Helldivers 2 is all about strategy, and strategy in Helldivers 2 is all about Stratagems. These lethal ordinances don’t discriminate, so picking the right ones for the mission is crucial. Since this guide is focused on the early game, these Stratagems are all acquired before level 10, and most effective up through Medium difficulty.
Best Early Orbital Strike in Helldivers 2
You begin with the excellent Precision Orbital Strike, which is useful for destroying buildings, closing bug burrows, and dealing massive damage to enemy targets. But if you’re looking for a little more utility, the Air Burst Orbital Strike is your best bet.
The Air Burst launches a shotgun-like volley of three large bursts that shred lightly-armored infantry like confetti. Since the lower difficulties don’t feature many heavily-armored units, it’s an excellent way to clear bug bursts and enemy hives.
Best Early Support Weapon in Helldivers 2
The absolute must-have Support Weapon any squad is going to want is a Grenade Launcher. Up til “Challenging” difficulty, you’re going to run into waves of foes that are nearly impossible to whittle down with rifle fire – from those AT-ST looking robot guys to the big goopy green bugs that spray acid. The grenade launcher will dispatch any of these, and more lightly-armored foes, with ease.
A machine gun isn’t a bad backup for someone else in your squad to roll with – especially if you’ve got someone else blasting down the bigger foes. Think of a machine gun as more of a riff-raff cleanup device, while the grenade launcher should be used on priority targets.
Best Early Sentry Turret in Helldivers 2
The Gattling Sentry Turret is a quick, high-capacity, high-firepower ally that can chew through smaller infantry with ease. It’s particularly useful early game since you won’t be facing more heavily-armored units that can destroy it or block its fire, so enjoy it while you can use it to its full potential.
The best strategy when placing a turret is almost always to place it behind an obstacle or wall, opposite your team. This way, even if you find yourself between it and foes, you won’t be mowed down. An alternate strategy is to go prone near the turret itself so the bullets fly over your head!
