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InHelldivers 2, you play as an elite soldier protecting the freedom of Super Earth in thisgreat sci-fi shooter. Protecting it from what you ask? Well, giant alien bugs and baby-stealing robots, of course! Terminids are the first of two factions players will meet in Helldivers 2, and boy are they a doozy. From the humble Scavenger to the mighty Bile Titan, each has its own behavior and weaknesses to be aware of.
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And, while these enemy types do a great job of keeping the missions feeling fresh, the gamedoesn’t currently have an in-game codexwith which to learn about them. This is why players are turning to guides like this one. Keep reading for tips on how to fight Terminids, the types of Terminids in Helldivers 2, strategies for dealing with each, and an image of each enemy type to help players recognize it.
Updated by Abigail Angell on July 25, 2025:As players discover more about each enemy type, and new patches roll out, some of the information on this list becomes incomplete or outdated. To maintain a high degree of accuracy for our readers, we have updated this article with all the new tips and tricks for the Terminid Enemy types.
Helldivers 2
General Tips For Fighting Terminids
Terminids, similar to the Zerg fromStarcraft, are enemies that rely on numbers to succeed. As a result, many of the enemies in their faction are not particularly scary on their own, but they thrive in an environment of chaos and confusion. Being overwhelmed means death against Terminids, soclearing out smaller enemies before they can build up — and closing off their spawn points — are the best strategies.Additionally,Fire and Incendiary damage is much more effective against Terminids- the Flamethrower Support Weapon or the Napalm Eagle Airstrike are great on Terminid missions.
How To Close Nests & Bug Breaches
You’ll encounter two main spawn points for Terminids: Nests and Bug Breaches.
Enemies will continue to spawn from a Nest infinitely, so closing them is a top priority to keep from getting overwhelmed.
To close Terminid Nests, and thus prevent more enemies from spawning,throw a grenade down the hole or drop an Orbital StrikeStratagemdirectly on top. If this has successfully removed the Nest, the orange smoke it emits will disappear.
All Terminid Enemy Types
There are currently eight types of Terminid Enemies in Helldivers 2:
Each enemy is distinct in appearance and behavior, meaning an experienced player should be able to decide on their strategy as soon as they see the enemy. A trait that is welcome in anygood Tactical Shooter.
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How To Beat Scavengers
Scavengers are the smallest of the Terminids, and the most common. you may expect them to make up the bulk of patrols and breaches.There are two types of Scavengers - standard and Bile Scavengers. The Bile Scavengers are green, and shoot a ranged acid attack.
They are easy to kill due to their small health pool and lack of armor, and most guns will do so quickly. However, allowing a large number to build up is dangerous, as their damage is still substantial and they can overwhelm you.To avoid this fate,do not ignore them in favor of larger enemies, orutilize Stratagemssuch as the Tesla Tower to keep them from getting close.
How To Beat Warriors
Warriors are the slightly tougher, larger Terminids you’ll encounter during the tutorial. These creatures have moderate armor and more HP than their Scavenger counterparts. However, they are not very fast, and they lack a ranged attack. The best way to deal with them is toheadshot them before you’re ever in range of their claws.
Warrior Variants
There are two variants of the Warrior Enemy Type:
The Hive Guardis a Warrior that is red instead of brown and is found primarily around Terminid Nest entrances. These enemies fight with different tactics andwill hunker down behind their heavy front-facing armorwhen taking direct fire. To counter this,a team of Helldivers can flank to the unprotected rear of the creature, you can call down an Orbital Strike on them, or you can use a gun with Medium Armor Penetrationto take them head-on.
The Bile Warrior, in contrast, only appears once you begin playing on the difficulty levelChallenging and above. This enemy looks like a tiny version of the Bile Titan and has a glowing green sac of caustic bile on its underbelly. While it does not spit,it will explode when killed. This can easily kill a nearby Helldiver, so it is advised tokill these enemies at rangewhenever possible.
How To Beat Hunters
Hunters are agile enemies prone to dodging incoming fire. They leap around when threatened, occasionally springing into the middle of your squad for a swipe at you. This can make them annoying, but it’s nothinga good AoE can’t fix.While these creatures have sharp reflexes for avoiding direct fire, they’re less concerned about attacksnearthem — if an explosive projectile is aimed next to them, not at them, they’ll be easier to take down. Examples of good weapons against Hunters include grenades, grenade launchers, or red explosive barrels found near points of interest on the map.
Hunter Variants
The Hunter can also spawn as the Pouncer/Hopper variant, beginning at difficulty level Medium and above. This variant is smaller than the standard Hunter, andspawns in groups of up to seven. Their tactics appear to besurrounding and flanking Helldiversbefore jumping in for coordinated attacks. This makes them dangerous if you are in an area with limited escape routes.Staying together, watching your teammate’s backs, and remaining in open areas with clear sightlinesis the best strategy.
How To Beat Shriekers
Similar in appearance to Hunters, Shriekers are a rare Terminid enemy type only found when a Shrieker’s Nest has spawned on the map. These enemies, named for their screaming, alert other nearby enemies of the player’s presence before diving to attack with their claws. Missions with Shrieker Nests will have them as an optional objective, and closing them is very similar to a normal Terminid Nest.You will only see Shriekers in the vicinity of the nest, meaning that there is surely one nearby if you see this enemy.
To kill Shriekers, Turrets, and long-range guns are your best friends.The Gatling Gun or Machine Gun Sentries can take these enemies out with their auto-targeting abilities. You can also shoot them down with theAntimaterial Rifle or a primary gun with Medium Armor Penetration, although their fast erratic movements can make this tricky.
How To Beat Stalkers
Stalkers are one of the first enemies in the Terminid faction to require careful strategy. These enemies are fragile, but they’recapable of becoming invisibleand very fast. If they can get in range of using their claws, the results are devastating. Common Stalker tactics include using the distraction of groups of Scavengers to sneak up on players, or staying on the outskirts of the fight until a player wanders away from the group.
In both cases, the best method of dealing with a Stalker is to keep your eyes peeled and stick together.Stalkers cannot remain invisible for long, meaning you’ll get a chance to shoot them before they strike.
Alternatively, you can also uselong-range weaponsto take them out before they spot you.
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How To Beat Bile Spewers
Bile Spewers are gross, bloated creatures that spit acid at you and your squad.This acid is enough to quickly kill you, and it must be dodged using a well-timed diveor Jump Pack. Once the Bile Spewer has spewed its acid, there appears to be a short cooldown during which you’re able to take it out. Ideally,using a moderately powerful weapon (such as an EAT, Spear, Railgun, or Recoilless Rifle) on the spewer’s glowing hindquartersshould be used to conserve ammunition. This is a weak spot.
Bile Spewer Variants
The Nursing Bile Spewer is a more lightly armored, orangish enemy that otherwise resembles the standard Bile Spewer. The Nursing Bile Spewer is most common on Medium level difficulty and is slightly easier to kill and dodge than its standard counterpart. All strategies used in fighting standard Bile Spewers also apply to Nursing Bile Spewers.
Telling the difference between these two enemy types is primarily important because Personal Orders usually specify either Nursing Bile Spewers or Standard Bile Spewers, and killing the wrong variant will not grant positive progress.
How To Beat Bile Titans
Bile Titans are, as the name suggests, massive beasts intent on destruction. They have large health pools, considerable armor, and a caustic ranged attack that can easily finish careless Helldivers. As a result, players have focused on ways to take out these titanic threats.
The straightforward way is, of course, to riddle them with bullets andOrbital Strikesuntil they turn into bug mist. If you feel particularly brave, you canaim shots into their open mouths just before they spit, as this is a weak spot.
Killing Bile Titans With Hellpods
Arguably the more fun option, however, is tocall down a Hellpod of some kind on top of them. Bile Titans are a good candidate for this strategy, as they are very large and slow. Resupply Stratagems, Support Weaponry Stratagems, and (most hilariously) arespawning player can insta-kill a Bile Titanif aimed correctly.
Keep in mind thatany player directing their drop pod into a Bile Titan is unlikely to survive the ensuing swarm, but you’ll go down a martyr for freedom.
How To Beat Chargers
Chargers are heavily armored Terminids that act similarly to a raging bull. They will run at high speeds toward you from a distance, potentially flattening you if they connect.Without Stratagems, your only option is to dive out of the way when the charge occurs, and try to score shots on the exposed rear of the creature in between.This makes Chargers one of the most feared enemies in Helldivers 2 — especially when dealing with multiple at a time.
However, if you would rather skip the diving roulette, then you’re able to invest in a Jump Pack.This Stratagemis available once you reach Level 8 from the Hangar, and it allows you to vault up over Chargers, walls, and other pesky obstacles at the drop of a hat. It does take up your backpack slot, but a single player with the Stratagem equipped can call it down multiple times and hand out the Jump Packs to the entire squad.
How To Kill A Charger The Smart Way
To further trivialize this initially fearsome enemy, players have discovered three strategies for quickly killing a Charger.
The Charger Variant: the Behemoth
Chargers, in addition to being strong in their standard form, have a nasty variant calledthe Behemoth. As the name would imply, these Terminids have even heavier armor than their standard counterparts. you’re able to distinguish them by the longer tusks on the Charger’s head.
Luckily,these enemies only spawn as part of specific missions, such as theEmergency Evacuation Mission, or as the target in theElimination Target Mission.To kill a Behemoth, you’ll need to rely on powerful stratagems such as the Orbital Laser, a 500 Kg Bomb, or 2–3 shots from the Quasar Cannon.
How To Beat Brood Commanders
Brood Commanders use pheromones and claw gestures to direct other Terminids. You’re likely to meet them early on in the game, as they are the target in several Terminid Missions. When a Brood Commander is active, you can expect other enemies to behave more intelligently and attack with increased coordination. As a result,while the Brood Commander isn’t directly dangerous, it is a high-priority target because it makes other enemies more dangerous.
Brood Commanders are large, reddish, and heavily armored enemies thatcannot be taken out with your Primary and Secondary Weapons easily. Instead, a Support Weapon such as a Machine Gun, Flamethrower, or Rocket Launcher is suggested.
Looking to customize your gameplay experience a bit more in Helldivers 2? Check out ourexplainer detailing the different difficulty types in the game.
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