Picking the wrong primary weapon in Helldivers 2 doesn't just hurt your kill count — it can leave your whole squad scrambling when the wrong faction shows up on the mission screen. With nearly 50 primaries spread across Warbonds and the Superstore, the gap between a well-chosen loadout and a frustrating one is enormous. This guide breaks down every major primary by faction matchup so you know exactly what to bring before you hit the drop pod.
What makes a primary weapon worth using?
Raw damage numbers don't tell the whole story. After testing weapons across all three factions at higher difficulty levels, a few factors matter far more than DPS alone:
- Armor penetration — Light, medium, or heavy determines which enemy types you can actually threaten.
- Stagger — Stopping enemy momentum is often more valuable than outright damage, especially against Terminids.
- Effective range — Shotguns and SMGs fall apart against Automatons unless you can close distance safely.
- Ammo economy — A weapon that runs dry every 90 seconds forces constant resupply calls.
- Self-damage risk — Several high-power options (the PLAS-1 Scorcher, the Eruptor) will kill you if you fire carelessly at close range.
The tier list below rates every primary against each of the three factions separately, because a gun that dominates Terminid missions can be nearly useless on an Automaton front.
Helldivers 2 primary weapon tier list (all factions)
Ratings reflect performance as of Patch 6.1.0. The tier definitions:
- S — Loadout staple, excels against this faction
- A — Strong choice with minor drawbacks or a specific niche
- B — Solid with the right supporting gear
- C — Functional but rarely the best pick
- D — Actively hurts your effectiveness against this faction
| Primary Weapon | vs Terminids | vs Automatons | vs Illuminate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAS-101 Purifier | S | S | S | Best all-rounder in the game; charging mechanic + medium AP |
| PLAS-1 Scorcher | A | S | A | Explosive energy bolts, small mag, serious self-damage risk |
| AR-2 Coyote | S | B | S | High-cap incendiary AR with medium AP; Dust Devils Warbond highlight |
| Stoker SMG | S | B | S | Underbarrel flamethrower makes it devastating vs hordes; light AP only |
| Double Freedom | A | A | A | Ridiculous close-range power; constant reloading is the tradeoff |
| Double-Edge Sickle | A | S | A | Burns the user when overheated; incredible sustained damage when managed |
| Eruptor | A | S | A | Shrapnel shells wreck clusters; careless shots will team-kill |
| Exploding Crossbow | A | A | A | Slow fire rate, surprisingly effective across all factions |
| Breaker Incendiary | A | D | B | Fire damage shreds organic enemies; useless against bots |
| Cookout | A | D | B | Incendiary Punisher variant; great vs Voteless and Terminid hordes |
| Torcher | S | C | A | Primary flamethrower dominates close-quarters Terminid and Illuminate missions |
| Censor | C | S | B | Suppressed Diligence; one-shots Devastator heads silently |
| Diligence | C | A | C | Pinpoint accuracy rewards headshot targeting on bots |
| Diligence Counter Sniper | D | A | C | More punch, less ammo; needs stable firing position |
| Sickle | A | B | B | Near-infinite ammo via heat management; reliable generalist |
| Punisher Plasma | B | B | B | Medium AP explosive; works on every faction without excelling |
| Sweeper | B | C | B | Full-auto flechette shotgun with bayonet; best CQC alternative to Double Freedom |
| Adjudicator | C | B | B | Medium AP AR with tough recoil; attachments help significantly |
| Reprimand | C | B | B | Punchy slow-fire SMG; medium AP but can't be one-handed |
| Breaker | B | C | B | Still solid, requires precision rather than spray-and-pray |
| Liberator | B | C | B | Reliable starter AR that gets outclassed quickly |
| One-Two | B | C | B | Average AR stats saved by an underbarrel grenade launcher |
| Dominator | C | B | B | Slow jet-propelled rounds hit hard with medium AP |
| Scorcher (energy) | A | S | A | Long-standing meta pick; explosive bolts punish grouped enemies |
| Tenderizer | C | C | C | Best-in-class damage stat, average everything else |
| Slugger | C | C | C | Medium AP slug shotgun; decent range, not exciting |
| Scythe | D | C | D | Laser beam with ignition; serviceable at best |
| Constitution | D | C | D | Antique bolt-action; weakest marksman rifle by a wide margin |
| Liberator Concussive | D | D | D | Explosive Liberator variant that underdelivers on every metric |
| Pummeler | D | D | D | Stun SMG that ends up slightly worse than the Defender |
| StA-52 | D | D | D | Killzone AR; faster fire rate than Liberator but no attachments and worse handling |
What's the best primary weapon overall?
The PLAS-101 Purifier earns S-tier against all three factions, which is genuinely rare. It was terrible at launch in the Polar Patriots Warbond, but after a series of buffs it now sits at the top of almost every serious player's tier list. The charging mechanic takes about a week to feel natural, but once you're landing fully charged shots on grouped enemies, the medium armor penetration and splash damage make it feel unfair.
If you don't have the Purifier yet, the PLAS-1 Scorcher is the next best thing and has been a meta staple for much longer. Just treat it as a precision tool against Automatons and keep your distance when firing into Terminid packs.
For players who want something that doesn't require careful positioning, the AR-2 Coyote from the Dust Devils Warbond is the easiest high-tier pick. High-capacity magazine, incendiary rounds, medium armor penetration. Point it at things and they die.
Best primary weapons by faction
What should you use against Terminids?
Terminids swarm fast and in huge numbers. Fire damage is your best friend here because it slows them down and stacks damage over time, giving you breathing room. The Stoker SMG (from the Entrenched Division Warbond) is arguably the most fun option right now: its underbarrel flamethrower turns it into a horde-clearing machine, and the ability to switch between punchy bullets and scorching fire means you're never caught off-guard by a Charger mix-in.
The Torcher primary flamethrower takes the S-tier slot for raw Terminid performance, but it demands close-range play that's punishing on higher difficulties. Pair it with a support weapon that handles heavies.
For players who want flexibility, the Breaker Incendiary remains one of the most reliable bug-killers in the game despite not being new or flashy.
What should you use against Automatons?
Bots punish careless play. They shoot back accurately, many have armored heads or chest plates, and long sightlines mean shotguns and SMGs are often dead weight. Precision and armor penetration are the requirements here.
The Censor (a suppressed Diligence variant) is the standout pick: it lets you headshot Devastators silently from distance, which keeps patrol spawns manageable. The Double-Edge Sickle from the Servants of Freedom Warbond also earns S-tier against bots because its damage and penetration scale up the hotter it runs, rewarding sustained aggressive play.
The Eruptor and Scorcher round out the top options. Both handle grouped Devastators well and can threaten medium-armored targets that lighter guns bounce off.
What should you use against the Illuminate?
The Illuminate rely on teleportation, personal shields, and swarm pressure from Voteless mobs. Splash damage and shield-breaking tools matter more than raw single-target DPS. The Purifier excels here because its charged shots stagger shielded Overseers and clear Voteless clusters simultaneously.
The Stoker and Coyote both earn S-tier against Illuminate for similar reasons: they handle the chaff efficiently while having enough punch to deal with more dangerous units. The Torcher drops to A-tier but is still excellent for Voteless-heavy missions.
For a full breakdown of how each weapon stacks up in the current patch, this Helldivers 2 primary weapons tier list from u.gg offers detailed per-faction rankings with solo and group play considerations.
Stoker underbarrel flamethrower vs Illuminate
How do weapon attachments change the tier list?
The attachment system can meaningfully shift a weapon's practical tier. A few specific cases worth knowing:
- The Adjudicator has genuinely difficult recoil at base, but a stabilizer attachment brings it into comfortable A-tier territory against Automatons and Illuminate.
- Scopes on marksman rifles like the Diligence family make the difference between landing headshots consistently or not.
- The MA5C, StA-52, and M90A (all crossover Warbond weapons) cannot be customized with attachments at all, which is a significant reason they sit in the lower tiers despite having reasonable base stats.
Weapons that support the full attachment suite have a higher ceiling. When comparing two guns that feel similar on paper, check whether one can be tuned and the other can't.
For a deeper look at how the September 2025 balance pass affected specific weapons, this post-patch weapons tier list analysis covers the reasoning behind each ranking shift in detail.
New weapons from the Entrenched Division Warbond
The most recent Warbond added two primaries worth discussing:
Stoker SMG — Already mentioned above, this earns its S-tier rating against Terminids and Illuminate. The dual-mode design (bullets plus underbarrel flamethrower) means you're never stuck with the wrong tool for the enemy in front of you. Light armor penetration is the main limitation, so you'll rely on your support weapon for anything heavily armored.
Sweeper Shotgun — A full-auto shotgun with medium-armor-penetrating flechette rounds and a bayonet. It's currently one of the best close-quarters options in the game and works as a strong alternative to the Double Freedom when you want more sustained fire over raw burst damage.
For more weapon guides, loadout recommendations, and faction-specific strategies, browse the full collection of Helldivers 2 guides on GAMES.GG.
