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Helldivers 2 Best Stratagems For Bugs, Beginners, Illuminate, Bots 2026

Written by:  U4N
Published: Feb 23, 2026
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The best Helldivers 2 stratagems prioritize high armor-piercing damage, area-of-effect crowd control, and versatile base-clearing capabilities. Top-tier picks include the versatile Eagle Airstrike, armor-shredding Orbital Railcannon Strike, and the Autocannon or Quasar Cannon for anti-tank support. For horde management, the Orbital Laser and Cluster Bomb are essential, while sentries like the Mortar excel at defense.

Helldivers 2 Best Stratagems 2026

Top-Tier Offensive & Anti-Tank Stratagems

  • Orbital Railcannon Strike: Instantly targets and destroys the largest enemy (Bile Titan/Hulk) with no aiming required.
  • Eagle 500kg Bomb: Massive damage in a concentrated area, perfect for heavy bases and Bile Titans.
  • Eagle Airstrike: A versatile "Swiss Army" tool for closing bug holes/fabricators and clearing medium-heavy enemies.
  • Quasar Cannon / EAT-17: Excellent anti-tank options for consistent heavy armor penetration.

Best Support Weapons & Backpacks

  • Autocannon: The best all-purpose weapon for handling medium enemies, bug holes, and fabricators from a distance.
  • Shield Generator Pack: Essential for survival against bots, allowing you to take hits while maneuvering.
  • Supply Backpack: High-value support for teams using ammo-intensive weapons.

Best Crowd Control & Defensive Sentries

  • Orbital Laser: Clears entire bases or swarms, ideal for emergencies or high-difficulty blitz missions.
  • Mortar Sentry (EMS or Regular): Provides massive damage or CC from safety, particularly effective in defense missions.
  • Orbital Gas Strike: Extremely effective for sealing bug breaches or halting enemy advances with a short cooldown.

Top Choices by Enemy Type

  • Against Terminids (Bugs): Eagle Cluster Bomb, Orbital Gas Strike, Guard Dog Rover, Flamethrower.
  • Against Automatons (Bots): Autocannon, Orbital Laser, Shield Generator Pack, Eagle Airstrike.

Helldivers 2 Best Stratagems For Bugs

Against the Terminid hordes in Helldivers 2, the best stratagems focus on high-volume area denial for swarms and heavy-hitting anti-tank for Chargers and Bile Titans.

Essential Offensive Stratagems

  • Eagle Airstrike: Widely considered the most versatile stratagem; it closes Bug Holes efficiently and can kill both clusters of fodder and larger targets like Chargers.
  • Orbital Napalm Barrage: The premier choice for area containment. A single barrage can often suppress an entire Bug Breach by incinerating small and medium enemies as they spawn.
  • Orbital Gas Strike: Highly effective due to its very short cooldown. It creates a "damage-over-time" zone that slows and kills most infantry-level bugs.
  • Orbital Railcannon Strike: The most reliable "panic button" for heavies. It automatically targets and typically one-shots a Bile Titan or Charger.
  • Eagle 500kg Bomb: Best used for high-impact destruction of heavy objectives or deleting Bile Titans when timed correctly.

Top Support Weapons & Backpacks

  • Flamethrower: Exceptional for clearing swarms and is one of the fastest ways to kill Chargers by targeting a single leg.
  • Quasar Cannon / Expendable Anti-Tank (EAT): Vital for dealing with heavily armored bugs from a distance.
  • Guard Dog Rover: A laser-equipped backpack drone that provides constant cover against flanking Hunters and Scavengers.
  • Shield Generator Pack: Provides a buffer against slowing effects (acid) and prevents being instantly swarmed by Stalkers.

Sentry Emplacements

  • Autocannon Sentry: High damage and stagger that can shred everything from Hive Guards to Chargers if placed with a good line of sight.
  • Gatling Sentry: Excellent for "buying time" during extraction or a retreat; its high fire rate shreds soft-bodied bugs instantly.
  • EMS Mortar Sentry: Freezes bugs in place, making them easy targets for your other stratagems or primary fire.
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Helldivers 2 Best Stratagem For Illuminate

Against the Illuminate, stratagems that emphasize high rate of fire, area denial, and sustained damage are generally superior to those focused on single-target armor penetration.

Top Support Weapon Stratagems

  • Arc Thrower: Widely considered the best support weapon because its chain lightning ignores shields, kills hordes of Voteless, and can stunlock heavier Harvesters.
  • Machine Gun (MG-43) & Stalwart: Excellent for clearing the massive swarms of "squids" and zombies. The standard MG-43 has enough medium armor penetration to kill Harvesters if you target their hip joints.
  • Laser Cannon: Provides infinite ammo and high accuracy to burn through energy barriers and pinpoint weak spots on bosses.
  • Autocannon: Effective against almost every unit when used in "flak mode" for hordes or AP mode for tripods and ships.
  • W.A.S.P. Launcher: A specialized long-range choice effective at picking off Overseers and Stingrays from a distance.

Defensive & Support Stratagems

  • Guard Dog / Rover: Essential for automatically clearing "Voteless" (zombie) chaff, allowing you to focus on high-threat teleporters. The ballistic version is often preferred for higher burst damage against shields.
  • MG & Gatling Sentries: These provide vital suppressive fire and serve as decoys. They are particularly effective in the narrow streets of Illuminate city maps.
  • Tesla Tower: Electrifies multiple enemies at once, disrupting shield regeneration and lockdown zones.

Offensive (Red) Stratagems

  • Orbital Gas Strike: One of the most efficient options due to its quick cooldown; it can melt large groups of Voteless and even destroy warp ships.
  • Eagle Strafing Run: Excellent for city layouts, as its linear strike path can clear an entire street of enemies chasing your squad.
  • Orbital Laser: Great for melting through heavy shields and hulls, though its limited uses (3 per mission) should be reserved for Harvesters or large encampments.
  • Orbital Napalm Barrage: Highly effective at pre-emptively clearing "squid drops" and locking down large areas.
  • Orbital Railcannon: Best used for instantly deleting Harvesters or ships, provided their shields have already been lowered by small arms fire.

Helldivers 2 Best Stratagems For Bots

Against the Automatons, the most effective stratagems prioritize high armor penetration, the ability to destroy buildings (fabricators) from a distance, and tools to manage heavy units like Hulks and Tanks.

1. Top-Tier Support Weapons

  • Autocannon (AC-8): Widely considered the "gold standard" for bots. It can destroy fabricators by bouncing shots off the vents, three-shot Hulks in the eye, and stagger Devastators.
  • Railgun (RS-422): Excellent for elite units. In "Unsafe" mode, it can one-shot Hulks through the eye slit and quickly dismantle Devastators.
  • Anti-Materiel Rifle (APW-1): A great long-range alternative that rewards precision, capable of two-shotting Hulks in the eye.
  • Spear (FAF-14) / Recoilless Rifle (GR-8): Essential for long-range anti-tank duties. The Spear can one-shot Fabricators, Tanks, and Turret Cannons from hundreds of meters away.

2. Essential Offensive Stratagems

  • Eagle Airstrike: The most versatile stratagem against bots. It clears groups of infantry, destroys multiple fabricators in one pass, and can damage or kill Tanks and Hulks.
  • Orbital Laser: Your "panic button" for heavy outposts. It automatically targets and destroys fabricators, turrets, and heavy enemies within its radius.
  • Orbital Precision Strike: After recent buffs, this has a very short cooldown and can one-shot almost any heavy target or objective (like Detector Towers) if your aim is true.
  • Eagle 500kg Bomb: Best for deleting specific high-value targets like Factory Striders or Command Bunkers.

3. Defensive & Tactical Tools

  • Shield Generator Pack: Highly recommended for survival. It provides a buffer against the constant long-range laser and rocket fire from bots.
  • EMS Mortar Sentry: Stuns enemies in a large radius, stopping bot advances and bot-drop reinforcements in their tracks, making them easy pickings for your support weapons.
  • Rocket Sentry: Excellent for long-range defense; it targets and destroys Gunships and Dropships effectively.

Recommended Bot Loadout

SlotRecommended Pick
Support WeaponAutocannon or Railgun
BackpackShield Generator Pack (if not using Autocannon)
Air SupportEagle Airstrike
Heavy ClearingOrbital Laser or Orbital Precision Strike
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About the Author: U4N

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