HomeGuidesHelldivers 2

The best weapons in Helldivers 2These are the best primary and secondary weapons in Helldivers 2

These are the best primary and secondary weapons in Helldivers 2

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

A Helldiver shooting at a big Terminid enemy in a jungle environment, with two more Helldivers in front also shooting.

What are the best weapons in Helldivers 2?On your ship, you’ll find the armory in the corridor before you reach the bridge, which is where you can equip your various primary and secondary weapons, along with your grenade of choice. For each mission, you can equip one primary, one secondary, and one grenade type, and to begin with, your options are limited. One starter assault rifle and a single shotgun available via the standard warbond on the first page, then a marksman rifle on page two… it’s slow going before you can get your hands on some of the best weapons in the game.

However, before too long, you’ll be spending hard-earned medals on new weapons, including the premium warbond once you’ve saved up enough super credits. Here are thebest weapons in Helldivers 2in no particular order.

JAR-5 Dominator

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

The JAR-5 Dominator in the Warbond on Helldivers 2.

One thing you’ll quickly come to learn inHelldivers 2is that shotguns are surprisingly powerful. The king of all shotguns is the JAR-5 Dominator, which is also the most expensive gun in the game at the time of writing, as it can be found on the third (and final) page of the Premium Warbond for 80 medals. While it doesn’t have the highest damage of all the shotguns, it comes equipped with a scope that means you can take advantage of the impressive range - at least for a shotgun.

SG-225 Breaker

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

The SG-225 Breaker in the Warbond on Helldivers 2.

With a little less range but much more damage, we have the SG-225 Breaker. This is also much easier to acquire as it’s in the early stages of the Standard Warbond, so it’s ideal for those of you who are still building up your arsenal. Since this is a fully automatic shotgun, you’ll ideally pair it with a support weapon such as the Railgun, Machine Gun, or Grenade Launcher, then use this when you’re right in the thick of it. Also, we won’t give it its own entry since it is so similar, but the incendiary version of this gun is available for 60 medals on the second page of the Premium Warbond, and is also very powerful.

AR-23E Liberator Explosive

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

The AR-23E Liberator Explosive in the Warbond on Helldivers 2.

The AR-23E Liberator is the first assault rifle you begin Helldivers 2 with, but once you’ve got the Premium Warbond, you can pick up the explosive version. It’s only very slightly better than the base - no need to rush to this immediately - but when you do get your hands on it, there’s no reason to continue using the basic assault rifle. It has the same base damage, slower fire rate, more recoil,andfewer bullets per magazine, but the explosive element goes a long, long way in taking down enemies.

SMG-37 Defender

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

The SMG-37 Defender in the Warbond on Helldivers 2.

There are two SMGs in Helldivers 2, but one of them is only available via the Super Citizen Edition of the game and thankfully, the one you can unlock via medals is better anyway. The SMG-37 Defender is a fast firing gun that is excellent up close and can hold its own at range, but it also doesn’t run out of ammo too quickly. On the other hand, the MP-98 Knight (the one that comes with the special edition) firesfarquicker and is only useful when you’re up close and personal.

P-19 Redeemer

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

The P-19 Redeemer in the Warbond on Helldivers 2.

R-63 Diligence

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

The R-63 Diligence in the Warbond on Helldivers 2.

G-16 Impact

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation

The G-16 Impact in the Warbond on Helldivers 2.

We couldn’t put this list together and not include the best grenade, so here is the G-16 Impact. This is the best grenade in the game right now for one reason: it explodes upon impact. No longer do you have to worry about your frags and high impact grenades rolling from where you’ve thrown them, or that slight delay when closing bug holes. Instead, chuck this directly at your target and it’ll explode upon contact, while dealing a significant amount of damage.

That wraps up this guide on the very best weapons in Helldivers 2. Wondering what thebest Helldivers 2 stratagemsare? We’ve got a guide for that too, including all the support weapons we haven’t included in this list.