Join The Community
The best Helldivers 2 secondary weapons are the punchy sidearms that fill a niche your primary weapon can't, but there are a lot of options. Covering traditional pistols, exotic secondaries, and even melee weapons in the form of swords and beating implements, there are lots of different routes you could down with your secondary slot in Helldivers 2. While many of these will do in a pinch, there are some that standout above the rest and are well worth taking on almost every mission. So, here are the best secondary weapons in Helldivers 2 for all factions based on our time playing.
UPDATED MAY 7, 2026 - We've added the Missile Pistol from the Exo Experts Warbond to our tier list of secondary weapons, and it's a pretty solid sidearm, particularly against the bots!
Best Helldivers 2 secondary weapons
There isn't a clear winner when it comes to the best secondary, as all the good ones also tend to have a noticeable drawback or two to keep them in check – for example, the Grenade Pistol and Ultimatum have very limited ammo. But that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of great options for your loadout, whether you want a trusty sidearm that can take you through any mission or something that can help you kill specific enemy types. Here are the best options:
- Senator (Helldivers 2 Steeled Veterans)
- Grenade Pistol (Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation)
- Crisper (Helldivers 2 Freedom's Flame)
- Loyalist (Helldivers 2 Truth Enforcers)
- Ultimatum (Helldivers 2 Servants of Freedom)
- Talon (Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice)
- Missile Pistol (Helldivers 2 Exo Experts)
Some of the above secondaries are contained within some of the best Helldivers 2 Warbonds, so you should get several other useful things as well as a good sidearm as you unlock all the rewards. Most importantly, you'll get a few of the best Helldivers 2 primary weapons, which can be nicely supported by your secondary weapon and all the other components that come together to form your loadout.
Helldivers 2 pistol secondary tier list
If you want to know more about how every sidearm works and how they perform against the three Helldivers 2 factions, you'll find some pointers in the tier list below.
- S-Tier: Excellent secondaries that can be considered essential against a specific faction.
- A-Tier: Great secondary weapons have some noticeable limitations.
- B-Tier: Good secondary weapons that can be useful in the right situation.
- C-Tier: Average sidearms and melee weapons that do the bare minimum.
- D-Tier: Secondaries that you should avoid bringing in your hellpod.
Weapon | Tier rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Bushwhacker | Terminids: B | This triple-barrel shotgun sidearm is like pocket Punisher in terms of power, but it can also fire one or all of its barrels. It's great up close, but its light armor penetration means it can't take on many of the toughest enemies. |
Crisper | Terminids: S | This short range, pistol-style flamethrower secondary is great if you don't want to fully commit to fire weaponry. Useful to pull out if you're in a close range huddle of soft targets like bugs and Voteless. |
Dagger | Terminids: C | A pocket version of the Scythe that's only really effective against weak enemies and can quickly ignite or finish off mid-tier enemies. Also benefits from the theoretically infinite ammo of laser weaponry if you can manage its heat build-up. |
Grenade Pistol | Terminids: S | This pistol fires a single grenade that's great for firing into groups of enemies to thin them out. It's also fantastic for destroying bug nests, bot fabricators, and squid warp ships, making it a versatile sidearm that's perfect for almost any mission, but its ammo is very limited. |
Loyalist | Terminids: A Automatons: S | Like having a pocket Purifier on you, the Loyalist is good to bring if you want some explosive plasma power to make up for your primary weapon or grenade. |
Missile Pistol | Terminids: B | The Missile Pistol is a solid sidearm capable of taking down very tough targets thanks to its high-damage and guided missiles, but ammo is very limited. It's especially good against the Automatons since it can easily shoot down Gunships and dent larger targets, also making it a solid alternative to the Grenade Pistol. |
Peacemaker | Terminids: C | An easy-to-use, bog-standard pistol that's fine for when you're starting out, but you should fill your secondary slot with any other sidearm as soon as possible. |
Redeemer | Terminids: B | A fast-firing machine pistol that chews up ammo, but also weaker enemies at close range. You can reliably draw it quickly and unload an entire magazine to help you get out of a sticky situation (within reason). |
Re-Educator | Terminids: D | A suppressed dart gun that applies gas damage and the confusion effect to the enemy it hits. It can be useful for temporarily confusing a small number of enemies, letting you sneak past, but I don't think it's worth giving up your secondary slot for this. |
Senator | Terminids: B | A revolver that can dent the most robust enemies thanks to heavy armor penetration, but has a small capacity and takes a while to fully reload. Overall, it's a very solid option if you've got good aim. |
SOCOM Pistol | Terminids: C | The ODST suppressed magnum pistol is a good choice for stealthier builds, but it's let down by weak armor penetration despite its decent damage output. |
Stim pistol | Terminids: D | While it's nice to live out the medic fantasy, there are other ways to help out your team when it comes to healing and it's not worth giving up your secondary slot for this tool, which isn't worth using at all in its current state. |
Talon | Terminids: B | The Talon is essentially an energy version of the Senator with great accuracy and solid damage, but the heatsink prevents you from spamming shots. But if you pace yourself, it’s good for picking off targets at all sorts of ranges and makes for a reliable sidearm. |
Ultimatum | Terminids: S | A small grenade launcher that fires an incredibly powerful explosive, but with poor range and very limited ammo. Aiming upwards to compensate for the projectile's drop is essential to avoid blowing yourself up, but the Ultimatum is worth mastering as it can vaporize most enemies and even certain enemy structures. |
Verdict | Terminids: B | A high-caliber pistol with medium armor penetration and good damage. Might be preferable to the Senator if you're after a more conventional pistol setup and a larger magazine. |
Veto | Terminids: C | Added as part of the Helldivers 2 Entrenched Division Warbond, the Veto is a thematically cool sidearm but isn't all that effective. Like the Senator and Verdict, the Veto has medium-armor-penetrating rounds but deals less damage per shot than both, and has an unconventional Autocannon-style reload to work around. There are plenty of better options. |
Warrant | Terminids: C | The Warrant is a premium Superstore weapon that's pretty punchy with medium armor penetration and the fun (but also a bit finnicky) gimmick of having guided rounds - it's essentially the Titanfall Smart Pistol, if you've played that. |
Helldivers 2 melee weapon secondary tier list
I'll be honest, melee weapons in Helldivers 2 still aren't really worth using. Some of there are certainly not unusable, but the issue with them is that you have to really invest with the right armor and loadout gear to make a melee weapon effective.
Weapon | Tier rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Combat Hatchet | Terminids: D | A rather unremarkable melee weapon that can deal decent damage and has a fast attack speed but has a short range and just isn't that useful. |
Entrenchment Tool | Terminids: D | The Entrenchment Tool is only worth packing in your secondary slot if you want to use its gimmicky digging ability to create trenches. It will rarely come in handy given how often you need to move in Helldivers 2, but the option is nice. |
Machete | Terminids: C | The Machete deals very high damage for a melee weapon but has a slow attack speed. Using it effectively comes down to waiting for an opening and attacking at the right time rather than spamming attacks. |
Saber | Terminids: D | A swift melee weapon that's similar to the Combat Hatchet but deals a little more damage. It can easily cut down weak foes with finesse but leaves you quite vulnerable to getting hit in retaliation due to its short reach. Overall, it's not really worth using. |
Stun Baton | Terminids: D | A melee cattle prod that hits faster but has a shorter reach than the Stun Lance. Not great when you look at other options. |
Stun Lance | Terminids: C | The Stun Lance deals decent damage for a melee weapon, and certainly packs a punch when fighting against hordes. Its fast attack speed also makes it great for destroying Illuminate shields. |
© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission
