Support Weapons: Anti-Armor & Heavy Firepower

Master Helldivers 2 Support Weapons for anti-armor and heavy firepower. Coordinate with your squad to tackle diverse threats using weapons like the Recoilless .

Support Weapons are your most impactful loadout choice in Helldivers 2, offering specialized tools to tackle the diverse threats you'll face. Coordinating with your squad to cover all bases – anti-armor, crowd control, and sustained fire – is crucial for success on the battlefield. This section details each support weapon, its primary role, and essential tips for effective use.

Anti-Armor & Heavy Firepower

These weapons are designed to punch through the toughest enemy armor, take down large targets, or deliver devastating single-shot damage. Mastery of these tools is key to eliminating Chargers, Bile Titans, Hulks, and other heavily armored threats.

• GR-8 Recoilless Rifle:
  • Role: Primary anti-tank and heavy armor elimination.
  • Description: A powerful, shoulder-fired rocket launcher capable of destroying most armored targets in one or two well-placed shots.
  • Backpack Requirement: Requires a dedicated backpack for ammunition.
  • Strategy: Best used with a teammate who carries the Recoilless Rifle backpack and assists with reloading, drastically increasing its fire rate. Aim for weak spots on larger enemies (e.g., Charger's leg, Bile Titan's head). Can also destroy objectives like Automaton Fabricators.
  • Common Pitfall: Slow reload time when solo, leaving you vulnerable.
• APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle:
  • Role: Precision long-range anti-light/medium armor, weak point targeting.
  • Description: A high-damage sniper rifle that excels at hitting enemy weak points from a distance.
  • Backpack Requirement: None.
  • Strategy: Excellent for taking out Automaton Devastators, Scout Striders, and hitting the weak spots of larger enemies like Chargers (after armor is broken). Can also destroy Spore Spewers and other environmental objectives. Not ideal for primary anti-heavy armor.
  • Common Pitfall: Less effective against heavily armored targets without exposed weak points.
• EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank:
  • Role: Emergency anti-heavy armor, quick burst damage.
  • Description: A single-use rocket launcher that is called in via Stratagem.
  • Backpack Requirement: None.
  • Strategy: Extremely versatile due to its short cooldown and lack of backpack requirement. Call it in, fire, and discard. Perfect for unexpected heavy armor encounters or quickly eliminating a high-priority target. Can destroy objectives and heavily armored enemies.
  • Common Pitfall: Only one shot per call-in, requires precise aim.
• RS-422 Railgun:
  • Role: Versatile anti-armor, armor penetration.
  • Description: A charge-up weapon that fires high-velocity, armor-piercing projectiles.
  • Backpack Requirement: None.
  • Strategy:
    • Safe Mode: Fires quickly but has reduced armor penetration. Good for medium armor.
    • Unsafe Mode: Hold the trigger to charge the weapon further. This significantly increases armor penetration, allowing it to pierce heavy armor. However, overcharging will cause the weapon to explode, damaging or killing the user. Release the trigger just before the charge meter maxes out.
  • Common Pitfall: Overcharging in unsafe mode, or relying too heavily on safe mode against heavy armor.
• FAF-14 Spear:
  • Role: Long-range anti-heavy armor, target lock-on.
  • Description: A guided missile launcher that locks onto large targets.
  • Backpack Requirement: Requires a dedicated backpack for ammunition.
  • Strategy: Excellent for taking down Bile Titans, Hulks, and even dropships from a safe distance. The lock-on feature ensures high accuracy once acquired.
  • Common Pitfall: Can be difficult to acquire a lock-on in close quarters or when targets are partially obscured. Limited ammunition.

Crowd Control & Area Denial

These weapons are designed to manage large groups of enemies, clear objectives, or provide sustained suppressive fire, preventing enemies from overwhelming your position.

• M-105 Stalwart:
  • Role: High-volume crowd control, light-medium armor suppression.
  • Description: A portable machine gun with a very high rate of fire.
  • Backpack Requirement: None.
  • Strategy: While it can chip away at light-medium armor, its true strength lies in shredding swarms of smaller enemies (e.g., Hunters, Scavengers, Bots). Excellent for clearing paths and providing suppressive fire.
  • Common Pitfall: Ineffective against heavily armored targets.
• MG-43 Machine Gun:
  • Role: Sustained suppressive fire, crowd control.
  • Description: A powerful machine gun with a high fire rate and significant stopping power.
  • Backpack Requirement: Requires a dedicated backpack for ammunition.
  • Strategy: Ideal for holding choke points, clearing large groups of medium-sized enemies, and providing covering fire. Its sustained damage output can quickly thin out enemy ranks.
  • Common Pitfall: Slow reload time, can leave you vulnerable if not managed properly.
• FLAM-40 Flamethrower:
  • Role: Area denial, close-range crowd control, environmental clearing.
  • Description: Projects a continuous stream of fire, igniting enemies and dealing damage over time.
  • Backpack Requirement: Requires a dedicated backpack for fuel.
  • Strategy: Devastating against Terminid swarms and effective for clearing nests. Can also deny areas to enemies and deal continuous damage to larger targets. Be cautious of friendly fire.
  • Common Pitfall: Short range, friendly fire risk, less effective against armored Automatons.
• ARC-3 Arc Thrower:
  • Role: Chain lightning crowd control, ignores armor.
  • Description: Fires an electrical arc that chains between multiple enemies.
  • Backpack Requirement: None.
  • Strategy: Unique in its ability to ignore armor, making it effective against both light and heavily armored targets by simply hitting them. Excellent for clearing groups. Charge time is crucial for optimal damage and range.
  • Common Pitfall: Can chain to teammates, requiring careful aiming and positioning.
• GL-21 Grenade Launcher:
  • Role: Area damage, objective destruction, crowd control.
  • Description: Fires explosive grenades that detonate on impact or after a short fuse.
  • Backpack Requirement: Requires a dedicated backpack for ammunition.
  • Strategy: Invaluable for clearing out groups of enemies, destroying bug holes, bot fabricators, and other objectives from a safe distance. The grenades have a decent blast radius, making them excellent for area denial.
  • Common Pitfall: Friendly fire risk, especially in close quarters. Bouncing grenades can be unpredictable.