The best Helldivers 2 weapons

Puzzling out the best Helldivers 2 weapons is a trial-and-error process. While you have Stratagems that'll let you call down heavy weapons, there are also lots of primaries to pick from when sorting your character's loadout. As you progress through the game and gather Medals, you'll be able to unlock even more guns in the Warbond, including assault rifles, shotguns, and even energy weapons.

Some of these are really good, and some of them, well, they're not worth the effort or the Medals it'll cost you to claim them. Here I've laid out my rankings for the best weapons in Helldivers 2. Since there are now also three premium war bonds in the game—Steeled Veterans, Cutting Edge, and Democratic Detonation—I've ranked those guns as well and have marked each with SV, CE, or DD to show which they come from.

Helldivers 2 best weapons tier list

S-tier

SG-225 Breaker

Why are shotguns one of the best precision weapons in the game? I couldn't tell you. While the SG-8 Punisher struggles in high-pressure situations because of its limited ammo and single slug reload, the SG-225 Breaker is perfect for them. This shotgun retains the weirdly long range of the other so you can pick off enemies, but since it reloads clips and fires full auto, you can let loose when you're getting mobbed. It also just deals a massive amount of damage and is available midway through the regular Warbond vs. most of the other really good weapons.

SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary (Steeled Veterans)

The SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary is a fantastic pick against bugs since it spreads fire amongst groups of enemies and damages them over time. This gun has the same wide projectile spread as the SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray, but the key difference here is that every projectile sets enemies on fire. This can be very strong when you're moving and firing, blasting into tightly packed groups of enemies, then repositioning as the fire damages them over time. Since it loads clips and fires fast, too, you can also effectively blast any enemies that get up close. It's worth noting that while this gun is one of the best against bugs, it's a poor choice against bots.

PLAS-1 Scorcher

While it's not an advisable pick for bugs, the PLAS-1 Scorcher is one of the best-in-class for dealing with Automatons. This is primarily due to its explosive AoE effect, which can take out Scout Striders and shielded Devastators, as well as one-shotting regular bot enemies at range. Its only real disadvantages are its relatively modest ammo supply and the fact that you have to spend a lot of medals to unlock it in the final page of the regular Warbond. Still, if you don't have the JAR-5 Dominator unlocked, or you're looking for something with a little more range against bots than the SG-8S Slugger, this gun is a great pick.

P-19 Redeemer

Though there are only two base secondary weapons in the game, the best is undoubtedly the P-19 Redeemer. It doesn't hold many rounds, but it does so much burst damage that it's the perfect weapon to whip out when you're in a bad spot. Like the primary SMGs, it also makes an effective weapon for when you're carrying an objective in your other hand.

GP-31 Grenade Pistol (Democratic Detonation)

The GP-31 Grenade Pistol isn't incredibly powerful damage wise, but it's very strong in terms of utility. If you want extra grenades for blowing up Automation fabricators or sealing bug holes, you'd usually have to take an armour set with the Engineering Kit passive, but with this secondary you get eight whole grenades you can fire into them from a distance—it's effectively a mini-grenade launcher. 

It does take a little time to learn its firing arc, but once you do you can absolutely blitz bug nests. Where you only get regular grenades from supply packs, this weapon reloads a grenade for every ammo box you pick up as well, giving you a lot more grenades to work with in general. 

Perhaps my favorite part of this gun is that it allows you to experiment with taking other options besides regular explosive grenades. If you've got the grenade pistol's eight shots on hand to serve that purpose, you could bring incendiary grenades for bugs or even stun grenades for bots to mix things up.

A-tier

R-36 Eruptor (Democratic Detonation)

This explosive bolt-action rifle is the hardest hitting primary weapon in Helldivers 2—it destroys bug holes, Automaton fabricators, as well as rogue transmission towers or spore stalks from a distance. It'll also make short work of most elite enemies with its medium armour penetration, and has an absurdly generous ammo pool considering its more like a mini-support weapon. 

But here's the problem: the R-36 Eruptor is very slow-loading and will straight up kill you if you shoot something close, so its hard to make it work as an actual primary weapon. If you do want to take it, you'll likely have to bring a support weapon like a machine gun to deal with regular enemies, especially if you're going up against bugs and have hunters closing you into melee. 

The R-36 also has some weaknesses over regular support weapons. It can kill a Charger with frontal shots for example, but it won't penetrate a Hulk faceplate like the Railgun or Quasar Cannon does. So, while it's definitely strong, you'll have to compliment this gun with the right support weapon and secondary if you want all your bases covered.

BR-14 Adjudicator (Democratic Detonation)

The third marksman rifle to appear in Helldivers 2 is a little similar to the Liberator Penetrator. Its ammo capacity is comparable to the Diligence, but it also has increased fire rate, and the medium armour penetration of the Counter Sniper variant. While I still think the Diligence Counter Sniper is ultimately a better pick against bots due to its accuracy, this gun is worth unlocking if you enjoy the feel of the Liberator Penetrator or want more room to experiment with marksman rifles.

LAS-16 Sickle (Cutting Edge)

The LAS-16 Sickle is a hell of a lot better than its LAS-5 Scythe counterpart. This energy weapon is more like a Liberator assault rifle that trades infinite ammo for a few drawbacks, namely, that it has to charge a bit before firing and that it can overheat. On a damage basis, however, it's as good as the AR-23 Liberator. 

While I wouldn't recommend this gun for bugs—the delay before firing is very annoying when you're getting swarmed—I wholeheartedly recommend it for bots, where a lot of its disadvantages don't really matter. If you're going to bring the AR-23 Liberator to an Automaton mission, I'd simply bring this gun instead now for better ammo efficiency and much the same result.

JAR-5 Dominator (Steeled Veterans)

Though it gets edged out by the PLAS-1 Scorcher when facing Automatons due to that weapon's explosive damage, the JAR-5 Dominator is a decent pick against bugs due to its high-damage and medium armour piercing. If you enjoy the SG-225 Breaker, this gun will feel familiar, though its higher recoil makes it a little harder to handle. The JAR-5 is best used for hitting weak points and head-shotting enemies as with the SG-8S Slugger—especially if you switch it to first-person mode and take advantage of its scope.

R-63 Diligence and R-63 Diligence Counter Sniper

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Considering you don't generally want enemies to get close to you in Helldivers 2, it makes sense that the marksman rifles would both be pretty strong. Of the two, my personal favourite is the Counter Sniper, which trades some of the basic version's ammo in exchange for superior stopping power and medium armour penetration. It also fires single rounds instead of a burst. While the regular Diligence performs fine against bugs, it'll do far better when facing Automatons.

AR-23 Liberator and AR-23E Liberator Explosive (Steeled Veterans)

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The standard Helldivers 2 assault rifle has exactly what you need—decent damage, range, and ammo capacity. It's not going to win any competitions for being the absolute best, but if you're looking for a reliable primary and don't like swapping weapons lots, it'll get the job done. If you switch to first-person aiming mode, it also has a scope with a handy targeting crosshair.

You can also unlock the explosive version of this assault rifle in the Steeled Veterans Warbond, though I wouldn't say it's significantly better. While it deals more damage and is slower firing, its recoil is tough to handle, which makes it hard to use as more of a precision weapon. Still, it's strong enough and offers a different playstyle variant of the original gun.

SMG-37 Defender

The better of Helldivers 2's SMGs is so good because… well, it's more like an assault rifle. The SMG-37 Defender has better range, recoil, and a slower firing rate than its MP-98 cousin, but offers slightly higher damage than, say, your Liberator assault rifle. Due to that slow firing rate, it also doesn't eat through your ammo the way that the Knight does. If you're looking for a slightly more close-range focused weapon that still performs decently at mid-distance, you should try this out.

SG-8S Slugger

The SG-8S Slugger is one of those rare weapon variants that actually surpasses the original, offering far more value than the SG-8 Punisher. This gun is a solid pick against bots due to its high precision damage. It also performs well at headshotting bugs, though you might find yourself getting swarmed without an appropriate secondary like the P-19 Redeemer. The SG-8S Slugger's primary disadvantage is that it struggles to deal with groups of enemies the same way that that SG-225 Breaker does.

B-tier

SG-8P Punisher Plasma (Cutting Edge)

Hey, want a primary weapon that's also a grenade launcher... kind of? The SG-8P Punisher Plasma is a weird gun; an energy shotgun that fires an explosive ball of plasma in a downward arc similar to the grenade launcher. This deals AoE damage and momentarily stuns nearby enemies, making it a useful tool against swarms and troublesome foes when used in co-ordination with your team. 

I'd recommend this gun for bots more than bugs. Though not as ideal as the PLAS-1 Scorcher, it's good at flinching all of the really annoying Automaton enemy types and can take out Scout Striders with a frontal hit as with the grenade launcher. The main downsides to the SG-8P are its pitiful mag size meaning frequent reloads and, since it fires slow moving balls, hitting individual targets. Also, be warned: this gun can hurt you and your squadmates since it's explosive.

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator

You'll definitely feel the reduction is pure stopping power when switching from the regular Liberator to the Liberator Penetrator, but this gun can be pretty good when used against bots in a similar way to a marksman rifle. Sadly, it's fallen by the wayside a bit, especially now so many other weapons have the medium armour penetration tag. The release of the BR-14 Adjudicator also hasn't helped, since it's a better version of this weapon in almost every way.

SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray

The problem with the S-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray is that it lacks the single target damage of the gun's regular variant, as well as the burning effect of the SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary, making it less worthwhile in both cases of tackling single targets and dealing with groups. That said, you might not have the Premium Warbond to get the incendiary version. While I'd recommend both of the other versions above this, if you want a gun for mowing down swarms of standard bugs, this'll at least do that much.

MP-98 Knight

The MP-98 Knight has everything you'd expect from an SMG; high damage at close range, fast-fire rate, and little to no long-range accuracy. The problem is Helldivers 2 is the kind of game where you don't want to be close to enemies—if you are close to enemies, you should get away from them. A secondary like the P-19 Redeemer is all the SMG you need, i.e. it'll let you quickly blast everything that got too close so you can back away. Having a main weapon that only performs at close range necessitates a dangerous playstyle that'll get you killed lots on higher difficulties.

SG-8 Punisher

The problem with the SG-8 Punisher is that it doesn't really fulfill a focused role. This weapon fires buckshot, but lacks the projectile spread of the SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray, making it a poor choice for dealing with swarms. At the same time, it's edged out in terms of single-target damage by the SG-8S Slugger, which fires a single projectile. It'll certainly serve on lower difficulties but there are far better choices available.

P-2 Peacemaker

The standard Helldivers 2 sidearm is alright—certainly a lot better than the incredibly slow-loading revolver in the premium Warbond. However, it doesn't fulfil a focused role in the same way that the P-19 Redeemer does in getting you out of sticky situations. The P-2 Peacemaker is essentially a gun for finishing off an enemy coming at you when your primary is dry, and it does that just fine.

C-tier

Arc-12 Blitzer (Cutting Edge)

The Arc-12 Blitzer is a cool concept for an energy weapon; a shotgun with infinite ammo that fires out tendrils of arc damage that sometimes spread between enemies the same as with the Arc Thrower. The problem is that the Arc-12 is kind of pointless as a gun. It doesn't have the same spread as the Arc Thrower for killing lots of enemies at once and its single target damage is lacklustre. Its poor range also means you have to get close to enemies, which considering its slow fire rate, is pretty dangerous. On the whole, this weapon definitely needs a damage and fire rate buff.

LAS-7 Dagger (Cutting Edge)

The LAS-7 Dagger has exactly the same problem as the LAS-5 Scythe; that infinite ammo doesn't matter if you don't have enough damage to kill stuff fast. Still, a secondary weapon with infinite ammo makes a lot more sense to me than a weak energy primary like the LAS-5 Scythe does. Even if its damage is lackluster, the Dagger means you always have a gun to fall back on, or use to kill minor enemies without wasting primary ammo. Ultimately, though, you're better off bringing something that can actually deal decent damage like the P-19 Redeemer.

LAS-5 Scythe 

This energy primary weapon is a confusing gun. The concept seems to be you trade lower damage for potentially unlimited ammo, provided you wait for it to cool down after you've fired the beam. The problem is this just doesn't work on mid-to-higher difficulties since you need to be firing lots in order to stay alive. And if you're not waiting for its cooldown, meaning you're reloading its heatsinks as you would with a magazine gun, what's the point? 

You may as well just bring a gun with actual bullets and decent damage rather than trying to play into the gimmick of this one. It's not like ammo is the biggest issue for primaries when you can find it in the world and Supply Packs exist.

P-4 Senator (Steeled Veterans)

Besides looking kind of cool, the P-4 Senator is the worst weapon in the Steeled Veterans Warbond. Its super slow reload might be justifiable if it penetrated medium armour and did a lot more damage so you could pull it out as a last resort, but as it stands, it's hard to choose this sidearm over the far more reliable P-19 Redeemer and P-2 Peacemaker.

Helldivers 2 stratagems: Understand the ordinance
Helldivers 2 loadouts: Finest kits for bug-killing
Helldivers 2 armor: Which suits to wear
Helldivers 2 medals: Where to claim more currency