Helldivers 2 has three enemy factions, and each tests a different part of your loadout: Terminids whether you can hold back a swarm, Automatons whether your weapons penetrate armor, and the Illuminate whether you can sustain enough damage to beat shields and large health pools.
Health and armor values below come from the Helldivers wiki on wiki.gg. Arrowhead rebalances enemies regularly, so treat exact numbers as the current state. Stratagem rankings live in the stratagem guide and are not repeated here.
The three factions compared
| Terminids | Automatons | Illuminate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How they fight | Melee swarms that close the distance; heavies charge or burrow | Ranged fire from cover; rockets, artillery, tanks and gunships | Voteless hordes in front, shielded elites and flyers behind |
| Armor in general | Light swarm units; Heavy armor on Chargers and Bile Titans | Medium armor is common; Heavy and Tank armor on heavies | Low armor but high health; shields that absorb single big hits |
| Penetration you need | Light for the swarm, one anti-tank weapon for heavies | Medium as a minimum, plus anti-tank | High damage per second matters more than penetration |
| Damage that works well | Fire, gas, cluster explosives | Precise shots on heads, vents and heat sinks; explosives | Sustained automatic fire, explosions through shields, fire on Voteless and Fleshmobs |
| Strong stratagem picks | Eagle Cluster Bomb, Eagle 500kg Bomb, Orbital Gas Strike | Shield Generator Pack, Orbital Railcannon Strike, Eagle Airstrike | MG-43 Machine Gun, Shield Generator Pack, Eagle Cluster Bomb |
| Who calls reinforcements | Scavengers, Bile Spitters, Pouncers, Hunters, Warriors, Brood Commanders, Hive Guards | Every light Automaton (flare); Detector Towers | Watchers only |
| Most dangerous units | Bile Titan, Charger, Impaler, Stalker | Hulk, Factory Strider, tanks, Gunship | Harvester, Stingray, Fleshmob, Overseers |
How armor penetration works
Every weapon has an armor penetration (AP) value, and every enemy body part has an armor value (AV). The levels run Unarmored (0), Very Light (1), Light (2), Medium (3), Heavy (4), then Tank I (5) and higher. The rule is simple:
- AP higher than AV: 100% damage.
- AP equal to AV: 65% damage.
- AP lower than AV: no damage at all; the shot ricochets.
That is why a Light-penetration rifle does nothing to a Hulk's front but kills it from behind: the heat sink on its back is Very Light. Almost every heavy has a weaker part like this.
Terminids (bugs)
Terminids win by numbers. Most of them die to any primary, so the real problems are the heavies that close distance fast and the Bug Breaches that keep adding more.
Stop the Bug Breach
A Bug Breach is the Terminid reinforcement call. An eligible bug that spots you stops, makes a distinctive sound and releases orange pheromones; if it finishes, a breach opens nearby. Scavengers, Bile Spitters, Pouncers, Hunters, Warriors, Brood Commanders and Hive Guards can all call one. The cooldown between breaches gets shorter on higher difficulties. Killing the caller before it finishes is the single best habit against bugs.
Terminid units and how to kill them
| Unit | Threat | Armor and weak points | How to kill it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | Fast flanker; leaps from 15-20 m; tongue slows you by 30%; calls breaches | Unarmored, 160 health from Challenging up; head 40 | Any primary; shoot first when it appears in a swarm |
| Stalker | Near-invisible camouflage; tongue knocks you down; claws penetrate heavy armor | 800 health, Very Light; head 175 | Fire, gas or bile reveal it; it retreats at half health and regenerates, so finish it fast |
| Brood Commander | Absorbs a lot of fire; calls breaches even without a head | 800 health, Light; legs Very Light | Explosives or legs; destroying the head sends it berserk instead of killing it |
| Hive Guard | Crouches behind armored forelegs when shot | Head Medium armor; claws and legs Very Light | Medium-penetration weapons, explosives, or destroy both claws |
| Bile Spewer | Bile mortar at 11-20 m for 500 direct damage | Mouth and butt unarmored; butt explodes in a 10 m radius | Shoot the mouth, or explosives on the butt from a distance |
| Charger | Charges at 9 m/s; 350-damage stomp | Head 1,200, Heavy; butt 950, unarmored; legs plated over flesh | Anti-tank to the head one-shots it; or strip a leg's plating and shoot the flesh |
| Charger Behemoth | Tougher Charger; can replace Chargers from Suicide Mission (7) | Head 1,600, Heavy | Anti-tank to the head; the Spear also kills it with a torso hit |
| Impaler | Burrows its tentacles and strikes from underground | Head 1,250, exposed when it lifts it to attack; body Heavy | Hit the exposed head hard; damage tentacles to force them back |
| Bile Titan | 1,000-damage stomp, acid spray at 25-30 m | Head 1,500, Heavy; two bile sacs of 750, unarmored | Recoilless or EAT-17 to the head; Railcannon, Precision Strike, 500kg Bomb or 110mm Rocket Pods |
| Dragonroach | Flying fire-breather in solitary patrols from Hard (5) | Head 1,500, Heavy; wings unarmored | Anti-tank headshot (EAT-17, Quasar, Recoilless); destroying a wing also kills it |
- Charger: without anti-tank, dive sideways at the last moment of the charge and shoot the unarmored butt, or crack a leg's plating and finish the flesh underneath with anything.
- Bile Titan: destroying its bile sacs stops the acid spray. It appears as a target from Challenging (4) and roams normally from Extreme (6).
- Alpha Commander: replaces Brood Commanders on Impossible (8) and summons three Alpha Warriors. Destroying both claws kills it.
- Hive Lord: a 150,000-health burrowing giant, only on Hive Worlds from Suicide Mission (7), once per mission. A whole-squad fight.
Closing Bug Holes and nests
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Bug Holes
Throw any explosive grenade into the hole. Smoke and stun grenades do not work. The R-36 Eruptor, Autocannon, Recoilless Rifle and grenade launchers also close holes when fired inside. From outside, an Eagle Airstrike, Orbital Precision Strike, Orbital Laser or the Spear work.
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Bile Titan holes
Large holes from Extreme (6) up. Same rules, but they need the stronger explosions; a Hellpod landing on one also closes it.
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Shrieker Nests
Two or three towers of 2,500 health each, Light armor. They keep spawning Shriekers while you are within about 130 m. Laser weapons, Autocannon flak, the Spear and the Recoilless Rifle destroy them.
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4
Spore Spewers
Fill a large radius with spores that block vision. 2,500 health; one hit from a Recoilless Rifle or Spear, or an Eagle Airstrike, 500kg Bomb, Strafing Run, Precision Strike or Railcannon destroys one.
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5
Stalker Lairs
From Challenging (4). They contain up to two Bug Holes and keep spawning Stalkers until destroyed, so clear them before the Stalkers find you.
Terminid subfactions
- Predator Strain: Predator Hunters and Predator Stalkers replace Warriors, Hive Guards and Hunters and flank aggressively. Stay together and use stagger weapons and lingering damage such as napalm and gas.
- Spore Burst Strain: bugs release a damaging, vision-blocking spore cloud on death and move faster. Fire and gas stop the spore release.
- Rupture Strain: Warriors, Spewers and Chargers burrow and ambush you, telegraphed by moving rubble. Explosives, fire and gas force them to the surface.
Terminid loadout
Crowd control first, one anti-tank weapon, and mobility. A shotgun such as the SG-8 Punisher staggers medium bugs, and any explosive grenade doubles as a Bug Hole closer. For stratagems, the Eagle Cluster Bomb and Orbital Gas Strike handle breaches, the Eagle 500kg Bomb handles Bile Titans, and a Quasar Cannon or EAT-17 keeps anti-tank ready without stopping to reload. A Supply Pack keeps stims flowing. Full four-slot templates are in the stratagem guide.
Automatons (bots)
Automatons fight at range from cover, and most of their bodies are armored. The answer is penetration, cover and precision: almost every bot, including the heaviest, has a weak spot that a well-placed shot exploits.
Stop the Bot Drop
Every light Automaton (Troopers, Commissars and the like) carries a flare launcher in its arm. When alerted, each one has a chance to fire a flare that calls a Bot Drop. Kill them before the flare launches and the drop never comes. Detector Towers do the same on their own within 150 m: going prone makes you invisible to them, and an Eagle 500kg Bomb, Orbital Precision Strike or the nearby Hellbomb destroys them. Incoming Dropships can be shot down by destroying one of their four thrusters, and a falling Dropship usually crushes its own cargo.
Automaton units and how to kill them
| Unit | Threat | Armor and weak points | How to kill it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trooper / Commissar | Weak alone; fires Bot Drop flares | 125 health, Unarmored or Very Light | Headshots or grenades; kill them first |
| Berserker | Chainsaw melee, usually in groups of three or more | 750 health; stomach and head weak; chest Light | High-DPS fire on the stomach; keep your distance |
| Devastator | Twin-shot fusion cannon, punches | Head 110, Very Light; stomach weak; torso Medium | Headshot with a precise weapon; shotguns stagger it |
| Heavy Devastator | Long bursts behind a shield | Shield 800, Heavy, blocks bullets; head 110, Very Light | Explosives stagger it and lower the shield; flank for the head |
| Rocket Devastator | Four-rocket salvos that ragdoll you | Rocket pods 300, Very Light; head 110 | Destroy the pods with any weapon; it carries 12 rockets and one reload |
| Scout Strider | Walker with a pilot; Reinforced version on Impossible | Pilot unarmored from the side and back; waist Medium | Flank for the pilot, or Medium penetration on the waist |
| Hulk (Bruiser, Scorcher) | Autocannon and rockets, or a flamethrower at about 25 m; 200-damage melee | 1,800 health, Heavy; head 250, Heavy; back heat sink 900, Very Light | Any anti-tank weapon in one shot; or the back heat sink with anything |
| Annihilator / Shredder Tank | Cannon or quad cyclers; slow turret | Hull and turret Tank I; turret heat sink 750, Medium; tracks Medium | Medium penetration on the rear turret vent; Recoilless or Spear to the hull; Thermite |
| Barrager Tank | Rocket artillery from Suicide Mission (7) | Launch tubes Medium; engine bay Heavy | Prioritize it like a mortar; Eagles, orbitals or anti-tank on the tubes |
| Gunship | Fusion cycler and rocket salvos from Hard (5) | 950 health, Medium; four thrusters of 400 | Any anti-tank weapon in one shot; two Autocannon or Anti-Materiel Rifle shots to one thruster |
| War Strider | Grenade volleys and lasers from Extreme (6) | 3,500 health, Heavy; hip joints 750, Medium; two eyes; rear heat sink | Medium penetration on the hip joints; Spear; Eagles |
| Factory Strider | Gatling guns and cannon; drops four Devastators every 50-55 s | 10,000 health; head plate Tank I over a Heavy eye; gatlings and belly Medium | Break the gatlings, then crack the head plate with anti-tank and hit the eye; or the belly from below; 500kg Bomb |
- Hulks: the Railgun, Anti-Materiel Rifle and S-11 Speargun destroy the 250-health head in one shot. Destroying an arm makes it drop that weapon; destroying a leg cripples it.
- Factory Strider: the belly is only Medium armor, but standing under it puts you next to the Devastators it releases. Breaking the gatling guns first makes every approach safer.
- Cannon Turrets share the tanks' weakness: a glowing heat sink on the back. Up close, the barrel cannot depress far enough to hit you.
Destroying Fabricators and bot structures
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Fabricators
Throw a grenade, or fire an explosive weapon, into a vent on the upper part. From outside, a strong enough explosion destroys it; aim for the roof because the low walls around Fabricators block blasts. A Hellpod landing on one also destroys it.
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2
Bulk Fabricators
Larger and produce heavies such as Hulks, tanks and War Striders. The weak point is the same: the two big vents on top.
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Detector Towers
Use the Hellbomb that spawns nearby, an Eagle 500kg Bomb or an Orbital Precision Strike. Approach prone to avoid triggering it.
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Gunship Facilities
From Extreme (6). Each tower spawns up to two Gunships every 60 s while you are within 150 m. Normal Eagles and orbitals do not work: you need a Hellbomb or Portable Hellbomb within 17 m of the structure.
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Stratagem Jammers
No stratagems work within 150 m. Reach the terminal at its base, disable the jammer, then call a Hellbomb or an Eagle 500kg Bomb or Orbital Precision Strike on it. A Portable Hellbomb works without disabling it first.
Automaton subfactions
- Jet Brigade: jump-pack versions of Troopers, Commissars, MG Raiders, Devastators and Hulks. The jump packs explode when destroyed, killing small bots and damaging anyone nearby, including you.
- Incineration Corps: flamethrowers and incendiary ammunition (Pyro Troopers, Conflagration Devastators, Hulk Firebombers). Armor with the Inflammable or Acclimated passive gives fire resistance.
Automaton loadout
A primary with Medium armor penetration and precision is the baseline: the JAR-5 Dominator and AR-23P Liberator Penetrator handle Scout Strider waists and Devastator torsos, and the R-63 Diligence handles headshots. The Shield Generator Pack blocks bot projectiles from every direction, the Quasar Cannon or Recoilless Rifle handles Hulks and Factory Striders, the Orbital Railcannon Strike deletes the heavy you cannot reach, and the Eagle Airstrike destroys Fabricators from outside their line of fire. The Autocannon is an efficient answer to Gunships: two shots to one thruster.
Illuminate
The Illuminate have the least armor of the three factions and the most health, shields and dangerous special attacks. Single heavy hits get absorbed by shields; sustained automatic fire does not. Many of their attacks deal explosive or arc damage.
Shoot the Watcher first
Only Watchers call Illuminate reinforcements. These small flying drones scan with a blue light, turn pink when they spot you, then stop and emit holographic flares that bring in Warp Ships. The on-screen warning appears before the flares. Shoot center mass (it survives fin damage); the Anti-Materiel Rifle and Railgun kill one in a single shot, and arc weapons such as the Arc Thrower and ARC-12 Blitzer stun it and interrupt the call.
Illuminate units and how to kill them
| Unit | Threat | Armor and weak points | How to kill it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voteless | Fast melee hordes; some keep crawling after losing their legs | Unarmored, 100-160 health by difficulty; head weak | Area damage, gas and fire; setting one on fire kills it |
| Watcher | Calls Warp Ships; arc zap stuns | 600 health, mostly unarmored | Center mass; arc weapons interrupt the call |
| Overseer | Lightspear shots and ragdolling melee; raises an energy shield | Head 150, Medium; shield 1,500 covers the upper body but not the legs | Medium penetration on the head; shoot the legs; explosions hit through the shield |
| Elevated Overseer | Flies at about 10 m, rifle bursts and plasma grenades | Jetpack 300, Light | Destroy the jetpack; its explosion usually kills the Overseer |
| Crescent Overseer | Long-range plasma artillery | Head 150, Medium; the least durable Overseer | Explosives on groups; go prone to dodge at mid range |
| Fleshmob | 5,000 health; charges and ragdolls you from beyond 30 m | Unarmored; takes 1.8x fire and arc damage; head chunks deal bonus damage | Fire, explosives, autocannons and high rate of fire; break its arms to stop the swings |
| Harvester | Beam that kills almost instantly; arc attack at close range | Shield 1,500 absorbs any single hit; leg joints Medium; eye Light | Break one shield generator, then destroy any leg joint |
| Stingray | Fast flyer that strafes a marked line with plasma | 800 health, Medium | Shoot it during the slow strafing dive; run perpendicular to the blue ground marker |
- Harvester: the shield generators sit on the prongs above and below the eye; removing one removes the shield for good. Destroying any leg joint kills it. One rocket from an EAT-17, MLS-4X Commando or Recoilless Rifle destroys a joint; the MG-43 Machine Gun, Heavy Machine Gun and LAS-98 Laser Cannon do it quickly too, and the Anti-Materiel Rifle or Autocannon need about four shots. Shooting out its eye makes the beam stronger, so the joints are the better target. Harvesters appear from Medium (3).
- Stingray: too fast to hit in normal flight. The Laser Cannon can track it, and the Spear, Autocannon, MG-43 and Anti-Materiel Rifle work when it slows down to strafe.
- Fleshmob: it has no real stagger, so do not try to stop it with a shotgun. It is the only large enemy that appears even on Trivial.
- Leviathan: a huge flying ship that appears only in Megacities on planets with the Leviathan Blockade modifier, from Impossible (8). Its beam kills in about half a second, so stay moving and use cover or smoke.
Destroying Warp Ships and Illuminate structures
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Grounded Warp Ships
Throw a grenade or fire an explosive through the bay door, or call a strong stratagem on it from outside: Orbital Precision Strike, Railcannon, Laser, Gas Strike and the Eagle 500kg Bomb destroy it even with the shield up. A Thermite grenade or C4 brick anywhere on it also works.
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Airborne Warp Ships
A 2,500 shield protects a Tank I hull. Once the shield is down, one Recoilless Rifle or Spear rocket destroys the ship.
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Lightning Spires
Arc turrets that hit anything within 25 m for 200 damage. Only 200 health and Light armor, so shoot them from beyond their range or use an explosive.
Illuminate subfactions
- Appropriators: no Voteless or Fleshmobs; instead Veracitors and Gatekeepers (piloted machines) and Obtruders, swarming flyers that explode on death. Use high rate of fire on Obtruders and keep them out of melee range.
- Vote Snatchers: Overseers, Harvesters, Watchers and Stingrays are replaced by Wretches (fast pouncing melee) and Crushers (armored giants with a club whose helmet breaks to heavy penetration). High-DPS weapons, fire and gas handle Wretches.
Illuminate loadout
The MG-43 Machine Gun is the core: it shreds Voteless, breaks Harvester joints and catches Stingrays. The Shield Generator Pack blocks the explosive and arc damage the Illuminate use so often. Add Eagle Cluster Bomb or napalm for Voteless and Fleshmobs, and an anti-tank option for the occasional joint or Warp Ship. For the primary, laser and fire weapons handle Voteless well. Wear armor with an arc-resistance passive if Lightning Spires keep killing you.
Common mistakes against each faction
- Ignoring the caller. A Hunter that finishes its pheromone, a Trooper that finishes its flare or a Watcher that finishes its signal costs more than any single heavy. Kill callers first, on every faction.
- Shooting armor you cannot penetrate. If your shots spark and ricochet, they deal nothing. Switch targets to a weak point or switch weapons.
- Fighting a Charger head-on without anti-tank. Dodge the charge sideways and attack the back or a leg instead.
- Standing in the open against bots. Rocket Devastators and Hulks punish it. Fight from cover and peek to make them waste ammunition.
- Firing single rockets into a Harvester's shield. The shield absorbs the hit. Break a generator first, or use sustained fire.
- Calling Eagles on a Gunship Facility. Only a Hellbomb-class explosion destroys it.
- Bringing the same loadout to every faction. At minimum, change your primary and one or two stratagems before each drop.
Related guides
Pick your four stratagems per faction with the stratagem guide, choose a primary in the weapons tier list, and if you are still learning missions and currencies, start with the beginner guide. Whether the game is worth buying is in the honest review.
★Honest Take: three factions, three different games
The best design choice in Helldivers 2 is that its factions are not reskins. A loadout that trivializes Terminids bounces off Automaton armor, and the rockets that solve Automatons get absorbed by Illuminate shields. Once you learn the weak points, even the biggest heavies become manageable, and that learning curve is satisfying. The honest downside is that the game teaches almost none of it: armor penetration, ricocheting shots and which unit is calling reinforcements are all things you learn by dying. The other caveat is churn. Arrowhead adjusts enemy health and armor often and adds subfactions through the galactic war, so a specific number here can change after a patch. The principles do not: kill the caller, find the weak point, and change your loadout for the faction you are fighting.
