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There’s no better way to preach peace in Helldivers 2 than to be fluent in the language of lead slugs and orbital bombardment. Hence, you’re going to need the most peaceful and democratic communication tools — luckily, the game has no shortage of guns. The Ministry of Truth has since determined the following ranking and gun tier list for Helldivers 2, and questioning it is treason — or it should be. Here’s how each gun fared, including the ones from Stratagems.
S – Tier (Best Guns in Helldivers 2)
If you still get kicked by the host while wielding these guns in the lobby, then I will personally submit myself for a lobotomy at the Ministry of Truth.
Because these guns in Helldivers 2 make freedom worth spreading. And no Helldiver worth their medals would ignore these guns.
| S – Tier |
|---|
| SG-225 Breaker Shotgun |
| SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary Shotgun |
| Grenade Launcher |
| Quasar Cannon |
| P-19 Redeemer Pistol |
| PLAS-1 Scorcher Energy Weapon |
| LAS-16 Sickle Energy Weapon |
The default Breaker is already a given as despite being a shotgun, its range is decent enough for Automaton missions (which might be a while before they reappear). Its Incendiary variant is stellar now thanks to the Burn damage buffs.
Additionally, the Redeemer‘s secondary is great in a pinch and surprisingly does good damage.
Meanwhile, the Sickle is in the meta right now, for anyone lucky enough to purchase the Premium Warbonds. It’s an outstanding energy weapon that doesn’t rely too much on ammunition.
For the Scorcher, however, it’s certainly worth the grind, though you’ll want to be careful with it as it behaves much like the Grenade Launcher.
Speaking of which, the Grenade Launcher ought to be your go-to for a non-intrusive all-around weapon. If you have good aim, you can even deal with Bile Titans using this weapon.
Last but not least, the Quasar Cannon, being the new kid in town, has proven to be worthy of a spot in the current meta. It’s one of the most reliable support weapons in the game, capable of killing the heaviest enemies.
A – Tier (Great Guns, Made With Liberty in Mind)
They won’t fast-track your way to a military retirement with adequately sized housing as a reward, but they will still give your enemies a taste of freedom they’ll like so much, that they just might die.
Some of these, particularly the ones obtainable from Stratagems, have had a lower ranking before but the recent buffs have made them stellar. Some of them are one measly drawback away from being S-Tier.
| A – Tier |
|---|
| Anti-Materiel Rifle |
| Autocannon |
| SMG-37 Defender |
| Expendable Anti-Tank |
| Flamethrower |
| MP-98 Knight |
| AR-23 Liberator |
| Machine Gun |
| Recoilless Rifle |
If it were up to me, I’d put the Autocannon in S-Tier, but the backpack slot you need for it means you need to sacrifice more for a slightly better performance than the Grenade Launcher.
The Anti-Materiel Rifle, meanwhile, is still a little too situational but has since performed admirably thanks to buffs and balance changes.
Both the Expendable Anti-Tank and Recoilless Rifle are somewhat interchangeable, but if you prefer a more customized backpack slot, then the former is the better option for my Helldivers 2 gun tier list.
B – Tier (Decent)
They are not going to impress and some might be a little too dangerous for your teammates while not offering much firepower compared to the Grenade Launcher. However, you still can’t go wrong with these guns.
Most of them are too situational and some can barely function against specific types of enemies. But a part of enjoying democracy means options.
| B – Tier |
|---|
| Arc Thrower |
| JAR-5 Dominator |
| Heavy Machine Gun |
| Laser Cannon |
| AR-23P Liberator Penetrator |
| SG-8P Punisher Plasma |
| SG-8S Slugger |
| Stalwart |
Both Arc Thrower and the Liberator Penetrator are a little too faction-centric to perform well against mission types. The Arc Thrower, for example, had its range reduced and is mostly viable against bugs. The Penetrator is something you bring against bots but won’t do you much good against bugs.
All the other weapons can at least still reliably kill most immediate enemies or offer enough convenience for you to pick them over the higher options above. But you will certainly miss or prefer the S and A-Tier guns once you’ve gotten a taste of them.
C – Tier (Outclassed, Straight to the Military Surplus Bin)
These weapons are functional, at the very least and they work as intended. It’s just that they either take too much effort to work or there are safer and more comfortable guns above in our Helldivers 2 gun tier list.
If you don’t like them, that’s fine, you won’t be charged with treason, and a court martial for being picky with your weapons.
| C – Tier |
|---|
| Arc-12 Blitzer |
| SG-225SP Breaker Spray & Pray |
| LAS-7 Dagger |
| R-63 Diligence |
| R-63 Diligence Counter Sniper |
| AR-23E Liberator Concussive |
| P-2 Peacemaker Pistol |
| SG-8 Punisher |
| Railgun |
| LAS-5 Scythe |
| P-4 Senator Pistol |
| Spear |
The Spear looks great on paper, but you’re better off with the Expendable Anti-Tank or Recoilless Rifle.
Both Diligence rifles don’t exactly have a good niche as it’s better to ignore faraway enemies in the name of objectives. Sadly, the Breaker Spray & Pray lacks the versatility and damage of its bigger brothers.
Lastly, much like Bruno from Encanto: we don’t talk about the Railgun.
