Posted 2025-12-05 9:35 PM (#186008) Subject: HellDivers 2 Strategem Tier Guide: What’s Worth Using and What to Skip
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If you’ve spent any time in Helldivers 2, you probably know the feeling: you unlock a new strategem, get excited to try it, then realize it’s either amazing… or a complete waste of a slot. With so many options available and new players joining every day, it can be tough to figure out which tools are actually worth bringing into high-pressure missions. The recent discussions and tier breakdowns circulating in the community inspired me to take a closer look at how these strategems actually perform in real missions—especially once you move past the lower difficulties.
The tier list discussed in the video offers a surprisingly practical breakdown, and after testing many of these strategems myself, I think the overall message is clear: some tools scale incredibly well as you improve, while others fall off dramatically once enemies stop dying in one hit. If you’re still learning the game or trying to define your ideal loadout, here’s a structured breakdown of the most useful takeaways.
The Clearly Weak Picks
There’s no nicer way to say it: a few strategems simply don’t hold up, no matter what level you’re playing at. The Ballistic Shield Backpack is one of the most obvious examples. While shields sound great on paper, the design restrictions—no primary weapons, glitchy animations, and terrible synergy with many playstyles—make it more of a burden than a defensive tool. It technically helps against automatons, but barely enough to justify sacrificing your backpack slot.
Many of the D-tier items fall into the same category: they look useful early on, but their downsides become painfully clear once the game ramps up. The machine gun, for instance, is nostalgic but outclassed almost immediately. Anyone who’s spent time in higher difficulty missions knows how terrible it feels to stand still for its reload animation while enemies sprint toward you from every direction.
The same goes for items like the Tesla Tower, orbital smoke strikes, anti-personnel minefields, and the outdated machine gun sentry. Most of these suffer from inconsistency: they either kill too slowly, fail to trigger, or—like the Tesla Tower—accidentally wipe your team far more often than they wipe enemies.
Middling Options That Have Niche Uses
The middle tiers of the list contain strategems that can shine but require either specific mission types or players who already understand how to maximize their value. Things like Eagle strafing runs, early orbital cannons, and the anti-material rifle fall into this category. They can be great during medium-difficulty missions, especially before heavy-armored enemies become the norm.
One thing I agree with from the video is that these tools can feel fantastic when you first unlock them. That sense of “wow, I finally have some firepower” is real. But they quickly get overshadowed by stronger loadouts—usually options that provide guaranteed impact instead of inconsistent results.
A good example is the expendable anti-tank. It’s actually an excellent emergency solution during early progression, especially for taking down Chargers or armor-heavy automatons. But the one-shot design, combined with better alternatives in later levels, means most players eventually move on.
In this mid-game tier, I often find myself swapping gear depending on the mission type rather than sticking to a default setup. If you’re grinding medals or trying to buy helldivers 2 medals for cosmetic upgrades, experimenting with these “okay but not outstanding” strategems can make the grind feel fresher and more enjoyable.
When Movement and Utility Matter More
Some strategems don’t deal big damage but still have very real value depending on your playstyle. The jump pack, for example, is far from a universal pick, yet it becomes incredibly useful for Blitz missions or objectives requiring quick movement in and out of high-danger zones. It’s not something I bring to every mission, but it’s saved my life enough times that I can’t write it off.
Similarly, items like incendiary mines, shield generator relays, and orbital EMS strikes offer utility more than raw power. They aren’t always the “best” choices, but once you understand their strengths and limitations, you can use them to stabilize chaotic fights or slow down enemy swarms long enough to reposition.
These are the kinds of tools that reward players who like more tactical or supportive roles. They might not dominate the screen with explosions, but they create breathing room—and in Helldivers 2, that’s sometimes the difference between a wipe and an extraction.
Entering the Higher Tiers: Consistency Wins
As the tier list moves upward, one pattern becomes obvious: the stronger strategems share a few traits that make them reliable across nearly any mission.
Their damage is consistent rather than random.
Their cooldowns are reasonable.
They target large groups or high-value enemies with predictable results.
Whether it’s turrets with good ammo economy, orbitals that reliably hit armored units, or rockets that guarantee a clean kill, the upper-tier tools don’t waste your strategem slots. By the time you reach higher difficulty missions, this reliability becomes the most important factor of all.
During tougher missions—especially those where you might try to boost progress quickly or farm materials—you may also find yourself exploring outside options such as U4GM when you’re preparing gear or looking for faster ways to optimize your loadouts. Just be sure you understand the game systems well first, because the best strategems still matter more than anything else you equip.
Late-Game Loadout Advice for Newer Players
If you’re still learning the game or figuring out what to invest in next, here’s a simple rule of thumb based on everything discussed in the video:
Stick with strategems that either
Provide guaranteed single-target burst damage
Lock down large groups of enemies
Offer consistent defensive value
As an example: if you want to make fast progress, Helldivers 2 buy medals with Super credits can speed up your unlocks, but the biggest performance improvements still come from picking stable, high-tier strategems that solve your team’s survival problems.
Turrets, heavy orbitals, and strong anti-tank options tend to outperform everything else in real missions. Once you master their limitations—positioning, cooldown timing, and friendly-fire awareness—they become reliable tools for clearing even the toughest objectives.
The tier list from the transcript actually reflects what a lot of players learn naturally over time: Helldivers 2 rewards consistency more than creativity when strategems are involved. While it’s always fun to experiment, the higher-tier options shine because they do their job every single time. If you’re new to the game or still shaping your preferred loadout, start with the proven tools, then branch out once you're comfortable.
HellDivers 2 Strategem Tier Guide: What’s Worth Using and What to Skip
