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Discover everything you need to know about the best Primary weapons Tier List in Helldivers 2 and what makes them the best and worst ones.
The primary weapon in Helldivers 2 is one of the key tools a player selects to engage enemies during missions. While the update’s download size alludes to it being a major title update, version 01.002.203 is essentially a hotfix, with some minor new additions. These weapons are different from secondary weapons, stratagems, or other equipment. They directly impact your effectiveness in battle and your ability to support your team. Most of the weapons are buffed and nerfed in this patch, making it essential for making an updated Primary weapon tier list. But which Primary weapons are the best and which are the worst? In this guide, we’ll discuss the updated Primary weapon tier list in Helldivers and what unique characteristics make them an ideal choice.
Helldivers Primary Weapons Overview
Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2 play a crucial role in determining your playstyle and approach to missions. The weapons are designed to cater to specific combat scenarios and offer unique advantages. Assault Rifles are more versatile and reliable weapons, effective at mid-range combat. Shotguns are high-damage weapons effective at close range. On the other hand, Sniper Rifles with high damage output are best for long-range engagements. Plasma and Energy weapons use energy-based projectiles and offer unique effects like area-of-effect. Selecting the right Primary weapon depends on your personal playstyle, the mission’s objectives, and the type of enemies you encounter.
Best Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2
Plas-39 Accelerator Rifle, SG-20 Halt, and SG-451 Cookout are the best Primary weapons to use due to their gameplay mechanics, overall stats, and traits in Helldivers 2. These deadly weapons are more effective in long to short-range combat. Primary weapons can make a huge difference in fights if used properly as you need to be more precise with them. Some weapons are effective against Illuminate and some are useful against Terminids but these Primary weapons are dominant against all types of enemies in Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 Best Primary Weapons Tier List
Here is our best Primary Weapon tier list in Helldivers 2 for all the players out there. Keep in mind that if your favorite firearm is not available in our tier list, then that specific weapon has some major drawbacks that you must be aware of. This tier list will help you to equip the best primary weapon while fighting in combat while your secondary weapon is not shining well.
| Tier | Primary Weapons |
|---|---|
| S-Tier | Plas-39 Accelerator Rifle, SG-20 Halt, SG-451 Cookout, CB-9 Exploding Crossbow, SG-8P Punisher Plasma, Arc-12 Blitzer, Plas-101 Purifier |
| A-Tier | AR-23P Liberator Penetrator, STA-52 Assault Rifle, R-63 Diligence, R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper, SMG-37 Defender, SMG-72 Pummeler, SG-8 Punisher, SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary, R-36 Eruptor, LAS-16 Sickle, Flam-66 Torcher, |
| B-Tier | AR-23 Liberator, AR-23C Liberator Concussive, AR-61 Tenderizer, BR-14 Adjudicator, MP-98 Knight, SMG-32 Reprimand, SG-225 Breaker, SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray, LAS-5 Scythe |
| C-Tier | AR-23A Liberator Carbine, STA-11 SMG, SG-8S Slugger, |
| D-tier | R-2124 Constitution |
S-Tier Best Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2
Plas-39 Accelerator Rifle
A high-precision burst-fire plasma rifle that must be charged to fire. This is another Killzone crossover weapon that’s a plasma sniper rifle that fires the charged-up bursts. This truly feels amazing for the squids. However, as a sniper rifle, it won’t be the best for the voteless horde but as it is a burst fire you can take out a couple with each burst. Plas-39 Accelerator Rifle is more efficient if you swipe your reticle horizontally as you fire. The charge-up is a bit faster than other charge-up weapons too, so that helps when facing. Another thing to know is like all plasma weapons you can hurt yourself but you have to be shooting yourself pretty close.
Plas-39 Accelerator Rifle can even burst the overseers. Although it’s not as consistent and so reliably it’s more so going to be two bursts. This can also be a very good weapon for the Harvesters as well. You can take them down their armor and snipe their Shield generators as well as take them out from their joints. You can jet pack around the city and find little sniper perches to take things out with this. This could be a little bit of recency bias but this feels very good and it feels a step up from the diligence counter-sniper.
SG-20 Halt
A humane compliance weapon with two separate magazines: one for armor-penetrating flechette rounds and one for stun rounds. This is another Punisher variant that has two firing modes flechette for medium Armor high damage and stun for very low damage but stun. SG-20 Halt is amazing versus the aluminate. The stun rounds can be used to stun multiple enemies at once. This weapon also allows you to finish them off with ease. A single stun round will also just stop overseers in their tracks as well as the Watchers for a while. You can do something like switch to your flechette rounds after stunning them to finish them off.
Flechette rounds feel good too as the damage isn’t as much as the Punisher.
But it’s still pretty high. You can reliably take things out especially because there is more spread on this thing than the Slugger. SG-20 Halt also has medium armor penetration so that will be good and make it usable for things like the Harvesters. This gun is very strong versus the illuminates, making it one of the best primary options available to you.
SG-451 Cookout
A pump action that fires a burst of incendiary phosphorus pellets, setting targets ablaze. This is another Punisher variant but this time shooting out phosphorus fire pellets. It causes enemies to take fire damage over time. SG-451 Cookout is strong against the illuminate because of the spread you can fire upon multiple of the voteless horde at once. The Damage over time will take them out for you.
All you need to do is pepper a shot in on them and move on. This also seems to do fairly decently versus the overseers due to the incendiary damage over time. It helps you out as well as some stagger. SG-451 Cookout even works pretty well against the Watchers even from afar. This is another great one and honestly, it feels roughly the same as the halt does.
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow
Fires powerful exploding bolts which do maximum damage upon direct impact. Gravity must be accounted for when aiming. It fires the explosive staggering shots and just like with the other two factions this is awesome for the squids. The explosion is very effective versus the voteless Horde being able to take out multiple of them at a time. Being one-handed means you have the benefit of firing this while running away. You can use this with something like the directional Shield.
One thing to note though is on the city streets this tends to bounce a bit off the flat road, so you can end up missing your shots. Versus the overseers, this is pretty nice being able to two-shot the beefy guys. CB-9 Exploding Crossbow can also be used to blow up the spacecraft by sending an explosion right into it. It also can be a pretty decent option for the Harvesters as well doing good damage versus their joints and explosive damage.
SG-8P Punisher Plasma
A modified punisher shotgun firing exploding plasma rounds. Fire carefully – exploding plasma can injure squadmates. This is a plasma launcher shooting the Arc plasma explosions versus the squids, this is just awesome. The explosions can deal with a lot of the voteless horde at once being able to kill quite a bit at the same time.
It also doesn’t have the same issue of bouncing away like the crossbow does. SG-8P Punisher Plasma also hurts the overseers pretty well staggering them which will keep them from fighting. This does struggle a little bit with the elevated overseers and with the Watchers. Because of the arc pattern of your shots, it will take a little bit of work to get used to that. While this isn’t good for taking out the Harvesters it can be used to stagger them.
Arc-12 Blitzer
This shotgun blasts a wide burst of high-voltage electricity that arcs between all units – enemy or otherwise – within range. This is sort of a shotgun but it dishes out electricity that staggers and arcs to multiple enemies. This is amazing versus the squids giving them a little taste of their own electricity medicine.
It can handle just so many at once which feels nice and it has infinite ammo so you can just keep on firing. Arc-12 Blitzer does do a little bit of stun to the overseers but not a ton. This gun can also deal with clumps of the voteless headed your way. You can even use this perpetually while just diving back and forth and using this to stay alive for a while and just rack up the kills. It also does pretty well versus the Watchers.
Plas-101 Purifier
A plasma rifle that fire bolts of superheated gas, which can be charged by holding down the trigger. Charging up a shot fully makes the bolt explode on impact. This is a dynamic version of the scorcher that shoots these Plasma projectiles. The projectiles are in a fast semi-auto fashion or charged up for high damage staggering plasma explosions. Plas-101 Purifier sits close to the plasma Punisher. You can use the charged-up shots to stagger or Splash damage multiple enemies at a time. You also have the option to fast fire as a means to either thin the herd or take out overseers very quickly. The charged-up shot is also pretty good at staggering the Harvesters and that’s a nice touch for me.
A-Tier Best Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2
AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
A modified Liberator fitted with a scope and firing armor-piercing rounds, to help users take down armored targets. This is a medium armor-penetrating variant of the base Liberator with the trade-off of having a little bit less damage per bullet. Versus the squids, we will say this feels pretty great. It takes down the voteless horde very well and it deals with the Watchers nicely. For the overseers, it has the ability to take them out from the body or from the head with its medium armor penetration. This will take nearly a full mag to take Shields off the Harvesters. AR-23P Liberator Penetrator has the advantage of being able to take the big boys down by shooting them in their medium armor leg joints.
STA-52 Assault Rifle
An Assault Rifle with a high-capacity drum magazine, good for providing sustained fire. Produced by Stal Arms. STA 52 assault rifle is a Killzone-themed assault rifle that you have to buy from the superstore. There was some drama with this gun especially because of the high price on it which is more than half that of a war bond. But as a result of that drama Arrowhead gave us two of the other Killzone guns for free. This gun does the same damage as the base Liberator but it has a drum magazine. It does have a lot more bullets in each mag. Besides this, it also has a higher fire rate than the base Liberator with a slight trade-off of a little bit higher recoil.
This feels like it was made to face off against the aluminate. StA-52 Assault Rifle mows down the hordes very well. Due to its higher capacity, you can do so for much longer durations. This gun has the kind of capacity that most players wish all assault rifles had. You can take out two tanky overseers in one mag. The main drawback of the StA-52 Assault Rifle is that it does seem to struggle a little bit at range. This isn’t suitable for ranged attacks and it’s kind of hard. The handling also might be a little bit Tad worse on this than the snappy Bas Liberator. This makes it a little bit harder to stay on target for things like the elevated overseers and the Watchers. Ultimately though this does feel pretty awesome to use.
R-63 Diligence
This high-caliber marksman rifle trades magazine capacity and rate of fire for powerful, accurate shots. This is a light armor penetrating Marksman rifle with high damage and a decent fire rate. Versus the squids, the damage on this feels great and the fire rate is fast enough to do decently versus the horde. The damage ends up taking out the overseers pretty well as well and can wreck these otherwise tanky enemies. Having good precision and handling also makes this do pretty well versus the Watchers. Perhaps with this Precision, R-63 Diligence would be decent versus the eyes of the Harvesters.
R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper
A modified Diligence refile offering increased damage at the cost of some maneuverability. Fires a single bullet at a time. This is a medium armor variation of the diligence with more damage but a smaller capacity and a little bit worse handling. R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper won’t be the best for the voteless hordes as there is a smaller capacity. This is just less of a horde-clearing weapon but the high damage still will take them out quickly.
One thing players do like to do with this is take this with a jetpack and snipe from the rooftops in the city environments. If you’re using this, you’re probably going to want to go for more of the bigger enemies like the overseers which will make quick work. R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper dishes out good body damage but also being able to get them in the head. It also takes the jetpacks off the elevated overseers pretty nicely. Watchers as well are easy to take out with this and it even does well versus the Harvesters. This weapon takes off their Shield as well as their Shield genre pretty quickly.
SMG-37 Defender
A high-caliber submachine gun which can be fired with one hand. Has a relatively low rate of fire. This is a one-handed SMG that otherwise has pretty similar stats to the base Liberator. If you like the base Liberator for the squids you probably will like this even better. Beyond just having slightly higher damage this also has the great benefits of the one-handed perk. You can use this while running away and firing at the Hordes. You can make good use of things like the directional Shield to help you close the gap and block some incoming fire. With the little bit more damage that this does this feels pretty good taking out the overseers.
SMG-72 Pummeler
Fires concussive rounds that stagger enemies. The slower rate of fire than other SMGs. This is another SMG and a bit of a Defender variant trading lower damage for bullets that stun. Most players tend to hate this gun but this is useful against the squids. The damage is less than the defender but the stuns can come in handy. The damage difference is there but it isn’t that noticeable so that’s good. SMG-72 Pummeler shares the same one-handed benefits that come in handy versus the horde. You get more of the benefit of being able to run away and fire as well as using Shields. Whereas on the other two fronts, it’s a little bit more one-sided with the running away.
SG-8 Punisher
A powerful dual magazine pump-action shotgun, with limited armor penetration. Ideal for small and fast targets. This is a high-damage shotgun with light armor penetration. This also feels very solid versus the squids. Each shot packs a big staggering punch which can hold the voteless horde back as well as stagger the overseers when you pump those shots into them. The high damage is very welcome too being able to deal with enemies much quickly.
SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary
A modified breaker shotgun firing incendiary projectiles. Generates heat during use, so limited to burst fire. This is another variant of the breaker but with incendiary rounds and a burst pattern. SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary is quite good similar to The Cookout having a good spread to take multiple enemies out at once. However, due to the less damage per shot, you end up needing to fire this a little bit more onto the targets. It also doesn’t have the Stagger like the Cookout does so it still feels pretty great.
R-36 Eruptor
This bolt-action rifle fires jet-assisted shells that explode shrapnel in all directions upon impact. Not recommended for close-quarters use. It releases a bunch of shrapnel with each shot and it does have some similarities to the crossbow. R-36 Eruptor can hurt a lot of the horde with those explosions. Having a lot of great damage can help you to do things like taking out the overseers quickly. These are a few primaries that can take out the spaceships. It isn’t one-handed so it doesn’t have those benefits but the fire rate is also much slower. The rough handling makes it pretty hard to get on target. It does do something pretty interesting to the Harvesters though. R-36 Eruptor is hard to recommend when the crossbow exists especially with some of these downsides.
LAS-16 Sickle
A laser rifle, firing in shot bursts. Does not need reloading, but if it overheats a new heat skink must be fitted. This is similar to the Scythe only it releases these laser bullets more like an assault rifle. It does also have infinite ammo which is good. Unlike the size, this is very solid versus the squids. LAS-16 Sickle mows down the voteless horde very well. Doing so with great accuracy and having infinite ammo is also awesome.
Versus the bugs, the delay in firing can be tough for enemies like the hunters. LAS-16 Sickle can also be good for taking the overseers out pretty decently. The accuracy helps versus the elevated overseers. In general as just a very fast-firing assault rifle. This will take Shields down very quickly and that’s a definite plus.
Flam-66 Torcher
A lightweight flamethrower. Shoots pressurized fuel through a dispersion nozzle into an open flame. This is a primary version of the flamethrower that can deal fire damage to all enemies including heavy enemies. Flam-66 Torcher has a little bit less effectiveness than the stratagem version. This is pretty good for the squids as it takes on the horde pretty well and they will go down quickly and you can light up the ground as well.
This weapon will also deal well with the overseers but you will need to get in close range for them. For the Watchers, it does feel like it takes a little long to take them out and they’re also a little bit of range. It can also take the Harvesters out fairly well but again you will need to get very close. If you are planning to take this, we recommend using the electrical conduit armor passive.
B-Tier Best Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2
AR-23 Liberator
The SEAF standard assault rifle, balancing power, fire rate, and weight for a reliable weapon against smaller targets. This is the base gun in this game a highly accurate assault rifle with a fast fire rate and decent recoil. Versus the squids, this is quite good versus the voteless Horde this does a good job of mowing them down. Assault rifles in general are going to be better on the Illuminate front because of how Shields get taken down. The Liberator does good versus the vote less but it also does decently versus the overseers who are a bit tankier.
AR-23 Liberator is light armor penetrating so it will not pierce the overseer’s helmets but will be able to do fairly decently taking them out from the body. It also does decent work at blowing the jet packs off the elevated overseers as well. The nice accuracy and good handling will make quick work of the Watchers as well taking them out super fast. This is not going to be that great versus the Harvesters as it takes nearly a whole mag to take down its shield. You are pretty much limited to trying to take them out from the very inefficient eye. Regardless this feels pretty good and feels like it has a very solid on this front.
AR-23C Liberator Concussive
A modified Liberator firing concussive rounds which do less damage but stagger enemies. This is another concussive variant of the base Liberator but this time with a slower fire rate. It compensated for with a drum magazine and concussive rounds that stagger the enemies backward. Versus the squids, concussive shots can be good at staggering the voteless Horde and perhaps most impactfully these will stagger the overseers decently well. The bullets feel like they aren’t damaging these guys nearly enough.
It’s not like when facing off against the bugs where the horde feels so overwhelming. Pumping these concussive bullets will make you feel mostly Untouchable. You can be in bit less at risk versus the Illuminate horde as it seems just a little bit easier to run around without getting hurt. AR-23C Liberator Concussive is less impactful for multiple enemy management. The mag size being very high is nice and does allow you to pump bullets in for a decently long time.
AR-61 Tenderizer
A high-caliber assault rifle with a restrictive magazine size but more stopping power. This is a very accurate high-damage assault rifle with a longer reload pattern and less capacity. Versus the squids, this just feels okay. The damage of course is high and that is very welcome and the accuracy is nice on this AR-61 Tenderizer. It takes most things out fairly quickly. The main issue is the mag size which can feel a bit small and ultimately that can be a little bit frustrating. AR-61 Tenderizer requires constant reloading from time to time again.
BR-14 Adjudicator
An accurate, armor-penetrating rifle, the BR-14 Adjudicator delivers righteous judgment to medium-sized enemies, though its restrictive magazine limits its effectiveness against large groups. BR14 adjudicator is a high-damage medium armor penetrating assault rifle with a high recoil. Versus the squids, it does decently high damage. It will mow the enemies down and the medium armor penetration will be good for the overseers’ heads.
However, the Recoil can be a bit tough and we still have a smaller capacity so it’s going to have its struggles. It can be tempting to kind of use this in semi-auto mode for a little bit more ease of use. BR-14 Adjudicator also has the ability to take out the Harvester with its medium armor penetration.
MP-98 Knight
A submachine gun with an extremely high rate of fire, which can be operated with one hand. Ideal for multitasking. MP 98 Knight is the most expensive gun in the game requiring the super citizen addition of the game to own. The STA 52 is giving it a little bit of a run for its money. MP-98 Knight is a super fast-firing SMG that is one-handed. You can use this with things like the ballistic shield and the directional Shield. Having slightly less recoil helps here and versus the hordes, it seems like it takes them out very nicely.
But what also gives us some points is that you’re able to run while firing which can be huge. It allows you to stay mobile while all these enemies are close. Pairing this with the shield also works pretty well being able to defend yourself and allowing you to close the gaps on things like overseers and Watchers. Make sure that you’re pulse firing a lot here, especially at range.
SMG-32 Reprimand
A heavy-duty submachine gun that fires large-caliber rounds, with a slower rate of fire to manage the high recoil. Ideal for use at close to medium range. This is an SMG sort of but it’s not one-handed which is weird for an SMG. SMG-32 Reprimand has medium armor penetration and decently high damage. Versus the squids, it does feel decent. The bullets mow down the Hordes. The medium armor penetration means you have more options for the overseers.
You can also use SMG-32 Reprimand to take the Harvesters down as well. The recoil can be a bit tough to manage and it also has that spread which hurts the damage. One thing you can do is to change the fire mode to semi or burst to kind of help control the pattern. If you can just control your firing a bit in full auto mode by timing that can be great. You will be able to variably fire semi-burst and full auto whenever the situation calls for each.
SG-225 Breaker
A fully automatic shotgun with a high rate of fire, excellent for controlling crowds. Requires frequent reloading. This is a full auto shotgun with light armor penetration. SG-225 Breaker does okay for the squids. The full auto on this is good for taking out the horde and that feels pretty strong. The Watchers can also be taken out pretty quickly with this thing. You need to go through a lot of bullets to take overseers out at least if you’re not super close. You can often run out of ammo very quickly when going against the enemies.
SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray
A modified breaker shotgun firing birdshot, small pellets that saturate an area to clear up smaller targets. This is a breaker variant with lower damage but more spread. Most players ended up liking this a bit more versus the breaker when facing off against these squids. In part, it’s because of the higher capacity which allows you to take more of the voteless horde out in one mag. SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray is still pretty weak for the overseers and not feeling like it does a whole lot.
LAS-5 Scythe
A laser rifle firing a continuous beam. Does not need reloading, but if it overheats a new sink must be fitted. This is a laser beam essentially that has infinite ammo and can set enemies on fire. Versus the squids, it’s just okay. The beam will get the voteless horde nicely taking them out pretty quickly with a fire damage helping you as well. LAS-5 Scythe can also take out the Watchers relatively quickly. But versus the overseers, it does feel like it takes a while to continuously keep your beam on them. This is good for taking the elevated overseers hitting their jetpacks.
C-Tier Best Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2
AR-23A Liberator Carbine
A compact version of the Liberator designed for increased viability in close quarters. Has an increased fire rate at the cost of higher spread. AR 23A Liberator carbine is another liberator variant but this time with a faster fire rate compensated for with a higher recoil. This can be a bit more effective versus a large amount of the voteless hordes. This is pretty rough at further away ranges requiring a lot of pulse firing and first-person shooting as well as crouching.
This feels like a bit of a struggle to use versus the elevated overseers and the Watchers who usually aren’t in your face. AR-23A Liberator Carbine is decent versus the walking overseers that do get close. The extra fire rate provides enough of an advantage at these closer ranges to Warrant picking this over the base Liberator or even the STA 52.
STA-11 SMG
A submachine gun with a helical-feed magazine, which gives the weapon a higher ammo capacity while making it more front-heavy. Produced by Stal Arms. This is the third kills own crossover weapon and this is a high fire rate SMG with a pretty high capacity. It is pretty much a variant of the MP-98 with the same damage but slightly less capacity.
STA-11 SMG has a slower fire rate with the trade-off of slightly better recoil. MP-98 is just better from the stats alone but the handling on this is also quite a bit more difficult to deal with. This makes it harder to get On Target. Even when running away and using the one-handed perk you may feel a bit harder to get the enemies. STA-11 SMG also has no scope on this, so you can’t see what you’re shooting if you do decide to use the first person.
SG-8S Slugger
A modified punisher shotgun firing heavy, high-damage slug rounds. Perfect for punishing big holes in big targets. SG-8S Slugger is kind of a lower damage damaging Punisher variant that has medium armor penetration to compensate. Most players hate this for the squids due to the slug shots or the tight spread. While the medium armor damage can help with some things like the Harvester it’s not worth it. When the shots do hit it feels good but the Lesser damage makes it not worth it.
D-Tier Best Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2
R-2124 Constitution
This ceremonial rifle is modeled after antique relics from pre-Democratic times. It is traditionally gifted to every citizen upon turning 16 to encourage service. This is a slow-firing antique Marksman rifle with a high-damage medium armor penetration and a very slow fire rate. This is just straight garbage incarnate versus the squids. The slow fire rate means you won’t be mowing Down The voteless Horde at all.
Even the bigger enemies like the overseer and the watcher seem to take a ton of bullets. R-2124 Constitution will take you a long time with a slow fire rate. This thing shoots so slowly that it can’t even take down the shields even with a full mag being unloaded. Taking this with you at all it just feels like you’re playing with your hands tied behind your back.
FAQs about primary Best Primary Weapons Tier List – Helldivers 2
1. How do I unlock new primary weapons?
You can unlock new secondary weapons in Helldivers 2 via the Warbonds on the Acquisitions menu. Spend War Medals on it that you can earn by completing missions.
2. Can primary weapons be upgraded?
No, Primary weapons can’t be upgraded in Helldivers 2 as the game does not have a direct upgrade system.
3. What are the different types of primary weapons?
Assault rifles, Marksman Rifles, Shotguns, Sniper Rifle, Submachine Gun, Explosive Gun, Energy-Based Gun, and Special are the different types of Primary weapons in Helldiver 2.
What is the best primary weapon?
Plas-39 Accelerator Rifle, SG-20 Halt, and SG-451 Cookout are the best Primary weapons to use due to their gameplay mechanics, overall stats, and traits in Helldivers 2. These deadly weapons are more effective in long and short range.
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