The Helldivers 2 Terminids are a faction of swarming insect-like creatures that range from little biting critters, to monstrous behemoths that can trample you to death. When you and your squad are facing them, expect overwhelmingly massive hordes with gnashing melee attacks and corrosive bile.
While, their relatively simple-minded melee rush strategies mean they're relatively simple to fight in Helldivers 2, but they should never be underestimated. Success against the bugs hinges on you bringing the best weapons and Stratagems, especially ones that can set them on fire, and knowing their weaknesses and how to exploit them.
If you want to learn about the entire bug bestiary, check out our Helldivers 2 enemies list. Otherwise, you'll find our general advice for beating the Terminids below.
Best weapons for Terminids in Helldivers
The Terminids' speed, focus on melee combat, and sheer numbers mean not all of the best Helldivers 2 weapons and Stratagems are good choices for fighting them.
However, their vulnerability to fire is a key thing to bear in mind when choosing your gear before a mission starts. We've laid out one of the best Helldivers 2 loadouts for killing Terminids in the linked guide, but if you want some good options for the whole team and a variety of situations, here's a list of the best weapons and Stratagems for exterminating Terminids in Helldivers 2:
- Loadout weapons: The Terminids are fast and excel when fighting up close, so you'll want to match them with punchy, short-range weapons. Any that also deal fire damage are great options!
- Sickle energy weapons from the Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge Warbond.
- Breaker shotgun and Incendiary Breaker from the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond.
- Cookout shotgun from the Helldivers 2 Freedom's Flame Warbond.
- Gas Grenades from the Helldivers 2 Chemical Agents Warbond.
- Support Weapons: Fire can deal with almost everything the bugs throw at you, but heavier firepower helps a lot when attempting to bring down the biggest bugs quickly before they become a problem.
- Flamethrower: The Flamethrower is a natural choice since it can scorch swarms and even tear through the more armored bugs. It's a great general-purpose bug barbecue-er.
- Quasar Cannon: For some heavier firepower, the Quasar Cannon is a good fit against the bugs, especially when targeting weak points. To top of it off, you can even use it to close nest holes and destroy Spore Spewers.
- Autocannon: The Autocannon's rapid-fire, explosive power and range means it excels at blasting bug structures and small patrol groups from a distance.
- Expendable Anti-Tank: If you need to quickly dispose of some bigger bugs, calling in some Expendable Anti-Tanks is an effective option, letting you have the power of the Recoilless Rifle without having to commit to carrying the rocket backpack or the long reload times.
- Stratagems: You'll also need a couple of Offensive Stratagems in your loadout that you can call upon to deal with big bugs and massive swarms in a pinch, and these are good options:
- Orbital Laser: Great for annihilating a mix of big and small bugs in a large area.
- Orbital Gas Strike: Stuns and damages bugs caught in the gas cloud, making it great for neutralizing a swarm.
- Eagle 500kg Bomb: Similar to the laser, the big bomb can destroy swarms and monstrous Terminids, and is good for destroying structures of all kinds.
- Eagle Napalm Strike: Burn up swarms in a massive area and for a long time. Just make sure you don't also incinerate your teammates.
Helldivers 2 Terminid weaknesses and tips
The Terminids are generally are considered to be the easiest of the game's three factions to fight, but that's very relative - they're not actually easy, it's just that the Helldivers 2 Illuminate and Automatons are considered even nastier for unprepared players. Bugs are largely more predictable as enemies, but their focus on numbers means that even experienced players won't dare let their guard down.
As well as being well-armed with the right bug-killing gear, you should also make sure you know the basics of how they attack and how you can beat them with these general tips:
- Staying mobile is crucial when fighting the Terminids as moving too slowly or trying to defend a single spot means you become easy prey when they eventually catch up to you.
- If you see a bug creating a cloud of orange mist, kill it immediately! It's summoning a Bug Breach, temporarily spawning Terminids from the ground. If you can kill it quickly, you can cancel the Breach - but you have to be incredibly fast.
- As mentioned, the bugs are vulnerable to fire, even the more heavily armored ones. Any incendiary weapon will be well-applied here.
- Cover won't help much with melee attackers, but higher ground can limit the number of Bugs that can reach you, or at least slow them down.
- At medium difficulty or higher, you'll want any of the Helldivers 2 armor penetrating weapons to hand, as Helldivers 2 Chargers will start to appear, with most of their bodies covered by thick plating that protects them from conventional attacks. Later on, enemies like the Bile Titans will make this even more necessary.
- The Terminids' focus on melee attacks mean that they're fairly predictable and easy to "kite", allowing you to lead them around the battlefield into danger zones and your own Stratagems.
- Terminid bile is lethal and you need to be ready to dodge any bugs that spew it. Large, green Bile Spewers and Helldivers 2 Bile Titans are the main can culprits, so be ready to dive to the side at the last second when you see them open their mouths to spew - do not dive back or forward! Otherwise, the bugs don't have much else in the way of ranged attacks, with the only other notable projectile being the acid mortar attacks that Helldivers 2 Bile Spewers can unleash at higher difficulties.
If you're still struggling to get to grips with the Galactic War, take a look at our Helldivers 2 beginner's guide and Helldivers 2 tips!
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