How to kill a Helldivers 2 Dragonroach

The Helldivers 2 Dragonroach is a new terrifying Terminid enemy that rains acid fire from the skies, but thankfully they're quite rare at the moment. You'll only find these winged monstrosities on Terminid hive worlds and at higher difficulties, and they're quite devastating, capable of incinerating Helldivers at worst and being a huge pest at best.

Since Dragonraoches are rare enough in Helldivers 2 that it's not worth building your entire loadout around them, but inconvenient enough that they should be dealt with as swiftly as possible, coming prepared with some useful gear and the knowledge of their weaknesses will make a big difference. Below, we've assembled everything you need to know about Terminid Dragonroaches in Helldivers 2, including their attacks, weaknesses, and the best weapons to use against them.

Helldivers 2 Dragonroach overview

The Dragonroach is a new enemy introduced as part of the Helldivers 2 Into the Unjust update, and you can find them on Terminid hive worlds at Hard difficulty and above. Overall, they're major threats and massive nuisances, essentially combining the armor and firepower of a Bile Titan with the aerial annoyances of Helldivers 2 Shriekers.

Dragonroaches attack unpredictably, swooping down with little to no warning to spew acid fire onto any Helldivers in large, open areas. Importantly, this includes objective areas within cave systems, so always keep an eye on the sky and be ready to seek safety in a cave – the word "safety" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there as you'll have to contend with all the burrowing bugs instead.

This acid fire also seems a little less deadly than getting a face full of Helldivers 2 Bile Titan vomit, but it is still very strong and lingers like other incendiary effects in the game. If you notice a Dragonroach approaching, get ready to dive out the way. Thankfully, the acid fire is their only real offensive option, so you don't have to watch out for any melee attacks from their massive claws.

Helldivers 2 Dragonroach weaknesses, tips, and best weapons to use

Killing a Dragonroach in Helldivers 2 is surprisingly tricky because of how much they move. They flying quickly and are rarely that immobile making weak spots very difficult to hit, but here are some tips to bear in mind when trying to bring them down:

• Their wings are the easiest weakspot to hit: Dragonroaches appear to have the same weak spots as Bile Titans – their large, green abdomens and their tiny heads – but are otherwise heavily armored, save for their wings. Even light armor penetrating weapons can deal damage to them, so a good approach to bringing a Dragonroach down is to shred its wings until it falls out the sky dead with whatever you've got.
• Flak is your friend: Flak weapons like the Autocannon and Airburst Launcher are particularly good at ripping through the relatively fragile wings of a Dragonroach. Because of how mobile they are, volume fire is generally a better approach to killing a Dragonroach rather than trying to deliver two or three powerful blows. Just be prepared to lead your shots!
• Dragonroaches can eventually back off when attacked: Unlike the Stingray Illuminate ship, Dragonroaches can perform multiple strafing runs and fly around the same area for quite a long time. Damaging them with whatever you've got can be enough to keep them at bay, preventing them from breathing acid fire or even temporarily shooing them away.
• Use orbital barrage stratagems to block their airspace: Obviously, bear in mind that orbital napalm or 380mm HE barrages will block you and your fellow Helldivers off as well as any Dragonroaches, so this is more of last resort to buy your team some breathing space.

Dragonroaches aren't even the biggest bug threat as that honor goes to the gigantic Helldivers 2 Hive Lord, but there are plenty of other Helldivers 2 Terminids to watch out for.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.