Helldivers 2 How to Fix Armor Effects

Helldivers 2 How to Fix Armor Effects

There has been an outreach from the Helldivers 2 community expressing dissatisfaction with the armor passives.

The gist is that passives are boring, uninspired, and all the same from the game’s launch with nothing new or interesting being added.

I happen to 100% agree and if I was the boss of Arrowhead Studios I would do two things to fix armor in Helldivers 2.

Looking Cool And Choosing Stats

Now in my book every time an RPG launches without the ability to Transmog a gear piece (changing appearance without losing stats) I accuse them of committing one of the cardinal sins and lower the score (I will never forgive you for this bg3 otherwise perfect game).

But how would I go about this in Helldivers 2?

I don’t think they should go with a typical Transmog System.

No spraying some magical dust over the armors and changing the appearance as frankly this is not a medieval fantasy and would not fit the vibe of the game.

Instead, I would implement a system from SWTOR (Star Wars The Old Republic).

In SWTOR every gear piece has 3 sloths that you can put in a modification that will increase whatever stat you want (for example Str, Crit Hit, Endurance)

Swtor Moddable Armor

Now we don’t need all tree slots like in SWTOR. 

Instead, make armors have one sloth, and let us choose the effect

Rename the Passive effects to Active effects and make a separate Category under the Armory tab.

Helldivers 2 armory

That way we can wear whatever we wish and look cool and also pick the effect best suited for our playstyle.

Furthermore, I would add one more cool addition to this. 

Notice how warbonds have themes? For example, the last one is all about winter. 

Well, I would add a new passive effect to each armor based on its theme, that you cant change.

The same way the Arrowhead team already did with Cutting Edge Warbond.  However, it would have to be more minuscule and situational so people are not compelled (like right now) to wear something they don’t like because of the effects power.

Il spitball some examples 

  • Polar Patriot Warbond Armors Passive Effect: Blizzard dosent slow your movement
helldivers polar patriots

Why? Well, it’s quite obvious that the whole Warbond is themed about Winter and Snow so would it be cool if you had a passive effect to go with it?

  • Steeled Veterans Warbond Armors Passive Effect: 50% less chance of getting an injured limb.
Helldivers Steeled Veterans

If you noticed these armors have robotic arms and legs embedded into their design so it makes sense.

  • Democratic Detonation Warbond Armors Passive Effect: Explosions knockback is 50% less effective.
Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation

Except maybe CE-27 Groundbreaker.

That one looks like it should have something with resisting fire going for it.

And with helmet effects on their way confirmed by the CEO of Arrowhead, everyone could look cool and have the same meaningful choice in their armor load-outs as much as they do in weapons now.

Matching Colors

Now dye system would be great but I could live if they do not want to give us a full dye system. However, there should be an option to match the Helmet color with the color of the Chest piece and vice versa.

That is it, no more needs to be said about this.

That’s all I got for you my dudes and dudettes. Hope it’s Friday where you’re at and Game on.

My Two Cents on the Helldivers 2 PSN Drama

My Two Cents on the Helldivers 2 PSN Drama

For my dudes and dudettes who have spent the last few days under a rock, Arrowhead Studios announced the other day that Linking a PlayStation Network Account to Steam will be mandatory to continue playing the game from June 4, 2024.

Helldivers 2 PSN account linking update

As you can imagine this has caused quite a bit of uproar in the community and Helldivers have made sure that their displeasure is heard on the official discord and reviews section of Helldivers Steam Store page.

As of the point of making this article, Helldivers 2 went from a Very Positive to Mostly Negative review score and it seems to be tanking even further.

Now I have almost 200 hours in and if they proceed with making a PSN account mandatory I will have to say goodbye to one of the best games I’ve played in a few years.

Why? I will let you know my reasons at the end. 

First I want to go through the most common argument made by people who don’t mind doing this and community managers of the game who think the rest of us are acting like babies and stirring up a storm over something that takes you 3 seconds to do.

After I will explain why people actually have a problem with this, here we go.

“It will only take you a few seconds to do it”

Spitz Community Manager Helldivers psn drama

This is just an attempt to appeal to triviality and it’s a strawman at the same time.

People who use this line of argumentation are trying to misrepresent people who have a problem with this as “babies” who can’t even take a second of their day to do something that the game specified you will have to do from the start. 

To give the Devil his due so to say it was stated from the beginning in the TOS and the Steam Store Page of the game that third-party account linking is required to play the game. This has been confirmed 100% by using a way-back machine.

People who dislike the reaction community have rightfully pointed it out. 

Let’s be honest guys, nobody reads that shit. We should, but we don’t.

And you can go “AHA! Got you, case closed” but while I agree people (including me) should take better care about what they are signing themselves into I still think it’s not as simple as that which brings me to my first point.

Enforce TOS from the start

Maybe many of you are like me. You skipped reading TOS and you got a game a bit later when the team decided to stop enforcing mandatory PSN accounts. 

And now you are 100 hours or more in the game and this bomb drops on your head and leaves you stuck. 

You are way past the point of being able to refund the game and you do not want to make a PSN account that you will never use because you have no intention of buying PlayStation. 

What does that mean? That you will lose all access to the product you paid money for.

So my point is this. They should have enforced TOS from the start so 90% of us who don’t read TOS and missed the sticker on the Steam Page can refund the game.

Your information is not safe with Sony

Part of the propaganda on why this is being done is “to ensure your safety and security”

Is that so?

Did you see that message above Being spammed on Discord? 

It’s all true. Sony is notoriously bad at protecting your data.

What makes this even worse is that in some countries they require you to upload a picture of your official government ID or do a facial scan.

I sure as hell don’t want a corporation like this to have any of that data.

And for those people making an argument that everyone sells your data, you are right. 

To that, I have to say this tho. If you are going to rob me, at least have the decency to do it behind my back during the cover of the night. 

Don’t stand in front of me and steal my shit while telling me it’s for my security and safety. 

That just rubs me in all the wrong ways.

There is no option to make a PSN account in some countries

Helldivers 2 Countries without PSN access

Yeah just look at that list.

There have been plenty of players asking what will happen to their game because they don’t even have the option to create a PSN account in their countries.

Well, even ArrowHead doesn’t know. Apparently, they are working it out with Sony.

Super reassuring guys.

I saw some smarty pants telling people to lie about their home Country or use a VPN.

The problem with that is if it’s ever detected you did that it will result in an instant perma-ban.

In my opinion, these people should get auto-refunded from Steam regardless of their playtime.

Final point

With all of that said here is my personal reason I don’t want to do it.

The reason this is being done is because the game got popular and now some Dickhead Suit in Sony can show the investors their new influx of new PSN accounts.

And my dudes and dudettes I honestly don’t want to spend a millisecond of my time to accommodate something like that. 

Helldivers 2 is fun but there are other games.

And trust me if on the day this gets implemented, if all other Helldivers say goodbye and Cya never, on the next day we would get a transmission of apology from both Arrowhead and Sony. 

Magically this would no longer be mandatory and they would find a way to take care of your “security and safety” some other way

Until then farewell Super Earth, it’s been fun.

The Best Stratagems in Helldivers 2 (+ input codes)

The Best Stratagems in Helldivers 2 (+ input codes)

Welcome to my guide on the best Helldivers 2 stratagems. Why would you need such a list, you might ask. Simple: there are 50+ stratagems and only 4 stratagem slots (if you’re lucky) for every mission. So, you have to adapt and choose the right ones to avoid killing your fellow Helldivers and complete as many objectives as possible. 

While 100+ hours might not sound like a lot to most of you, for me that’s practically part-time employment! I’m almost level 60 and while I haven’t tried every single stratagem (some sound like an awful time), I have tried to identify the best ones.

Helldivers 2 stratagems tier list

Here’s my TL;DR tier list of the best Helldivers 2 stratagems. Explanations for the choices are provided below. Use this template to share your own tier list and link it in the comments below. I’d love to see what your favorites are. 

Best Helldivers 2 stratagems tier liest

S-tier stratagems

In my opinion, S-tiers are all-around great stratagems that either one-shot titan-type enemies or lend themselves incredibly well to multiple play styles.

S-tier helldivers 2 stratagems

 

  • Autocannon Helldivers 2 stratagem AC-8 Autocannon: S-tier against automatons. Can’t pierce heavy armor.
  • Flamethrower Helldivers 2 stratagem FLAM-40 Flamethrower: S-tier against terminids. Sucks against automatons. 
  • Shield generator pack Helldivers 2 SH-32 Shield Generator Pack: reliable protection against both enemy types, especially if you don’t like using medium or heavy armor. 
  • Eagle 500KG bomb Helldivers 2 stratagem Eagle 500kg Bomb: a bit of a personal choice, although it’s probably an A or B tier. The reason for giving it an S-tier, is the huge damage, 2 charges, and very low cooldown. 
  • Orbital railcannon strike Orbital Rail Cannon Strike: excellent for quickly taking down larger enemies like Chargers, Hulks, or tanks.
  • Orbital laser stratagem Orbital laser: best offensive stratagem for wiping out automaton bases, swarms, and nests.

A-tier stratagems:

These types of Helldivers 2 stratagems are powerful, or very useful, but may come with drawbacks like limited charges, long cooldowns, or lower effectiveness against certain enemy types, etc.

A-tier helldivers 2 stratagems

 

  • Anti-material riffle Helldivers 2 stratagem APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle: the best early-game weapon for taking down large enemies. Great for shooting through a heavy bot’s eyes.  
  • Arc thrower stratagem ARC-3 Arc Thrower: Infinite ammo, shots chain between mobs, and has the ability to take down heavy enemies in 6-10 shots.
  • Expandable antitank stratagem EAT-17 Expendable Anti-tank: excellent anti-heavy armor weapon with super low cooldown. Dosent use a backpack sloth and you get 2 per drop.
  • Grenade launcher Helldivers 2 stratagem GL-21 Grenade Launcher: great for plugging holes, clearing groups, and dealing with bile spewers.
  • Quasar canon Helldivers Quasar cannon: the best weapon for taking down automaton ships and blasting big terminid enemies, infinite ammo, doesn’t require a backpack. Wolf stopped me from giving it S-tier 🙂 
  • Recoilless Riffle Helldivers 2 stratagem GR-8 Recoilless Rifle: couldn’t put it down when I unlocked it. Incredibly powerful against large enemies, but reload time is punishing.  
  • EMS mortar sentry stratagem A/M-23 EMS Mortar Sentry: a much better option to the orbital/eagle EMS strike. Keeps enemies stunned and in place.
  • Mortar sentry Helldivers 2 stratagem A/M-12 Mortar Sentry: hands-down the most powerful sentry in the game. Doesn’t require line of sight, but will kill your teammates without hesitating. 
  • Autocannon sentry stratagem A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry: great for short eradicate or defense missions. Good for taking down bigger targets like bile titans.
  • Eagle airstrike offensive stratagem Eagle airstrike: available right from the start and incredibly versatile. 
  • Eagle cluster bomb Helldivers 2 stratagem Eagle cluster bomb: love it because it has 5 recharges and good damage.
  • Napalm strike stratagem Eagle Napalm Airstrikeblows up everything and burns after impact, making it excellent against bugs.
  • Orbital airburst strike Orbital Airburst Strike: great against bug breaches. Strikes 3 times in a circle.

    B-tier stratagems:

    These are strong, fun, and overall powerful stratagems that are quite situational, or need a more complicated setup for maximum impact.

     

    • Guard dog laser Helldivers 2 stratagem AX/LAS-5 “Guard Dog” Rover: S-tier when it’s not shooting you in the head. Only recommended against terminids. 
    • Ballistich shield pack SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack: very good against automatons, especially destroyers. Requires a specific setup for maximum impact.
    • Supply pack stratagem B-1 Supply Pack: useful when playing in four-man parties or paired with machine guns and grenade launchers. 
    • exosuit helldivers 2 stratagems EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit: I strongly recommend this for eradicate, search & destroy, or egg missions (terminids). Not a good choice against automatons.
    • Jump pack Helldivers 2 LIFT-850 Jump Pack: I use it often in my playstyle because it’s fun, and because it gives me higher mobility while fighting bugs. 
    • Laser canon LAS-98 Laser Cannon: for me, it has lost its purpose since the quasar cannon came out. It also requires you to mostly stay still, which we all know is hard to do in Helldivers. 
    • Stalwart stratagem M-105 Stalwart: the lighter version of the machine gun, with better load time. Combos well with the supply pack.
    • Tesla tower Helldivers 2 stratagem A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower: incredibly powerful against terminids, but can easily kill allies. 
    • Shield generator relay stratagem FX-12 Shield Generator Relay: good protection, lends itself well to automaton extermination and personnel rescue missions. Useless against bugs.
    • Eagle smoke strike stratagem Eagle Smoke Strike: excellent for stealth play.
    • Orbital smoke strike Orbital Smoke Strike: another option for stealth play. Better against Robots because it breaks line of sight.
    • Orbital gas strike Orbital Gas Strike: very powerful against terminids. Not good against robots.
    • Orbital walking barrage Orbital Walking Barrage: similar to the 380mm but throws salvos in front of you. Powerful if positioned correctly.

    C-tier stratagems:

    C-tier stratagems are a MEH at best for me. I rarely ever use them, simply because there are better options in the game:

    C-tier Helldivers 2 stratagems

     

    • Machine gun Helldivers 2 stratagem MG-43 Machine Gun: Stalwart is a much better choice because it’s faster to aim and move with. Standing still is not really an option in this game.
    • Mg206 stratagem MG-206 Machine Gunquite powerful and combos well with the supply back. Doesn’t have a crosshair in third-person.
    • Guard dog machine gun AX/AR-23 “Guard Dog”: the AX/LAS-5 “Guard Dog” Rover is simply better. This one has less ammo, so it needs to recharge. It’s also more adapt at killing teammates. 
    • Railgun Helldivers RS-422 Railgun: this was one of the best weapons before the nerf. Now it’s a jack of all trades, master of none.
    • Spear Helldivers 2 stratagem FAF-14 SPEAR Launcher: probably gonna be A- or S-tier when they fix targeting. For now avoid it.
    • Anti-personel mines MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield: I have a theory that enemies are programmed to avoid these mines as soon as you place them down and your buddies are programmed to step on them.
    • Incendiary mines MD-I4 Incendiary Mines: same as anti-personnel minefield. 
    • Gattling sentry A/G-16 Gatling Sentry: better than the machine gun sentry. Not effective against armored enemies. Unreliable and ends up shooting allies chaotically.
    • Rocket sentry Helldivers 2 stratagem A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry: I like this sentry but it’s very unreliable and usually ends up killing your teammates. 
    • Eagle staffing run stratagem Eagle Strafing Run: Pops intently and has a predictable path. Not that destructive though.
    • Eagle 110mm rocket pods Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods: a decent quick-fire eagle strike available at lower levels. There are more powerful options available later.
    • Orbital EMS strike Helldivers 2 stratagem Orbital EMS Strike: this is a very underrated stratagem, but the fact that it requires comboing and coordination is the reason I gave it a C-tier. Works like a charm when you pair it with a 500KG. Suitable for hit-and-run tactics.
    • Orbital gattling barrage Orbital Gatling Barrage: the only reason this isn’t a D-tier is because it unlocks at level 2.

    D-tier stratagems:

    These are the stratagems that I would never choose unless someone pointed a gun at my head because they simply suck. 

    D-tier Helldivers 2 stratagems

     

    • HMG emplacement stratagem E/MG-101 HMG Emplacement: yes, it’s powerful & fun, but who’s going to stand still? 
    • Machine gun sentry Helldivers 2 A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentryobjectively the weakest sentry.
    • Orbital 120mm barrage Orbital 120mm HE Barrage: just no.
    • Orbital 380 HE barrage Orbital 380 HE barrage: I’ve never seen someone fire this without killing a teammate. Super slow and hits completely randomly.
    • Orbital precision strike Helldivers 2 stratagem Orbital Precision Strike: most unreliable Helldivers 2 stratagem.

    Helldivers 2 stratagems codes (cheat sheet)

    Stratagems are a major part of how you play. They’ll eventually become like second nature. Until then, use this cheat sheet. I’ve organized the codes into four major sections:

      • Offensive stratagems: enable the use of heavy ordnance, firebombs, and airstrikes.
      • Defensive stratagems: provide turrets, towers, shields, and mines to defend against enemies.
      • Supply stratagems: deliver defensive drones, utility packs, ammo, and heavy weapons.
      • Mission stratagems: become available while you are close to a relevant objective.

    Here are the input codes and most important details for all the Helldivers 2 stratagems:

    Since mission stratagems are very situational, I’ll just list them in a separate table:

    These are all the Helldivers 2 stratagem codes. If new stratagems become available, they will be added to the tables and highlighted for quick access.  

    Orbital strikes | Offensive
    Orbital strikes | Offensive
    Orbital strikes | Offensive
    Orbital strikes | Offensive
    Stratagem
    Input code
    Cooldown
    Uses

    Orbital Gatling Barrage
    → ↓ ← ↑ ↑
    80s
    Unlimited

    Orbital Airburst Strike
    → → →
    120s
    Unlimited

    Orbital 120MM HE Barrage
    → → ↓ ← → ↓
    240s
    Unlimited

    Orbital 380MM HE Barrage
    → ↓ ↑ ↑ ← ↓ ↓
    240s
    Unlimited

    Orbital Walking Barrage
    → ↓ → ↓ → ↓
    240s
    Unlimited

    Orbital Laser
    → ↓ ↑ → ↓
    240s
    3

    Orbital Rail Cannon Strike
    → ↑ ↓ ↓ →
    300s
    Unlimited

    Orbital Precision Strike
    → → ↑
    210s
    Unlimited

    Orbital Gas Strike
    → → ↓ →
    100s
    Unlimited
    Orbital EMS Strike
    → → ← ↓
    75s
    Unlimited
    Orbital Smoke Strike
    → → ↓ ↑
    75s
    Unlimited
    Eagle strikes | Offensive
    Eagle strikes | Offensive
    Eagle strikes | Offensive
    Eagle strikes | Offensive
    Stratagem
    Input code
    Cooldown
    Uses

    Eagle Strafing Run
    ↑ → →
    8s
    3

    Eagle Airstrike
    ↑ → ↓ →
    8s
    2

    Eagle Cluster Bomb
    ↑ → ↓ ↓ →
    8s
    4

    Eagle Napalm Airstrike
    ↑ → ↓ ↑
    8s
    2

    Eagle Smoke Strike
    ↑ → ↑ ↓
    8s
    2
    Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods
    ↑ → ↑ ←
    8s
    2
    Eagle 500kg Bomb
    ↑ → ↓ ↓ ↓
    8s
    1
    Backpacks | Supply Stratagems
    Backpacks | Supply Stratagems
    Backpacks | Supply Stratagems
    Backpacks | Supply Stratagems
    Stratagem
    Input code
    Cooldown
    Uses

    LIFT-850 Jump Pack
    ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
    480s
    Unlimited

    B-1 Supply Pack
    ↓ ← ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓
    480s
    Unlimited

    AX/LAS-5 "Guard Dog" Rover
    ↓ ↑ ← ↑ → →
    480s
    Unlimited

    SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack
    ↓ ← ↓ ↓ ↑ ←
    300s
    Unlimited
    SH-32 Shield Generator Pack
    ↓ ↑ ← → ← →
    480s
    Unlimited
    AX/AR-23 "Guard Dog"
    ↓ ↑ ← ↑ → ↓
    300s
    Unlimited
    Weapons | Supply Stratagems
    Weapons | Supply Stratagems
    Weapons | Supply Stratagems
    Weapons | Supply Stratagems
    Stratagem
    Input code
    Cooldown
    Uses

    MG-43 Machine Gun
    ↓ ← ↓ ↑ →
    480s
    Unlimited

    APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle
    ↓ ← → ↑ ↓
    480s
    Unlimited

    M-105 Stalwart
    ↓ ← ↓ ↑ ↑ ←
    480s
    Unlimited

    EAT-17 Expendable Anti-tank
    ↓ ↓ ← ↑ →
    70s
    Unlimited

    GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
    ↓ ← → → ←
    480s
    Unlimited

    FLAM-40 Flamethrower
    ↓ ← ↑ ↓ ↑
    480s
    Unlimited

    AC-8 Autocannon
    ↓ ← ↓ ↑ ↑ →
    480s
    Unlimited

    MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun
    ↓ ← ↓ ↓
    480s
    Unlimited

    RS-422 Railgun
    ↓ → ← ↓ ↑ ← →
    480s
    Unlimited

    FAF-14 SPEAR Launcher
    ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓
    480s
    Unlimited

    GL-21 Grenade Launcher
    ↓ ← ↑ ← ↓
    480s
    Unlimited

    LAS-98 Laser Cannon
    ↓ ← ↓ ↑ ←
    480s
    Unlimited

    ARC-3 Arc Thrower
    ↓ → ↓ ↑ ← ←
    480s
    Unlimited
    LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
    ↓ ↑ ↑ ← ↓ →
    480s
    Unlimited
    EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit
    ← ↓ → ↑ ← ↓ ↓
    600s
    2
    Defensive stratagems
    Defensive stratagems
    Defensive stratagems
    Defensive stratagems
    Stratagem
    Input code
    Cooldown
    Uses

    E/MG-101 HMG Emplacement
    ↓ ↑ ← → → ←
    180s
    Unlimited

    FX-12 Shield Generator Relay
    ↓ ↓ ← → ← →
    90s
    Unlimited

    A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower
    ↓ ↑ → ↑ ← →
    150s
    Unlimited

    MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield
    ↓ ← ↑ →
    180s
    Unlimited

    MD-I4 Incendiary Mines
    ↓ ← ← ↓
    180s
    Unlimited

    A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry
    ↓ ↑ → → ↑
    180s
    Unlimited

    A/G-16 Gatling Sentry
    ↓ ↑ → ←
    180s
    Unlimited

    A/M-12 Mortar Sentry
    ↓ ↑ → → ↓
    180s
    Unlimited

    A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry
    ↓ ↑ → ↑ ← ↑
    180s
    Unlimited
    A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry
    ↓ ↑ → → ←
    180s
    Unlimited
    A/M-23 EMS Mortar Sentry
    ↓ ↑ → ↓ →
    180s
    Unlimited
    Mission stratagems
    Mission stratagems
    Mission stratagems
    Stratagem
    Input code
    Cooldown
    Reinforce
    ↓ ↑ → ← ↑
    120s
    SOS Beacon
    ↓ ↑ → ↑
    N/A
    Resupply
    ↓ ↓ ↑ →
    160s
    Hellbomb
    ↓ ↑ ← ↓ ↑ → ↓ ↑
    N/A
    SSD Delivery
    ↓ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↑
    N/A
    Seismic Probe
    ↑ ↑ ← → ↓ ↓
    N/A
    Upload Data
    ← → ↑ ↑ ↑
    N/A
    Eagle Rearm
    ↑ ↑ ← ↑ →
    120s
    SEAF Artillery
    → ↑ ↑ ↓
    N/A
    Super Earth Flag
    ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑
    N/A

    Wrapping up

    Thanks for sticking through this rundown of the best Helldivers 2 stratagems. As with any article of this type, these are my PERSONAL opinions. If you don’t agree with them, feel free to let me know in the comments. Also, I hope you find the stratagems useful. I was using cheat sheets a lot when the game was still buggy and my UI kept disappearing completely. 

    If you have any feedback or an insanely powerful combo you’d like to share, I’d love to know about it. I love the fact that Helldivers keeps every mission fresh by giving players so many tools for diversifying their game style. 

    I strongly advise you to try out all the Helldivers stratagems, pair them with different armors and weapons, and tailor your loadout to match every mission scenario.