Stratagems are one of the most important elements in Helldivers 2, so you want to ensure you’re using the best ones available.
While your primary loadout is going to be your main source of damage in Helldivers 2, the Stratagems you have available often make the difference between life and death. If you don’t bring the right Stratagems or you’re left on cooldowns for all the ones you brought, you might be quickly overwhelmed by some terminids and automatons.
In order to give yourself and your squad the best chance at survival, you need to ensure you’re selecting the absolute best Stratagems for a given drop. Fortunately, we have put together an entire tier list that includes every Stratagem in Helldivers 2. The Stratagems are separated into tiers from S-D, with S-Tier being the best options and D-Tier featuring ones not worth using.
This is our definitive Helldivers 2 Tier List for Stratagems.
Helldivers 2 Stratagems Tier List
We’ll start with a table that lists all of the Stratagems and what tier we feel they belong to in Helldivers 2. The order in which the Stratagems appear in the individual tiers is not in any order, so you only need to pay attention to what tiers each Stratagem falls into within the table.
| Tier | Helldivers 2 Stratagems |
|---|---|
| S | Orbital Laser, Arc Thrower, Railgun, Eagle Airstrike, Eagle Cluster Bomb, Auto Cannon, Quasar Cannon |
| A | Expendable Anti-Tank, Patriot Exosuit, Shield Generator Pack, Grenade Launcher, EMS Mortar Sentry, Eagle 500KG Bomb, Auto Cannon Sentry, Anti Material Rifle, Guard Dog Rover, Railcannon Strike, Recoilless Rifle, Stalwart, Jump Pack |
| B | Laser Cannon, Orbital Precision Strike, Shield Generator, Rocket Sentry, Flamethrower, Napalm Airstrike, Eagle Napalm, Gatling Sentry, Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods, Machine Gun, Orbital Gas Strike, Supply Pack |
| C | Guard Dog, Orbital Walking Barrage, Orbital Gatling Barrage, Orbital Smoke Strike, Orbital EMS Strike, Orbital 380MM HE Barrage, Incendiary Mines, Orbital Airburst Strike, Shield Generator Relay, Eagle Strafing Run, Eagle Smoke Strike, Spear Launcher, Orbital 120MM HE Barrage, Heavy Machine Gun |
| D | Ballistic Shield Backpack, Anti-Personnel Minefield, Tesla Tower |
Below, we’ll go into each Stratagem tier and go over some of the highlights from each one.
S-Tier
Kicking us off is the best of the best in the current version of Helldivers 2. The Stratagems in S-Tier haven’t changed much since the game was released, with the Auto Cannon, Railgun, Eagle Airstrike, and Quasar Cannon being especially powerful. Any of these Stratagems can turn the tide of battle at a moment’s notice, and your team will surely thank you for calling one in at any point.
Other Stratagems in S-Tier include the Orbital Laser, Arc Thrower, and Eagle Cluster Bomb, all of which are extremely powerful as well. You could make an argument for some other Stratagems in this tier, such as the Shield Generator Pack for extra support, but there’s no arguing against the ones that we did include.
A-Tier
Moving on, we have our A-Tier Stratagems, which are still highly effective against most enemy types and you should have no reservations about using any one of them. While they’re not as dominant as the Stratagems in S-Tier, any of the choices in A-Tier will offer you an advantage in the heat of combat.
Specifically, the Jump Pack, Shield Generator Pack, EMS Mortar Sentry, and Patriot Exosuit are among the best in this tier. The EMS Mortar Sentry in particular is a favorite amongst the community, as it can be used in a variety of ways and acts as a passive teammate of sorts that does a ton of damage for your squad.
B-Tier
Now we have the middle-of-the-pack Stratagems that you’ll likely want to use in the early part of your Helldivers 2, but not so much after that. The choices here are still solid picks, but if you have access to better Stratagems in the upper tiers, you’ll want to use them a majority of the time. Of course, if you and your team are looking to mix things up against some robots or bugs, then there are a few great B-Tier options.
The Recoilless Rifle is unapologetically easy to use, but doesn’t offer a huge amount of damage, while the Flame Thrower is a timeless classic that requires you to get up close and personal with the enemy. There’s also the Rocket Sentry, Laser Cannon, and Eagle 100MM Rocket Pods that offer a fair bit of use if your team is using some stronger Stratagems.
C-Tier
We’re at the point where you don’t want to use the Stratagems left unless you have no other options or you’re truly trying to make Helldivers 2 less trivial. There are over a dozen Stratagems in C-Tier, and most of them don’t hold a candle to the options in the tiers above it. Most of them are only effective in niche situations, like the Incendiary Mines or Guard Dog, and won’t offer a huge benefit.
Many of the “Orbital” Stratagems are placed within this tier, as they are mostly called in on a specific area that requires enemies to be at an exact spot for any damage to occur. Naturally, this is hard to control, which is why they’re less effective than other Stratagems in Helldivers 2.
D-Tier
Finally, we have arrived at D-Tier, which only features a few Stratagems that you want to stay away from at all costs. This includes the Ballistic Shield Pack, Anti-Personnel Minefield, and Tesla Tower. All three of these Stratagems are difficult to get any use out of and you’re far better off using just about any other option in Helldivers 2.
And with that, our Helldivers 2 Stratagems tier list is complete. As we previously mentioned, this list is subject to change depending on future updates, but as of Summer 2024, this is the state of the Stratagems in the galaxy.
If you're looking for more general help, make sure to check out our Helldivers 2 tips and tricks.
