Helldivers 2 Stratagems

Helldivers 2 stratagems by type – orbital strikes, Eagle strikes, support weapons, backpacks, sentries and vehicles – and what each one is good for.

Stratagems are the support you call down from your Super Destroyer in orbit: airstrikes, barrages, heavy weapons, backpacks, turrets and vehicles. You pick four for each mission. Below is a solid selection of the most-used ones, grouped by type – the full list is far longer, and Warbonds keep adding more.

Orbital strikes12 Eagle strikes8 Support weapons15 Backpacks7 Sentries and emplacements11 Vehicles6

Orbital strikes

12 stratagems

Orbital Precision Strike

Orbital · A single shell from your Super Destroyer. Quick cooldown – the first orbital most players unlock.

Orbital Gatling Barrage

Orbital · Rapid fire over an area. Great against swarms of light enemies.

Orbital Airburst Strike

Orbital · Shells burst in the air and shower shrapnel. Cooldown cut to 90 seconds in patch 7.2.0.

Read our guide →

Orbital 120mm HE Barrage

Orbital · A tight barrage of high-explosive shells. Good for clearing bases.

Orbital 380mm HE Barrage

Orbital · A huge, long barrage over a wide area. Devastating – and dangerous to your squad.

Orbital Walking Barrage

Orbital · Shells that creep forward in a line – useful for pushing into an enemy position.

Orbital Laser

Orbital · A laser that hunts down enemies on its own for several seconds. Limited uses per mission.

Orbital Railcannon Strike

Orbital · Locks on to the biggest target nearby and hits it with one massive shot.

Orbital Napalm Barrage

Orbital · Covers an area in fire – strong against bugs.

Orbital Gas Strike

Orbital · A cloud of corrosive gas that damages anything inside it.

Orbital EMS Strike

Orbital · Stuns everything in the blast area. Perfect for buying time.

Orbital Smoke Strike

Orbital · A wall of smoke that blocks enemy sight lines.

Eagle strikes

8 stratagems

Eagle Strafing Run

Eagle · A fast line of cannon fire. Good against light enemies.

Eagle Airstrike

Eagle · A line of bombs – the all-round Eagle pick for clearing groups and structures.

Eagle Cluster Bomb

Eagle · Many small bombs over a wide strip. Shreds swarms of small enemies.

Eagle Napalm Airstrike

Eagle · Leaves a wall of fire behind – excellent against bugs.

Eagle Smoke Strike

Eagle · Smoke to cover an objective, an extraction or a retreat.

Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods

Eagle · Rockets that lock on to the largest target near the beacon.

Eagle 500kg Bomb

Eagle · One huge bomb. Kills big targets if you throw it accurately.

Eagle Gas Airstrike

Eagle · A line of gas bombs. Since 7.2.0 it only destroys the structures other Eagle bombs can.

Support weapons

15 stratagems

MG-43 Machine Gun

Support weapon · A heavy machine gun for steady fire on medium targets.

M-105 Stalwart

Support weapon · A light machine gun you can fire on the move. Great against swarms.

APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle

Support weapon · A heavy sniper rifle for picking off medium enemies and weak points at range.

EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank

Support weapon · Two single-use rockets per call-in with a short cooldown. Call them in often.

GR-8 Recoilless Rifle

Support weapon · A reloadable anti-tank launcher with a backpack of rockets. A teammate can reload it for you.

FAF-14 Spear

Support weapon · A lock-on anti-tank missile launcher. Perfect for bot fabricators and big targets.

AC-8 Autocannon

Support weapon · A versatile cannon that handles medium armour and can close bug holes and fabricators.

RS-422 Railgun

Support weapon · Charge-up shots that pierce heavy armour.

LAS-98 Laser Cannon

Support weapon · A continuous beam with no reloads – just watch the heat.

LAS-99 Quasar Cannon

Support weapon · An energy anti-tank weapon with unlimited ammo; it recharges between shots.

ARC-3 Arc Thrower

Support weapon · Chains electricity between enemies. Never needs ammo.

FLAM-40 Flamethrower

Support weapon · Short-range fire – a favourite against Terminids.

GL-21 Grenade Launcher

Support weapon · Lobs explosive grenades and closes bug holes from range.

MLS-4X Commando

Support weapon · Four laser-guided rockets you can fire one after another.

M-1000 Maxigun

Support weapon · A minigun from the Python Commandos Warbond. Since 7.2.0 you can move right after firing.

Backpacks

7 stratagems

B-1 Supply Pack

Backpack · Carries extra ammo and stims you can share with the squad.

LIFT-850 Jump Pack

Backpack · Boosts you over obstacles and out of trouble.

SH-32 Shield Generator Pack

Backpack · A personal energy shield that absorbs incoming damage.

SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack

Backpack · A riot shield you carry with one-handed weapons.

AX/AR-23 Guard Dog

Backpack · A drone that flies above you and shoots enemies with bullets. The Rover version uses a laser.

B-100 Portable Hellbomb

Backpack · A Hellbomb on your back, from the Servants of Freedom Warbond.

LIFT-182 Warp Pack

Backpack · Short-range teleports, from the Control Group Warbond. It can even get you through bunker doors.

Sentries and emplacements

11 stratagems

A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry

Sentry & emplacement · A cheap, quick sentry for light enemies.

A/G-16 Gatling Sentry

Sentry & emplacement · Very high fire rate – shreds swarms.

A/M-12 Mortar Sentry

Sentry & emplacement · Lobs shells at enemies from behind cover. Mind your teammates.

A/M-23 EMS Mortar Sentry

Sentry & emplacement · Stuns and slows enemies in an area instead of damaging them.

A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry

Sentry & emplacement · Hits hard against medium armour.

A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry

Sentry & emplacement · Fires rockets at larger targets.

A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower

Sentry & emplacement · Zaps anything that gets close – including Helldivers.

E/MG-101 HMG Emplacement

Sentry & emplacement · A heavy machine gun you man yourself.

E/AT-12 Anti-Tank Emplacement

Sentry & emplacement · A mounted anti-tank cannon from the Urban Legends Warbond.

FX-12 Shield Generator Relay

Sentry & emplacement · A dome shield that blocks incoming fire for a while.

MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield

Sentry & emplacement · Covers an area in mines. Incendiary, gas and anti-tank versions exist too.

Vehicles

6 stratagems

EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit

Vehicle · A mech with a minigun and rockets – the first Exosuit in the game.

EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit

Vehicle · A mech with twin autocannons.

EXO-51 Lumberer Exosuit

Vehicle · From the Exo Experts Warbond (April 2026).

EXO-55 Breakthrough Exosuit

Vehicle · From the Exo Experts Warbond (April 2026).

M-102 Fast Recon Vehicle

Vehicle · A buggy with a mounted gun for the whole squad. Supply and Incinerator versions followed.

TD-220 Bastion MK XVI

Vehicle · A tank that seats up to four Helldivers. It arrived with Siege Breakers and the Cyberstan offensive in early 2026.

Section images: official Helldivers 2 trailers (PlayStation / YouTube).

Using stratagems well

Learn the codesEach stratagem is called in by entering a short arrow code, then throwing the beacon.

Watch the blast radiusFriendly fire is always on. Big barrages hit Helldivers just as hard as enemies.

Cover each otherSplit roles in the squad: one anti-tank weapon, one crowd-clearer, one support pack.

Unlock with RequisitionMost stratagems are bought with Requisition Slips as you level up; some come from Warbonds.

Reference page written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games change with every patch – the patch this page was last checked for is shown at the top.