Killing Helldivers 2 Chargers isn't always easy as these huge, heavily armored brutes constantly try to trample players. They're a major threat for Helldiver cadets who lack the best gear, and they show up in vast numbers at the highest difficulties, making them a serious problem for experienced Helldivers 2 players too. Surviving an encounter with one or several of them requires you to be light on your feet and to have a working understanding of the Helldivers 2 armor piercing attacks. If you're having trouble with them, I'll explain how to kill Chargers in Helldivers 2, with the best weapons to use and weak points to target laid out clearly.
Best ways to kill Helldivers 2 Chargers
There are actually several ways to kill a Helldivers 2 Charger quite quickly, but their heavy armor means you need specific Stratagems to do so. After a recent patch, the best way to kill a Charger is to fire one Recoilless Rifle or Expanedable Anti-Tank rocket at its head. Aim at its mouth, which is usually quite visible between its front legs and all the armor plating, and you should blow its head off, killing it instantly.
Alternatively, you can fire three or four charged and unsafe Railgun shots at its head to bring it down reasonably fast. Continuously torching it for several seconds with the Flamethrower can also bring a Charger down quite quickly. It's good against all Helldivers 2 Terminids and is surprisingly effective against Chargers since it can get past their armor, fitting nicely in one of the best Helldivers 2 builds for killing bugs.
As for Offensive Stratagems, the Orbital Railcannon Strike can kill a Charger in one shot, and well-placed Eagle 500kg Bombs or Orbital Precision Strikes can also obliterate them. If the bomb or similar Stratagems aren't quite enough to kill a Helldivers 2 Charger, it will almost certainly gouge a chunk out of their back carapace or front legs, exposing a weak point of orange flesh that you can focus on with just primary weapons.
If all of the specialist gear mentioned above is on cooldown or not even in your loadout, focus all your firepower on the Charger's unarmored abdomen section at the back. To do this, get the Charger to charge at you and dive to the side at the very last second so it runs past you, then shoot the exposed section at the back.
These big bugs still have a lot of health even when shooting that area, so you might need to get up and repeat this process a few times, depending on whether you have the best Helldivers 2 weapons equipped. Of course, it goes without saying that teams of Helldivers don't have to do the whole matador routine, as one character can lure the Charger while somebody else shoots it.
Here are some other facts about Chargers in Helldivers 2 that'll help you deal with them:
- You cannot outrun a Charger, especially in a straight line. Be aware of their surprisingly tight turning circle too.
- Once the weak spot at the back bursts, they'll start taking bleed damage and die within a minute - though continuing to shoot that spot will speed up the process.
- Shooting the armored sections with weapons that cannot penetrate the armor (looks for the shield deflection icon) won't hurt the Charger and cause ricochets that risk hitting everybody nearby - though that includes enemies.
- If they run headlong into a wall when charging, they'll be briefly stunned. See if you can bait them into doing so.
- Using Incendiary attacks on a weak spot can set them ablaze for long-term damage.
- If you see a Charger before it sees you, start the fight with armor-breaking attacks or any of the best Helldivers 2 Stratagems for cracking armor.
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