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Helldivers 2: Best Loadouts for Each Faction After Patch 7.2.0

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The best Helldivers 2 loadout after patch 7.2.0 is still faction-specific: fire and stagger for Terminids, armor penetration and precision for Automatons, and crowd control backed by one heavy answer for the Illuminate. Patch 7.2.0 buffed the light-penetration shotguns, the Sickle and several stratagems, on top of 7.1.0’s buffs to the AR/GL-21 One-Two, the LAS-13 Trident and the Orbital Precision Strike, enough to change a slot or two without rewriting the meta. Below we build one loadout per faction from gear named in Arrowhead’s official patch notes and warbond posts, show where the new Scope of Authority Warbond gear fits, flag where a pick rests on community consensus, and explain why the 7.1.0 spawn logic matters as much as any weapon change.

Updated October 20, 2026: added Patch 7.2.0. It buffs the SG-8 Punisher, SG-225 Breaker, Breaker Spray and Pray and SG-22 Bushwhacker, speeds up both Sickles and the Accelerator Rifle, and improves the Maxigun, Breaching Hammer, Orbital Airburst Strike, Flame Sentry and Lumberer Exosuit. The buffed shotguns, the Sickle and the Airburst Strike now appear as options below, and the title names the current patch. The patch is hours old, so players have not settled on a post-7.2.0 meta yet: those options rest on Arrowhead’s numbers, not on community consensus. Later the same day we added a section on the Scope of Authority Warbond, which launched with the patch, and where each piece of its gear fits.

What Patch 7.2.0 Changes for Loadouts

Helldivers 2 patch 7.2.0 went live on October 20, 2026, alongside the game’s switch to Easy Anti-Cheat. Verified against Arrowhead’s official patch notes, the loadout-relevant changes are:

  • Light-penetration shotguns: Arrowhead says pellet shotguns with light penetration had “fallen behind” shotguns with medium penetration or status effects, so each now hits about 20% harder. The SG-8 Punisher’s damage rises from 405 to 486 (durable damage 108 to 135), the SG-225 Breaker’s from 330 to 396 (66 to 88), and the SG-225SP Breaker Spray and Pray’s from 240 to 288 (64 to 80).
  • SG-22 Bushwhacker (sidearm): damage rises from 405 to 486, durable damage from 108 to 135. Those are the corrected figures from the patch 7.2.2 notes, where Arrowhead says the 7.2.0 values were calculated incorrectly.
  • LAS-16 Sickle: it now starts firing 0.33 seconds after you pull the trigger (down from 0.5), starts cooling 0.66 seconds after you stop (down from 1.33), and builds less heat per shot (0.95, down from 1.15). The LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle gets the same two timing changes. Arrowhead says the Sickles had “fallen behind in practicality.”
  • PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle: reload drops from 3.3 to 2.7 seconds, and lower projectile stagger (20 to 15) is meant to stop the first hit knocking an enemy’s weak spot out of line for the next shot.
  • Legendary warbond weapons: the Halo and Killzone weapons (M90A Shotgun, MA5C and StA-52 Assault Rifles, StA-11 SMG) get damage or recoil buffs to make up for having no customization.
  • M-1000 Maxigun: you can move the moment you release the trigger (previously after 0.5 seconds), and it staggers harder (force 15 to 20, impulse 12 to 24), which Arrowhead says also pushes corpses out of the way better.
  • CQC-20 Breaching Hammer: spare charges rise from 7 to 10.
  • Orbital Airburst Strike: cooldown cut from 100 to 90 seconds, with a tighter shrapnel pattern (explosion cone angle 35 to 27) that Arrowhead says saturates the target area better.
  • A/FLAM-40 Flame Sentry and EXO-51 Lumberer Exosuit: flame particle damage rises from 3 to 8. For a vehicle instead, see our guide to unlocking the Supply FRV.
  • Eagle Airstrike Gas: it can no longer destroy structures that other Eagle bombs cannot.

Two smaller changes affect how you plan a drop. The bug strain that spawns Bile Warriors, Spewers and Scavengers is now its own strain, controlled by the Game Masters and shown when it is active, like Rupture and Spore Burst. And support weapon settings such as fire mode now persist between uses and across sessions. Our Patch 7.2.0 news post covers the anti-cheat switch and the rest of the update.

What Patch 7.1.0 Changes for Loadouts

Helldivers 2 patch 7.1.0, titled “Devoid of Liberty”, went live on September 22, 2026. Verified against the official patch notes, the loadout-relevant changes are:

  • AR/GL-21 One-Two: underbarrel grenades now start at 3 (up from 2), the spare maximum rises from 3 to 5, and refills go from 3 to 5. Arrowhead wants a rifle that “can use the underbarrel grenade launcher more often.”
  • LAS-13 Trident: vertical climb recoil drops from 12 to 2, an unintended side effect of the meltagun’s beam code, per the notes.
  • Orbital Precision Strike: cooldown cut from 90 to 80 seconds, on top of the 6.3.0 damage increase (projectile 3,500 to 4,000, explosion 1,000 to 1,500).
  • G/40 Melta Mine: no longer attaches to characters or vehicles, so treat it as a placed mine, not a sticky.

Two non-weapon changes matter more. Enemy spawns are now balanced by “enemy pressure” (enemy count and distance per Helldiver), so a diver who wanders off alone gets enemies spawned near them once the global cap is reached. And Evacuate High-Value Assets got harder: more waves, more enemies per wave, and the gap between cleared waves shrinks from 10 seconds to 2. Our news post on patch 7.1.0 covers the full list.

Terminids: Fire, Stagger and One Big Gun

Terminids come in numbers, with Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers and the returning Hive Lord as the armored threats. Since 7.2.0, the Hive Lord leaves combat earlier if nobody damages it for a while, and the strain that brings Bile Warriors, Spewers and Scavengers now has its own indicator when it is active.

  • Primary: SG-451 Cookout. Arrowhead describes it as a pump-action shotgun firing “a burst of incendiary phosphorus pellets.” Players widely recommend it for the stagger that stops Hunters and Stalkers mid-lunge. 7.2.0 option: the SG-225 Breaker or SG-8 Punisher. Both are light-penetration pellet shotguns, so they suit the unarmored swarm rather than Chargers, and both now hit about 20% harder.
  • Secondary: GP-31 Grenade Pistol. The community’s standard bug-hole closer, which frees your throwable slot. If a teammate is closing holes, the SG-22 Bushwhacker’s 7.2.0 damage buff (405 to 486) makes it a stronger point-blank backup.
  • Throwable: G-123 Thermite. Widely used by players against Chargers and Bile Titans.
  • Support weapon: GR-8 Recoilless Rifle. Per the developer it has programmable ammunition (standard or High Explosive rounds), and it remains the community’s default answer to Chargers and Titans.
  • Stratagems: Eagle Napalm Airstrike (7.0.0 raised its explosion radius from 8 to 10 meters), Orbital Gas Strike (reworked by Arrowhead to be “more crowd control focused”; the AF-50 Noxious Ranger armor’s passive resists your own clouds), and the A/G-16 Gatling Sentry (magazine 500, cooldown 150 seconds). For an all-fire kit, the A/FLAM-40 Flame Sentry is the 7.2.0 alternative to the Gatling: its flame damage per particle rose from 3 to 8, which Arrowhead says brings it closer to other flamethrowers.

Automatons: Armor Penetration and Precision

Automatons reward accuracy. Hulks, Tanks, Gunships, Factory Striders, the Vox Engine and the armored Cyborg subfaction all punish spray-and-pray.

  • Primary: PLAS-1 Scorcher. Official notes gave it an auto-fire mode and a 20-round magazine, and its plasma rounds are a long-standing player favorite against Devastators. The R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper suits players who fight at range. 7.2.0 option: the PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle, whose faster reload and lower stagger are aimed squarely at precision play, Arrowhead says.
  • Secondary: P-4 Senator. Widely recommended by players for its medium armor penetration.
  • Throwable: G-123 Thermite again, this time for Hulks and Tanks.
  • Support weapon: AC-8 Autocannon. Patch 6.1.0 cut its full reload from roughly 5.5 to 4.5 seconds, and its programmable flak rounds (proximity-triggered shrapnel, per the notes) answer Gunships. To keep the backpack slot free, the RS-422 Railgun plus the SH-32 Shield Generator Pack is the popular alternative.
  • Stratagems: Orbital Precision Strike (now 80 seconds), Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods (6.3.0 raised explosion damage from 200 to 300 and armor penetration from Medium to Heavy, with the stated intent of one-shotting Hulks more reliably), and the A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry.

Illuminate: Crowd Control Plus One Heavy Answer

The Illuminate mix Voteless hordes and Fleshmobs with Overseers, Harvesters, Stingrays and Leviathans. Since 7.2.0, a Crescent Overseer’s backpack can be destroyed, which kills it.

  • Primary: ARC-12 Blitzer. Players widely rate it against Voteless crowds, and an official patch raised its stun value. The LAS-13 Trident is the 7.1.0 alternative: Arrowhead’s Siege Breakers announcement calls it a “shotgun-like” laser firing six beams, and the recoil fix removes its biggest complaint. 7.2.0 option: the LAS-16 Sickle laser rifle, which now starts firing and starts cooling far sooner, a better fit for long fights against Voteless waves.
  • Secondary: PLAS-15 Loyalist. Patch 6.1.0 moved it to an 8-round magazine and a 0.75-second full charge.
  • Throwable: G-23 Stun. Patch 6.3.0 bumped it to 4 starting and 5 maximum.
  • Support weapon: LAS-99 Quasar Cannon. A no-ammo heavy hitter players lean on for Harvesters and Stingrays.
  • Stratagems: AX/LAS-5 “Guard Dog” Rover for automated crowd clearing, the A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry, and the Orbital Precision Strike. The Orbital Airburst Strike is the 7.2.0 swap for the sentry if you want an area answer to Voteless crowds: it is back every 90 seconds instead of 100, with a tighter shrapnel pattern. If the Quasar feels slow, the M-105 Stalwart with the Rover is the crowd-first alternative many players run, with anti-armor coming from a teammate; the M-1000 Maxigun, which now lets you move the instant you stop firing and staggers harder, is another.

Where the Scope of Authority Warbond Fits

The Scope of Authority Premium Warbond launched with patch 7.2.0 on October 20, and Arrowhead pitches it as “long-range and clandestine combat” gear. Like every premium warbond, it is unlocked with Super Credits. Arrowhead’s warbond announcement describes each item but gives no damage numbers. Patch 7.2.2 fills in some stats for two of them, the AMW-20 Apex and the LAS-44 Nova, but treat these as fits based on Arrowhead’s descriptions rather than proven picks:

  • R-40 Sightliner (primary): a bolt-action sniper rifle that Arrowhead says fires “powerful armor piercing rounds” with long-range precision. It is the obvious rival to the R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper in the Automaton kit above, for players who pick off Devastators from range.
  • P-44 Mist (secondary): a one-handed machine pistol “designed for a compact carry,” which Arrowhead pitches as the way out when enemies close in on a sniper. Consider it in place of the Senator if you run the Sightliner.
  • AMW-20 Apex (support weapon): a backpack-fed “colossal anti-materiel rifle” with assisted reload, aimed at “larger and more heavily-armored foes.” Patch 7.2.2 lists its armor penetration as Anti-Tank, cuts its caliber from 60 to 20 so its damage drops off less at long range, and raises its demolition strength to 30, enough to destroy cover and container doors the way the Anti-Materiel Rifle and Autocannon can. That puts it in contention with the Autocannon and Railgun for the Automaton heavy slot, and assisted reload means a teammate can load it for you, which suits divers who move in pairs.
  • LAS-44 Nova (primary): a laser rifle with the infinite ammo of the LAS series that fires “a high-precision non-explosive thermal projectile after a short charge cycle.” A fit for players who want laser ammo economy in single aimed shots rather than a stream, and patch 7.2.2 lists its armor penetration as Anti-Tank, the same as the Apex.
  • G-11 Caltrops (throwable): scatters “a wide field of proximity-detonated submunitions that slow and stun foes.” That makes it a crowd tool worth trying against Terminid swarms and Voteless hordes, in the slot the G-23 Stun holds in our Illuminate kit.
  • Stationary Shroud (armor passive): found on both new armors, the SS-33 Mimetic Marshal (light) and SS-15 Focal Point (medium), it reduces weapon sway and detection range while you crouch or lie prone. It suits a Sightliner or Apex shooter holding a position, not a diver who keeps moving.

Our news post on the Scope of Authority Warbond covers the rest of its contents, including the capes, emote and title.

Squad Roles After the Spawn Change

Because spawns now follow enemy pressure, one diver soloing side objectives across the map is riskier: that lone player is exactly where the game will drop fresh enemies once the cap is hit. Give every pair one anti-armor answer (Recoilless, Quasar, Autocannon or Railgun, or the CQC-20 Breaching Hammer up close, now with 10 spare charges) and one crowd tool (Cookout, Breaker, Blitzer, Stalwart or a sentry), and move as pairs rather than as one clump and one straggler. On Evacuate High-Value Assets, the 2-second gap between cleared waves means sentries and the buffed One-Two earn their slots; 7.2.0 adds “minor combat balancing tweaks” to the mission without listing them, and our Evacuate High-Value Assets guide covers how to hold it.

Helldivers 2 remains a standout on our lists of the best PC co-op games of 2026 and the best PS5 co-op games of 2026, and our 25 best co-op PS5 games roundup has the wider field.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did patch 7.2.0 change for loadouts? It made the light-penetration shotguns (Punisher, Breaker and Breaker Spray and Pray) and the Bushwhacker hit about 20% harder, made both Sickles faster to fire and to cool, sped up the Accelerator Rifle’s reload, and improved the Maxigun, Breaching Hammer, Orbital Airburst Strike, Flame Sentry and Lumberer Exosuit, per Arrowhead’s patch notes.

Is the Sickle worth using after patch 7.2.0? It is far more responsive: it starts firing after 0.33 seconds instead of 0.5, starts cooling after 0.66 seconds instead of 1.33, and builds less heat per shot. That makes it a reasonable primary against Illuminate crowds, though players have had little time with the changes.

What does the Scope of Authority Warbond add to loadouts? A bolt-action sniper primary (R-40 Sightliner), a machine pistol (P-44 Mist), a backpack-fed anti-materiel support weapon with assisted reload (AMW-20 Apex), a charge-shot laser rifle (LAS-44 Nova), G-11 Caltrops grenades that slow and stun, and the Stationary Shroud armor passive. Arrowhead’s patch 7.2.2 notes list the Apex and the Nova as Anti-Tank and give the Apex a demolition strength of 30, but it has not published damage numbers for any of them, so treat them as options for long-range Automaton play and crowd control rather than replacements for the kits above.

Is the AR/GL-21 One-Two worth using after patch 7.1.0? It is the most improved primary in the patch: 3 starting underbarrel grenades, 5 spare and 5 per refill, up from 2, 3 and 3. That suits wave missions and Illuminate crowds.

Which stratagem got the biggest buff in 7.1.0? The Orbital Precision Strike, whose cooldown dropped from 90 to 80 seconds on top of the 6.3.0 damage increase. It is a reasonable fourth slot against every faction now.

Does the Melta Mine still stick to enemies? No. Per the patch notes it can no longer attach to characters or vehicles, only rest on level surfaces, and it arms on a timer unless it attaches to terrain.

What changed about enemy spawns? Spawns are balanced on enemy pressure per Helldiver (enemy count and distance). A player under low pressure gets enemies spawned near them when the global cap is reached, and far-away enemies are despawned when the count is over budget.

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