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All new enemies in Helldivers 2

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The new update for Helldivers 2 features the Impaler, Rocket Tank and more

Helldivers 2 Impaler
(Image credit: Sony)
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Helldivers 2's new enemies include the Impaler, Spore Charger, Terminid Alpha Commander and a Rocket Tank, all added as part of the most recent update. You'll need some new strategies to deal with some of these, especially the Impaler itself, which is heavily armored but leaves itself vulnerable at key moments that need to be exploited to best effect.

Basically, there's a lot going on in the Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom update. We'll go through everything you need to know about them in our guide to all the new enemies in Helldivers 2 below, as well as how to bring them down.

All new enemies in Helldivers 2

A player shoots at an Impaler in Helldivers 2

(Image credit: Sony)

These are all the new enemies that have been added as part Helldiver's new update, Escalation of Freedom.

  • BUGS 
    • Impaler
    • Spore Charger
    • Terminid Alpha Commander
  • BOTS
    • Rocket Tank
    • Rocket Scout Strider

There's also been some unspecified allusion from Sony and developer Arrowhead to there also being some "other bot surprises", but it's not clear what they'll be or even if they're new additions to the Helldivers 2 enemies list at all - perhaps just new weapons or defences for the already-established Automaton enemies to use against the Helldivers.

Below we'll go through each of the enemies in turn, so players feel prepared for them when they appear in the new update.

Impaler

A Helldivers 2 Impaler rises from the ground, formed of three spiked tentacles

(Image credit: Sony)

The Terminid Impaler is a returning enemy from the first Helldivers game, a series of spiked tentacles that rise up from the ground and attempt to stab nearby players. We've already got a guide on Helldivers 2 Impalers and how to beat them here, but if you want a less detailed version of that info: all Impalers have a large, armored body from which the tentacles originate, and when those tentacles are deployed, it leaves the face vulnerable and uncovered - your chance to do serious damage to it.

Spore Charger

A Spore Charger in Helldivers 2 stands in a cloud of yellow fog

(Image credit: Sony)

The Spore Charger is a new variant of the classic Helldivers 2 Chargers. If getting run over by an insectoid rhinoceros wasn't bad enough before, these new versions produce a cloud of fog that makes it hard to see them until they're in very close range. The best approach to these menaces are flamethrowers, which are designed for close-range and low accuracy. It also means that the incendiary-themed Helldivers 2 Freedom's Flame Warbond will do a lot to help players out.

Terminid Alpha Commander

A Terminid Alpha Commander in Helldivers 2 waits on a rock precipice

(Image credit: Sony)

The Terminid Alpha Commander is another variant of an existing enemy. The standard Brood Commander in Helldivers 2 is a big bug that can survive for short periods without a head and summon Warriors to immediately assist. The Alpha Commander is a "supercharged" version of that - bigger, meaner and quicker to call in other bugs for backup. These are best fought with straightforward heavy weapons - they don't really have a gimmick like the Impaler, so just blow them to kingdom come as fast as possible. At higher difficulties, these Alphas entirely replace the regular Commanders, making the bugs a bit tougher to deal with.

Barrager Tank

The Rocket Tank in Helldivers 2 waits on a snowdrift

(Image credit: Sony)

There are already a couple of variants of Helldivers 2 Tanks in game - the Shredder and Annihilator - but the Helldivers 2 Automatons now have a third variant on the field; the Rocket Tank, or Barrager. This one has a battery of missiles built-in that fire high, arcing shots - effectively turning it into a portable Mortar. 

Thankfully, you can take them down like any other Tank - with heavy, destructive firepower, like Orbital Stratagems and missile launchers, or careful targeting of the heat vent at the back, their glowing weak point.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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