all directions if you don’t keep on the move. Whether it’s a Bile Spewer or Charger, these bugs will get up close and personal.

Here are the best weapons against Terminids:

SG-225 Breaker
SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary
PLAS-1 Scorcher
GL-21 Grenade Launcher
RS-422 Railgun

SG-225 Breaker

The Breaker has quickly become a Helldiver favorite, and for good reason. As the first fully automatic shotgun available via the Warbonds shop, its astounding rate of fire (comparable to the Diligence) and high damage-per-second (DPS) on both unarmored and lightly armored enemies make this the definitive Terminid-slaying weapon. Some weapons may be more versatile or safer to use, but nothing comes close to the fun you can have with one of these.

Best weapons against Automatons

Automatons are the heartless metallic scourge located to the galactic west of Super Earth. In-game, Automatons are a ranged-focused faction that heavily utilizes armor, but make no mistake, they have a bot for every situation. Bots have a few unarmored menaces, but you better hope you have the right weapon to hand when a Hulk or Tank appears.

Here are the best weapons against Automatons:

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
R-63 Diligence
AC-8 Autocannon
JAR-5 Dominator
P-19 Redeemer

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator

The Liberator Penetrator is a dark horse, as most players don’t realize it’s one of only two weapons in Helldivers 2 with Medium Armour Penetrating. Located on page six of the “Helldivers Mobilises” Warbonds store, it’s not an early game pick for most. However, when you eventually earn the required medals, not much will come close to the variety of enemies this weapon can take on. Sporting the same rate of fire as the standard Liberator with a reduced magazine capacity means that it can catch players off guard if they don’t keep an eye on their ammo count.

All Helldivers 2 weapons

As you go through the Warbonds and unlock each weapon, you will find your favorite for each situation and mission. Some may prefer a long-range approach, while others will dispense democracy as fast as possible with SMGs and machine guns.

Weapon name	Type	Category	Best against	How to unlock
SG-8 Punisher	Shotgun	Helldivers Mobilise	Terminids	Page one of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
P-2 Peacemaker	Pistol	Helldivers Mobilise	Terminids	Page two of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
R-63 Diligence	Marksman Rifle	Helldivers Mobilise	Both	Page two of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
SMG-37 Defender	Submachine Gun	Helldivers Mobilise	Terminids	Page three of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
SG-225 Breaker	Shotgun	Helldivers Mobilise	Terminids	Page four of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
LAS-5 Scythe	Energy	Helldivers Mobilise	Automatons	Page five of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
AR-23P Liberator Penetrator	Assault Rifle	Helldivers Mobilise	Automatons	Page six of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper	Marksman Rifle	Helldivers Mobilise	Both	Page seven of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
SG-8S Slugger	Shotgun	Helldivers Mobilise	Both	Page eight of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
SG-225SP Breaker Spray and Pray	Shotgun	Helldivers Mobilise	Terminids	Page nine of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
PLAS-1 Scorcher	Energy	Helldivers Mobilise	Both	Page ten of Helldivers Mobilise Warbond
P-4 Senator	Pistol	Steeled Veterans	Automatons	Page one of Steeled Veterans Warbond
AR-23E Liberator Explosive	Assault Rifle	Steeled Veterans	Both	Page one Steeled Veterans Warbond
SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary	Shotgun	Steeled Veterans	Terminids	Page two of Steeled Veterans Warbond
JAR-5 Dominator	Explosive	Steeled Veterans	Both	Page three of Steeled Veterans Warbond
LAS-16 Sickle	Energy	Cutting Edge	Automatons	Page one of Cutting Edge Warbond
SG-8P Punisher Plasma	Shotgun	Cutting Edge	Terminids	Page two of Cutting Edge Warbond
LAS-7 Dagger	Pistol	Cutting Edge	Automatons	Page three of Cutting Edge Warbond
ARC-12 Blitzer	Shotgun	Cutting Edge	Both	Page three of Cutting Edge Warbond
BR-14 Adjudicator	Marksman Rifle	Democratic Detonation	Both	Page one of Democratic Detonation Warbond
R-36 Eruptor	Explosive	Democratic Detonation	Both	Page two of Democratic Detonation Warbond
GP-31 Grenade Pistol	Pistol	Democratic Detonation	Both	Page three of Democratic Detonation Warbond
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow	Explosive	Democratic Detonation	Both	Page three of Democratic Detonation Warbond
AR-61 Tenderizer	Assault Rifle	Polar Patriots	Both	Page one of Polar Patriots Warbond.
SMG-72 Pummeller	Submachine Gun	Polar Patriots	Terminids	Page two of Polar Patriots Warbond.
PLAS-101 Purifier	Energy	Polar Patriots	Both	Page three of Polar Patriots Warbond.
P-113 Verdict	Pistol	Polar Patriots	Both	Page three of Polar Patriots Warbond.
MG-43 Machine Gun	Support	Stratagems	Both	Default
APW-1 Anti-Material Rifle	Support	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
M-105 Stalwart	Support	Stratagems	Terminids	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank	Support Explosive	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle	Explosive	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
FLAM-40 Flamethrower	Incendiary	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
AC-8 Autocannon	Support	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun	Support	Stratagems	Terminids	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
RS-422 Railgun	Support	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
FAF-14 Spear	Support	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
GL-21 Grenade Launcher	Explosive	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
LAS-98 Laser Cannon	Support	Stratagems	Both	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
ARC-3 Arc Thrower	Support	Stratagems	Automatons	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon	Support	Stratagems	Automatons	Unlocked via “Ship Management” under “Stratagems”
AR-23 Liberator	Assault Rifle	Misc	Terminids	Unlocked by default
P-2 Peacemaker	Pistol	Misc	Terminids	Unlocked by default

Now that you know what arsenal is available to you as you play through Helldivers 2, you might want to dive nose-deep into the fray alongside your squad, but some cannot get into a game. Keep an eye on our Helldivers 2 server status page, which is updated often. Whether you get in-game or not, make sure your graphics card isn’t letting you down, and double-check the Helldivers 2 system requirements before installing.