When the battlefield in Helldivers 2 heats up and armored foes start to dominate, your standard bullets just won’t cut it. To punch through the toughest defenses and keep democracy alive, you need armor piercing rounds – the key to dismantling heavily armored enemies efficiently. This guide reveals how to unlock these powerful rounds, the best weapons and stratagems to equip, and tips to exploit enemy weak spots on both PC and PlayStation. Get ready to turn the tide with firepower that truly penetrates.
What are armor piercing rounds in Helldivers 2?
Armor piercing rounds in Helldivers 2 are specialized ammunition designed to penetrate enemy armor, allowing players to effectively damage heavily armored foes such as Chargers, Hulks, and various robotic enemies. These rounds come in different levels-light and medium armor piercing for primary weapons, with heavy armor penetration typically reserved for support Stratagem weapons. While all weapons have some form of armor piercing capability, only certain weapons and Stratagems can efficiently break through tougher armor, making armor piercing rounds essential for progressing against mid- to late-game armored enemies. They work by overcoming the enemy’s armor value to deal flesh damage, rather than simply hitting the armor itself, and are crucial for dealing with enemies that standard weapons struggle to damage.
As you increase your difficulty in Helldivers 2, you’ll encounter Chargers, Bile Titans, Hulks, and more heavily armored enemies. You can defeat these enemies with standard weapons by targeting their weak spot (typically on their back). But the most efficient use of your time is to tag these enemies with weapons that can deal heavy damage to their armor.
If you shoot weapons without heavy armor piercing rounds at armored targets, you’ll get a ricochet symbol on your screen, telling you that those shots didn’t do any damage. If you want to shoot the target head-on, you’ll need a weapon that has “vehicle armor” in its description in order to blast through the plate.
This system exists to make enemies like Chargers much more threatening and to stop you from just burning your Stratagems on smaller enemies.
Helldivers 2 armor piercing rounds weapons list
In Helldivers 2, armor piercing rounds are crucial for dealing with heavily armored enemies encountered at higher difficulties. All primary and secondary weapons come equipped with either Light or Medium Armor Piercing Rounds, with only a few primary weapons like the AR-23P Liberator Penetrator and JAR-5 Dominator featuring medium armor penetration. However, to effectively penetrate heavy armor, players rely on Stratagem Support Weapons such as the Railgun, Expendable Anti-Tank, Recoilless Rifle, FAF-14 Spear, and GL-21 Grenade Launcher, which deliver superior armor penetration and damage. These weapons are essential for taking down tough foes like Chargers, Brood Commanders, and Tanks, as standard weapons often struggle against their defenses.
There are three tiers of armor piercing to match the three tiers of armor: light, medium, and heavy. Primary weapons – the kinds you can take in with you without the use of Stratagems – can only deal with light and medium armor.
Here is a list of the primary weapons with light armor penetrating, meaning they are only capable of dealing full damage to targets with light armor:
- SG-Punisher (Helldivers Mobilize)
- R-63 Diligence (Helldivers Mobilize)
- P-19 Redeemer (Helldivers Mobilize)
- SMG-37 Defender (Helldivers Mobilize)
- SG-225 Breaker (Helldivers Mobilize)
- LAS-5 Scythe (Helldivers Mobilize)
- R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper (Helldivers Mobilize)
- SG-8S Slugger (Helldivers Mobilize)
- SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray (Helldivers Mobilize)
- PLAS-1 Scorcher (Helldivers Mobilize)
- AR-23E Liberator Explosive (Steeled Veterans)
- P-4 Senator (Steeled Veterans)
- SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary (Steeled Veterans)
Here is a list of primary weapons with medium armor penetrating, meaning they can deal with enemies that have light or medium armor:
- AR-23P Liberator Penetrator (Helldivers Mobilize)
- JAR-5 Dominator (Steeled Veterans)
Note: The MG-43 Machine Gun Support Weapon also offers Medium armor piercing rounds, and is a great choice for the early game.
How to get armor piercing rounds for heavy armor in Helldivers 2
To get armor piercing rounds effective against heavy armor in Helldivers 2, you mainly rely on special Stratagem Support Weapons rather than standard primary or secondary weapons. While all regular weapons come with either Light or Medium Armor Penetrating rounds, none have Heavy Armor Penetrating rounds by default. The best way to pierce heavy armor (Armor Value 5 or higher) is to use Stratagem weapons like the Railgun, Autocannon, Expendable Anti-Tank, Recoilless Rifle, Spear, and Grenade Launcher. These weapons are designed to break through tough enemy armor plating, revealing weak spots for follow-up attacks. Additionally, powerful airstrikes such as the Eagle Airstrike and Orbital Precision Strike are effective for dealing with heavily armored foes. To access these armor-piercing options, unlock and call in the appropriate Stratagems during missions, as they provide the necessary firepower to handle heavy armored enemies efficiently.
All of your heavy armor piercing tools are going to come in the form of Support Weapons or Stratagems.
If you want to end an enemy with heavy armor, your best bet is to blow it to smithereens with an Eagle Airstrike or the Orbital Laser. However, these upgrades are either difficult to aim on moving targets or take a long time to unlock on your character.
Even if you’re capable of blowing up heavily armored targets, you’ll also want to make sure you can call in a Support Weapon that’s capable of dealing with their armor on-demand. These weapons typically have limited ammo, but you can replenish them with a Resupply Stratagem or by calling another weapon into the field.
Here is a list of Support Weapons that can punch through heavy armor:
- Railgun (Patriotic Administration Center)
- Spear (Patriotic Administration Center)
- Expendable Anti-Tank (Patriotic Administration Center)
- GR-8 Recoilless Rifle (Patriotic Administration Center)
How can I unlock the best armor piercing weapons early in Helldivers 2
To unlock the best armor piercing weapons early in Helldivers 2, focus on progressing through the Helldivers Mobilize Warbonds and Steeled Veterans Premium Warbonds to acquire key weapons and stratagems. Start by unlocking medium armor penetrating weapons like the AR-23P Liberator Penetrator Assault Rifle at level 10, which is effective against heavily armored enemies. Additionally, aim to unlock powerful stratagem support weapons such as the EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank and the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, which provide strong armor penetration capabilities.
For a fast progression, prioritize completing missions that grant medals and warbond points to unlock these weapons quickly. Using the starting Machine Gun with medium armor penetration can help you survive early encounters while working toward these unlocks. Also, consider equipping boosters early on to enhance your survivability and ammo capacity, which will support sustained combat against armored foes.
In summary, the best approach is to:
-
Progress through warbond unlocks to access medium armor penetrating weapons like the AR-23P Liberator Penetrator Assault Rifle.
-
Unlock and utilize powerful stratagem support weapons such as the EAT-17 and GR-8 Recoilless Rifle.
-
Use the starting weapons effectively while farming medals and warbonds.
-
Equip boosters early to maintain combat efficiency and survivability.
What is the fastest way to unlock the Autocannon at level 10
The fastest way to unlock the AC-8 Autocannon in Helldivers 2 is to reach level 10 and then purchase it for 7,000 Requisition Slips from the Ship Management terminal under the Stratagems tab, specifically in the Patriotic Administration Center subsection. To speed up this process, focus on completing missions efficiently to gain experience and accumulate Requisition Slips quickly. Prioritize objectives that yield high rewards and aim to maximize your medal and warbond earnings early in the game to reach level 10 faster.
Once you hit level 10, immediately head to your ship’s management console to buy the Autocannon stratagem. Remember, the Autocannon requires a support backpack for ammo and benefits greatly from team coordination for reloading, so prepare your squad accordingly to make the most of this powerful weapon.
