In Helldivers 2, humanity faces two formidable foes at once: bug-like monsters and robotic aliens – Terminids and Automatons. Each of these enemies has unique skills and combat characteristics, making them formidable foes on the battlefield. On this page, you will find detailed information about all known representatives of the Terminids and Automatons.
In this guide you will find descriptions and additional information about the main enemies in Helldivers 2. As you progress through the game, you may encounter unique subspecies of them, which will have some differences, but will generally be similar to their relatives.
Terminids in Helldivers 2
An independent hostile faction in Helldivers 2, which consists of alien life forms that resemble bugs in appearance. They are capable of gathering in large groups or acting alone. Their behavior is determined by their size and combat tactics, but of course each of them will be dangerous to the player in their own way.
Terminids that are weak to headshots from light weapons:
- Scavengers
The Mindless Scavenger is the weakest of the Terminids. When encountered by an agent, it emits a shrill scream that attracts nearby bugs, who reflexively attempt to destroy Freedom.
- Warriors
Warriors are the natural end result of a species optimized for mindless expansion. In controlled conditions, they will kill innocent cows in a second. One can only imagine what they would do to innocent human babies. - Hunters
The pesky Hunters have been known to evade fire by leaping. Scientists note that while this behavior may seem intelligent, it is merely a basic instinct, akin to a housefly dodging an oncoming strike. - Summoners
- The Spewers
- Brood Commanders
Bloodthirsty Monsters – a rare and deadly strain known for their undeniable hatred of the vote – command their frenzied brethren with a mixture of pheromones and authoritarian cries.
All of these bugs can be effectively taken down with headshots from standard light armor-piercing weapons like the Liberator, SMG, etc. You don’t have to worry about headshots for the Scavengers, Throwers, and Belchers, but the Hunter, Warrior, and Brood Commander will all be a pain unless you get a few direct hits to the head. Keep in mind that the Warrior and Brood Commander will still try to attack even after their heads have been blown off. This can be avoided by dodging or landing a successful melee attack. Hunters and Leapers (essentially a flying version of the Scavenger) can chase everyone, making it impossible to outrun them. All of these bugs can also call in reinforcements; you can tell because they will release an orange/red gas from their mouths to call in a swarm of reinforcements.
Terminids that are weak to headshots from weapons that penetrate medium armor:
Hive Guardian
These bugs can be damaged from behind with light armor-piercing weapons, but to effectively kill them from the front, you’ll need a medium armor-piercing weapon like the Jar-5 Dominator or AR-23P, or a Stratagem weapon like the Machine Gun or Railgun. They can penetrate heavier armor. Like the Warrior Beetle, its head can be destroyed, but it will still try to attack, so treat it the same way as the Warrior. Like other Terminids, they can call in reinforcements at any time.
Unique Terminids – Mini-Bosses
Pathfinder
A side effect of Terminid gene splicing research, stalkers can camouflage themselves to the point of near invisibility. But nothing can hide from the cleansing light of Freedom forever.
It’s basically a larger version of the Hunter, but the main difference is that it uses camouflage until it gets close to you and attacks. It can be killed with any weapon, but it can take a lot of hits, and when it’s at half health or less, it will jump back to retreat and use camouflage.
Gall vomit
Created by the inevitable toxic chemical spills on Terminid farms, E-710, the bile spewer’s chest contains several tons of corrosive acid, which it spews out in disgust when confronted with democracy.
Unlike other games, their bright belly is not a vulnerable spot. This area is very well protected, and in the armored version it cannot be penetrated even by light armor-piercing weapons. To quickly deal with these enemies, shoot directly in the head.
- Puke : Yellow bags on their backs, they often appear on certain mission types and difficulties. As stated above, avoid shooting their massive yellow bags as they are very tanky. Aim for the head to make quick work of them!
- Bile Spewers : Green sacs on their backs, they also appear frequently and are essentially a deadlier version of the Bile Spewers. Again, aim for the head to make quick work of them.
- Armored Bile Spewer : Essentially the same as a regular Bile Spewer, but it prefers to hang back and fire bile mortars from a distance rather than engage in close combat. Armored on the top and front, you’ll still want to hit them in the face as it’ll kill them quicker than their tankier rears.
The Bruiser
Virtually unstoppable thanks to its meter-thick exoskeleton, the recommended response protocol is to quickly perform a Rapid Lateral Movement (RLM).
This is a bug that is a nuisance to the Super Earth Military. It has heavy armor on almost every part of its body, with only its back exposed. It is a tough bug that seems to show up very often. The trick to killing these Terminids is to use a railgun, recoilless rifle, or EAT and hit one of its legs until the armor is removed: 2 railgun shots or 1 missile will remove the armor, leaving the fleshy, bare parts of its body exposed. Unload any cannon into the exposed limb and it will die quickly. If you can’t hit the leg, the armored side can be exposed in the same way.
Bile Titan
The largest known Terminid species, a single Bile Titan is capable of taking out an entire SEAF platoon on its own. Not recommended for engagement without the support of super-powered orbital stratagems or a large replacement budget.
The only way to take these bugs down is with heavy weapons like the Railgun, Recoilless Rifle, EAT, or Stratagems like Airstrikes. Shooting the lower body is a good option as it does decent damage and also stops the bile attack, but headshots with the Railgun will not only stun them, preventing pursuit, but will also stop their bile attack.
Automatons in Helldivers 2
A robotic faction in Helldivers 2 created by an unknown civilization. They are distinguished by their high shooting accuracy and resistance to damage. Automatons often use shields, which makes them even more dangerous opponents.
Automatons that are weak to light armor-piercing weapons:
Raider, Cavalryman, Commissar
These robots are equipped with machine guns, rocket launchers, pistols, knives and just double blades. All of them are very easy to destroy, but, as a rule, they do not come alone, and you will have to fight several at once.
weapon. 1-2 headshots will quickly disable the bots, but in a pinch you can make 4-5 shots to the center of the body to destroy them silently.
- Raider: Basic gun, not a threat unless they’re all grouped up.
- MG Raider: A Raider with a machine gun, he is actually dangerous as he can easily shoot your way through.
- Rocket Raider: These guys can easily outshoot you if you’re lightly armored, but worse, if they don’t, you’ll likely get taken down and outshot by their friends. If they miss, they’ll have a pretty long reload, so use that to take them out!
- Assault Raider: A Raider with a jump pack that will try to get right in your face to either kill you quickly or die a painful death as they explode on death. Shoot them out of the sky, hit them before they even get away, or run!
- Brawler: Dual blades, will seek you out in close combat. Can attempt to block melee attacks and even bullets aimed at the chest from close range.
- Marauder: Base weapon, same as the regular Raider.
- Trooper: Usually found only on a Scout Strider, will jump off and attack if his Strider is destroyed but he survives.
- Commissar: Notable for using a LMG and a knife, can call in Dropships to bring in reinforcements. Kill them first!
Automatons weak to medium armor-piercing weapons:
Berserkers
The Berserker is armed with a dual chainsaw and will chase you down to tear you to shreds. Their weak point is their torso, specifically the area around their arms. You can knock both of their arms off, after which they become harmless to you and cannot do anything.
Destroyers
They can be armed with miniguns, rocket pods, fists and even a massive shield. Headshots from any weapon kill quickly. This type has a dangerous subspecies – the missile destroyer. As a rule, they stand they act at a long distance and attack with a salvo of 4-8 missiles. Shoot from cover using your regular weapon and shoot at the head or, if this is not possible, at the center of the body. Destroyers with a shield are best killed with armor-piercing weapons or by flank, trying to shoot at the head.
Standing head and shoulders above the rest of the bots are the Berserkers and Demolishers. They can be taken down with almost a full magazine of any weapon to the head, but if you really want to have a good chance against these guys, bring a medium armor-piercing weapon like the JAR-5 Dominator or AR-23P. Of course, you can always use a railgun, autocannon, or rocket against them to finish them off in 1-2 shots.
Unique Automatons
Connecting rod scout
While they can be easily killed by shooting the operator in the head from behind or from the side, using a railgun, autocannon, or rocket will take them out even more easily from any position.
Lump
These Antomatons are heavily armored on almost all sides. The key to killing them is to flank them and hit the glowing red heatsink on their back. Any weapon can hurt them, but for a quick kill use a rocket, railgun, autocannon, etc. If that’s not an option, a railgun shot to the head will kill them instantly, or you can make them ineffective in combat by shooting off their limbs, they even have an achievement!
- Bruiser: Dual Assault Rifles. Basic Hulk, will try to engage at medium to close range. Prioritize if it’s the only type on the field, but if its much more dangerous brethren show up, take them out last. As mentioned above, headshot it with any heavy anti-tank weapons, flank it and hit its giant radiators or destroy its weapons.
- Liberator Rock: Rocket pods that can fire a volley of rockets straight at you. High priority to take down, as if you let these guys sit back they can wipe out your entire team over and over again. Headshot them with a TD, hit the radiator on their back, or rip their arms off.
- Flamethrower Boulder: Armed with a large flamethrower (longer range than ours, and still deceptively long) and melee autofire, they will try to get in close and burn you with their flamethrowers, and if they get close, they will finish you off in melee. As before, headshot with AT, flank on weak points, or chop off arms.
Tank Annihilator
The traditional Annihilator gun tank has a massive radiator on the back of the turret, making it easy to knock out these armored vehicles. Fortunately, the tank’s rotation speed is low, making it easier to deal with if the tank is unsupported by infantry. If this is not possible, grenades, stratagem strikes, railguns, autocannons, or missiles can be used.
Tank Schroeder
The anti-aircraft tank Shredder is significantly harder to destroy than the Annihilator. Heavy weapons and stratagems will help in the fight against it. Getting close enough to hit its weak points can be problematic due to the much higher turret rotation speed. If you do manage to get behind it, hit its weak points.
Landing craft
At first glance, it seems impossible to destroy them. However, one missile in any of the 4 engines is enough to make the ship lose control and crash. This is a great way to stop enemy reinforcements. If you cannot destroy the ship’s engine, use a powerful strategem or grenades at the landing site to quickly deal with the robots.
Gun turret
The map contains both POIs and armed defensive structures on the sides of bases and objects. These are essentially the turrets of the Annihilator tank, but mounted on a turret. They can fire at you from a long distance if you are spotted. If you spot one, sneak up and destroy it before it starts firing. It is preferable to shoot weak points from the rear, but if that is not possible, load an AT weapon into any area until it explodes.