Best Helldivers 2 stratagems: All Helldivers stratagem codes & how to use them

If you're playing on some of the harder Helldivers difficulties, you'll need to rely on a variety of stratagems to both keep you alive and take down your enemies. After all, even using the best Helldivers weapons won't be a match for a Bile Titan.

With new patches and Major Orders bringing balances and new stratagems, here's a look at the best stratagems to use, alongside the full list of Helldivers 2 stratagem codes.

What are the best Helldivers 2 stratagems?

The best stratagems in Helldivers 2 are the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, Orbital Laser, Eagle Airstrike, A/G-16 Gatling Sentry and Shield Generator Pack

Aside from the Shield Generator, these stratagems bring a whole lot of hurt to the enemy, and are best saved for the moments you really need them – such as when you're going up against bosses.

LAS-99 Quasar Cannon

This replaced the Railgun as our go-to support weapon following its nerf a few patches ago.

It's especially useful against the stronger enemies in Terminid and Automaton missions, such as your Chargers, Hulks and Bile Titans, as it can take them out in relatively few shots. It can even shoot down Dropships if you're accurate enough, which is such a satisfying feeling.

We've also experimented with the EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank and found it to be especially useful in a pinch, but the two rockets do make it slightly worse in our experience compared to the Quasar's unlimited ammo.

Orbital Laser

Unlocked at level 15, the Orbital Laser will devastate enemies - but in a target area as opposed to a singular one.

You only get to use it three times, but it does have a shorter cooldown time of 300 seconds and a one-second call-in time, making it viable as a desperate last-ditch weapon.

Eagle Airstrike

This is available immediately to the player at level 1, has no call-in time and only an eight-second cooldown time.

You do only get two uses, though, so it's best used sparingly. We rate it so highly, however, as it's an absolute lifesaver for lower-ranked players and those new to the game.

It is great for huge swarms of enemies, and you'll find a lot of use for it even when you've progressed much further into the game.

A/G-16 Gatling Sentry

While not suitable for every situation, we always like to bring one sentry with us for those more defensive situations, such as evacuating civilians, or extracting at the end of a mission.

The Gatling Sentry is our usual choice for Terminid missions, as it will mow down those hordes of smaller bugs while we can focus on the larger enemies who need more shots to take out. We've found the A/M-12 Mortar Sentry to be more effective on Automaton missions, though.

As with all sentries, you do need to be careful about friendly fire, but that's just a small price to pay for the work it does in thinning out the waves of enemies.

Shield Generator Pack

Unlocked at level 20, the Shield Generator Pack is absolutely essential for higher-difficulty missions, providing a crucial bit of extra protection against swarms of bugs or automatons.

It did receive some nerfs in a recent patch, but is still a go-to for us in most Helldivers 2 missions.

How to use stratagems in Helldivers 2

In order to use the stratagems in Helldivers 2, you'll need to open the list and input the code for the one you want to use.

On the PS5 you hold L1, and on the PC you hold left Ctrl. While they're held down, you input the code. Simple!

There are seven types of stratagems in Helldivers 2:

• Mission-Specific
• Patriotic Administration Center
• Orbital Cannons
• Hangar
• Bridge
• Engineering Bay
• Robotics Workshop

We'll separate the below list into each category.

Full list of Helldivers 2 stratagems - All codes on PS5 and PC

The codes are all used with directional buttons, both on the PC and PS5. Bear in mind that on the PC you'll be using WASD. So W is Up, A is Left, S Down, and D Right.

Mission-Specific Stratagem Codes

• Reinforce - Up, Down, Right, Left, Up.
• SOS Beacon - Up, Down, Right, Up.
• Resupply - Down, Down, Up, Right.
• Eagle Rearm - Up, Up, Left, Up, Right.
• SEAF Artillery - Left, Up, Up, Down.
• SSSD Delivery - Down, Down, Down, Up, Up.
• Upload Data - Left, Right, Up, Up, Up.
• Hellbomb - Up, Down, Left, Down, Up, Right, Down, Up.
• Seismic Probe - Up, Up, Left, Right, Down, Down.
• Prospecting Drill - Down, Down, Left, Right, Down, Down.
• Super Earth Flag - Down, Up, Down, Up.

Patriotic Administration Center Stratagem Codes

• Machine Gun (level 1) - Down, Left, Down, Up, Right.
• Anti-Material Rifle (level 2) - Down, Left, Right, Up, Down.
• Stalwart (level 2) - Down, Left, Down, Up, Up, Left.
• Expendable Anti-Tank (level 3) - Down, Down, Left, Up, Right.
• Recoiled Rifle (level 5) - Down, Left, Right, Right, Left.
• Flamethrower (level 10) - Down, Left, Up, Down, Up.
• Autocannon (level 10) - Down, Left, Down, Up, Up, Right.
• Heavy Machine Gun (level 12) - Down, Left, Up, Down, Down.
• Railgun (level 20) - Down, Right, Left, Down, Up, Left, Right.
• Spear (level 20) - Down, Down, Up, Down, Down.

Orbital Cannons Stratagem Codes

• Orbital Gatling Barrage (level 2) - Right, Down, Left, Up, Up.
• Orbital Airburst Strike (level 5) - Right, Right Right.
• Orbital 120MM HE Barrage (level 5) - Right, Down, Left, Right, Down.
• Orbital 380MM HE Barrage (level 8) - Right, Down, Up, Up, Left, Down, Down.
• Orbital Walking Barrage (level 10) - Right, Right, Down, Left, Right, Down.
• Orbital Lasers (level 15) - Right, Down, Up, Right, Down.
• Orbital Railcannon Strike (level 20) - Right, Up, Down, Down, Right.

Hangar Stratagem Codes

• Eagle Strafing Run (level 2) - Up, Right, Right.
• Eagle Airstrike (level 2) - Up, Right, Down, Right.
• Eagle Cluster Bomb (level 3) - Up, Right, Down, Down, Right.
• Eagle Napalm Airstrike (level 5) - Up, Right, Down, Up.
• Jump Pack (level 8) - Down, Up, Up, Down, Up.
• Eagle Smoke Strike (level 8) - Up, Right, Up, Down.
• Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods (level 10) - Up, Right, Up, Left.
• Eagle 500KG Bomb (level 15) - Up, Right, Down, Down, Down.

Bridge Stratagem Codes

• Orbital Precision Strike (level 1) - Right, Right, Up.
• Orbital Gas Strike (level 3) - Right, Right, Down, Right.
• Orbital EMS Strike (level 5) - Right, Right, Left, Down.
• Orbital Smoke Strike (level 8) - Right, Right, Down, Up.
• HMG Emplacement (level 10) - Down, Up, Left, Right, Right, Left.
• Shield Generation Relay (level 10) - Down, Up, Left, Down, Right, Right.
• Tesla Tower (15) - Down, Up, Right, Up, Left, Right.

Engineering Bay Stratagem Codes

• Anti-Personnel Minefield (level 2) - Down, Left, Up, Right.
• Supply Pack (level 3) - Down, Left, Down, Up, Up, Down.
• Grenade Launcher (level 5) - Down, Left, Up, Left, Down.
• Laser Cannon (level 5) - Down, Left, Down, Up, Left.
• Incendiary Mines (level 8) - Down, Left, Left, Down.
• "Guard Dog" Rover (level 10) - Down, Up, Left, Up, Right, Right.
• Ballistic Shield Backpack (level 12) - Down, Left, Up, Up, Right.
• Arc Thrower (level 15) - Down, Right, Up, Left, Down.
• Quasar Cannon (level 18) - Down, Up, Left, Right, Left, Right.
• Shield Generator Pack (level 20) - Down, Up, Left, Right, Left, Right.

Robotic Workshop Stratagem Codes

• Machine Gun Sentry (level 3) - Down, Up, Right, Right, Up.
• Gatling Sentry (level 5) - Down, Up, Right, Left.
• Mortar Sentry (level 8) - Down, Up, Right, Right, Down.
• "Guard Dog" (level 10) - Down, Up, Left, Up, Right, Down.
• Autocannon Sentry (level 13) - Down, Up, Right, Up, Left, Up.
• Rocket Sentry (level 15) - Down, Up, Right, Right, Left.
• EMS Mortar Sentry (level 20) - Down, Down, Up, Up, Left.
• Patriot Exosuit (level 25) - Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Down.

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