Support Weapons are given to players by using Support Weapon Stratagems in Helldivers 2. They fill up a third weapon slot and are picked by players before beginning any mission. In this guide, I’ll go through my picks of the best support weapons for fighting both Terminids and Automatons. I’ll also teach you how to purchase new Stratagems if you’ve not yet done so.
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Top Three Helldivers 2 Support Weapons
Since Support Weapons are among the Stratagems that each player can choose at the beginning of a Mission, you’ll want to choose them carefully depending on the Mission type, difficulty, and the enemies you’ll be facing. Of the twelve Support Weapons Stratagems in Helldivers 2, I find these three to be the most helpful.
Grenade Launcher
The Grenade Launcher is a Support Weapon that should not be underestimated when it comes to exterminating Terminids. Firstly, it can quickly and efficiently destroy any bug holes you come across. This makes Missions requiring sealing bug holes and side quests of destroying bug holes a walk in the park. It also does a decent job in killing both squishies and armored enemies. If you’ve got a bug problem, definitely give the Grenade Launcher a try.
For Automatons, the Grenade Launcher is great for firing into freshly-dropped waves of robots during defensive Missions. It can also easily take out the pilots in Hulks if aimed at their pilots properly. I place it above the Autocannon because it doesn’t take up an extra slot and it’s uses against the bugs are phenomenal.
Railgun
The Railgun is one of the strongest Support Weapons against armored enemies. While the number of shots depends on whether or not the gun is in safe or unsafe mode, it can delete a charger in less than 5 shots and weaker enemies in a single shot. It can also kill a Brood Commander in a single shot to head. This makes the Railgun perfect for any Mission requiring a specific Terminid(s) to be terminated.
It’s also perfect for the many armored enemies of the Automatons. If you don’t mind using the Railgun carefully to avoid explosions, it’s unsafe mode will take down the larger armored enemies with ease. A great way to complete a defense Mission is to have a player with the Railgun taking out larger enemies while other members on the team take out the smaller robots.
Machine Gun
The Machine Gun is the first Support Weapon given to you in the game, but that doesn’t mean it’s the weakest. It’s perfect for taking out all of the smaller Terminids as well as the robot foot soldiers of the Automatons. If another member of your squad acts as bait, you could easily wipe out Automaton soldiers and Hulks from behind with this gun.
How to Unlock New Support Weapon Stratagems in Helldivers 2
All Stratagems can be purchased at the same set of computers as Ship Upgrades. These computers will be on the left side of the ship as soon as you enter it.
Click “E” on the computers to open up their screen. Select the second tab, labeled “Stratagems”, to view all of the obtainable Stratagems in the game. This section will only contain the Stratagems you can choose to bring with you at the start of a Mission; the other Stratagems are Mission-specific and will be giving automatically to you as the Mission requires.
The Stratagem shop is divided into six sections, with the shop itself containing a total of 47 Stratagems. Stratagems you already have will have a green triangle with a checkmark to the right of their name. Those you can purchase will have a yellow triangle with an unlocked lock, and those that cannot be purchased yet will have a red triangle with a lock on it.
To purchase a Stratagem, select the one you’d like to buy. Press “tab” with it selected to view it’s name, statistics, and description. It’s cost in Requisition Slips will be shown beneath its statistics. To the right of the price is a button reading “Purchase”. Select and hold the button to acquire the Stratagem.
Has been playing video games for her entire life so far. Grew up with the Sega Master System II. Her favourite games include both Resident Evil 2 (OG) and Final Fantasy VIII.
She now writes articles about video games.
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