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Choosing a Helldivers 2 primary weapon isn't an easy choice, so our tier list explains how we think every main loadout weapon in the game fare against all three enemy factions based on our testing. Depending on how many Warbonds you've unlocked, you might have access to almost 50 primaries, so there's an abundance of choice. That's great as it means you could opt for a simple, general-purpose gun if you don't want to think too much about your loadout before every Helldivers 2 mission, or you might be after some of the best primaries for each faction for efficient purging in the name of Super Earth. Bearing all that in mind, our thoughts on the best primary weapons in Helldivers 2 will help you assemble your loadout.
UPDATED MAY 7, 2026 - We've added the Gallant SMG from the Exo Experts Warbond to our primary weapon tier list, ranking it against all enemy factions.
Best Helldivers 2 primary weapons
Currently, the best primary is arguably the PLAS-101 Purifier from the Helldivers 2 Polar Patriots Warbond. It works very well against all three enemy factions, has a charging mechanic that allows it to deal great damage, and medium armor penetration means it can harm all but the largest foes.
However, if you don't have the Purifier, there are plenty of other primary weapons that are effective against all factions thanks to their damage potential and versatile traits – some of them can be customized thanks to the Helldivers 2 weapon attachments system too:
- PLAS-1 Scorcher (Helldivers Mobilize)
- Eruptor and Exploding Crossbow (Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation)
- Double-Edge Sickle (Helldivers 2 Servants of Freedom)
- Coyote (Helldivers 2 Dust Devils)
- Double Freedom (Python Commandos Superstore page)
- Stoker (Helldivers 2 Entrenched Division)
- Sweeper (Entrenched Division Superstore page)
Remember that while choosing the right primary weapon for your Helldivers 2 loadouts is important, it's also just one item slot out of a possible 10, and there are plenty of other important choices to make. If you want to know where you can get some of the best gear, take a look at our Helldivers 2 Warbond tier list.
Helldivers 2 primary weapon tier list
For a bit more nuance in terms of how every primary weapon performs against each of the three Helldivers 2 factions and some notes on their use, the tier list below will help you out:
- S-Tier: Excellent primary weapons that can be considered loadout staples against the specified faction.
- A-Tier: Great primaries that either come with minor drawbacks or fulfil a specific niche.
- B-Tier: Good primary weapons that can serve you well with the right supporting gear and playstyle.
- C-Tier: Average primary weapons that are usable but far from being must-picks against this faction.
- D-Tier: Primaries whose performance is sub-par against this faction and are definitely not worth packing in your loadout.
Primary weapon | Tier rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Accelerator Rifle (Energy) | Terminids: D | A powerful sniper weapon that is somewhat hamstrung by its long-range focus and small magazine. It's good, but you have to lean into the sniper playstyle for maximum effectiveness. |
Adjudicator (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: C | A decent assault rifle with medium armor penetration limited by a small magazine and difficult recoil, but attachments can somewhat offset these shortcomings. |
Amendment (Marksman Rifle) | Terminids: C | Featuring in the Helldivers 2 Masters of Ceremony Warbond, the Amendment can be fun to use with its bayonet and high damage but isn't the best marksman rifle due to its poor ergonomics and is let down by having only light armor penetration. |
Blitzer (Energy) | Terminids: B | The Blitzer fires short-range arcs of electricity that can apply a weak stun effect. It also has infinite ammo and no true reload (but it must be charged between each shot), but it's very inconsistent overall, due to the underwhelming damage and the unpredictability of its electricity arc |
Breaker (Shotgun) | Terminids: B | While not as powerful as it was at launch, it's still a solid shotgun but requires a bit of care and precision rather than spraying and praying. |
Breaker Incendiary (Shotgun) | Terminids: A | A version of the Breaker that's more specialized against organic enemies thanks to extra fire damage. Not perfect for every situation but it's very good against Terminids. |
Breaker Spray & Pray (Shotgun) | Terminids: C | A Breaker variant with a larger magazine, slightly faster fire rate, and duckbill choke, making its spread pattern a horizontal line. Lower damage means it's pretty weak overall though. |
Censor (Marksman Rifle) | Terminids: C | The Censor is effectively a suppressed version of the Diligence, firing high-powered shots with a much quieter sound profile. That makes it easily one of the best primary weapons against the Automatons, letting you stealthily dispatch Devastators with a single headshot. |
Constitution (Marksman Rifle) | Terminids: D | The antique tech of the Constitution makes for a weak and awkward primary weapon. It's easily the worst of all the marksman rifles. |
Cookout (Shotgun) | Terminids: A | Added with the Helldivers 2 Freedom's Flame Warbond, this shotgun is effectively an incendiary version of the Punisher, delivering punchy gouts of fire damage that are effective against a range of squishy enemies |
Coyote (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: S | As a high-capacity assault rifle with medium armor penetration incendiary bullets, there's not much that the Coyote can't handle, and it's easily the highlight of the Helldivers 2 Dust Devils Warbond. |
Deadeye (Marksman Rifle) | Terminids: D | A lever-action marksman rifle that currently deals the highest-in-class damage per shot. It rewards accuracy, but its slow reload time and fire rate prevents it from being truly great. |
Defender (SMG) | Terminids: C | An SMG that is quite similar to the standard Liberator but is geared towards close-range fighting and can be held in one hand. However, it has nothing else really going for it and there are many other superior primary weapons. |
Diligence (Marksman Rifle) | Terminids: C | A solid ranged rifle that's good for pinpoint shooting at enemy weak points - it's especially good against Automatons with small unarmored heads. |
Diligence Counter Sniper (Marksman Rifle) | Terminids: D | A bigger, punchier version of the Diligence that doubles down on its strengths but requires a stable firing position to be accurate and has much more limited ammo. |
Dominator (Special) | Terminids: C | This slow but powerful weapon fires jet-propelled rounds that hit very hard, trading fire rate, magazine size, and control for stopping power and medium armor penetration. |
Double Freedom (Shotgun) | Terminids: A | This Super Shotgun is ridiculously powerful at short range, particularly due to the fact that you can switch between firing the two barrels individually or both at once for an incredibly strong shot. Just be aware that you'll be reloading all the time, chewing through ammo, and putting yourself in harm's way to deal maximum damage. |
Double-Edge Sickle (Energy) | Terminids: A | Part of the Helldivers 2 Servants of Freedom Warbond, the Double-Edge Sickle is superior to the regular Sickle, gaining increased shot damage and armor penetration the more it heats up. It can also fire indefinitely, without needing a new heat sink, but that's because it burns the user when hot enough, potentially enough to kill them. It's a great gun that you need to build around for optimal performance. |
Eruptor (Explosive) | Terminids: A | The best weapon in the Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation Warbond, the Eruptor's exploding shrapnel shells can wipe out clusters of weak enemies and even dent heavy armor. However, it's cumbersome and careless use will result in injuring yourself and your teammates. |
Exploding Crossbow (Explosive) | Terminids: A | An unusual weapon with a slow fire rate and low capacity but a surprising explosive punch. It won't be to everyone's taste but it's undeniably good at the very least against every faction. |
Gallant (SMG) | Terminids: C | An SMG from the Helldivers 2 Exo Experts Warbond with a very high fire rate and medium armor penetration but lower damage to compensate. It's performance drops off quickly at anything other than close range and can chew through ammo. |
Halt (Shotgun) | Terminids: C | A shotgun from the Helldivers 2 Truth Enforcers Warbond that uses two types of ammo - stun and flechette. Making good use of both ammo types makes it a versatile shotgun but it's far from the strongest and suffers against more robust foes. |
Knight (SMG) | Terminids: C | A snappy SMG with a very high fire rate. Eats through ammo quickly and is lethal at close range only against weak chaff enemies. |
Liberator (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: B | The standard assault rifle – solid when you're starting out but its generalist performance means it quickly gets outshone by most other. |
Liberator Carbine (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: B | A Liberator variant geared for close-range combat, making it more like an SMG. It ups the fire rate of the regular Liberator for more DPS but is harder to control. |
Liberator Concussive (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: D | An unremarkable explosive version of the standard Liberator with a massive drum magazine that doesn't really live up to the promise and is functional at best. |
Liberator Penetrator (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: C | The basic Liberator but with slightly worse stats, balanced by medium armor penetration. A bit meh, frankly. |
M7S SMG | Terminids: D | The Halo SMG isn't that useful overall due to its unremarkable damage, but it can be somewhat effective as part of a stealth loadout |
M90A Shotgun | Terminids: B | The Halo Shotgun is one of the most powerful shotguns in the game with high damage and excellent range, but it's hindered by a small six-round capacity and only light armor penetration. |
MA5C Assault Rifle | Terminids: C | The Assault Rifle from the Helldivers 2 Halo Warbond benefits from good accuracy and medium armor penetration, but its relatively small magazine size, lackluster damage, and total lack of attachment customization means it's quite underwhelming overall. |
One-Two (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: B | This assault rifle has some pretty average stats that are barely much better than the default Liberator and poor ergonomics that make it relatively unwieldly, but it comes with an underbarrel grenade launcher, adding explosive power and versatility. |
Pacifier (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: D | Available in the Helldivers 2 Force of Law Warbond, the Pacifier assault rifle feels fine thanks to its manageable recoil, 40-round magazine, and medium armor-penetrating stun rounds, but its low damage severely limits its overall effectiveness. |
Pummeler (SMG) | Terminids: D | An SMG that fires concussive rounds that have a stunning effect on enemies but mostly ends up as a slightly worse version of the Defender. |
Punisher (Shotgun) | Terminids: B | A slow-firing but punchy shotgun that has the benefit (and drawback) of reloading per shot, removing ammo waste but also slowing reloads. |
Punisher Plasma (Energy) | Terminids: B | Behaving more like a plasma grenade launcher than a shotgun, this weapon takes some getting used to but its medium-armor-penetrating explosive power makes it a solid choice for any faction. |
Purifier (Energy) | Terminids: S | It was truly awful when first introduced in the Helldivers 2 Polar Patriots Warbond, but the PLAS-101 Purifier is now a versatile and supremely powerful weapon that works well against any of the game's enemy factions. |
Reprimand (SMG) | Terminids: C | A punchy SMG with a slow fire rate that is effective against a range of enemies thanks to its medium armor penetration, but it can't be wielded in one hand like most SMGs. |
Scorcher (Energy) | Terminids: A | A simpler version of the Purifier that's been a mainstay for a long time, the Scorcher fires explosive energy bolts that deal very high damage in a small area. But it has a small magazine and be aware that its explosive shots can hurt or kill you, so don't shoot nearby enemies! |
Scythe (Energy) | Terminids: D | A highly accurate and easy-to-use laser beam weapon that can ignite enemies but is serviceable overall. |
Sickle (Energy) | Terminids: A | This energy-based AR from the Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge Warbond is very reliable and versatile with its extremely low recoil and good fire rate. Its damage isn't incredible, but it also has theoretically infinite ammo if you effectively manage its cooling. |
Slugger (Shotgun) | Terminids: C | A Punisher variant that fires slugs, trading short-range spread firepower for medium armor penetration and better range, but it's not great. |
StA-11 (SMG) | Terminids: D | A high-capacity, high-fire-rate SMG straight from Killzone that feels like a slightly worse version of the Knight SMG and can't be customized. |
StA-52 (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: D | The Helldivers 2 Killzone Warbond assault rifle deals similar damage to the Liberator but has a faster fire rate and larger magazine, although it's balanced by more unwieldy recoil and cannot be customized. |
Stoker (SMG) | Terminids: S | A slow-firing, high-damage SMG with an underbarrel flamethrower. While the Stoker has only light armor penetration and relatively poor ergonomics, the ability to switch between punchy bullets and scorching fire makes this a fantastically versatile gun and perfect for softer targets and hordes. |
Suppressor (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: C | The Suppressor assault rifle is somewhat similar to the Liberator Carbine, packing a high fire rate but otherwise fairly average stats in exchange for much quieter firing thanks to the integrated suppressor. If you're not a fan of the Censor, you might want to try this instead. |
Sweeper (Shotgun) | Terminids: A | A full-auto shotgun with medium-armor-penetrating flechette shots, good damage and stats, and a bayonet. The Sweeper is currently one of the best weapons for close-quarters engagements in Helldivers 2 and is a fantastic alternative to the Double Freedom. |
Tenderizer (Assault Rifle) | Terminids: C | This assault rifle has best-in-class damage but is fairly average in all other regards, making it just about adequate against all factions. |
Torcher (Special) | Terminids: S | This primary flamethrower is great when dealing with close-up enemies, especially Terminid hordes and mobs of Illuminate Voteless. |
Trident (Energy) | Terminids: B | The Trident is effectively an energy version of the Breaker shotgun found in the Helldivers 2 Siege Breakers Warbond. That means it's great against hordes and it benefits from theoretically infinite ammo, but it heats up quickly and struggles against armored foes. |
Variable (Special) | Terminids: B | Part of the Helldivers 2 Control Group Warbond, the Variable's seven barrels can dish out plenty of light-armor-penetrating rounds and its three firing modes offer a lot of versatility. But its small ammo reserves aren't ideal, and it can be tough to wield in some situations. |
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