ALL Stratagems Tested, Analyzed, Full Breakdown and Best Tactics

A full deep dive on every currently available stratagem, going over basic properties, best uses, tips and tricks. Geared toward difficulties 4-7. (Updated 10/30/24)

Intro

This guide is a deep-dive on every stratagem, discussing what they do, how to use them effectively, and what their pros and cons are, and finally giving a rating of their overall strength based on my experience with the game. It's basically meant to be a more detailed / accurate version of the ingame descriptions. This isn't really meant to be a tier list, but if you just want to know which stratagems are "the best", you can go by the ratings.

This information is all pretty much anecdotal based on informal testing in solo (a lot of getting chargers stuck on a rock), and regular missions in solo and online, mostly on difficulty 7. As such, this is mainly geared toward difficulty 7, which I'd say has the best balance of difficulty to rewards (and is the highest difficulty that doesn't roll 2 modifiers).

Note that some information will be missing or incorrect since I don't know everything about the game. I'll be updating with new information and corrections as I go, and you can drop corrections and suggestions in the comments if anything seems wrong.

I'll be giving each stratagem a rating at the end of their sections; below are rough descriptions of what each rating means. I also gave some ratings a plus or minus, meaning they're right on the edge of the next rank. I also split them by faction if I felt there was a significant difference in how good they are.

1. S - Very powerful and broadly useful, almost always a good choice.
   
2. A - Very good at a lot of things or extremely good at specific things, a strong part of a balanced loadout.
   
3. B - Strong situationally or fairly good at a variety of things, sometimes a good choice.
   
4. C - Okay, but there are usually better choices available. Probably don't bring it past difficulty 5.
   
5. D - Not very good, rarely worth using.

Notes on Armor and Armor Penetration

Note: The devs have recently added new terminology regarding armor penetration (adding "Heavy" and "Anti-Tank" tags), which is a bit different from the terminology used for armor, and has made things slightly more confusing. I've opted to treat the names for armor values and the names for armor penetration values as separate, mainly because "Anti-Tank" doesn't refer to a specific armor pen value, and "Tank armor" sounds kinda dumb.

Before we get started, I wanted to give a quick breakdown of how armor and armor penetration work. The long and short of it is that there are 6 (relevant) armor values used by enemy hitzones, with all damage sources having corresponding armor penetration values. Most primaries and secondaries have an armor penetration of 2 (Light) or 3 (Medium), with support weapons providing 4 (Heavy) and 5+ (Anti-Tank).

Currently, there are 6 (previously 7) armor values in total, including having no armor. Based roughly on the terminology used ingame, I'll be referring to them as:

0 - Unarmored
1 - Very Light
2 - Light
3 - Medium
4 - Light Vehicle (corresponding to "Heavy" armor penetration)
5 - Vehicle (minimum armor pen value to be classified as "Anti-Tank")
6 - Heavy Vehicle (no longer used by anything)

You may also see them referred to as "Unarmored", "Light 1", "Light 2", "Medium 1", "Medium 2", "Heavy 1", and "Heavy 2". These names don't line up with the ingame descriptions, so I prefer not to use them.

Most structures use a separate system that does not rely on armor: they don't have a health pool, and are instead either instantly destroyed or completely unaffected, based on a separate stat which I think has been called "Demolition Force". This basically means that, similar to armor, a weapon can either damage it, or can't damage it.

Every weapon (or more specifically, every source of damage) has an associated penetration value. Armor that is lighter than its penetration value takes full damage on a direct hit and makes a red hit marker, and armor that is equal to its penetration value takes reduced damage (specifically 65%) and makes a white hit marker. If a weapon's armor penetration is lower than the target's armor value, it is deflected and makes a ricochet indicator next to the crosshair, dealing no damage.
Glancing shots also have reduced armor penetration, which can either cause a damage reduction or a ricochet. If a weapon's AP value is a lot higher than the armor, it's easier to get full damage on glancing shots.
Also, any shot that kills an enemy gets a red hit marker as well, which can falsely "upgrade" white hit markers to red hit markers. This is a visual effect only.

Below are some examples of parts with all the different armor values, and some of the weapons that can damage those armor values. This isn't a complete list, but you can see the datamined armor values in their entirety at https://helldivers.io/Enemies. (The results below are from ingame testing, confirmed with the datamined values.)

Armor Value	Parts	Weapons with Equal Penetration
0 - Unarmored	Scavengers and Hunters Nursing Spewer and Bile Spewer sac Charger abdomen Bile Titan sac Troopers and Raiders (weaker bot infrantry) Most Bot heads, unless covered (i.e. Hulk face plate)	Anything can damage without ever being deflected. Can take reduced damage at extremely steep angles.
1 - Very Light	Warriors and Bile Warriors Stalkers Commissars (pistol-and-blade bot infantry) Berserkers Hulk battery pack	Anything can damage, with low-AP weapons being deflected at very steep angles. Also, the launch version of Breaker Spray&Pray.
2 - Light	Nursing Spewer and "Light" Bile Spewer head and back armor All Spewer legs Brood Commander body and head Hive Guard "unarmored" parts (body, claws) Charger belly Bile Titan underbelly (after breaking bile sacs) Spore Tower Shrieker Nest Marauder (strong bot infantry) chest Devastator leg/arm armor	Most primaries and secondaries Stalwart
3 - Medium	"Heavy" Bile Spewer head and back armor Hive Guard front armor Devastator torso Scout Strider legs and "pelvis"(?) Annihilator Tank, Shredder Tank, and Cannon Turret rear heatsink Tank rear engine block Tank treads Factory Strider belly hatch Gunship engines Bot Ammo Stockpile	Slugger Liberator Penetrator Senator Dominator Machine Gun Gatling Sentry
4 - Light Vehicle	Charger and Charger Behemoth armor Impaler armor Bile Titan armor Scout Strider front armor Hulk armor Factory Strider eye-slit Gunship chassis Artillery and Anti-Air emplacements (the whole thing, even the vents) Command Bunker top turrets	Anti-Materiel Rifle Laser Cannon Autocannon Heavy Machine Gun Flamethrower (and its primary and secondary weapon equivalents)
5 - Vehicle	Tank body armor Tank turret and Cannon Turret armor Barrager Tank missile... thing Fabricator Dropships Command Bunker	Railgun (any charge level) Autocannon Sentry Rocket Sentry Orbital Gatling Barrage Eagle Strafing Run
6 - Heavy Vehicle	Everything that used to have this armor value has now been patched to have a lower armor value.	Exactly AP6: Expendable Anti-Tank Recoilless Rifle Quasar Cannon Commando Greater than AP6: Arc Thrower Spear
Building (Small)	Illegal Broadcast tower	Autocannon Most grenades Many Orbitals and Eagles Hellpods
Building (Medium)	Illegal Research Station Detector Tower Stratagem Jammer	Orbital Precision Strike Orbital 120mm, 380mm, and Walking barrages Eagle 500kg Bomb SEAF Artillery Explosive and High Explosive shell
Building (Large)	Gunship Fabricator Orbital Cannon Bot Fuel Silo	These are the ONLY stratagems powerful enough to destroy these. Hellbomb SEAF Artillery Mini Nuke

Support Weapons (Part 1 - Straightforward)

I'm breaking up the support weapons since I hit the character limit for a single page. These ones are the ones that are simple to control, and aren't specialized for anti-tank.

MACHINE GUN

A high-powered machine gun with excellent damage and solid armor penetration, but significant weight and recoil, and a slow reload.

Strengths:

• High fire rate, good for groups
  
• Medium armor penetration, pierces anything lighter than a Scout Strider front plate
  
• Very high damage
  
• Very high magazine capacity (175 rounds)
  
• Solid ammo reserve of 3 magazines, regain 2 per resupply
  
• Good accuracy when dug in
  
• Adjustable fire rate

Weaknesses:

• Requires a slow, stationary reload (~3.5 seconds) but can be broken into several stages
  
• Slow to turn, making it hard to manage targets in multiple directions
  
• Poor accuracy and extreme recoil while moving
  
• Limited effective range

Summary:
An absolute powerhouse for wiping out crowds of chaff and high-health but lighter-armored enemies like Berserkers, Brood Commanders, Devastators, and Hive Guards. Lie down and crank up the RPM when you need to take out a huge crowd - for smaller engagements, it's usually more effective to use low or middle RPM, crouch, and fire in bursts, to preserve ammo and make it easier to move.
Takes some practice to use effectively, and useless if you're on the run with an empty mag, but within its role, it's absolutely unmatched in effectiveness. Make sure you or your team can handle heavy armor as well.

FINAL RATING: A

STALWART

A lightweight machine gun with excellent capacity and fire rate, but limited armor penetration.

Strengths:

• High fire rate, good for groups
  
• Huge magazine capacity (250 rounds)
  
• High ammo capacity
  
• Good mobility - solid accuracy while moving and can reload while moving
  
• Adjustable fire rate

Weaknesses:

• Can only handle light armor
  
• Long reload
  
• Rather heavy and hard to aim aiming is much snappier after recent changes

Summary:
Excellent at chewing up crowds of light-to-unarmored enemies. Great uptime. Basically a beefed-up version of the Liberator, so it's best to run it with primaries and grenades that are more specialized (such as the thermite). It's often shut down by medium-armored targets, but can sometimes shine with a coordinated team.

FINAL RATING: B+

HEAVY MACHINE GUN

A supersized machine gun firing supersized munitions, at the expense of everything else.

Strengths:

• Incredible damage output (assuming shots actually land), will MELT things under continuous fire
  
• Light Vehicle armor penetration, often useful for doing full damage to Medium armor
  
• Can take out some larger Bot enemies like Hulks, Gunships, and Factory Striders in a reasonable amount of time
  
• Highly adjustable fire rate (450, 600, and 750 RPM settings)
  
• Full ammo refill on resupply, including supply pack

Weaknesses:

• Uncontrollable recoil on higher RPMs
  
• Massive weight, resulting in extremely sluggish aiming
  
• Very long, stationary reload (~4 seconds) but can be broken into several stages
  
• Reload from empty is significantly longer than the normal reload (~5.5 seconds)
  
• Limited magazine capacity (100 rounds)
  
• Small reserve ammo pool (2 magazines)

Summary:
A very big gun shooting very big bullets very quickly, for rapidly taking out groups of anything smaller than a tank, or a few larger enemies (notably Gunships and Factory Striders). Best at close or medium range, but has decent flexibility. However, its usability is limited by the small ammo pool and long reload. Make sure you're crouched or ideally prone, or you're not gonna hit ♥♥♥♥.
It mostly covers the same bases as the non-heavy Machine Gun, but sacrifices some of its crowd-clear and ammo capacity for better effectiveness on medium to large units, including Devastators, Berserkers, Brood Commanders, Hive Guards, Scout Striders, Hulks, Gunships, and Factory Striders. You can stand under a Factory Strider as it prints 4 devastators and take them all out before they can fire a shot, with ammo to spare. Its ammo economy is similar to the Grenade Launcher, which makes it more burst-oriented - something to pull out in a pinch rather than use consistently for the whole mission. Pairs well with the Supply Pack.

FINAL RATING: A

GRENADE LAUNCHER

A powerful explosive weapon that can make short work of loads of enemies, but with limited ammo and armor penetration.

Strengths:

• Very high damage
  
• Grenades have a high blast radius which can wipe out large groups of light targets
  
• Medium armor penetration, decently effective against Devastators and Hive Guards
  
• Big magazine and high fire-rate relative to the power in each shot
  
• Quickly mangles Charger guts with multiple grenades under the belly
  
• Full ammo refill (3 magazines) on resupply, including resupply pack
  
• Deletes bug holes

Weaknesses:

• Limited effectiveness against heavily armored targets
  
• Eats ammo fast without proper restraint, making it a bad choice for minor threats
  
• High potential for friendly-fire and self-damage
  
• Projectile has significant travel time and drop-off, though its range is theoretically quite high
  
• Shots may bounce off and land somewhere undesirable, especially when fired at short range or at steep angles

Summary:
Great burst damage and ability to clear out multiple targets and medium-sized targets, but not good against heavy armor. It can take out Chargers pretty fast by hitting the ground below them, though. Has solid utility in destroying bug holes, and great at softening up bot drops before they drop. It's full-auto, which can be helpful for large targets that take multiple shots to take down. Watch your ammo if you bring one of these, you should be using your primary and secondary most of the time.
It tends to perform worse on Bots for a number of reasons (mainly Hulks and Scout Striders being hard to take out), though still not bad by any means.

FINAL RATING: A (Bugs) / B+ (Bots)

Support Weapons (Part 1.1 - Straightforward)

LASER CANNON

A multipurpose laser that can handle many scenarios, but with low damage output and a high skill demand.

Strengths:

• Sustained, continuous fire
  
• Light Vehicle armor piercing, good for sniping Hulk heads
  
• Highly effective against Gunships due to its hitscan beam and high armor pen
  
• "Infinite" ammo with proper heat management, although dumping a heatsink can be a good choice at times (if you have another one)
  
• Sets stuff on fire
  
• Good range and accuracy
  
• No recoil

Weaknesses:

• Low burst damage, requires continuous contact with the target
  
• Heatsink takes a long time to cool off, resulting in low overall uptime
  
• Swapping heatsinks is slow and stationary, making it much less effective to overheat on purpose
  
• Only one reserve heatsink

Summary:
The scalpel of support weapons, allowing skilled users to pick off priority targets one by one. Can punch through a surprising amount of armor, notably Bot Striders' front armor plate and Hulks' heads. Also performs fairly well when used against Charger and Bile Titan heads. Only issue is that the burst damage is rather lackluster, it takes 2-3 seconds to kill a Scout Strider through their front armor plate, and about half a second to kill basic Bot infantry. It's also notable for its excellent performance against Gunships, if you run into any of those. It has a lot of positive quirks that can come in handy, but its low overall damage keeps it in check, particularly against bugs.

FINAL RATING: A (Bots) / B+ (Bugs)

ANTI-MATERIEL RIFLE

A high-powered, long-range sniper rifle with broad utility against many targets.

Strengths:

• Light Vehicle armor penetration, penetrating many important Bot hitzones and doing full damage to Medium armor
  
• High damage, particularly to high-volume hitzones
  
• Can kill Scout Striders in one shot to the top of the leg, Devastators in one shot to the waist, Hulks in two shots to the head, Hive Guards and Bile Spewers in one shot to the head
  
• Best-in-class range and accuracy
  
• Fast reload
  
• Fires fairly quickly, giving respectable damage-per-second at close range
  
• High-magnification scope for scouting

Weaknesses:

• Limited magazine capacity (7 rounds), requiring frequent reloading and careful management to avoid wasting ammo
  
• Limited ammo reserve (6 magazines), only regaining 1 on ammo pickup (3 on resupply)
  
• No third-person aiming reticle, requiring scoped first-person aim (if you're a piss baby)
  
• Difficult to land shots at medium and point-blank range, although close range is fairly doable using third-person aim even without a reticle
  
• Ineffective at taking out groups of enemies
  
• Significant recoil, making consecutive shots hard to land

Summary:
A well-rounded tool primarily used for picking off medium-sized priority targets like Devastators, Scout Striders, Gunships, Hive Guards, and Brood Commanders. On Bot missions, it can also flex to take out Hulks by aiming for the head, and even Tanks to an extent. It does an alright job of defending you at close range even without a reticle if you just eyeball it, as long as the target isn't too small. It's like a lighter version of the Autocannon, but boasts a much higher ease of use and frees up your backpack slot. Its weaknesses are large groups of enemies and heavily armored enemies. A very strong workhorse if you bring other tools to cover those two shortcomings.
Ammo management is very important with this weapon, and it helps a lot to know the game's early reload mechanic, so here's a quick rundown:
For most magazine-fed guns, if you reload while there's still some ammo in your gun, you don't need to chamber a round and the reload is much faster (sometimes roughly twice as fast). Since you don't discard the chambered round, it also means you can exceed the usual magazine capacity by 1. Putting this all together, it means that if you reload with exactly one bullet left, you don't waste any ammo and get a faster reload. The AMR is nice and the ammo indicator turns red when you have exactly 1 bullet left, so I recommend reloading whenever you see red.

FINAL RATING: A

AUTOCANNON

A high-capacity powerhouse capable of doing nearly anything, but requiring considerable investment, management, and skill.

Strengths:

• Programmable ammo offering APHET and Flak settings
  
• APHET fire mode has Light Vehicle armor penetration and high damage
  
• Flak fire mode has a proximity trigger, large blast radius, and high damage
  
• Explosive damage, effective against durable targets
  
• Decent effectiveness against some heavy units such as Hulks and Chargers
  
• Staggers mid-sized enemies such as Devastators
  
• Small, staggering AoE
  
• Can destroy both Terminid Holes and Automaton Fabricators (with a precise shot)
  
• Destroys side objectives like spore spewers, shrieker nests, and illegal broadcasts, from across the map
  
• Remarkably good range and shot velocity
  
• Large ammo reserve in support pack (10 clips / 5 full reloads / 50 shots)
  
• Non-team-assisted reload is quite fast relative to other assisted-reload weapons
  
• Unique clip-based reload loads half the magazine per reload, with no wasted ammunition

Weaknesses:

• Ammo takes up backpack slot
  
• Can't penetrate vehicle armor
  
• Heavy and hard to aim, with very large recoil
  
• Not suitable for close range
  
• Unique clip-based reload means that the magazine cannot be topped-off without firing a few shots to make room for a full clip
  
• Stationary reload
  
• Reload from empty adds an additional 2.5-ish seconds to chamber a round (but reloading clip and chambering can be done separately)
  
• Flak has a minimum arming distance for the proximity fuse and can behave unpredictably at close range, including bouncing
  
• Toggling between APHET and Flak is cumbersome and can even lead to misfires

Summary:
If you're wondering whether the flak is good, it is.
An all-rounder that performs incredibly at pretty much everything, except punching through some of the thicker armor on Bot units. Has a large ammo reserve in its support pack that make it well-suited for regular use, and has a decently fast non-assisted reload that make it a solid solo weapon, plus its high stagger making it good for self-defense. It also has crazy range and shot velocity, you can get some wild cross-map shots with it. If you get used to the two different ammo types, you'll probably find yourself using both about as often - APHET is good for raw damage on large targets, and Flak is good for groups of targets, and smaller targets that are hard to land direct hits on.
Amazing power, but takes a lot of getting used to due to its programmable ammo and unusual reload - don't get caught with an empty Autocannon.

FINAL RATING: A+

Support Weapons (Part 1.2 - Straightforward)

BREAK-ACTION SHOTGUN (Bonus)

Icon courtesy of MS Paint
Funny how you always find these on corpses, guess it didn't do them much good.

Strengths:

• Badass
  
• Hefty damage on low-armor targets
  
• Lots of ammo relative to how long it takes to use it

Weaknesses:

• Can't even be dropped in - shows up randomly with almost no ammo
  
• Two shells per reload, with a pretty slow reload for how often you need to do it
  
• Bad armor penetration
  
• Bad

Summary:
My favorite. Spawns randomly in missions, with two shells in it and no reserve ammo. Sometimes it spawns like 3 in the same spot. Sucks against armor, sucks against groups of enemies, frustratingly accurate. You can take it if you don't already have a support weapon. Mostly just good for swag points.

FINAL RATING: C-

Support Weapons (Part 2 - Anti-Tank)

These are the support weapons specialized for taking out heavily armored targets. While they're generally described as penetrating Vehicle armor ingame, they technically have an AP one level higher (or more) so they deal full damage to it.

EXPENDABLE ANTI-TANK (EAT)

A deployment of two single-use rockets that can make a dent in any target, with an extremely short cooldown.

Strengths:

• Anti-tank weapon (Vehicle Armor overpenetration)
  
• Very high power, taking out most targets in one hit to a weak point
  
• One-shot body-shots Hulks
  
• Ultra-short cooldown time of 70 seconds
  
• Can reasonably be used alongside another support weapon
  
• Good for sharing with teammates
  
• The hellpod they come in can be used offensively

Weaknesses:

• Shoot once and discard, annoying to manage with other support weapons and not portable
  
• Only worth using against heavies
  
• Usually need to wait for it to show up
  
• Long draw time before being able to fire

Summary:
A flexible anti-tank support weapon that you'll usually use to complement your other support weapon. Falls between dedicated anti-tank support weapons and anti-tank orbitals by requiring less investment than a Quasar or Recoilless, while having more "chargers-per-second" than a Precision or Railcannon strike. Also lets you call in a ton of Hellpods, which are useful in their own ways (i.e. smushing enemies).
A very capable option in skilled hands and under the right circumstances, due to its combination of high versatility and high power. Mainly useful against Hulks, Chargers and Bile Titans, especially if you can consistently stick the beacon to a Charger's back (the beacon needs to be descending in order to stick - jump packs can help with this).

FINAL RATING: A+

QUASAR CANNON

An infinite-use, high-mobility anti-armor weapon that is difficult to wield due to its long charge-up and cooldown period.

Strengths:

• Anti-tank weapon (Vehicle Armor overpenetration)
  
• Very high power, taking out most targets in one hit to a weak point
  
• One-shot body-shots Hulks
  
• Infinite ammo
  
• Fast projectile
  
• Cooldown affected by heat and cold (positive or negative)

Weaknesses:

• Long charge-up period before firing (3 seconds) that fires immediately on max charge, making it very difficult to land good shots or maintain good positioning
  
• Very difficult to "keep warm" (maintain high charge without firing), although it is possible to an extent
  
• Long cooldown period after firing (15 seconds)
  
• Heavy and difficult to handle, with significant sway

Summary:
Relative to other anti-tank options, it has more opportunities to land shots, but a harder time landing them well. Good for taking out all kinds of heavy enemies, and Bot dropships (aim for the thrusters). The main advantage of the Quasar isn't really the infinite ammo, but the fact you don't have to reload - you can keep moving, shooting, calling stratagems and so on. That makes it far better for a mobile playstyle, where something like the Recoilless usually likes to have lots of distance from its targets. That's not to say that the infinite ammo isn't good though, it's still a huge advantage (and so is the lack of a backpack).
With all that said, landing good shots with this thing is rough, due to the charge-up mechanic and its not-so-great handling. Aiming is hard, but positioning is even harder, particularly managing cover. Overall, it feels just slightly weaker than other options - unless you're on a cold planet.

FINAL RATING: A-

RECOILLESS RIFLE

A heavyweight anti-armor weapon with extreme power, but high maintenance and low versatility.

Strengths:

• Anti-tank weapon (Vehicle Armor overpenetration)
  
• Extremely high power, able to down almost any target in a single shot
  
• Decent ammo reserve in support pack (5 shots), and can be refilled with resupplies
  
• Programmable ammo which can be set to HE instead of HEAT, letting you take out a handful of medium-sized units
  
• Reload can be completed early (in ~4 seconds) by uncrouching or opening the stratagem menu after loading a rocket

Weaknesses:

• Ammo takes up backpack slot
  
• Reload is slow and stationary unless team reload is used

Summary:
If you're wondering whether the HE setting is good, it's usually not useful.
A more powerful alternative to the EAT-17 and Quasar, offering greater reliability, more rockets-per-minute, an easier time landing lethal shots, and the ability to take out more targets in quick succession. Downs pretty much anything in one good hit, except Factory Striders, which require at least 2. Also, be aware that Tank turrets (and Cannon Turrets) are armored in the front, and you'll need to hit them in the sides for a one-shot. (their armor has been reduced, it's a one-shot to the front as well.) The HE setting can be useful if you see a bunch of Devastators bunched together, but it's often not worth the ammo.
Requires the most investment due to taking up both a support weapon and back slot, but DAMN is it strong.

FINAL RATING: A+

SPEAR

A unique guided rocket specialized to annihilate enemies from long range.

Strengths:

• Anti-tank weapon (Vehicle Armor over-overpenetration, it's AP 8)
  
• Stupidly high power, being able to one-shot Bot Tanks, Hulks, Gunships, Fabricators, and Chargers (including behemoths), as well as Bile Titans with a good shot
  
• Very long range of ~300 meters
  
• Excellent for destroying Bot Fabricators and Shrieker Nests (takes only one shot)
  
• Lock-on makes it very reliable for taking out Cannon Turrets from a distance (other anti-tank weapons have to account for gravity)
  
• Can also destroy Bug Holes, but not very ammo-efficient
  
• Lock-on allows you to scan for targets in poor visibility
  
• You can throw curveballs by diving sideways as you shoot

Weaknesses:

• Cannot fire without a lock, which takes time and can be finicky
  
• Only certain targets may be locked (those with a large red circle on the map, as well as Bug Holes, Shrieker Nests, and also Shriekers ig)
  
• Rocket will miss if fired at short-range unless the barrel of the gun is literally inside their mouth (kind of a viable strategy against Chargers)
  
• Ammo takes up backpack slot
  
• Reload is slow and stationary unless team reload is used, but can be done in stages
  
• Only 3 rockets in support pack (but regain two per resupply box)

Summary:
The single most powerful handheld weapon available, easily flooring almost any target, even from a mile away. However, this comes with a cost of very limited ammo capacity and a restrictive (though sometimes powerful) lock-on mechanic.
Generally, you'll want to have a long distance from you to your target, since shots at close range usually miss completely, and you have a better chance of hitting weakpoints. However, you CAN shove it directly down a Charger's throat if you're a maniac - the lock is really hard to maintain, but the explosion won't kill you. You can also curve your shot by diving to the side as you fire; is that useful? Yes. No further questions.
It does have a lot more punch than other anti-tank options, so there is a use for it, but there are plenty of downsides that mean you might often be better off running Recoilless.

FINAL RATING: A

Support Weapons (Part 2.1 - Anti-Tank)

COMMANDO

A four-shot, disposable, anti-tank guided missile launcher.

Strengths:

• Anti-tank weapon (Vehicle Armor overpenetration)
  
• High power per shot (about half an EAT), able to down most targets in 2 well-placed shots
  
• Four total shots
  
• Very short cooldown time of 120 seconds
  
• Can reasonably be used alongside another support weapon, but can also reasonably be run on its own
  
• Laser guided

Weaknesses:

• Slow projectile, making it hard to hit distant or mobile targets
  
• Low uptime
  
• Only worth using against heavies

Summary:
A disposable anti-tank missile launcher filling a very similar role to the EAT-17. I would say it's almost exactly the same in terms of use case and power level, but it plays a bit differently due to having 4 shots in one package, a longer cooldown, and slightly lower power per-shot. Typically anything that takes an EAT one hit takes a Commando two hits, with the exception of Hulk heads. Much more flexible, for a slightly longer cooldown.

FINAL RATING: A

Support Weapons (Part 3 - Exotic)

These are the support weapons that are a bit weird, harder to use, and usually tend to get you or your team killed - but can be extremely powerful in the right hands.

FLAMETHROWER

A short-ranged, chaotic flamethrower that can burn down both hordes and heavier targets.

Strengths:

• Immolates many enemies at once
  
• Flames pass through lighter enemies
  
• Extremely impressive damage to anything hit directly by the fire stream
  
• Light Vehicle armor penetration on direct hit, capable of damaging any type of bug anywhere on the body
  
• Grills chargers fairly quickly
  
• Can cook bigger bugs to death (including Bile Titans and Impalers), but slowly
  
• Powerful area denial with its cone-shaped stream of fire and lingering flames on the floor
  
• Good magazine capacity and overall ammo, recovers 3 of 4 tanks on regular ammo pickup
  
• Ruins the accuracy of Devastators hit by direct flames

Weaknesses:

• Enemies gradually burn to death and will continue to cause problems while alive
  
• No stagger or any crowd-control effect, enemies are not slowed or hindered at all - particularly bad against Spewers
  
• Flames are somewhat bouncy and hard to control, sometimes causing you to set your team or yourself on fire
  
• Very limited range
  
• Very hard to use against enemies in melee range
  
• Very dangerous to use while crouching, prone, or diving, since you'll set yourself on fire
  
• Need to wait a second or so for the pilot light to come on after not firing for a while (doesn't take any ammo, though)

Summary:
The Escalation of Freedom patch fixed a bug with Chargers' leg armor which caused the hurtbox of the fleshy inside of the leg to poke out during and after certain animations, allowing it to easily be damaged and destroyed by the Flamethrower (or any other weapon). However, it recently received an armor penetration upgrade and Chargers received an armor downgrade, meaning it's now effective against ANY part of a Charger, though it takes longer to kill overall.
A high-risk, high-reward option for taking out swathes of Terminids en masse, if you're willing to take the risk of playing with fire right next to giant space bugs. Highly effective against Chargers and below, and can even take out Bile Titans and Impalers with enough time.
On Bots, it's what I would call "workable" - if you just really want to run it, it can be useful. It melts Devastators in a couple seconds while ruining their aim so they can't fight back, burns Scout Striders to death, can kill Hulks fast by melting their legs, and can take out stuff like Tanks in decent time if you hit the heat sink. Plus, it's very efficient for knocking out Mortars and AA defenses. That said, since the flamethrower demands very specific positioning to use, it does not play well with the need for cover, and the range is also obviously lacking.
Make sure you mind the terrain so you have room to retreat when overrun, and don't step in your own fire. Powerful but chaotic.
A bonus tip: You don't need to dive to extinguish fire, you only need to be prone - so you can quickly double-tap the prone key to put yourself out if a dive would be risky (as long as you're not standing in fire).

FINAL RATING: A- (Bugs) / C+ (Bots)

STERILIZER

A long-range caustic gas sprayer that inflicts a crippling and long-lasting debuff on dozens of enemies at once.
This section assumes you're bringing it to a Terminid mission, it performs much worse in Automaton missions and I wouldn't recommend taking it.
I'm still testing this one out, some information may not be 100% accurate.

Strengths:

• Inflicts a debuff that blinds enemies, causing them to attack a random point near their position (possibly hitting other enemies, but usually just slowing them down)
  
• Debuff has a weak DoT that is just about enough to kill Scavengers, though not Hunters or Bot infantry units
  
• Debuff lasts quite a while (~6 seconds), giving time to reload, swap weapons, throw grenades, or call stratagems
  
• Blinding effect applies to units up to Hulks, Chargers, and even Impalers (though not necessarily their tentacles)
  
• Very high maximum range of ~25 meters, or up to 40 meters with a tailwind, though the travel time to reach that range is very long
  
• Gas will easily pass through multiple targets, allowing it to continuously be applied to dozens of enemies
  
• The hitbox of the gas stream is extremely generous, and seems to roll along the ground
  
• Almost completely safe to use in close quarters - you will gas yourself occasionally, but it doesn't really matter
  
• Friendly-fire damage to Helldivers is extremely low, making it very low-risk (in fact, if your teammates have bugs on them, you can even gently disinfect them)
  
• Friendly-fire damage is completely negated by an active energy shield backpack
  
• Good magazine capacity and overall ammo, recovers 3 of 4 tanks on regular ammo pickup

Weaknesses:

• Negligible direct damage
  
• Extremely low damage overall
  
• Some types of bugs (mostly Warriors and Brood Commanders) will become more dangerous when blinded as their attacks travel very far
  
• Affected (both negatively and positively) by wind
  
• Very heavy, making it hard to spray in large arcs
  
• Massive enemies such as Bile Titans and Tanks are immune to the confusion effect (though they still take damage-over-time, for what it's worth)
  
• Requires continuous fire for full effect, small puffs of gas don't work very well

Summary:
A crowd-controlling BEAST (at least for Bugs), best used at its maximum effective range of around 25 meters, though it's still highly effective at close range. Easily mops up Scavengers and significantly weakens Hunters and Warriors while causing all but the largest enemies to lose track of allies and disable their offense.
It's not really designed for killing enemies (in fact, it's mostly terrible at that), but rather for allowing other stuff to easily and safely take them out. You'll want to use it in conjunction with your team, or just with your other tools - the long duration of the debuff makes this quite effective.
Its spray is also affected by wind, which can make it curve, greatly reduce its range, or massively extend its range. Keep it in mind.
On Bugs, it's powerful, but often inconsistent due to the randomness of the blindness effect. On Bots, you don't even get to use it since it's extremely hard to get a clear shot without getting turned to swiss cheese.

FINAL RATING: B+ (Bugs) / D (Bots)

Support Weapons (Part 3.1 - Exotic)

RAILGUN

A flexible and lightweight precision weapon ideal for picking off heavily-armored but non-massive targets at most ranges, as well as anything smaller.

Strengths:

• Vehicle Armor penetration (overpenetrates when charged) it's now AP 5 regardless of charge
  
• High damage, especially to smaller targets
  
• Simply goes through most enemies, improving effectiveness per-shot
  
• High stagger, though it usually kills anything it would otherwise stagger
  
• High accuracy and range
  
• Light and easy to aim
  
• Easily deletes Scout Striders, including Reinforced Scout Striders

Weaknesses:

• "Safe" mode has reduced power, requiring it to be in "Unsafe" mode and overcharged for maximum strength
  
• In Unsafe mode, the gun will explode and kill you while charging if a charge is held too long
  
• The Railgun exploding will completely destroy it and you'll have to wait to call in another one
  
• Requires charge-up, making shots more difficult to land, especially in Unsafe mode
  
• Subpar damage against large targets
  
• Unusual single-shot magazine, bad for groups
  
• No scope for long-distance shots

Summary:
A non-explosive, armor-piercing weapon capable of passing straight through extremely heavy armor, but requiring an extended charge which makes shots harder to land, and which can make the gun explode. When it said it "prioritizes armor penetration", it definitely didn't say "prioritizes armor damage". It'll go through anything, but you'll need more firepower to handle giant enemies like Bile Titans, Tanks, and Factory Striders.
It's surprisingly mobile with its great handling and quick reload, and it's perfectly ammo efficient due to the single-shot mechanism. I recommend keeping it in Safe mode most of the time so that you have time to properly line up your shots - use Unsafe mode if it would take more than one shot to kill.
Has the most utility against enemies that are heavily armored but not gigantic, namely Hulks and Chargers. You can either go straight for kill shots to the head (takes several for Chargers), or weaken them by targeting limbs. It also cleanly one-shots most enemies smaller than that even with Safe shots, notably Devastators, Scout Striders, Berserkers, Hive Guards, and Bile Spewers (if hitting the head). For Gunships, use an Unsafe shot to one of the thrusters.

FINAL RATING: A

ARC THROWER

A lightning-thrower with infinite ammunition that can damage anything and arc through several targets, but is hard to control effectively.

Strengths:

• Deals medium damage to pretty much anything, ignores armor
  
• Arcs to multiple targets per shot
  
• Inflicts a powerful stun that interrupts Hulks and Chargers after two shots, and anything smaller in one shot
  
• High stagger, able to push around Devastators, Scout Striders, Brood Commanders, and anything lighter
  
• Can arc through dead, inanimate, or high-health targets and hit otherwise obscured enemies
  
• Quickly rips off Heavy Devastator shields
  
• Slight auto-aim capability
  
• Truly infinite ammo

Weaknesses:

• Shoots lightning bolts instead of bullets, which are hard to control and tend to miss unpredictably
  
• Pretty much never hits enemies within melee range
  
• Bolts always aim for an enemy's "center of mass", and won't land if there isn't line-of-sight (usually caused by partial cover)
  
• Bolts can also just not work for no discernible reason (seems to be much less common than it used to be, usually happens near specific structures or when enemies are doing specific animations, usually Hunters)
  
• Can't directly aim for weakpoints due to auto-aim (although you can move the barrel of the gun to give a small amount of control)
  
• Will discharge into teammates rather unpredictably, making it unsuitable for cover fire
  
• Against Scout Striders specifically, it can take an extremely variable amount of shots to kill, anywhere from 1 to like 10, usually 3 or 4
  
• Somewhat limited range (55 meters)
  
• Requires charge-up time
  
• Relatively low damage per second against single targets (particularly large targets), or with imperfect charge timings

Summary:
The Escalation of Freedom patch substantially improved the consistency of this weapon as it can now properly arc from dead targets to living targets, and it seems to "fizzle" far less often. While it still happens occasionally, you no longer have to constantly worry about it.
The zapping gun. Both a jack of all trades and extremely weird. Learn to use it and you'll have an infinite ammo, multi-target, stunlocking, armor-piercing beast. The only things it can't handle are the properly huge enemies like Bile Titans and Factory Striders. The main issues are that it tends to whiff if your target's center of mass isn't directly visible, or if you're at point-blank range, and it doesn't dish out as much damage as other options. Against Bots, the limited range can also be an issue, but it makes up for this in other areas.

FINAL RATING: A

Support Weapons (Part 3.2 - Exotic)

AIRBURST ROCKET LAUNCHER

A rocket-propelled cluster bomb launcher equipped with a proximity fuse and an immense blast radius, for erasing packs of targets from a "safe" distance.

Usage Notes:

• Toggleable between Flak and Cluster fire modes
  
• In Flak mode, rocket detonates when passing a nearby enemy, and bomblets explode after a random delay
  
• In Cluster mode, rocket detonates after a set time, and bomblets explode on impact

Strengths:

• Covers a HUGE area by fragmenting into a couple dozen small bombs that scatter everywhere
  
• Total damage is incredibly high
  
• Wipes out large packs of light targets, often killing or weakening medium targets
  
• Landing a rocket at an enemy's feet is a death sentence for most enemies
  
• Flak mode's proximity fuse allows for more lenient aim and some unique tactics, such as avoiding cover and frontal armor
  
• Cluster mode can carpet a large area with explosives by aiming high, or concentrate on a single nearby target by landing it at their feet
  
• Can destroy Bot Fabricators and Bug Holes with a well-placed shot, although I wouldn't usually recommend doing so due to its limited ammo
  
• Can destroy Gunships in one rocket with practice and a bit of luck (use Flak and have the rocket explode above them)

Weaknesses:

• Incredibly easy to cause friendly-fire, including yourself
  
• Scatter is quite unpredictable and can miss nearby targets while landing on a teammate 10 meters away
  
• When used against grounded targets in Flak mode, many sub-explosions will happen in the air and miss, unless aimed close to the ground
  
• Only Medium armor penetration, reducing its effectiveness against targets like Devastators and Gunships
  
• Ammo takes up backpack slot
  
• Abysmally slow, stationary reload (like 5 seconds) that cannot be broken into stages - you have to sit there for 5 uninterrupted seconds (unless team reload is used)
  
• Whoever made it so that the toggle between Flak and Cluster is bound to left click, you are evil, it's perfect

Summary:
The crowd-clearing version of the Recoilless Rifle. Heavy-duty but high yield per shot against groups of light- or medium-armored enemies, ideally used from a significant distance. Covers a ridiculously large area and does huge damage, but usually only delivers a small fraction of it. Also handy for doing massive damage to a single target, with plenty of collateral. However, it's extremely dangerous, niche, hard to use, slow, inconsistent, and takes up a backpack slot.
If you get used to the unique fuses, you have a surprising amount of control over where the explosion goes off, letting you do some interesting stuff. It can be particularly useful in environments with a lot of cover, where you can lands hits on enemies without needing a direct line of sight. Flak is best to use from long range, or to trigger an overhead detonation on certain targets. Cluster is best at medium range: aim slightly up to safely blanket an area, or at the ground beneath an enemy to focus the entire blast on them.
Overall, you're probably better off using other crowd-clearing stratagems that offer less power but better uptime and ease of use, like the Grenade Launcher. In the time it takes to shoot the Airburst Launcher and reload, you could shoot three shots from the Grenade Launcher and a few from your primary for roughly the same effect. There are some situations where the airburst launcher performs better or offers a unique advantage, but they're uncommon enough that it doesn't really outweigh its other shortcomings (namely, the abysmal reload).
Very fun to get interrupted most of the way through a reload, then on the next reload watch as the rocket you just put in the launcher clips through your body and back into the backpack.
Just barely viable.

FINAL RATING: B-

W.A.S.P.

A magazine-fed, homing micro-missile launcher requiring a lock-on to fire.
WIP

Backpacks (Part 1 - Defensive)

These are all the backpack stratagems that provide some kind of defensive utility. Keep in mind that you only have one backpack slot, which is the main factor in their ratings. Some support weapons also include backpacks, those are not included here, but keep it in mind.

BALLISTIC SHIELD BACKPACK

A portable slab of metal that can block pretty much any projectile, but only from certain directions.
This section assumes you're taking it to an Automaton mission, it is functionally worthless on Terminid missions unless you get bile bugs, and even then it's not very good.

Strengths:

• Gain a shield that negates most gunfire that comes in contact with it, but not explosives
  
• "Most gunfire" includes almost everything you can think of that doesn't explode, including Scout Strider and Heavy Devastator shots
  
• It can block explosive shots, reducing the direct damage but not the explosion damage or ragdoll force - this includes tanks, but will blow up the shield
  
• Shield is drawn automatically when wielding a one-handed item, including secondaries, some primaries, stratagem beacons, and grenades
  
• When drawn, aiming will raise the shield in front of you, giving near-perfect protection against gunfire from the front
  
• You can freely take most actions while still having the shield raised, including reloading, stimming, and even picking up ammo and samples
  
• Shield will always stop gunfire that contacts it regardless of whether it is raised, held, or even equipped (including while on your back)
  
• Lower cooldown compared to other backpacks (300 seconds vs 480 seconds)
  
• Can still be carried on the back while holding a one-handed item (SSSD)
  
• Unique one-handed reload for all one-handed weapons (functionally identical, but cool)

Weaknesses:

• Zero protection from melee attacks
  
• In first-person view, weapon sights are replaced with a view through the shield for one-handed weapons
  
• Technically has limited durability, visible on the HUD - orange sparks when hit indicate damage, blue sparks indicate no damage
  
• Can be instantly destroyed by powerful attacks
  
• You will sometimes drop the shield if ragdolled while holding it (seems not to apply to ragdolls from explosions)
  
• Shield does not provide guaranteed protection when worn on the back, although it is larger than it looks (extends significantly lower)

Summary:
Makes you nearly impervious to bullets from certain directions, it can completely change the flow of the game against Bots. An absolute godsend when facing Scout Striders, Heavy Devastators, and big packs of infantry. It even saves you from a Tank shot to the face, once per shield. Use it to safely pick off infantry, use it to push forward, use it to cover you as you move between hard cover, put it on your back and run away into the jungle, use it to draw aggro from your sentries, use it to draw aggro from your team. It can do it all, except block explosions, although it significantly reduces their damage most of the time. Overall, it does its job extremely well, but it's still a niche role. Takes some getting used to.
Bonus tip, using an emote puts it on your back even if you're using a one-handed weapon, which can be useful when retreating.

FINAL RATING: A- (Bots)

SHIELD GENERATOR PACK

A 360-degree personal energy shield capable of blocking mostly anything, with limited health.

Strengths:

• Blocks almost all sources of damage while active, including melee attacks, gunfire, acid spit, rockets (but breaks instantly), and even impact damage like being run over by a Charger or stepped on by a Bile Titan
  
• Prevents being interrupted or ragdolled by incoming attacks while active
  
• Decent health pool depending on the damage type being blocked (notably takes very little damage from bug spit)

Weaknesses:

• Takes a considerable time to recharge when broken (around 12 seconds)
  
• Takes even longer to recharge when partially damaged, to the point you might not even notice it can do that

Summary:
This section was written before each of the examples I mention got tuned down. Funnily enough, not getting regularly one-shot makes this backpack a bit worse comparatively.
Tired of getting one-shot by Spewers? Tired of getting comboed to death by Hunters? Tired of getting sniped by Rocket Raiders? Then this is the backpack for you. It adds a huge amount of survivability, due to preventing both damage AND stuns or knockdowns, saving you from getting jumped and letting you play more aggressively. Just mind the health of the shield while using it - you can see it in the bottom-left next to the backpack icon. You'll want to be a bit more careful if it's about to pop.

FINAL RATING: A

DIRECTIONAL SHIELD

A wide, front-facing energy shield that blocks incoming projectiles while allowing outgoing fire. Must be held in the offhand to deploy.
WIP

Backpacks (Part 2 - Drones)

These are the drone backpacks. They hover over your right shoulder and shoot stuff. Random tip, you can make them move to your left shoulder by aiming and using the "switch camera side" binding (default is the H key). Only lasts as long as you're aiming though.

DRONES (General)

Notes on drones as a whole (so I don't have to repeat everything).

Strengths:

• Hands-free and continuously active source of damage
  
• Provide cover fire against flanks, and while doing other actions like reloading
  
• Alert the wearer to enemies they may not have otherwise noticed
  
• Reduced engagement range outside of combat to avoid alerting patrols, but will still aim at enemies, giving a visual indicator of their location

Weaknesses:

• Generally prone to friendly-fire
  
• Slightly stupid and will shoot at armored targets and buildings fixed now, drones still go for Chargers and Hulks but ignore Fabricators and most other targets where there's no point shooting at them
  
• Attract enemies' attention while deployed, and can blow your cover
  
• No way to turn them on/off aside from taking the pack off can now be toggled with the "backpack function" keybind ('5' on PC)

Summary:
Autonomous sources of hands-free damage, at the cost of a backpack slot. They augment a single Helldiver's potential damage output, keep a watchful eye out for threats, and protect their users when they're vulnerable - assuming they decide to behave. They're generally geared towards whittling down crowds of light enemies or picking off scattered small targets, reducing the need to individually focus on every minor threat. While they can be challenging to use effectively as they can't be directly controlled, they can be quite useful as part of an overall kit. Just be ready for friendly fire, though it can be mitigated with practice (be mindful of your aim direction, crouch or lie down when possible, and if needed, turn them off).

"GUARD DOG" (Ballistic Drone)

An autonomous drone with an assault rifle, what could go wrong?

Strengths:

• Gun is fairly powerful and shoots quickly, capable of quickly taking down multiple targets
  
• Medium armor penetration
  
• Very good aim, tends to land headshots which is quite useful for Bots
  
• Has proper trigger discipline, only fires if it has fully lined up a shot
  
• Can body-block bullets while docked on backpack

Weaknesses:

• Friendly-fire is uncommon, but often deadly
  
• Often aims at armored parts of enemies when unarmored parts are fully exposed
  
• Limited ammunition supply (but fairly generous)
  
• Can be damaged and require some time to repair (but repairs are free, and it can't be destroyed, only temporarily disabled)

Summary:
A little drone friend that blasts enemies, strong but with limited ammo. It's quite accurate and sometimes it will dome Devastators for you, but it's highly dependent on positioning, as it usually (very accurately) hits armor. Even so, its damage and armor penetration are so high that it kinda rips anyway. Also, I've found that it's much more likely to land headshots on Devastators if you're at a slightly higher elevation than them.

FINAL RATING: A

"GUARD DOG" ROVER (Laser Drone)

An autonomous drone with a laser rifle.

Strengths:

• Laser seems to be able to shoot forever, great at whittling down packs of lightly-armored targets
  
• Sets stuff on fire (including yourself and teammates)
  
• Cannot be damaged, for some reason

Weaknesses:

• No trigger discipline and friendly-fires A LOT, especially the backpack wearer - does minor damage, but can light you on fire
  
• Low burst damage
  
• Low accuracy

Summary:
Drone friend with infinite ammo. Racks up a lot of kills on smaller enemies, especially on the bug front. It is more prone to damaging you or your friends compared to the rifle version, sometimes even setting you on fire.
Performs a bit better on bugs with its hot, sweeping laser beam.

FINAL RATING: B+ (Bugs) / B- (Bots)

"GUARD DOG" DOG BREATH

A roaming drone that sprays debilitating gas on enemies.
This section is pretty short since this thing just doesn't work right now, wait for it to get fixed.

Strengths:

• Sprays enemies with corrosive gas (for a thorough breakdown, see the Sterilizer)
  
• High capacity and a large tank
  
• Can range far from its user, not locked to flying over their shoulder

Weaknesses:

• Hit detection for the gas spray is abysmal, it can waste an entire tank spraying directly on a medium-sized enemy without hitting them once
  
• Focuses a single target, making it incredibly bad at utilizing its status effect
  
• While it can travel very far from the user, it only starts engaging an enemy if they're very close, meaning you need to be at close range anyway

Summary:
The idea is solid, but in its current state, it doesn't work. It can't hit anything. And the AI is pretty wonky, too. Wait for a patch to fix it.

FINAL RATING: TBD (Clearly not working properly)

Backpacks (Part 3 - Utility)

These are the backpacks that don't fit into the "defensive" or "drone" categories.

SUPPLY PACK

A back-mounted resupply pod.

Strengths:

• Carries 4 extra resupply charges which can be distributed to yourself or to teammates with the "use" key
  
• Can sort of serve as another resupply stratagem that isn't shared by your whole team
  
• Gains one charge back from a resupply pod, effectively doubling overall supplies

Weaknesses:

• Self-resupply animation takes a moment to complete and can be interrupted by some actions like diving, getting hit, and shooting
  
• You can't resupply your own backpack with it
  
• Your teammates probably won't stand still long enough for you to give them anything
  
• The HUD indicator for teammates' remaining ammo is pretty buggy right now, it will flash red when carrying ammo-less or backpack-fed weapons (Arc Thrower, Autocannon, etc.)

Summary:
This bad boy lets you have 12 grenades and 12 stims on you. It's probably intended for team support, but your team is probably too stupid to even notice you're wearing it, and getting close enough to give them stuff is a pain in the ass, so you'll basically just use it to carry extra stuff for yourself. The main utility is carrying around extra grenades and stims, to clear out outposts and keep you alive. It's also great for ammo-hungry weapons. Once it comes off cooldown, you might as well call down another one.

FINAL RATING: A

JUMP PACK

"Jumping!"

Strengths:

• ZOOMS you across the map at incredible speed
  
• Lets you climb stuff you couldn't otherwise get on top of
  
• Quickly climb over some obstacles, useful in a variety of situations
  
• Yeets you out of melee range in an emergency
  
• Can still perform actions like reloading, shooting, and dialing stratagems while airborne

Weaknesses:

• Long cooldown before reuse, ~15 seconds

Summary:
I don't use it much personally, but the jump pack has evasion, positioning, and speed applications - but mainly speed. It can be powerful for certain playstyles, and can save your ass, but mainly, it goes fast.

FINAL RATING: A-

Exosuits

This section has all the exosuits (AKA mechs).
Note that unlike other call-ins, these are dropped by a pelican equipped with a front-mounted cannon (same as the evac dropship). It's also worth noting that they technically have zero call-in time (despite what's listed), and they're unaffected by call-in time modifiers.

EXOSUITS (General)

Notes on exosuits as a whole (so I don't have to repeat everything).

Strengths:

• Big guns
  
• Armored body impervious to most small-arms fire
  
• Stomp very small enemies (scavenger bugs) to death
  
• Remarkably fast, only slightly slower than sprinting with the lightest available armor (when moving forward)

Weaknesses:

• Struggles greatly with close-quarters fighting
  
• Very vulnerable to explosives
  
• Vulnerable to most melee attacks
  
• Slow to turn, liable to get overrun
  
• Limited ammo pool that can't be refilled
  
• Locks many actions, such as calling stratagems and interacting with anything
  
• Tendency to step on fellow Helldivers
  
• Loooong cooldown (600 seconds), and limited to 2 call-ins per mission
  
• Only one exosuit stratagem can be equipped at a time (this is for exosuits only, not other vehicles)

Summary:
Basically steel bricks on legs with giant guns strapped to them, the main strength of the mechs is gaining and holding ground. That could be stomping into a fortified tactical objective, or holding out during extraction. The limited ammo pool means they're probably not something you'll be calling in right at the start of the mission, but more like a manned sentry that you'll call in as the need arises. With a skilled pilot, a coordinated team, and a bit of luck, they can usually handle anything. Be careful with your positioning to account for their slow turning, weakness at short range, and vulnerability to explosives. Against Bots, also be aware that you still need to make use of cover for enemies equipped with massive cannons.

PATRIOT EXOSUIT

A bipedal armored mech equipped with a medium-powered chaingun and powerful rocket pods.

Strengths:

• Rockets do significant damage to nearly anything (Vehicle Armor penetration)
  
• 14 rockets total, more than enough to take out any single enemy
  
• Chaingun is well-suited to eliminating both chaff and mid-size enemies (Medium Armor penetration)

Weaknesses:

• Rockets are quite slow, making them unsuitable for long ranges
  
• Chaingun is inaccurate, making it also unsuitable for long ranges

Summary:
The classic, equipped with anti-tank rockets and a chaingun to rapidly dispatch any type of threat. Careful ammo usage is quite important to get the best results - be sure to hold on to rockets for larger enemies, unless you're already low on chaingun ammo.
Performs a lot worse versus Bots since its accuracy at range is rather lacking.

FINAL RATING: A- (Bugs) / C (Bots)

EMANCIPATOR EXOSUIT

A bipedal armored mech equipped with two double-barreled autocannon arms capable of piercing vehicle armor.

Strengths:

• Autocannons do very solid damage, have Vehicle armor penetration, and have a small blast radius
  
• Autocannons have excellent range
  
• Solid ammo pool
  
• Autocannons have enough stagger to cause Chargers to lose tracking, allowing them to be sidestepped

Weaknesses:

• Somewhat slow to take out heavily armored units
  
• Yellow (ugly, ew)

Summary:
The second mech - in terms of what you should use it for, it's essentially no different than the Patriot version, except that it has better accuracy and range. The tradeoff is that it's more flexible in how you can spend your ammo, while having lower burst damage. Since your main weapon can damage any enemy, you don't have to worry about managing two different weapon types, which makes it a lot easier to use. However, you'll need to keep a bit more distance for maximum effectiveness, since you don't have the minigun of the Patriot to spray on nearby targets.
Overall, it feels like the stronger of the two.

FINAL RATING: A

Vehicles (Part 1 - HELLDRIVER'S ED)

Because the mechanics of vehicles are so in-depth, this section is going to work a bit differently. So, welcome to:

HELLDRIVER'S ED

So it's your first time driving, and you're probably thinking at least one of the following things:

• Why do I keep losing control when I turn?
  
• Why is it so easy to flip this thing over?
  
• What are all these gears for?
  
• Is this still drivable with a popped tire?
  
• Can I drift?

This is Helldriver's Ed, where you'll learn the basics of properly operating your vehicle to get you from point A to point B, and hopefully avoid getting blown up along the way.

The Basics

To start with, let's go over the fundamental rules of driving. With just these, you should be equipped to at least get from one end of the map to the other without flipping over.

RULE 1: Don't floor it.
The most fundamental of fundamentals. The W key (R2 on pad) directly controls the gas pedal, it isn't a "go forward" button. If you hold it down constantly, you WILL lose control and probably spin out, or even flip over. Only apply the gas when you want to accelerate, and only up to what is actually controllable.

RULE 2: If you lose control, let off the gas, and countersteer.
When your tail kicks out and you hear screeching tires, it means you've lost traction. Adding more gas is going to make you spin out and bring you to an uncontrolled stop. To regain control, let off the gas and steer against the direction of rotation - you may also want to brake.
On low traction surfaces where you often lose grip, releasing the gas isn't as necessary, as you're less likely to spin out.

RULE 3: Prepare for turns ahead of time.
A turn is a change in momentum, and the faster you're traveling, the more force you need to make that change. Your vehicle can only produce so much force at a time, so you'll need to spread it out by braking before the start of a turn, and accelerating towards the end. If you want to get fancy, you can do this with a handbrake turn, but a basic "brake, turn, accelerate out" works just fine.

RULE 4: Keep all wheels on the ground.
Uneven terrain, small objects, cliffs, and slopes are all liable to tip your vehicle and possibly cause it to roll. There is no way to control your vehicle unless you have wheels on the ground, so you'll be at the mercy of physics whether you end up wheels-down or wheels-up. Always reduce your speed when traveling on uneven terrain so you don't catch airtime. Intentional jumps get a pass from me, though - if you land it.
By the way, if you flip the car, there's no easy way to un-flip it. It also catches fire after a while of being upside-down.

The Mechanics

With the basics out of the way, there are a few more things to explain:

Gear Controls
You will automatically switch from Drive to Reverse (and vice versa) when pressing your forward / back keybinds while stopped. You can also switch gears manually using the keybinds listed at the bottom of the screen. Accelerating in the direction of travel will override a manual gear shift, meaning if you're traveling forward, you can only shift to Neutral and Reverse if you release the "forward" keybind. Pressing forward again will shift you back into Drive.
Switching gears takes a second, during which you can't accelerate. This can get you killed if you're in the middle of a firefight. It can be extra dangerous if you're sitting still, meaning you're an easy target.

Brake
You will automatically apply the brakes when you press the opposite movement direction of the direction you're traveling. However, if you're in Reverse while moving forward (and vice versa), you'll hit the gas instead.

Handbrake
The handbrake (Space on keyboard, Square/X on pad) will lock the rear wheels, usually causing the car to turn very sharply. It's useful for some advanced movement stuff.

Terrain
Different types of terrain have different properties in terms of traction and speed adjustment. Pavement obviously has great traction and doesn't slow you down at all, while mud has bad traction and slows you down a lot. You may need to adjust your driving to suit the surface you're driving on.
In addition, explosions will physically deform the terrain and make it rougher to drive on, so be careful of that.

Impacts
Vehicles deal impact damage to enemies and objects based on how fast they're traveling, and they can also deal impact damage to their occupants if they come to a sudden stop. The person in the gunner seat can even be ejected from the vehicle if you smack something hard enough.
You can break through many small objects with enough speed, but be aware that it may cause you to lose control.

Advanced Techniques

Here are a few other useful but non-essential driving skills.

Handbrake Turn (and Drifting)
If you're moving at a decent speed, begin a sharp turn, and apply the handbrake for a moment, you'll rotate the vehicle sharply and lose traction. From here, you can hit the gas and turn in the opposite direction to complete a drift.
Is this better than a regular turn? I have no idea.

Handbrake 180
You can do a quick 180 by smashing the handbrake while turning. Useful for avoiding putting the car into reverse, which is slow.

Driving on Popped Tires
If you have popped tires and you're not able to control the vehicle, try switching to 2nd gear. This can keep the RPM on the rims low enough to prevent spinning out.
Depending on which tires are blown out, it can even be better to intentionally break the remaining tires. On the FRV, 3 intact tires is drivable but wobbly, while 1 or 2 intact tires is basically undrivable. However, 0 tires is actually very controllable while in 2nd gear. If you can't control the car at all, shoot out all the tires and keep it in 2nd gear - it's still way faster than walking.

Park
Normally you can't put the car into park, so if you stop on a hill and get out, it just rolls away. Instead, you can hold down the handbrake while getting out to effectively put it in park (it will still slide a little though). Make sure you hold the handbrake until you're fully out of the driver's seat.

Early Shift
Normally your Helldiver will only switch from Drive to Reverse (and vice versa) after coming to a full stop. You can manually switch gears before this though, as long as you're not holding a key that would cause you to accelerate. This is very niche but can make you just a little bit more evasive under pressure.

Vehicles (Part 2)

These are all the vehicles (currently only the FRV). For tips on how to drive these without crashing, see part 1 of this section.
Note that these are dropped in by a pelican, like the Exosuits - unlike the exosuits though, the pelican pilot seems to try to find a location with decent clearance where the car won't flip over or get stuck.

I actually won't be rating these since they can't really be directly compared to the rest of the stratagems in the game. They serve a very different function, and I think asking "is a car better than a machine gun" doesn't really have any useful answers.

FAST RECON VEHICLE

A light, high-speed armored vehicle fitted with a heavy machine gun, seating up to 5.

Summary:
A VERY fast, high-occupancy vehicle with surprisingly robust armor, and a built-in HMG with a good amount of ammo. This thing crosses the entire map in about a minute and a half, and its windows are tiny slits that give great protection against enemy projectiles (but not melee or explosions). The doors can have their latches broken and eventually be destroyed if they take enough damage, which can make you more vulnerable, but the swinging door when the latch breaks is visual only, its hitbox is still in the "closed" position. Its overall health is very high as well.
The main thing that can shut it down is having the tires shot out. If you lose one it's hard to control, but any more than that and it's going to be nearly undrivable until you pop the rest of the tires and put it in 2nd gear.
Very useful, I'd always consider bringing it to any non-eradicate mission. Be careful not to flip it over.

Orbital Strikes

These are all the Orbital stratagems that say "strike" in the name (since I hit the character limit again). All my testing with these was done with the "EXPLODING SHRAPNEL" ship module upgrade, which apparently reduces the damage falloff. It's an early unlock so you'll have it before long.
Also, the laser is in the barrage section.

ORBITAL PRECISION STRIKE

A single powerful and precise explosion fired from orbit.

Strengths:

• Tremendous power on direct or near-direct hit, practically instant death for anything except a Factory Strider
  
• Explosion has some range, and can destroy buildings even if slightly off
  
• Strong enough to break Detector Towers, Stratagem Jammers, Research Stations, and more
  
• Perfect accuracy
  
• Very fast cooldown of 90 seconds
  
• Easy input (RRU)

Weaknesses:

• Small effective range

Summary:
The starter strike, unassuming but powerful. Its only real use in the early game is breaking a couple buildings, but it's actually more valuable in the higher difficulties as an easy way to bust open certain tactical objectives, and massive enemies with a bit of skill - it is shockingly powerful. It's pretty much in direct competition with the 500kg Bomb as a single-use "anything remover", and in many ways it loses to that, but there are still reasons to run it.

FINAL RATING: A+

ORBITAL GAS STRIKE

A fast and precise deployment of corrosive gas with a potent confusion and damage-over-time effect.

Strengths:

• Makes a sizable gas cloud that damages and confuses most enemies, killing after prolonged exposure based on enemy size
  
• Confusion causes enemies to walk in random directions while attacking randomly
  
• Cloud lingers for ~10 seconds, causing continual damage
  
• Point of impact is strong enough to destroy buildings
  
• Enemies don't avoid the gas cloud and will walk right into it
  
• Incredibly short cooldown of 75 seconds
  
• Easy input (RRDR)
  
• Helldivers can just about out-heal the damage over time with a stim if caught in its radius

Weaknesses:

• Ineffective against heavy targets
  
• Requires careful placement (often in chokepoints or on breaches) for maximum effectiveness
  
• Enemies will attack wildly while affected, which can be detrimental in some cases (it actually makes certain bugs move faster)
  
• Low damage, further limited by the fact that enemies might not stay in the cloud for the full duration

Summary:
A great option for taking out crowds of light-to-medium enemies due to its decent size and duration, and extremely short cooldown. The confusion effect also makes it a good choice for disabling enemy offense, giving your team some breathing room. It generally won't kill medium enemies like Devastators and Brood Commanders outright, but will leave them with low health, making them easy to finish off. The gas strike doesn't have the burst ability of crowd-clearing Eagle stratagems due to their multiple charges, but it does have a very short (and independent) cooldown, and doesn't have to deal with rearming, making it more available in a pinch.
It's also helpful to know exactly how the AoE works on this since it's a bit complicated: Basically, it's a sphere which starts out at a certain radius and gradually expands after impact, before it eventually dissipates. It also inflicts a short gas DoT in a larger radius immediately on impact. See this video by Wallbouncing for a full breakdown (check out his other stuff too, it's great): https://youtu.be/PLfPhQHwQyg

FINAL RATING: A-

ORBITAL EMS STRIKE

An electromagnetic field (or something) that freezes all enemies in a large area, stopping movement and attacks.

Strengths:

• Affected enemies are completely disabled, and can only stand there doing nothing
  
• Helldivers are still able to act, but are massively slowed
  
• Lasts ~10 seconds
  
• Incredibly short cooldown of 75 seconds

Weaknesses:

• No damage
  
• Does not affect Bile Titans, Tanks, or Factory Striders
  
• Short delay before taking effect, particularly on larger enemies
  
• Instantly drains all player stamina on entering the cloud

Summary:
A decent combo piece and defensive option. Gives you time to make some distance, or just mow down anything within the affected area. It's fairly safe for allies to enter since it only slows movement, just make sure you won't be overwhelmed when it wears off (and won't be shot at from outside). Diving around inside the cloud is pretty fast.
Mostly outclassed by the Gas Strike.

FINAL RATING: B

ORBITAL SMOKE STRIKE

Drops several smoke bombs in a medium-sized circular area.

Strengths:

• Breaks line of sight with enemies (probably)
  
• Enemies with guns will probably miss
  
• Can be used to make enemies chasing you lose track of you (maybe)
  
• Short cooldown

Weaknesses:

• Blocks allies' line of sight, including sentries
  
• It's just smoke
  
• Not even very good at what it's supposed to do

Summary:
A cloud of smoke, it theoretically has some decent uses. It could cover your escape, give protection from gunfire, or let you push ranged enemies. In practice though, it can't really accomplish any of those things consistently.

FINAL RATING: C

Orbital Strikes (Continued)

ORBITAL AIRBURST STRIKE

Fires three consecutive shrapnel bombs that detonate shortly before impact, covering a medium-sized area.

Strengths:

• Extremely good coverage and damage within the affected area, cleaning up light-to-medium targets
  
• Can sneak around armor and connect with lighter-armored parts of an enemy, dealing significant damage and sometimes killing Chargers, Hulks, and Tanks
  
• Delay between shots is just the right timing so that most enemies can't run through the affected area between shots
  
• Short cooldown of 100 seconds
  
• VERY easy input (RRR)
  
• Will occasionally destroy Bug Holes and Bot Fabricators with a good angle and lucky hit

Weaknesses:

• Ineffective against fully armored enemies (Bile Titans, Factory Striders)
  
• Can't usually destroy Bug Holes and Bot Fabricators
  
• Spread is HIGHLY affected by your Super Destroyer position, which is affected by the order in which you joined the lobby

Summary:
A very strong all-rounder strike, with a short cooldown, solid size, high damage, effectiveness on most targets, good duration, and a very easy input. Wipes out small targets, and with a bit of luck, it can take out some heavies like Chargers, Hulks, and Tanks, though it's not consistent.
Also, be aware that if you're not player 1 (particularly player 3), the spread can be a bit crazy due to the steep angle, as it's fired from your Super Destroyer.

FINAL RATING: A-

ORBITAL RAILCANNON STRIKE

A single-target, auto-targeting, instant-kill shot.

Strengths:

• Auto-targets the largest target in range, and kills it (except Factory Striders)
  
• Short deployment time

Weaknesses:

• Single target only
  
• Not an instant kill against Factory Striders
  
• Long cooldown of 210 seconds
  
• Somewhat complicated input (RUDDR), making it harder to call when under pressure
  
• Can sometimes target allies, notably the mech

Summary:
"Bye idiot!" Deletes the biggest guy in range and doesn't miss. Reliable, safe, powerful, specialized. Excellent when you're on the back foot against a super-heavyweight enemy, but mind the cooldown. Also, it doesn't work as well against Factory Striders.
Be aware that this is NOT an EAT or Precision Strike, it's a panic button. Your team needs more anti-tank than this alone.

FINAL RATING: A-

Orbital Barrages (Part 1 - High Explosive)

These are all the orbital barrages, and also the laser. They're separate since I hit the character limit again.
I guess it's worth noting that there's an upgrade that gives you one extra round on each barrage.

ORBITAL 120MM HE BARRAGE

An extended barrage of high-powered explosive rounds over a moderate area.

Strengths:

• Creates large, powerful explosions that do heavy damage and can break most structures, notably Detector Towers
  
• Affects a large area
  
• Bombardment lasts a decently long time

Weaknesses:

• Shots get scattered over a large area and may miss targets in the affected area
  
• Long and weird input (RRDLRD)

Summary:
Performs as advertised, but has fewer practical applications compared to other options. You'll mostly be calling it on outposts to take out fabricators and bug holes, since engagements with enemies that can move usually don't last long enough for it to be useful, and you'll usually be on the move anyway. Can also help take out big and slow enemies like Factory Striders and Tanks with a bit of luck. The radius is fairly tight (and can be made even smaller with a Destroyer upgrade), meaning there's probably an 80-90% chance of hitting every Bot Fabricator within the affected area, but there are other choices that perform about as well and have more flexibility. Kinda like turning on the dishwasher but there's a 10% chance it only washed half your dishes.

FINAL RATING: B

ORBITAL 380MM HE BARRAGE

An extended barrage of super-high-powered explosive rounds over a large area.

Strengths:

• Creates giant, powerful explosions that do heavy damage and can break most structures, notably Detector Towers
  
• Affects a very large area
  
• Bombardment lasts a long time

Weaknesses:

• Shots get scattered over a big area and tend to hit nothing or land too far to deal real damage
  
• Very long and weird input (RDUULDD)

Summary:
The upscaled version of the 120mm barrage. Performs more or less the same, just bigger and slightly less consistent.

FINAL RATING: B-

ORBITAL WALKING BARRAGE

A series of high-powered explosive rounds that advances forward from the call-in point, firing three times per salvo before moving.

Strengths:

• Creates large, powerful explosions that do heavy damage and can break most structures, notably Detector Towers
  
• Travels a long distance forward from the direction thrown, allowing you to call it far from the intended target
  
• Total affected area is pretty immense
  
• Fairly tight spread relative to explosion size, compared to the HE barrages
  
• Funny input (RDRDRD)

Weaknesses:

• Limited usefulness against mobile targets, as it's usually impractical to keep them in the path of the barrage
  
• In most cases, over half of the barrage will land in the middle of nowhere

Summary:
It's hard to figure out how to use this thing effectively, but it has some decent power behind it, and you can get pretty creative with its unique firing pattern. It has a tight spread so you can be reasonably certain it'll hit any large, stationary targets in its path. I'd mostly suggest using it to snipe outposts from a distance.

FINAL RATING: B+

TRAITOR BARRAGE (Bonus)

There is but one sentence commensurate to the crime of treason.
An indefinite rain of accurate high-explosive shells, reserved for traitors to Democracy.

Strengths:

• Creates large, powerful explosions that can damage mostly anything
  
• Pinpoint accurate on the traitorous player's predicted location at time of impact
  
• Bombardment continues until death

Weaknesses:

• Extreme potential for friendly fire, obviously
  
• Can only be acquired at the edge of the map
  
• Not particularly powerful, but more than enough to kill Helldivers

Summary:
I'm putting this here since it's funny, and it also saved my first solo Helldive. If you didn't know, when you stay outside the mission area for too long, the Super Destroyer shells you indefinitely until you die. It's sort of like a free 120mm barrage, except it's aimed DIRECTLY at you. I don't actually recommend doing this on purpose unless you're solo or with friends, just to mess around.
I've tried extensively to develop a technique that'll let you fully weaponize this thing (since you have full control over where it lands based on your movement), but in actual combat, it's just not practical.

FINAL RATING: DIE, TRAITOR

Orbital Barrages (Part 2 - Other, and laser)

ORBITAL GATLING BARRAGE

An extended hail of high-powered, armor-piercing bullets covering a moderate area.

Strengths:

• High armor penetration which can strip Charger and Bile Titan armor
  
• Does a decent job of taking out lighter targets due to the sheer number of projectiles
  
• Fairly long duration, and affects a fairly large area
  
• Incredibly short cooldown of 70 seconds

Weaknesses:

• Small splash damage, most shots will be entirely ineffective
  
• Fairly low damage
  
• Slightly complicated input relative to its cooldown (RDLUU)

Summary:
A general-purpose barrage for softening up heavies or large groups, with a VERY short cooldown. Won't consistently take out everything in the affected area, so it fills more of a support role. Luckily it has an extremely short cooldown, making it well-suited to this.

FINAL RATING: B

ORBITAL NAPALM BARRAGE

A wide-ranging barrage of burning napalm shells, incinerating almost all targets in the affected area.
I'm still testing this one out, this may not be completely accurate info.

Strengths:

• Absolutely massive, probably the largest affected area of any offensive stratagem
  
• Immolates small and medium targets extremely quickly
  
• Practically perfect coverage, anything within its radius WILL burn

Weaknesses:

• Long cooldown (240 seconds)
  
• Very large targets are more or less immune to its effects
  
• It's kind of too big, making it hard to do things like bait enemies into it
  
• The long duration is usually only detrimental to Helldivers, as few enemies will be caught in it after the first couple volleys
  
• Not generally suitable for destroying outposts as it doesn't destroy Fabricators or Bug Holes, and prevents you from entering the outpost for a while
  
• Long and weird input (RRDLRU)

Summary:
Not too much to say - use this when you want everything in a 1-mile radius to be dead.

FINAL RATING: A

ORBITAL LASER

A continuous, target-seeking, armor-melting, giant space laser.

Strengths:

• Kills anything, kills everything (mostly)
  
• Very fast kill on anything without super-thick armor
  
• Longer time to kill on beefy armored targets, but can do it
  
• Seeks targets (prioritizing large targets) with a very fast travel speed
  
• Lasts a long time, ~25 seconds
  
• Instantaneous deployment

Weaknesses:

• Extremely long cooldown of 300 seconds
  
• Limited to 3 uses per mission
  
• Takes significant time to melt through armored enemies, requiring almost the full duration for non-armor-stripped Bile Titans
  
• Factory Striders mostly ignore it
  
• Tends to focus Bot Dropships, which it can't destroy in time
  
• Fails to hit Bile Titans at steep angles (near the edge of the map, or if your Destroyer is further away)
  
• Doesn't target Bug Holes, although it can easily destroy them
  
• Enemies may be continuously staggered by the laser and the laser will chase them around (notably Brood Commanders)

Summary:
A general-purpose panic button or Bot outpost remover. Reliably high-impact, it will generally just win against anything and turn the fight around in your favor, although heavy armor will slow it down a lot. On the bug side, you'll want to make sure any Bile Titans it targets are armor stripped (or just kill them yourself), and it's a good idea to do the same for Chargers. On Bots, don't use it if there are Factory Striders around since it's quite bad against them. If you can do that, this thing will rip. Since it's very limited in how much you can use it, you'll want to save it for when things go south.

FINAL RATING: A

Eagle Strikes

These are all the Eagle strategems. These all have to rearm after expending all available charges, which takes about 2.5 minutes. You can also rearm early with a separate dedicated stratagem. If you bring multiple, they all have to rearm at the same time, meaning you'll lose access to all of them for the duration, and if you run out of one, you'll have to live without it for a bit or call in a manual rearm.
It's also worth nothing that these will all be shut down by anti-air emplacements that spawn on higher-level Automaton missions. The only way to take these out is by shooting the AA emplacements with something that can pierce armor, so make sure someone on your team has a non-Eagle stratagem that can handle those.
Also, all Eagle call-ins are very liable to hit tall pieces of terrain, particularly giant trees and large plateaus.

EAGLE STRAFING RUN

A rapidly advancing hail of powerful gunfire that clears up small targets and penetrates thick armor.

Strengths:

• Covers a large strip of terrain with a LOT of bullets
  
• Travels forward from beacon position relative to thrown direction, very unlikely to damage the user
  
• Wipes out a lot of medium-armored or lighter targets
  
• Can pierce heavy armor, stripping it from Chargers, Bile Titans, and Impalers
  
• Sometimes kills Chargers outright
  
• Very short call-in time
  
• 4 uses
  
• Easy input (URR)
  
• Can destroy Bot Fabricators with a perfectly head-on angle into the vents

Weaknesses:

• Fairly small affected area
  
• Steep angle makes it often get blocked or hindered by terrain

Summary:
Easy crowd clear with good coverage and low potential for friendly-fire, also useful as a fast reaction to heavy armor. Excellent for close-quarters use since the attack starts right on top of the beacon, and travels forward rather than across like other Eagle call-ins, making it generally easier to control. Not too powerful per call-in, but great for anti-armor support or to fill a gap in your kit.

FINAL RATING: A-

EAGLE AIRSTRIKE

Numerous large bombs with great destructive power, dropped horizontally.

Strengths:

• Big damage and high armor penetration, sometimes able to take out heavy enemies in one pass
  
• Smashes fabricators and closes bug holes
  
• Affects a long horizontal strip with a bit of width
  
• Great coverage, hard to escape unharmed

Weaknesses:

• Slow-ish call-in time of ~4 seconds, can be hard to time on mobile targets
  
• Typically ineffective against Bile Titans

Summary:
Big area, big damage, great coverage. Good at everything, but not the strongest against heavy armor. Excellent all around.

FINAL RATING: S-

EAGLE CLUSTER BOMB

An immense number of small explosives dropped over a very large area.

Strengths:

• Covers a very large and wide horizontal strip of terrain
  
• Incredibly good coverage, commonly leaving no survivors in the affected area
  
• Mops up anything without decent armor, and can even hit unarmored parts of heavy enemies and kill them (mainly Chargers)
  
• 4 charges means you can use a ton of these

Weaknesses:

• Won't damage heavy armor
  
• High chance of friendly-fire due to the enormous size

Summary:
Huge, with amazing coverage. Tons of charges. An amazing way of taking out big packs of small-to-medium enemies. A good panic button for wiping out lots of enemies (and allies).

FINAL RATING: A+

EAGLE NAPALM AIRSTRIKE

A horizontal strip of burning bombs leaving a lingering wall of flames.

Strengths:

• Covers a long horizontal strip of terrain
  
• Explosions themselves are decently powerful and can even destroy Bot Fabricators on a direct hit
  
• Leaves a lingering wall of fire affecting enemies that pass it after the initial impact
  
• Fire damage is almost exactly strong enough to burn through a Warrior, most of the time

Weaknesses:

• Narrow deployment with a limited area-of-effect, easy to accidentally call in a bit too far behind enemies

Summary:
A solid crowd-clearing area-denial option that can flex to break certain buildings or do decent direct damage. The initial blast can take out a lot of lighter enemies, and the wall of fire afterward will clean up any that try to pass through afterwards. Surprisingly hard to land in a good spot due to how narrow it is.

FINAL RATING: A-

EAGLE SMOKE STRIKE

Drops smoke bombs in a horizontal line.

Strengths:

• Makes smoke

Weaknesses:

• Makes smoke

Summary:
Makes smoke, Eagle version. Does mostly the same thing as the Orbital version, but has 2 charges and drops in a line instead.

FINAL RATING: C

EAGLE 110MM ROCKET PODS

Six medium-sized rockets that auto-target a large enemy, and damage heavy armor.

Strengths:

• Does good damage to heavy armor, cracking it open on bugs
  
• Targets the heaviest enemy in range

Weaknesses:

• Single-target with small splash damage, ineffective against multiple enemies

Summary:
A supplementary anti-armor option that doesn't instantly kill most armored units, but has multiple charges and high reliability. Puts cracks in bug armor to make it vulnerable to weapons that can't normally get through. Useful for its accessibility and automatic targeting, although more specialized options can be more effective.

FINAL RATING: A

EAGLE 500KG BOMB

A very, very large and heavy bomb.

Strengths:

• Drops a hilariously big bomb that crushes whatever it lands on, then makes a giant explosion
  
• Incredible destructive power and blast radius
  
• Deletes anything smaller than a Factory Strider, if close enough to the blast
  
• Destroys Detector Towers and Stratagem Jammers
  
• Fairly safe for Helldivers, as the explosion is far less dangerous when prone
  
• Easy input (URDDD)
  
• Makes an enormous crater

Weaknesses:

• One use only before rearm

Summary:
Instant death to anything within about 10 meters, vaporizes smaller units within about 20 meters. Pops Bile Titans like a balloon.
If you want to get the most out of it, also keep in mind that it can take out some objectives like Detector Towers and Stratagem Jammers without the need for a Hellbomb. That can save a good bit of time, and is a lot more consistent without risking the Hellbomb getting destroyed before detonation.

FINAL RATING: S-

Defense Emplacements (Part 1 - Sentries)

These are all the sentries. These have kind of a universal weakness of being able to be destroyed by the enemy, which I won't note separately for all of them.
Also be aware that sentries will generally not shoot at armored targets which they can't damage (this was added in a patch some time ago). The specifics are a little weird since the Machinegun / Gatling sentries still shoot at Hulks, Tanks, and Chargers (which they can technically damage with the right angle), but they won't waste their time with the likes of Dropships and Fabricators.
Lastly, this section generally assumes you have most of the ship module upgrades related to sentries - without the turn radius and ammo upgrades, the sentries are significantly worse. (The blast resistance upgrade is also very strong on Bots.)

MACHINE GUN SENTRY

A sentry turret with a machine gun and a significantly shortened cooldown.

Strengths:

• Fires high-power rounds that shred medium or smaller targets (Medium Armor penetration)
  
• MUCH shorter cooldown than other sentries (90 vs 150 seconds)
  
• Prioritizes smaller targets
  
• Great at defending itself from non-heavy targets
  
• Excellent at eliminating Shriekers
  
• Low risk of friendly fire

Weaknesses:

• Limited ammo pool
  
• Limited armor penetration
  
• Will fire on frontal-armored enemies such as Hulks, Tanks, and Chargers (if no other targets are available), usually wasting ammo
  
• Tends to hit the shield when targeting Heavy Devastators
  
• Slightly complicated input (DURRU) relative to its cooldown time

Summary:
This isn't just "The MG Sentry", this is the all-you-can-eat buffet of MG Sentries. 90 seconds is INSANE.
Compared to the Gatling Sentry which has higher stats but a longer cooldown, the MG Sentry is much better as a free flank or retreat due to how often you can call it in. I typically hurl it as far as I can into a flanking position where it can cause a crossfire (and distract everything, including heavies).
I honestly bring this to literally every mission, I feel kind of naked without it. It's like a fifth diver with how often you can call it in, and it's incredibly effective for both defense and offense.
It belongs in S, fight me.

FINAL RATING: S

GATLING SENTRY

A sentry turret with a rapid-fire machine gun, and large ammo pool, for shredding packs of light targets.

Strengths:

• Fires high-power rounds that shred medium or smaller targets (Medium Armor penetration)
  
• Prioritizes smaller targets
  
• Great at defending itself from non-heavy targets
  
• Super-high fire rate with a large ammo pool
  
• Easy input (DURL)

Weaknesses:

• Sprays bullets everywhere while turning, resulting in friendly fire and wasted ammo
  
• Limited armor penetration
  
• Will fire on frontal-armored enemies such as Hulks, Tanks, and Chargers (if no other targets are available), usually wasting ammo
  
• Tends to hit the shield when targeting Heavy Devastators
  
• Overall high tendency for friendly fire

Summary:
Basically the heavier version of the normal machine gun sentry, but damn does this thing clean house. Shoots more bullets faster, but each shot is just as strong. Drop it at a distance and focus on heavies, it can handle the rest. (Otherwise a Charger will step on it.)

FINAL RATING: A

FLAME SENTRY

A sentry turret with a flamethrower.

Strengths:

• Powerful and lingering area denial
  
• Fire does big damage and armor penetration
  
• Plenty of ammo
  
• Turns VERY fast
  
• Fire resistant
  
• Fiery explosion on death
  
• Surprisingly safe in terms of friendly fire

Weaknesses:

• Short range, trivialized by some units
  
• Weird target priorities, tends to get overrun by random stuff and doesn't spread fire very well

Summary:
Sentry plus flamethrower, not too much more to say.
Haven't had much time to use this yet so it's TBD for now.

FINAL RATING: TBD

AUTOCANNON SENTRY

A sentry that fires high-powered anti-tank rounds in 3-round bursts, doing significant damage to heavily armored enemies over long distances.

Strengths:

• Very high damage and armor penetration (Vehicle Armor penetration)
  
• Significant radius on explosions
  
• Capable of taking out heavies like Chargers and Hulks in a few volleys (at most)
  
• Prioritizes larger targets
  
• Significant stagger on hit, most importantly able to stagger Chargers
  
• Great range, accuracy, and target tracking
  
• Excellent against Gunships (when it chooses to target them)
  
• Will occasionally blast Bot Dropships in half (and more generally, destroy them)

Weaknesses:

• VERY bad at defending itself and needs to be deployed far from enemies (Will fire at enemies at point-blank range, blowing itself up)
  
• Explosive shots are more likely to friendly-fire, and without warning
  
• Limited ammo reserve
  
• 3-round burst is usually overkill on non-heavy targets
  
• Difficult input (DURULU)
  
• Won't target Fabricators even though it can destroy them

Summary:
A serious murder weapon, minces anything and lasts a while. Most effective on heavily-armored and large targets, but it's also competent against groups of enemies. Put it somewhere that's hard for enemies to attack and watch it work. Only downsides are that it's very vulnerable without careful placement, has a tendency to blast players that are too close to its target, and sometimes gets overwhelmed by "Massive" enemies like Bile Titans and Tanks.

FINAL RATING: A

ROCKET SENTRY

A high-capacity sentry that fires light rockets, doing reliable damage to any target.

Strengths:

• Fires light rockets capable of damaging Vehicle armor
  
• VERY large ammo pool
  
• Solid rate of fire
  
• Good damage
  
• Fast turn radius
  
• High stagger
  
• Prioritizes larger targets
  
• Surprisingly low tendency for friendly fire

Weaknesses:

• Rocket AoE damage is fairly weak
  
• Rocket travel time can cause misses at long range
  
• Sentry will hold its fire when a target is directly next to it, even though its shots are so weak that it probably wouldn't even damage itself
  
• Backblast from rockets will ragdoll players, but isn't really relevant for enemies
  
• Won't target Fabricators even though it can destroy them

Summary:
The ingame description doesn't give a very good picture of what this sentry does, it's pretty much just an all-rounder with good performance in almost every scenario. The rockets aren't exactly on par with the EAT-17, but they do respectable damage no matter what they hit, and come out fast. But the real strength of this sentry is just how much ammo it has, it lasts a really long time, making it ideal for holding a point for an extended duration. Great all around, the only downsides are its lower damage-per-second and weakness at very short and very long ranges.

FINAL RATING: A

Defense Emplacements (Part 1.1 - Mortar Sentries)

These are the mortar sentries. They don't require line-of-sight like other sentries, and also benefit from the "Cross-Platform Compatibility" upgrade for the Super Destroyer.

MORTAR SENTRY

A sentry that launches powerful explosive shells over any obstacles and onto enemies' heads.

Strengths:

• Mortar shells are quite powerful and deal good damage to most targets
  
• Doesn't need line-of-sight to enemies
  
• Can launch shells surprisingly far
  
• High ammo pool
  
• One of the only sentries that won't misbehave when stuck in a Tank

Weaknesses:

• Longer cooldown compared to other sentries (180 seconds vs 150 seconds)
  
• VERY prone to friendly fire
  
• Inaccurate
  
• Unable to protect itself at short range, extra vulnerable to being destroyed

Summary:
The team destroyer. Loves to kill allies, but kills even more enemies. Keep an eye on this thing at all times and don't let any enemies get close to you while it's active. It's very strong and racks up a ton of damage, but its bloodlust is indiscriminate. Also, be sure to place it in a position that isn't easily accessible to enemy melee units.
Strongest against Bots where it makes good use of the ability to stay behind cover, and not great against Bugs where it tends to be easily destroyed and friendly-fire very often.

FINAL RATING: A- (Bots) / C+ (Bugs)

EMS MORTAR SENTRY

A sentry that launches paralyzing electromagnetic fields over any obstacles and onto enemies' heads.

Strengths:

• The EMS fields completely disable any enemy that steps inside them (except very large enemies), like the Orbital EMS Strike
  
• Doesn't inflict damage on allies
  
• Doesn't need line-of-sight to enemies
  
• Lasts a long time, roughly the full cooldown with continuous fire

Weaknesses:

• Longer cooldown compared to other sentries (180 seconds vs 150 seconds)
  
• Fires rather slowly compared to the Mortar Sentry
  
• Doesn't do damage
  
• Unable to protect itself at short range, extra vulnerable to being destroyed

Summary:
A situational pick, but very strong when it has a chance to shine (defensive applications when chokepoints are available). You'll mostly see it on extermination and defense missions. Often used with the regular Mortar Sentry.

FINAL RATING: B

Defense Emplacements (Part 2 - Mines)

These are all the minefield stratagems, which deploy a bunch of mines that last indefinitely until they explode. The mine spinner thing can actually be destroyed before it deploys its mines, so be careful not to drop it somewhere it'll instantly break. Also be aware that mines can be activated by corpses, bullets, fire, explosions, and earthquakes. All mines are generally pretty bad and result in tons of teamkills, but you can almost make them work if you really try.
Instead of reiterating why mines are bad in each individual section, I'll just explain it once here: They tend to hit very few enemies since corpses set them off, they take a long time to activate, and they make an area a permanent death trap for Helldivers.

ANTI-PERSONNEL MINEFIELD

A minefield deployed in a spoke-shaped pattern.

Strengths:

• Good coverage over a large area

Weaknesses:

• It's a minefield stratagem
  
• Mines aren't particularly effective against big enemies

Summary:
A minefield, see the top of this section. Might kill like, a dozen chaff enemies with very good placement. It does what many other stratagems do, but much worse.

FINAL RATING: D+

INCENDIARY MINES

An incendiary minefield deployed in a spoke-shaped pattern.

Strengths:

• Good coverage over a large area
  
• Lingering fire mitigates some of the usual issues with minefields by damaging more enemies

Weaknesses:

• It's a minefield stratagem
  
• Mines aren't particularly effective against big enemies
  
• Lower direct damage

Summary:
Spicy version of regular mines. Slightly better at taking out multiple enemies due to the fire. Still very bad.

FINAL RATING: D+

ANTI-TANK MINES

A minefield that deploys a smaller number of large, armor-penetrating mines, specialized for taking out heavy units.

Strengths:

• High armor penetration
  
• Big damage
  
• Only triggered by heavy enemies
  
• Fewer and larger mines that are easier for Helldivers to spot and avoid

Weaknesses:

• It's a minefield stratagem

Summary:
Honestly an improvement on the other mines, and almost not bad. The high damage and armor penetration makes them adequate against heavies; a Charger Behemoth won't survive a trip through a freshly laid minefield. They're not great, but you can get some use out of them with good placement and timing.

FINAL RATING: C-

GAS MINES

Stinky.
WIP

Defense Emplacements (Part 3 - Others)

These are all the non-sentry defense emplacements. They all start with an additional 3 seconds of call-in time, which can be removed with the "RAPID LAUNCH SYSTEM" destroyer upgrade.

TESLA TOWER

A sentry-like emplacement that electrocutes several targets at once, every few seconds.

Strengths:

• Surprisingly large range, particularly on chaining arcs
  
• Damages multiple targets per discharge
  
• Can stun enemies
  
• Doesn't need to aim, unlike sentries, making it stand a better chance when called in the middle of a bunch of enemies
  
• Infinite "ammo"
  
• High durability
  
• Lower cooldown than most other defense stratagems (120 seconds rather than 180 seconds)
  
• Tower will have reduced range for targeting players that are crouched, and will mostly never damage players that are prone

Weaknesses:

• Chargers beeline to this thing and erase it immediately
  
• Bots can just shoot it
  
• Can only fire in one direction per discharge, allowing it to be overwhelmed
  
• Unlimited ammo, but a limited lifetime (a bit longer than its cooldown time)
  
• Friendly fire is common due to its deceptive range and lack of any audio cue for a discharge
  
• You aren't even completely safe while prone, it won't target you but it will still zap you if you're between it and its intended target
  
• Armor penetration is not amazing, only Light Vehicle penetration
  
• Difficult input (DURULR)

Summary:
An interesting tool that can be used as offense, defense, or diversion. It has high health, so its best use seems to mostly be as a persistent distraction that can rack up kills on smaller enemies, but with its reduced cooldown, you can use it for a lot of things. To get a feel for its range, watch for the visual cue at the top of the tower, it emits a circle of bright light when it's about to fire. Also, if it's in your way, just blow it up, it's not worth the risk of getting zapped.
And a small note on friendly fire, if you're prone, you're safe from everything except one specific case: you're between it and its target. If you're right next to it or fully outside its maximum range, you're safe while prone.

FINAL RATING: A- (Bugs) / C+ (Bots)

HMG EMPLACEMENT

A stationary manned turret firing high-power ballistic rounds.

Strengths:

• Shots are fairly powerful, each one having roughly the same characteristics as an Anti-Materiel Rifle shot (Light Vehicle armor penetration)
  
• High rate-of-fire, good for eliminating crowds
  
• Can eat some projectiles from the front, although it's not armored and will eventually explode (and kill you)
  
• Solid ammo pool
  
• High health
  
• Can stim while using it
  
• Excellent at disabling Factory Striders, can solo them under the right conditions

Weaknesses:

• Somewhat limited armor-piercing capabilities for what it is, notably ineffective on Tanks
  
• Low damage to high-volume targets such as Chargers, Bile Titans, and Factory Striders, requiring many shots to take them out
  
• Must be manned, making it ineffective for flanking, covering retreats, or as a diversion
  
• Large turns are very slow, taking ~3 seconds for a 180-degree turn (small turns for aiming are much faster)
  
• Hard to land accurate shots

Summary:
A unique stratagem without a clear use case, part sentry and part support weapon. Weird to play around, but it certainly packs a punch. Highly effective at neutering Factory Striders if they're aggroed to you, it can easily take out both head-mounted guns while also blocking them for you, and quickly delete any Devastators it prints. Hard to use, but very strong if it's in a decently defensible position where it or its user don't take too much damage.

FINAL RATING: B+

ANTI-TANK EMPLACEMENT

A stationary manned turret firing explosive anti-tank rounds.

Strengths:

• Massive damage, takes out most targets in 1-2 shots
  
• Anti-tank
  
• Solid blast radius
  
• Generous capacity (30 rounds)
  
• Good accuracy and high magnification

Weaknesses:

• Very slow turning that screws with aiming
  
• Sucks at close range
  
• Extreme recoil, which seems weird considering you're not actually touching the gun part of the emplacement

Summary:
A manned emplacement with maximum power. Extremely destructive, but only good from a distance, and requires you to be preemptive and stay in one spot. It's worth it, even with those restrictions.

FINAL RATING: A

SHIELD GENERATOR RELAY

A comfortably-sized, spherical energy shield that protects against most incoming damage, lasting about 40 seconds.

Strengths:

• Provides temporary protection from ranged attacks and explosions from outside the shield
  
• Ranged attacks from inside the shield can pass through
  
• Shield has VERY high health (which regenerates quickly), it can take a Recoilless Rifle shot
  
• Lasts around 40 seconds
  
• Large area of protection
  
• Can draw enemies' attention, including bugs
  
• Very short cooldown of 90 seconds

Weaknesses:

• Forces you to stand in one spot to get good use out of it
  
• Both shield and projector have limited (but high) health
  
• Mostly useless against melee enemies, aside from being a distraction
  
• Can be a bit annoying to see through, it's very yellow

Summary:
Deployable cover with a short cooldown, good uptime, and fairly quick call-in time. Unlike natural cover, you can shoot through it from the inside. Since it doesn't do much on its own, you'll usually be using it to enable specific tactics, like more aggressive sentry drops. It's usually strongest if you're using it for team support.
I would only bring it to Bots - I could see it having some use on Bugs, but I don't really feel like trying it.

FINAL RATING: B+ (Bots) / C- (Bugs)

Credits

Icons used are from nvigneux on Github here[github.com]
I referenced this guide for the stratagem input codes

[taserface1514]

Autocannon, My Beloved. S+ Tier.

[Rifluvr]

I would love to hear your opinion on weapons and boosters bro, like in this guide.

[Skeleton Man]

solid guide, hadn't realized someone else made one like this before I made mine. have some dopamine for your work

[Rifluvr]

Alright. This one is actually prety helpful and know what talking about. Deserve more views

[dalken.isthun]

Gonna need to update this again, chief.

[Wedge_13]

You should add the amount of ammo for the turrets. Most players have no idea how long they last.
Fully upgraded:
AC has 36 shots or 12 bursts
RT 48 shots or 3 mags
MG around 200 rounds
GT around 600 rounds
MT 54 rounds or 18 salvos
EMS 23 rounds

Thats what i remember. Wiki should have more precise info

[snekkie [CHEESE]]

the firebomb hellpod booster could not be more useless

[ThatBritishGuy]

With the expendable anti tank and the new firebomb hellpod booster, you can pretty create a makeshift 'orbital napalm strike' with only a 70 sec cool down. this can work for other stuff too.

[ToastyChair354]

this is great for people who want to try new stuff btw this has helped a lot for me

[snekkie [CHEESE]]

wendigo you deserve a million jester awards what. every list in existence is going to be biased. you just cant accept someone doesnt like a stratagem that you like