Helldivers 2 Stratagem Tier List: Best Picks for Patch 7.0.2
Our Helldivers 2 stratagem tier list for patch 7.0.2 ranks support weapons, orbitals, Eagles, sentries, backpacks and vehicles, with picks for every faction.
This tier list is built for Helldivers 2 version 7.0.2, the Devoid of Liberty hotfix Arrowhead shipped on August 25, 2026. It ranks stratagems for difficulty 7 and up, where heavies arrive in numbers and a wasted cooldown gets people killed. The rankings are opinion: every balance change and number below comes from Arrowhead's official patch notes, but where a pick lands in the table is a judgment call about how well it works for a typical four-player squad.
01What changed for stratagems this patch
The Devoid of Liberty 7.0.0 patch notes kept stratagem balance light, but the changes matter. The Eagle Napalm Airstrike's explosion radius went from 8 to 10 meters with a wider bomb spread. MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines got more demolition strength (30 to 40), and Arrowhead says the goal is to let them break colony walls and bug holes from outside. The biggest quality-of-life change is assisted reload: it now works if either the wielder or the helper carries the ammo backpack. The 7.0.2 hotfix only fixed crashes.
Most of the current meta comes from the Machinery of Oppression 6.3.0 update in June. It raised Orbital Railcannon Strike damage from 7,500 to 10,000 and made Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods heavy armor penetrating. It also buffed the Precision Strike, 380mm, Walking Barrage and 120mm barrages, doubled the health of every sentry and cut exosuit cooldowns from 10 to 8 minutes. Those numbers drive most of the rankings below.
02Support weapons tier list
| Tier | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | LAS-99 Quasar Cannon | Anti-tank damage with no backpack and no ammo to manage, so your back slot stays free. |
| S | GR-8 Recoilless Rifle | Top-end anti-tank burst, and since 7.0.0 a teammate can speed up your reload without carrying your pack. |
| S | AC-8 Autocannon | Buffed to 325 damage in 4.1.0 and reloads faster since 6.1.0; handles mediums, fabricators and flyers. |
| A | FAF-14 Spear | Lock-on missiles for big targets, now with four missiles in the backpack. |
| A | EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank | Two rockets on a short cooldown and nothing to reload; perfect with a backpack build. |
| A | MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun | Shreds medium targets and hordes when you brace or crouch. |
| A | M-105 Stalwart | Fast handling and deep ammo for Voteless and bug swarms. |
| A | StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher | Guided rockets that also clear flyers and targets over cover. |
| A | MLS-4X Commando | Four laser-guided rockets per call-in; great for fabricators and sudden heavy spawns. |
| A | RS-422 Railgun | Precise armor-piercing shots for players who aim for weak points. |
| A | 40-K Meltagun | The new Castellan's Creed anti-tank beam; hard-hitting, but you have to get close. |
| B | APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle | Long-range sniping, helped by 4.1.0's damage and ammo buffs and 5.0.0's scope changes. |
| B | M-1000 Maxigun | 1,000 rounds since 6.1.0; huge horde damage, but slow to get going. |
| B | FLAM-40 Flamethrower / B/FLAM-80 Cremator | Flames now slow and panic small and medium enemies, which makes both excellent against bugs. |
| B | GL-21 Grenade Launcher | Back to medium penetration after 6.1.0; strong wave clear and bug-hole closer. |
| B | MG-43 Machine Gun / ARC-3 Arc Thrower | Reliable crowd control that falls off against armor-heavy spawns. |
| B | MS-11 Solo Silo / B/MD C4 Pack | Specialists: one huge missile, or six sticky charges with demolition force 40. |
| C | LAS-98 Laser Cannon, PLAS-45 Epoch, GL-28 Belt-Fed Grenade Launcher, TX-41 Sterilizer, GL-52 De-Escalator | All usable and some got buffs, but each one covers a narrower role than the picks above. |
| C | EAT-411 Leveller, EAT-700 Expendable Napalm, MGX-42 Bullet Storm, S-11 Speargun, CQC-20 Breaching Hammer, CQC-9 Defoliation Tool, CQC-1 One True Flag | Fun niche picks that are easy to overlook on high difficulties; the Flag even draws enemy attention since 6.1.0. |
03Orbital strikes tier list
| Tier | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | Orbital Railcannon Strike | 10,000 damage on a 180-second cooldown. Arrowhead notes it still won't one-shot the biggest targets, like the Factory Strider or Hive Lord. |
| S | Orbital Laser | Clears whole objectives by itself, and 7.0.0 fixed it getting stuck on flying enemies. |
| A | Orbital Precision Strike | Costs nothing to unlock, has a short cooldown and now hits for 4,000 plus a 1,500 explosion. |
| A | Orbital Napalm Barrage | A wide fire carpet that handles bug breaches and bot drops. |
| A | Orbital Gas Strike | Quick to call in; confuses enemies and (since 6.2.2) slows them by 25%. |
| B | Orbital 120mm HE Barrage / 380mm HE Barrage | Both got bigger shell damage in 6.3.0, but the scatter means they're mostly for bases and breaches. |
| B | Orbital Gatling Barrage / Orbital Airburst Strike | Good against light enemies on reasonable cooldowns, weak against armor. |
| B | Orbital EMS Strike | A crowd stun that sets up your team's heavy damage. |
| C | Orbital Walking Barrage / Orbital Smoke Strike | Walking Barrage is hard to aim well; Smoke got a 75-second cooldown but rarely beats a damage pick. |
04Eagle strikes tier list
| Tier | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | Eagle 500kg Bomb | Handles heavy enemies and structures with a short throw-to-impact time. |
| S | Eagle Airstrike | Several uses per rearm and closes fabricators, bug holes and patrols. |
| A | Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods | 6.3.0 raised it to 300 damage with heavy armor penetration and tightened the rocket spread to help it kill Chargers and Hulks. |
| A | Eagle Napalm Airstrike | 7.0.0's bigger radius and spread-out bombs make it one of the best breach answers in the game. |
| A | Eagle Cluster Bomb | Cheap horde clearing with multiple uses. |
| B | Eagle Strafing Run | Very fast, but only good against light targets. |
| B | Eagle Gas Airstrike | Handed out as a Galactic War Campaign reward, so not every player has it. |
| C | Eagle Smoke Strike | Useful for sneaking and extraction, but it takes up a slot that could deal damage. |
05Sentries and emplacements tier list
Every sentry got 100% more health in update 6.3.0 to make up for enemies dealing more durable damage, so turrets survive much longer than they did at the start of the year.
| Tier | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry | The best all-purpose turret; kills mediums and hurts heavies from range. |
| A | A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry | Takes out armored targets while you reposition. |
| A | A/FLAM-40 Flame Sentry | 6.2.2 raised its range from 20 to 34 meters and its damage by 50%, on a 100-second cooldown. |
| A | A/M-23 EMS Mortar Sentry | Keeps crowds stunned so your other damage lands; safe for your team. |
| A | A/G-16 Gatling Sentry / A/LAS-98 Laser Sentry | Fast wave clear; the Laser Sentry got a bigger heat capacity in 6.2.2. |
| A | E/AT-12 Anti-Tank Emplacement | A manned anti-tank cannon that can hold a point against heavy waves. |
| B | A/M-12 Mortar Sentry / A/GM-17 Gas Mortar Sentry | High damage and area control, but they can hit teammates who push forward. |
| B | MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines / MD-I4 Incendiary Mines / MD-8 Gas Mines | Strong for holding objectives; AT Mines got the 7.0.0 demolition buff. |
| B | FX-12 Shield Generator Relay, E/MG-101 HMG Emplacement, E/GL-21 Grenadier Battlement | Great for defense missions, less useful when you're constantly on the move. |
| C | A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry, A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower, MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield | Short cooldowns, but they don't do enough on high difficulties. |
06Backpacks tier list
| Tier | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | SH-32 Shield Generator Pack | Blocks chip damage from every faction and stacks well with medium armor. |
| S | B-1 Supply Pack | Keeps stims, grenades and ammo flowing for the whole squad. |
| A | SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack | Health went from 600 to 1,000 in 6.2.2, and the cooldown dropped to 240 seconds in 6.0.1; excellent against bots. |
| A | LIFT-860 Hover Pack / LIFT-182 Warp Pack | Mobility that gets you out of bad situations and up onto high ground. |
| A | AX/AR-23 Guard Dog / AX/LAS-5 Rover | Drones that shoot on their own and cover your back while you use a support weapon. |
| B | B-100 Portable Hellbomb | A walking objective-deleter, but it takes your whole back slot. |
| B | SH-51 Directional Shield, AX/ARC-3 K-9, AX/FLAM-75 Hot Dog, AX/TX-13 Dog Breath | Solid specialist picks that fit particular builds. |
| C | LIFT-850 Jump Pack | Outclassed by the newer mobility packs. |
07Vehicles tier list
| Tier | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A | TD-220 Bastion MK XVI | Got heavy armor in 6.3.0, so small-arms fire and minor explosions don't hurt it; it needs a driver and a gunner to shine. |
| A | EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit / EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit | Main health rose to 1,600 in 6.2.2 and 1,800 in 6.3.0, and the cooldown fell to 8 minutes. |
| A | M-103 Supply FRV | A resupply truck that only Census Thunder campaign veterans own for now; Arrowhead says everyone can unlock it with Requisition in October 2026. |
| B | EXO-55 Breakthrough / EXO-51 Lumberer | Exo Experts Warbond suits with a flak cannon and shield, or an anti-tank cannon and flamethrower; strong, but you have to buy the Warbond. |
| B | M-102 Fast Recon Vehicle | 2,400 health since 6.3.0 and great on open maps, but a bad fit for tight city streets. |
The M-104 Incinerator FRV appears in the 7.0.0 fix list, but Arrowhead hasn't announced a way for everyone to unlock it, so it isn't ranked.
“Stratagem bouncing. We've assembled a task force to prototype fixes for this issue and we're hoping to have it solved by the end of the year.”Mikael Eriksson, Game Director, Arrowhead Game Studios (June 2026)
08Best picks per enemy faction
Terminids
Take Eagle Napalm Airstrike or Orbital Napalm Barrage for breaches, a Quasar Cannon or Recoilless Rifle for Chargers and Bile Titans, and a Supply Pack or Guard Dog. Flamethrowers are worth a slot, because flame makes small bugs panic. MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines are now worth testing against bug holes. When a Hive Lord shows up, bring stacked orbital damage, because Arrowhead says even the buffed Railcannon won't one-shot it.
Automatons
Take the Autocannon with a Shield Generator Pack or Ballistic Shield Backpack, plus Orbital Railcannon Strike and Eagle 500kg Bomb. Rocket Pods now handle Hulks and Tanks well. For Vox Engines, 6.3.0 cut their health to 9,000 and limited them to three active at a time, and the Railcannon was buffed partly to deal with them.
Join the Galactic War. Helldivers 2 drops onto PlayStation Plus Game Catalog later today, while the Devoid of Liberty game update is available now. Full details: https://t.co/ebm20H1CH4 https://t.co/azkGl4McLy
— PlayStation (@PlayStation), August 2026 on X
Illuminate
Voteless and Fleshmob hordes call for a Stalwart or Heavy Machine Gun, Orbital Gas Strike and a Flame Sentry. Bring a Quasar or Recoilless for Harvesters and piloted constructs like the Veracitor. Inside the Void, the new Crusher regenerates unless you keep damaging it, so pick weapons with steady, sustained damage over single slow shots. A Ballistic Shield still blocks Veracitor melee, but since 7.0.0 it knocks you over and breaks after around 15 direct hits.
Build a squad loadout in six steps
- 1Confirm whether your operation is against Terminids, Automatons or the Illuminate before you open the loadout screen.30 sec
- 2Make sure at least two squad members bring an anti-tank option such as the Quasar Cannon, Recoilless Rifle or EAT-17.
- 3Slot the Orbital Railcannon Strike or Eagle 500kg Bomb for Bile Titans, Hulks, Harvesters and other heavies.
- 4Bring Eagle Napalm Airstrike, Orbital Gas Strike or a sentry to handle breaches, bot drops and Voteless waves.
- 5Spread Shield Generator, Supply and ammo backpacks across the squad instead of doubling up.
- 6Put a backpack-fed weapon next to a teammate so either of you can assist reload under the 7.0.0 rules.
Most useful stratagems unlock early: Arrowhead's level-cap announcement says the gear that matters for your loadout unlocks by around level 25. The September 22 Ironclad Democracy Warbond adds a G-60 Anti-Tank Seeker grenade and a Surplus EAT Allocation booster that gives two free EAT uses per mission. It isn't in the game yet, so neither item is ranked here. You can find the full patch history on the Helldivers 2 Steam page.
FAQ
What is the best stratagem in Helldivers 2 right now?
In our opinion, the Orbital Railcannon Strike and Eagle 500kg Bomb are the safest red stratagems on patch 7.0.2, and the Quasar Cannon, Recoilless Rifle and Autocannon lead the support weapons. The Railcannon's damage went up to 10,000 in update 6.3.0. The best pick still depends on your faction and squad.
What is the current Helldivers 2 patch version?
The latest official patch is Devoid of Liberty 7.0.2, released on August 25, 2026. It fixed crashes on top of the Devoid of Liberty 7.0.0 update from August 12. The Ironclad Democracy Warbond arrives on September 22, 2026.
Did the Eagle Napalm Airstrike get buffed in Helldivers 2?
Yes. Patch 7.0.0 increased its explosion radius from 8 to 10 meters and spread out the bomb pattern to cover a larger area. Arrowhead said the goal was to make it more effective than other napalm stratagems.
Can the Orbital Railcannon Strike one-shot a Factory Strider?
No. Arrowhead's 6.3.0 notes say the Railcannon's damage increase from 7,500 to 10,000 makes it better against targets like Vox Engines. It still won't one-shot the largest enemies, such as the Factory Strider and Hive Lord.
When can everyone unlock the Supply FRV?
Arrowhead says the M-103 Supply FRV becomes permanently available in October 2026, and you'll unlock it with Requisition slips. For now, only players who earned it during the Census Thunder campaign can use it.
Official resources
- Official patch notes: Devoid of Liberty 7.0.0store.steampowered.com
- Official patch notes: Devoid of Liberty 7.0.2steamcommunity.com
- Official patch notes: Machinery of Oppression 6.3.0steamcommunity.com
- Transmission from the Game Director: Progressing Progressionsteamcommunity.com
- PlayStation Blog: Devoid of Liberty update out nowblog.playstation.com
- Helldivers 2 on PlayStation.complaystation.com
Kai edits the video tutorials and tier lists. Rankings are built from hands-on play on the current version and the developer's own balance notes, and every list states the patch it was made for so you know when it is out of date.
