Best Helldivers 2 Primary Weapon Tier List

Helldivers 2 Primary Weapon Tier List (Ranked From Best to Worst)

Choosing the best Helldivers 2 primary weapon can be daunting since there are so many choices, especially since you have to unlock them from Warbonds.

However, it’s ultimately a fun choice! There are so many ways to play and you can adapt to factors like the enemy faction, the mission type, and your squadmates.

In this list, we’ll cover all of the Helldivers 2 Primary Weapons and rank them from best to worst.

Please note that we’re testing the new Warbond, so be sure to check back soon for those new rankings. However, here are our first impressions:

• AR-61
  • Absolutely average or a bit below average assault rifle, somewhat weaker than a Liberator at the moment. It also has very low armor penetration, with bullets bouncing off very light armor in certain angles on bugs. The sound effects on this one are good, hopefully it will get adjusted soon.
• SMG-72
  • A very good stagger-oriented SMG, just a bit less damage per shot and lower rate of fire than the Defender SMG. However, it’s compensated with very high stagger power, so most enemies won’t be able to respond to this weapon easily.
• PLAS-101
  • Unfortunately, it’s just a weaker version of the Plasma Punisher which you need to charge before each shot. It doesn’t deal any damage for its low rate of fire, making it very bad. The high rate of fire value shown in stats is deceptive due to the charge mechanic.

If you’re looking for the best Stratagems, head to our Helldivers 2 Stratagems tier list instead.

Best Helldivers 2 Primary Weapon Tier List Commentary

S-tier (Optimal)

R-36 Eruptor

Despite a huge nerf to its ammo capacity and slightly reduced AoE damage, the Eruptor’s overall purpose remains largely unchanged.

It has extremely good damage and penetration, making it effective against both factions.

JAR-5 Dominator

This weapon boasts immense damage, particularly on headshots, potentially having the highest headshot damage of all primaries. It also has a good firing rate and penetration, with very high stagger. Despite a slight decrease in damage, resulting in less weak spot damage, it remains a formidable choice.

CB-9 Exploding Crossbow

The Crossbow is best in class for waveclear, especially against bugs, just avoid getting caught in its splash. It has the potential to moderately wound Chargers if you can hit under its belly, making it a valuable asset among Primary weapons.

It did get nerfs to its AoE range and less max ammo but its increased shot velocity makes it easier to aim and stagger more consistently.

BR-14 Adjudicator

The Adjudicator was repurposed into an AR with compensation buffs for less recoil and more mags. Its default firing mode is full auto now and it’s one of the strongest choices for bots.

You get some of the best damage per shot but it has less stagger, making it slightly worse int eh crowd control category.

SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary

This weapon is ideal for dealing sustained damage to bugs due to its fire damage ticks. Despite having minimal penetration, the fire damage over time (DoT) ignores armor and has its own resist values per enemy. It performs well against a majority of small to medium enemies.

A-tier (Very Good)

PLAS-1 Scorcher

This energy marksman rifle has perfect precision and nice explosion damage. It has an argument for S-tier but we feel it’s currently a bit weaker than those above it.

R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper

The Diligence Counter Sniper received a huge buff both in damage and ergonomics, allowing it to compete with base models and excel against medium enemies, like a majority of bots. It’s now potentially the best long-range DMR available but somewhat weaker than the JAR-5 Dominator.

R-63 Diligence

Very effective against light bots but weak against bugs. Received a slight damage buff, making it slightly better against light enemies compared to the CS variant. However, if you can handle the CS version, it’s preferable.

SG-8P Punisher Plasma

Received projectile velocity buffs and reduced AoE damage falloff, resulting in more overall damage to crowds. It lost max ammo as compensation but retains very good crowd control potential.

ARC-12 Blitzer

Its firing rate has been buffed by 50%, making it more effective at demolishing medium bots. It now ranks either B or A tier with the updated firing rate.

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator

Not a lot to say about this primary, but it’s very effective against medium targets.

AR-23 Liberator

Considered a starting rifle that has just enough to carry you through beginner content. Received a damage buff, though not enough to outshine armor-penetrating AR variants.

SG-225SP Breaker Spray & Pray

Considered the best non-elemental breaker for crowd control.

B-tier (Good)

LAS-16 Sickle

Effective against light targets and suitable for short but frequent encounters due to its ammo economy. However it isn’t reliable in prolonged gunfights.

SG-8S Slugger

The inability to stagger many enemies makes the Slugger a bit weak, especially considering recent marksman and assault rifle buffs. It’s not too bad but not very good either due to its very slow speed and per-round reload. I’d opt for other weapons over the Slugger.

SG-225 Breaker

The default Breaker is outperformed by the S&P version.

SMG-37 Defender

Slightly better than the default Liberator while also being one-handed.

C-tier (Situational)

LAS-5 Scythe

Can be decently used as a precision weapon but has slow DPS. It received a buff, though most likely not enough to become good.

SG-8 Punisher

Worse than a Breaker, not much else to say about it.

AR-23C Liberator Concussive

Now can at least be compared to other AR variants due to recent damage buffs. It may be in the B tier, but that’s questionable due to its very low firing rate. Most likely somewhat weaker than a base Liberator.

MP-98 Knight

Unique to the special edition of the game, and unfortunately is worse than its counterpart, the SMG-37 Defender, due to having very bad ammo efficiency, lower damage, absurd firing rate, and no built-in flashlight.