The best Helldivers 2 Stratagems and tier list
The best Helldivers 2 Stratagems and supports for combat
The best Helldivers 2 Stratagems in our tier list let you know what to bring in with you, and with so many Stratagems to choose from, it's easy to lose track of what's good and what's the best in the ever-changing meta.
Whatever you pick, Stratagems are a massive part of how you play and will affect how you approach missions and fights. They aren't equal though, and range from indispensable game changers, to some that are pretty meh, and others that are straight up lethal in exactly the wrong way. To help you make some democratic choices, here are the best Stratagems in Helldivers 2, and a tier list to help know what to chose.
Best Helldivers 2 Stratagems
We've got a full Stratagem Tier list below, but if you're planning on going into the field and need some ideas about what to bring, here's some of the best Helldivers 2 Stratagems.
- Railgun (level 20): Really simply, the Railgun is inarguably at the top of the Helldivers 2 best weapons tier list. Being able to summon Railguns for yourself and allies is just a hugely helpful advantage.
- Orbital Laser (level 20): A giant laser fired from space that cuts through enemies, bug holes and fabricators, while also actively hunting down targets.
- Eagle Airstrike (level 3): A simple air attack that hits a lovely middle ground for damage, AOE and recharge rate.
- EMS Mortar Sentry (level 20): An enemy-slowing effect might not sound impressive, but being able to stun all foes for a long radius and leave them vulnerable - without threatening your own team - can make or break a tense extraction or citizen evac.
- Eagle Cluster Bomb (level 3): A wider-reaching bomb attack that clears huge crowds of enemies.
- Quasar Cannon (level 18): A long-charge up and cooldown can't stop this deadly energy-based launcher with infinite ammo, perfect for bringing down powerful targets.
Stratagem Tier List for Helldivers 2
The best Stratagems in Helldivers 2 are all laid out in our tier list below - every single one of them.
- S-tier
- Railgun
- Orbital Laser
- Eagle Airstrike
- EMS Mortar Sentry
- Eagle Cluster Bomb
- Quasar Cannon
- A-tier
- Emancipator Mech
- Autocannon
- Grenade Launcher
- Eagle 500kg Bomb
- Railcannon Strike
- Patriot Exosuit (mech)
- Autocannon Sentry
- Guard Dog Rover
- Shield Generator Pack
- Mortar Sentry
- Arc Thrower
- Jump Pack
- Expendable Anti-Tank
- Recoilless Rifle
- Stalwart
- Laser Cannon
- B-tier
- Guard Dog
- Flamethrower
- Orbital Gas Strike
- Orbital Precision Strike
- Machine Gun
- Napalm Airstrike
- 380MM HE Barrage
- Rocket Sentry
- Gatling Sentry
- Anti-Personnel Minefield
- HMG Emplacement
- Anti-Materiel Rifle
- C-tier
- Machine Gun Sentry
- Orbital Walking Barrage
- Orbital Gatling Barrage
- Shield Generator Relay
- Incendiary Mines
- Orbital Airburst Strike
- Orbital EMS Strike
- Eagle Strafing Run
- Heavy Machine Gun
- 120MM HE Barrage
- Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods
- Spear Launcher
- Tesla Tower
- RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher
- Orbital Smoke Strike
- Eagle Smoke Strike
- D-tier
- Supply Pack
- Ballistic Shield Backpack
How to unlock Stratagems
As discussed previously, Stratagems can be bought on your hub ship by paying with Requisition Slips, rewards obtained from playing the game well, completing objectives, and finding them at Points of Interest. To buy Stratagems, go to one of the Ship Management terminals beneath the big propaganda-playing screen, over on the left when you step out of your pod and head up the little steps to the main deck.
Because you can only have four Stratagems equipped going into a mission, you want to think carefully about which ones you choose - what do your allies have? What are the mission objectives? Are there any combos that do or don't work well together?
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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.
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