Bottom line: pick for versatility
In Helldivers 2 a weapon's value is decided almost entirely by two axes: can it punch through armor, and can it clear swarms quickly. If you let support weapons and stratagems handle heavy armor, a primary that tidies up light-to-medium enemies stays useful the longest. Because the game is re-tuned often, the tiers here are a current-patch guideline.
Tiers are fluid. Helldivers 2 gets frequent balance passes, and it is common for strong weapons to be nerfed or weaker ones buffed. Read this article as the "current trend" of community-leaning opinion, and make the final call based on your difficulty and target faction.
Primary weapon tiers
"S-tier" does not mean "recommended for everyone." The Slugger suits a play style of staggering enemies to a stop, while incendiary guns suit diving into swarms. How you handle heavy armor with support weapons, and how the primary meshes with your whole loadout, is what ultimately makes the pick stable.
Secondary and grenade tiers
| Category | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary (all-round) | GP-31 Grenade Pistol | Even closes holes/Fabricators, saving a stratagem slot |
| Secondary (anti-armor) | P-4 Senator | Cracks Devastator faces and Hulk/Charger/Harvester weak points |
| Grenade (anti-armor) | G-123 Thermite | Stick it on, big post-burn damage. Doubles as structure destruction |
| Grenade (control) | G-23 Stun | Disables a 10m radius for ~5s. Stops a Charger's charge |
| Grenade (anti-bot) | G-16 Impact | Detonates on contact to crack Devastator weak points |
Loadouts by faction
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1
Terminids
Swarms and melee are the threat. Melt groups with incendiary or area primaries and close bug holes with Frags. Use Thermite and a support weapon for large targets.
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2
Automatons
Lots of medium-to-heavy armor. Aim for weak points with penetrating slug/plasma primaries, the Senator, and Impact grenades. Trading shots from cover is the baseline.
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3
Illuminate
Varied special units. Pin infantry with Gas grenades alongside a penetrating primary, and deal with large units like Harvesters using the Senator or Thermite.
Pros
- +One versatile primary carries across all three factions
- +Secondaries and grenades cover the roles your primary is bad at
- +Gear that saves stratagem slots widens your tactical options
Cons
- −Patches reshuffle the tiers, so there is no lasting fixed answer
- −Heavy armor still leans on stratagems/support weapons; a primary alone cannot finish it
- −Incendiary and close-range types have short reach and pick their moments
Pair it with stratagems and faction counters
Primaries, secondaries, and grenades only come together once they mesh with your four stratagem slots. For role-based picks among called-in gear, see the Stratagem Guide; for the three factions' weak points and tactics, see the Faction Guide.
★ Subjective take: one "never-dead-weight" gun is the fastest path
Honestly, the fastest stable route to weapon choice in Helldivers 2 is building one primary that never becomes dead weight across all factions. The higher the difficulty, the more versatility pays off, and carrying one trusted core beats rebuilding the loadout every drop. Tiers are just a starting point; in the end, finding the one gun that fits your hands is the trick to enjoying the game long-term.
