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How to use the Portable Hellbomb in Helldivers 2

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The Portable Hellbomb in Helldivers 2 is necessary to complete certain missions

A player carries a Portable Hellbomb in Helldivers 2
(Image credit: Sony)
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The Helldivers 2 Portable Hellbomb has become much more important now that certain operations and missions have become dependent on it, but players of Helldivers 2 are finding it confusing and more than a little dangerous to deal with, trying to arm heavy explosives while monster insects try to pull you to pieces. If you're struggling with the Portable Hellbomb or want to know how to get your own, I'll explain all the important details here in our guide to the most powerful player-controlled explosive in Helldivers 2.

How to arm and use the Helldivers 2 Portable Hellbomb

A player calls in a Portable Hellbomb Stratagem in Helldivers 2

(Image credit: Sony)

The Portable Hellbomb in Helldivers 2 is called down as a stratagem, and worn as a backpack until you're ready to arm it. The controls for this are as follows:

  • Arm / Activate
    • PlayStation or Xbox Controller: Double-tap Down on the D-Pad
    • PC Keybinding: 5
  • Drop
    • PlayStation or Xbox Controller: Hold Down on the D-Pad
    • PC Keybinding: Hold down X

Other players can also trigger it on your back for you, by walking up to you from behind and pressing X (on PlayStation or Xbox) or Spacebar.

Once triggered and armed, the Portable Hellbomb has a ten second fuse that cannot be cancelled. That means that once it's triggered, the best thing you can do is drop it immediately and run! The explosion is massive and does more damage than any other Stratagem or weapon in HD2, including the legendary 500KG Bomb. For example, if you're doing one of the Helldivers 2 GATER extraction missions, make sure you don't blow up the truck in the process!

How to get the Portable Hellbomb in Helldivers 2

A player arms and activates a Portable Hellbomb in Helldivers 2

(Image credit: Sony)

The B-100 Portable Hellbomb is given to players for free as part of very specific missions where it's required to succeed, such as the Helldivers 2 Spore Lung mission.

Beyond that, you can get it as part of the Servants of Freedom Warbond in Helldivers 2, found on Page 3. Once unlocked, it becomes a permanent Stratagem that you can select for any mission.

The Portable Hellbomb's power is such that players are beginning to use it in their battles against the Helldivers 2 Hive Lord, undeniably one of the deadliest foes that the game has to offer. To find out more about this monstrous foe, check out our guide to see if it's even worth attempting to kill it.

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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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