The Leviathan is a massive, flying Illuminate warship in Helldivers 2. It looks like a giant trilobite or a swimming sea monster in the sky. It arrives during the Heart of Democracy update and spawns on difficulty 5 (Hard) or higher. It uses accurate lasers to blast players from far away.
Where to Find It
- The Planet: You can find it on Super Earth city maps.
- The Clue: Look for missions with the "Leviathan Blockade" modifier.
True Weakness Spots
To deal maximum damage to the Leviathan, you need to understand how its armor and body sections work together. The warship is covered in Tank 1 (Level 5) armor, meaning you cannot hurt it with regular guns until you crack open its specific parts. The true weak spots work based on a break-and-expose system:
1. The Back Fin and Tail (The Fastest Kill)
- Why it works: The community has tested and proven that the back fin and tail base break the fastest out of any part on the ship.
- The Result: Once you destroy this rear section with anti-tank explosive weapons, it exposes a massive, unprotected area. You can then shoot directly into its vital insides with light armor-penetrating weapons like the Heavy Machine Gun (HMG), Laser Cannon, or Autocannon to drain its health bar rapidly.
2. The Side Wings
- Why it works: Each of the side wings has about 6,000 health. It takes exactly two direct hits from a Recoilless Rifle or three hits from an Expendable Anti-Tank (EAT) rocket to snap one off.
- The Result: Breaking a wing causes heavy "pin damage" to the ship and exposes a lower-armor inner section. Your squad can then easily target that broken area with standard medium-penetrating weapons to finish it off. Destroying three body parts completely will instantly bring the whole ship down.
3. The Front Underside Circle
- The Myth: Many players believe breaking all three spinning blue circles on the belly kills the ship, but tests show it will keep flying even without them.
- The Truth: Only the front circle (under the head segment) serves as a high-value target. If you blast the front circle with a heavy anti-tank weapon, it shatters quickly and triggers a multiplier that makes the head section take much higher explosive damage from subsequent rockets.
Summary of What to Avoid
- The Turrets: Do not shoot the laser turrets on the ship. They do not share a health pool with the main body, so damaging them is a waste of ammo.
- The Spine Joints: There is a tiny red hit marker between the spinal segments, but it is too small to hit reliably and does not offer enough reward for the effort.
In Helldivers 2, the Leviathan is best damaged by targeting key weak points instead of its heavily armored body. Focus first on the back fin and tail to quickly expose a vulnerable core, then use medium-penetrating weapons to melt its exposed interior. Side wings are also effective break points that weaken the ship and open additional damage zones, while the front underside circle can boost explosive damage if destroyed early. Avoid wasting ammo on turrets or tiny spine joints since they don’t affect the main health pool. For faster progression and better loadouts in Helldivers 2, many players choose to buy Helldivers 2 Super Credits directly from the our website to unlock gear and upgrades more efficiently.
Best Weapons and Strategies
- Recoilless Rifle: This is one of the best tools. It takes about 6 to 7 well-placed shots to bring a Leviathan down.
- Anti-Tank Emplacement: This heavy turret can shred the ship's wings and rings quickly.
- The Spear: This missile launcher can lock onto the ship's weak areas. It takes about 5 shots to destroy it.
- Eagle Strafing Run: Throwing this right under the path of the ship can crack its armor open in one or two passes.
- Heavy Mechs: The Emancipator Exo-Suit can target the wings and blow them off fast.
- Defensive Armor: Wear armor with explosive resistance. It will keep the lasers from killing you in one hit.
Leviathan Helldivers 2 Health
The Leviathan has a total main body health pool of 15,000 HP. It is one of the tankiest flying units in the game and requires heavy firepower to bring down. However, its health is divided among separate body parts and systems that change how much damage it actually takes:
Body Part Health Breaks
Instead of chewing through all 15,000 HP with raw damage, you can kill the ship faster by breaking its individual parts:
- Side Wings: Each side wing has 6,000 HP. Fully destroying three separate body parts (like the wings or tail) will instantly kill the Leviathan, even if its main 15,000 HP pool hasn't hit zero yet.
- Laser Cannons (Turrets): The turrets have roughly 1,500 to 1,690 HP each. You can destroy them using medium-penetrating weapons like the Autocannon or Heavy Machine Gun. Note: Destroying a turret disables its weapon, but it transfers 0% damage to the ship's main health pool.
Weapon Breakpoint Estimates
Because of how the Leviathan's health and armor scale, it generally takes a set amount of heavy anti-tank ammunition to drain its pool:
- The Spear: Takes exactly 5 locked-on shots to hit the main health thresholds.
- Recoilless Rifle: Takes 6 to 7 direct hits anywhere on the armored body.
- Quasar Cannon / EAT: Requires 7 to 8 shots to chew through its total health.
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