Helldivers 2 Stratagem Tier List

Stratagems in Helldivers 2 don’t just make the world go around; they also do a pretty good job of flattening it. At the right time, they are perfect for pulling your butt out of the fire in a major fight.

These powerful weapons of destruction need to be unlocked using credits earned by playing the game. As such, you might want some help figuring out where to put your credits so you don’t unlock a dud for your next fight.

All Stratagem types in Helldivers 2

The first thing to do is briefly break down the different types of Stratagems. This is really just for new players; veterans who are trawling for Tier Lists to compare to each other can jump down a section.

• Patriotic Administration Center — These are handheld weapons that you can switch to in place of your primary or secondary. They are stowed on your back when not in use and can also come with a backpack to hold more ammo. The best way to think of them is as your heavy weapon option. Using one that needs a backpack means you cannot carry other backpack options like a Shield Generator.
• Orbital Cannons — these are different types of ordnance that will be fired from your ship, waiting above you in the inky black. They tend to do tremendous damage, and an errant beacon to call them in will definitely result in some sweet team kills.
• Hangar — this is death delivered by glorious Eagle, the fighter jet of the Helldivers universe. Eagle 1, you friendly pilot, will sometimes need to fly off and rearm, so keep that in mind.
• Bridge — These tend to be one-shot, direct interventions and tactically focused moments that can offer defensive help, close off parts of the battlefield, or otherwise intervene to save your life.
• Engineering Bay — The Engineering Bay is where you can find odd, often experimental, weapons that are a mix of all the other types. Some hidden gems in here, no doubt about it.
• Robotics Workshop — These are “smart” command Stratagems. Often automated, they can be left to their own devices and will scan for enemies and deal with them without further intervention.

Related: How to unlock Strataem Hero in Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 Stratagem Tier List

You can find all the Stratagems below, tiered out by their effectiveness. It’s a bit of a blunt instrument, as some are defensive, some are offensive, some are supportive, etc., but it will give you a good idea of what is worth your investment and when you should wait a few more levels to get something you really want.

The S-Tier are things that I consider to be useful, no matter the mission or the enemy. D-Tier are things that I feel just get completely outworked by other options or don’t properly fill what I perceive to be their battlefield role. Further down, you will find my personal favorites and some thoughts on why they are my consistent, go-to options for when the midden hits the windmill.

My personal favorite Stratagems, and why

I really feel like these lists make more sense if you can see some of the logic and experience that people are using to pick them, so I am going to run through my personal favorite Stratagems. I mostly play alone with randoms, so try to carry a varied loadout that can deal with all threats or situations. Fellow Divers are often very single-minded about what they wish to do, so I just like to fill in the blanks and either carry or support, as needed. I’ll play difficulty level seven and below with randoms and save my tougher fights for when I am with friends.

• Autocannon – I don’t think I have played a single mission without the Autocannon in nearly 200 hours of play since I unlocked it. It can kill just about everything if you know where to hit it, comes with plenty of ammo, and can easily cross-map laser turrets or objectives.
• Eagle Airstrike – This is what I rely on to take out enemies’ structures a lot. If I can’t get the right angle with my Autocannon to send a shell through the vent, I just let this do the work for me. It will also wreck tightly-packed enemies and can really be a bacon-saver if you need a mob to die fast.
• Expendable Anti-Tank – I bring this for anything my Autocannon can’t kill. Yes, I am that person who calls this in, drops the Autocannon, uses the EAT, and then grabs the Autocannon again. Why? Because I like to kill. I find just being able to drop anything that your teammates are struggling with can be a huge help. This comes with two one-shot rocket launchers, so you can also feed a good teammate and then call into two more a minute later.
• Orbital Laser – this is just fun and effective as a fire-and-forget option that will stomp a large enemy base into the ground for you.
• Orbital Railcannon Strike – if you like to have an emergency button you can push to sit down practically anything in the game, then this is it. I’ll happily bring this when playing with friends, as I know they’ll have other options covered. Perfect for dealing with that one Annihilator Tank that just will not face the right way.
• Quasar Cannon – playing with friends and bringing four of these into a defense mission against those pesky robots is probably the most fun you can have with your cape on.