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Discover everything you need to know about the Best Support Weapons Tier List in Helldivers 2 and help you choose the best one.
The latest update for Helldivers 2, version 01.002.203, is now live on PlayStation 5 and PC. While the update’s download size alludes to it being a major title update, version 01.002.203 is essentially a hotfix. It comes with some minor new additions. The new update marks the launch of the highly anticipated (and player-requested) Helldivers 2 x Killzone collaboration. Most of the weapons are buffed and nerfed in this patch. Making it essential for making an updated Support weapon tier list. In this guide, we’ll discuss the best and worst Support weapons. And which weapons are string against the bugs and bots.
Helldivers 2 Support Weapons Overview
Support weapons are transported to the planet’s surface in hellpods after entering the weapon’s unique stratagem code. And throwing the beacon on the ground. A Support weapon in Helldivers 2 is a Stratagems that as the name suggests should provide critical support to you. Helping you in your mission to .deliver freedom. In that respect, it should be reliable and capable of dealing damage to the toughest dangers. That you face in this game and ultimately clear your path toward success. Deciding which Support weapon to put in your loadout is one of the most important choices you will need to make. But which of these Support weapon stratagems are the best and which are the worst?
Best Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
IFlam-40 Flamethrower, and AC-8 Autocannon are the best Support weapons. Due to their gameplay mechanics, overall stats, and traits in Helldivers 2. These deadly weapons are more effective in long-range combat only when your primary weapon runs out of ammo. Support 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 bots and some are useful against bugs but these Support weapons are dominant against all types of enemies in Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 Best Support Weapons Tier List
Here is our Support weapon tier list for all the Helldivers 2 players out there. Keep in mind that if your favorite rifles are 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 Support weapon while fighting in combat. While your primary weapon is not giving you many benefits.
| Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
| S-Tier | Flam-40 Flamethrower, AC-8 Autocannon, GL-21 Grenade Launcher |
| A-Tier | RS-422 Railgun, ARC-3 Arc Thrower, EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank, LAS-99 Quasar Cannon |
| B-Tier | M-105 Stalwart, MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun, TX-41 Sterilizer, FAF-14 Spear |
| C-Tier | GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, MG-43 Machine Gun, MLS-4x Commando, APW-1 Anti-Material Rifle, LAS-98 Laser Cannon |
| D-Tier | RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher |
S-Tier Best Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
FLAM-40 Flamethrower
An incendiary weapon for close range. Will ignite targets, terrain, and any flammable teammates. This is great versus the bugs as the fire damage has been amazing since the beginning. Flamethrower destroys the bug so fast and you can sweep around. Dealing damage to everyone and allowing that damage overtime effect to kick in. This weapon will also melt down the chargers and impalers super quickly. You can even use this on bile titans but it won’t be that efficient as you need to be close. The main drawback of this weapon is that you may end up damaging yourself. And getting yourself on fire but the fire reduction armor can help a lot. Now the hulks can be damaged by fire. Making FLAM-40 Flamethrower weapon an option to take them out from the front as well.
AC-8 Autocannon
A fully-automatic cannon effective against light vehicle armor. Includes Support backpack required for reloading. This is a fast-firing cannon shooting out the high-damage explosives. Its all-around ability is decent at everything. Versus the horde, the basic round on this thing is pretty weak given that you only have a little bit of splash damage with them. You can program this gun to use flack rounds and this is absolutely amazing against the hordes. These rounds basically shoot out shrapnel when they explode, making it essential for a super-firing eruptor.
You can switch back and forth and programming this gun can fit your playstyle. If you run into a heavy enemy while facing the horde, then you can go back to the regular rounds for the precision and damage. The elite enemies such as the charger, titan, and impaler go down fairly quickly with this weapon. It also has a decent mag size, meaning you can recover if you end up missing your bullets. The main downside here is you do have to carry a backpack with you which is a bit of a disadvantage and the reload is stationary. If you reload while empty, it will take quite a bit longer and that can make it hard.
GL-21 Grenade Launcher
A grenade launcher is effective against armored infantry. Not intended for use against vehicle armor or fortified buildings. This will lob grenades at your enemies causing the high damage explosions and it does have a pretty fast fire rate as well. This is the best weapon to equip when playing against the bugs. The explosions will take multiple bugs at once, making it very easy to thin the herd but this can also be good for utility.
This is best for the chargers to be able to explode their butts even by shooting under them to take them out from the front. However, you need some range so you don’t explode yourself. It will wreck everything at the devastators level and down the splash damage just gets these guys out very fast. It also has great utility like taking out the fabricators.
A-Tier Best Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
RS-422 Railgun
An experimental weapon that prioritizes armor penetration. Must be charged between shots – choose targets carefully. This is a gun that you can charge up and release for a lot of damage especially if you have it on unsafe mode and charge up to the end. This weapon feels very powerful against the bugs but this isn’t a horde-clearing item as it shoots one very powerful shot.
This is more for medium enemies and up. You can one-shot the spewers and you can take the chargers and impelers out fast from the face, It can also do that classic charger leg armor stripping which is a great way to get them weak and finish them off with a primary. This weapon is also amazing against the bots as it’s able to one-shot devastators, berserkers, and striders when you have it in unsafe mode. It can also stun stagger and wreck the hulks pretty quickly as well.
ARC-3 Arc Tower
Projects an arc of lightning at close range. Charges up to project bolts, and may discharge through multiple targets. This essentially is an infinite ammo lightning arc-throwing gun that chains lightning to multiple enemies. This weapon is pretty good against the horde. The arc jolts around the target to target and does so by arcing to a good number of targets as well as at a longer distance than the arc blitzers.
It has infinite ammo which is definitely a plus and it can also kill every very single bug although it isn’t the most efficient for the elites such as chargers, impaler, and titans. You can use it to stun lock a charger, rendering them pretty for a while. The main drawback of this weapon is the time between shots which can allow enemies to close the gap. You can also use this to stun and kill the Hulk, making them useless and being able to use this while freezing out multiple very deadly enemies.
EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank
A single-use weapon specialized for damaging vehicle armor. Discarded after every use. This is an expandable rocket launcher with a very quick cooldown time and two launchers each time it’s called down. This weapon excels against the more elite enemies being able to take chargers out. The beauty of this is that you can pretty much call this down its will rather than like most stratagems where you need to stay alive and keep it with you.
The cooldown for this is so fast that even if you miss or you die or whatever, you can always call a new one down soon. It allows you to act as a Support Support weapon or a group-shared one as it drops down two of these bad boys, so you can share it with your teammates. This can be especially useful if your main Support weapon isn’t that great of an elite killing weapon. Being able to take out large structures and bigger enemies like the hulks, gunships, fabricators, and tanks with just one shot.
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
Charges up to fire a powerful, explosive energy burst. Has a long cooldown period after firing. This is another anti-tank which does the same damage as the EAT and recoil as a rifle. It’s pretty similar to those with their own pros and cons and in this case, it has a charge-up time that you need to undergo before being able to fire. It will auto-reload your shots for you after a good deal of time.
The charge up on this thing can be tough because you do need to slow down to do this and you need to hope your enemies don’t change. The auto-reload is very nice, allowing you to run around for a bit before getting another chance. This is particularly helpful against the bugs because you do often need to stay mobile and you won’t have a ton of time to reload. However, it lacks some of the versatility that the EAT has. It also has the ability to one-shot the hulks, dropships, and, tanks.
B-Tier Best Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
M-105 Stalwart
A compact, low-caliber machine gun. Trades power for ease of use, with faster reloading than heavier machine guns. This a light armor penetrating machine gun with a large mag size and the ability to reload while moving. It does very well against the hordes and clears enemies superfast, providing great handling. You will have a harder time versus enemies like hive guards. Versus the elite enemies, this will go okay and versus the charger, it’s limited to its underside and butt.
While you can take down a bile titan, we don’t recommend it as it will take a while. This isn’t a heavy Support weapon due to its limited capacity. The use case for the Stalwart is a bit more niche as it can essentially serve as a primary weapon replacement. It can take the Hulk sinks out pretty quickly but the main drawback here is its only light armor penetrating as a result you are left only able to go for weak spots on some foes. Better handling does help though in trying to get those weak spots.
MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun
A very powerful but difficult-to-wield machine gun with intense recoil. This is a very high damaging, high armor penetrating gun and this is a solid option for the bugs. It can be used as a horde-clearing device but it also fares pretty well against the elites. It can take down the charger from the face very quickly as well as an imapler. It also can take a titan out well but the main drawback of this weapon is high recoil, so you need to crouch or prone.
It can sometimes feel like you’re running out of bullets fairly quickly although it has recently received a capacity increase. It also has a pretty slow reload which is a pretty big disadvantage but at least you can interrupt the reload pattern as it has three different phases. The machine gun surprisingly feels pretty amazing against the bots. You can tear through just about anyone and do it fast. It just absolutely shreds hulks without needing to aim that much. Modify this to slow those RPMs down and pulse fire so that you can use this at range.
TX-41 Sterilizer
Atomizes caustic chemicals into a fine mist that liquifies sensitive electronics and tissues. Blinds and slows most enemies. This is an interesting weapon as you don’t want to take it with you to deal damage rather this is more of a defense-type weapon. It’s a flamethrower but instead of flames, it shoots out the toxic spray which will cause corrosive damage. This can be great for getting the horde off your back especially because the confusion can cause the enemies to fight against each other. It can work on chargers too although it does seem like they do need quite a bit more spray to kick in. You will need to be able to switch to something with some good damage after spraying enemies to wipe them out.
FAF-14 Spear
An anti-tank homing missile must lock onto its target before launch. Effective against large and armored enemies. This is a lock-on rocket launcher that only locks on the highest-level enemies. It locks on to enemies like the chargers, titans, and commanders though. You need to be far enough away to give your rocket a chance to get the angle it needs to lock on. If you lock on correctly you will get an automatic kill with one shot. You also need to sacrifice a backpack slot and you will still mostly need to deal with the horde and this just won’t help with it. It auto lock on bots and it takes almost everything with one shot. The best part is that you do all of this from super far away without needing to aim.— (h4 can be used if multiple weapons shown)
C-Tier Best Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
A GR-8 Recoilless Rifle is effective against vehicle armor. Includes Support backpack required for reloading. This is an anti-tank rocket launcher similar to the EAT but with a backpack for ammo and programmable ammo to switch between splash and anti-tank damage. You can expect to down heavy enemies very quickly such as impalers, chargers, and titans. Anti-tanks are not the best for the horde as they typically have more precise high-damage shots, so even firing into the crowd won’t net you that much. You have limited ammo for this but you’re going to want to primarily use it for that purpose. It’s a nice option to have of course if you get into a pinch. Just remember to be careful to switch back if you need to face off against an elite because it does seem to do less concentrated damage.
MG-43 Machine Gun
A machine gun designed for stationary use. Trades have higher power for increased recoil and reduced accuracy. This is a medium armor penetrating fully automatic rifle with a large mag size. It can be good for clearing the horde for sure all from the small enemies up to the level of the spewers. The addition of even more ammo to the mag helps a great deal in clearing the field further. Chargers and Titans though it is pretty bad against, requiring you to go for the weak spots and it takes a lot of bullets to take them.
The main downside is that you do have some recoil to contend with, so you will need to crouch a bit to control that. This gun also has a long reload which you will need to stay stationary to perform. The machine gun also kind of sits in the middle between the stalwart and the heavy machine gun without offering up enough advantages over either of those two. The medium armor penetration is good against a lot of bots. This weapon also has a decent clip size, allowing you to shred through groups of medium enemies like devastators and berserkers.
MLS-4X Commando
The Commando is a disposable four-barrel anti-tank rocket launcher Support Weapon that can be fired with or without laser guidance. This weapon fires missiles that are laser-guided which means after you fire these missiles you can use the laser to guide it to your target. This is not the best choice against the hordes as the explosions are not that great, so even if you shoot into a group you will get only one or maybe two kills.
As far as the damage is concerned, this essentially will give you the same damage as an EAT only it’s divided into four bullets. These four bullets can take out some of the more elite enemies such as Titans, chargers but you do need to get all your bullets on them. This is essentially an alternative to the EAT with a slightly longer cooldown.
APW-1 Anti-Material Rifle
A high-caliber sniper rifle is effective over long distances against light vehicle armor. This rifle must be aimed downslope. This is essentially a high-powered sniper rifle with good armor penetration. It does have some upsides while it’s probably a waste to use any ammo on the smaller enemies, you can do pretty well with the medium ones. You can one-shot the alpha commanders and the hive guards. It also can pierce heavy armor, so you can use this for the chargers and the bile titans.
Staying long-range leaves you dealing with tentacles but as long as you are aware of that and where they’re, you can circle the impaler from a distance and snipe him off pretty fast. Unlike the bugs where the antimaterial rifle only has a few cool advantages with the bots, this gun is amazing. You face bots at range which puts this in good Support already as you can snipe everything. It also has a decent amount of ammo, so you can use this as some sort of an overpowered primary.
LAS-98 Laser Cannon
A laser weapon firing a continuous beam. Doesn’t require ammunition, but will need the heat sink replaced if it overheats. This is essentially a continuous laser beam that you emit from this cannon that damages anything in its path and sets those things on fire as well. It certainly does melt the smaller bugs very quickly and bugs do happen to be particularly weak to fire damage.
However, it takes a while to take out bigger enemies. The main problem here is the single targeting as you do need to wind up and hold on to one target at a time. When you’re facing against the horde, you’re constantly trying to move and you often want to have things that are going to deal with a lot of different enemies at once.
D-Tier Best Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher
Fires a rocket that detonates within proximity of a target, and deploys a cluster of explosive bomblets. This is a rocket launcher that fires in and releases all the horizontal air burst cluster bomb type explosion. It can wipe a horde away but it’s just so inconsistent. Firing this is kind of hard too because you need to be far enough away because the risk of killing yourself to an explosion is very high. The real problem is that you need to be far enough away that you might want to assess whether the bugs even know where you are. The explosion that ends up occurring is very similar Eagle cluster bomb with this wide horizontal spread of bombs.
This weapon is also not effective against the elites one of the worst parts about this is the reload speed. It has received a two-second buff but that still doesn’t feel like enough. There are no phases to this you can’t checkpoint your reload and if you end up needing to dodge away you save no progress and need to restart the animation. It can do a lot of starting damage to a bot hot spot and when the bots are clumped up, it can do pretty well.—-explanation—-(h4 can be used if multiple weapons shown)
FAQs about Helldivers 2: Support Weapons Tier List
How do I unlock new Support weapons?
You can unlock new Support weapons in Helldivers 2 via the Warbonds on the Acquisitions menu. Spend War Medals on it that you can earn by completing missions.
Can Support weapons be upgraded?
No, the Support weapons can’t be upgraded just like the primary weapons in Helldivers 2. The game does not feature a system to individually modify or enhance the stats of specific weapons.
What are the different types of Support Weapons?
Support weapons include rifles, cannons, flamethrowers, and one shotgun in Helldivers. They are categorized into PAC, Engineering Bay, Civilian, and Chemical Agents sections.
Flame-40 Flamethrower and AC-8 Autocannon are the two best Support weapons due to their stats, traits, and mechanics. Some weapons are effective against bots and some are useful against bugs but these Support weapons are dominant against all types of enemies in Helldivers 2.
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