Best Primary Weapons in Helldivers 2 (Updated Aug 2025) | GamePulse

Single-list picks with faction tags (Illuminate / Terminids / Automatons) and Solo vs Squad notes.

What changed in 2025 (why this list may look different than last year)

Two big shifts reshaped the primary‑weapon meta this summer:

1. Weapon Customization & progression (Patch 01.003.000, May 13, 2025) — most primaries now level up and unlock attachments (optics, mags, muzzles, grips/underbarrels). That lets you tune recoil, sight picture, and sustain for the role you want. The same patch also rebalanced fire damage, which matters for flame/incendiary primaries listed below.
2. Illuminate are truly back — Arrowhead promoted them from “half a faction” to a dangerous third front with new units (Stingrays, Crescent Overseers, Fleshmobs). Uptime, precision, and safe stagger are now at a premium, and that’s reflected in several picks.

Recent Warbonds also dropped notable primaries: VG‑70 Variable (Control Group, July 17) and an incoming ODST “Helljumpers” Legendary Warbond (Aug 26) with the MA5C AR and M90A Shotgun; we flag how those may influence choices.

Quick Reference Matrix

Grades: S = best in class, A = strong, B = workable/niche.
Use: Scan by faction or playstyle, then read the detailed entry that follows.

Attachment advice (short and safe): For ballistics, favor recoil control (compensator/brake + vertical/front grip), a reflex/holo for CQC or a mid‑zoom optic for DMR use, and larger magazines if offered. For lasers/plasma/arc, pick faster heat recovery or sustain options if available, and keep optics simple; availability varies by weapon. Patch 01.003.000 added attachments but not every slot to every gun.

The picks (why they’re good, and when to bring them)

R‑36 Eruptor — “Primary autocannon in disguise”

Why it’s great: This is still the hardest‑hitting primary for objective work: it breaks bug holes and Automaton fabricators from a safe distance, while its explosive shrapnel batch‑deletes elites if you place shots. The flip side is self‑harm risk at close range, so pair it with a high‑DPS secondary or support.
Best vs: Terminids S, Automatons S, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: S/S — priceless when your team needs a fast spawner answer.
Tips: Don’t hip‑fire in a scrum. Aim for vents/weakpoints on structures; respect the backsplash. Use a high‑ROF sidearm or Stalwart to cover your “dead zone.”

CB‑9 Exploding Crossbow — “Silent spawner closer”

Why it’s great: The only one‑handed primary and (together with Eruptor) a rare primary that closes bug holes & fabricators. It’s quiet, letting you stealth‑chip camps, and great for chained objective picks. Arcing bolts need practice and have splash‑risk.
Best vs: Terminids S, Automatons S, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: S/A — astonishing solo utility; in squads it frees others to spec pure anti‑heavy.
Tips: Learn bolt drop; shoot into open vents/holes; keep distance to avoid self‑damage. The one‑handed trait helps while carrying items.

PLAS‑1 Scorcher — “The reliable explosive rifle”

Why it’s great: A controllable, semi/auto explosive plasma primary with solid stagger that shines vs Automatons and Illuminate and is still fine on bugs. Easier to handle than Punisher Plasma, less self‑hazard than Eruptor, and perfect for all‑rounders.
Best vs: Terminids A, Automatons S, Illuminate S
Solo/Squad: S/S — great uptime and objective pressure.
Tips: Treat it like a precise GL: burst to avoid overheating, and don’t overcommit into your own splash.

PLAS‑101 Purifier — “Charged problem‑solver”

Why it’s great: Fires standard or charged shots; the charge detonates on impact for big stagger and medium‑armor work. If you like Scorcher but want stronger single‑shot control, Purifier is the side‑grade that many squads now prefer.
Best vs: Terminids A, Automatons S, Illuminate S
Solo/Squad: A/S — particularly strong in coordinated teams setting up finishers.

LAS‑17 “Double‑Edge” Sickle — “Uptime king (mind your heat)”

Why it’s great: A hot‑rodded Sickle: laser bursts with excellent uptime and crisp accuracy, at the cost of harsher heat/safety tradeoffs than the LAS‑16. Illuminate maps reward that never‑reload pressure, and it’s also strong on bots.
Best vs: Terminids B+, Automatons S, Illuminate S
Solo/Squad: A/S — bring a punchy secondary for emergencies.

ARC‑12 Blitzer — “Chain lightning in a can”

Why it’s great: An energy shotgun that arcs between nearby targets and never overheats (true infinite sustain). That makes it superb at Illuminate chaff control; just respect friendly fire chains and its short effective range.
Best vs: Terminids B, Automatons A, Illuminate S
Solo/Squad: B+/A — safer and stronger in a team that can play around the arcs.

SG‑451 “Cookout” — “Incendiary crowd eraser”

Why it’s great: A pump, dual‑tube incendiary shotgun that melts bug swarms and staggers tough mids. Fire reworks in 01.003.000 improved fire’s scaling on larger enemies, raising its ceiling. It doubles as denial in tight objectives.
Best vs: Terminids S, Automatons B, Illuminate A‑
Solo/Squad: S/S — carries whole lanes on bug worlds.
Tips: Cycle tubes during lulls; don’t overextend into armored heavies.

SG‑225 Breaker (incl. IE / SP / NS variants) — “The classic”

Why it’s great: Full‑auto mag‑fed shotgun that mulches trash and staggers mids; the Incendiary (IE) and Spray&Pray (SP) variants add flavor (burn or broad spread), while Nailspitter (NS) trades control for penetration. Still a top bug primary.
Best vs: Terminids S, Automatons B, Illuminate B+
Solo/Squad: A/S — ammo‑hungry; bring resupplies.
Note: Community tier lists still rate Breaker/IE highly against bugs.

R‑63CS Diligence Counter‑Sniper — “Headshot machine”

Why it’s great: A buffed DMR variant with medium AP and better optics; it one‑taps chaff and shreds Berserkers/Devastators on bots if you land heads. High skill, high return, especially after attachment tuning.
Best vs: Terminids B, Automatons S, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: A/S — excels when the team trusts you to pick threats.

BR‑14 Adjudicator — “The flexible generalist”

Why it’s great: Hybrid AR/DMR with medium AP; does honest work across all three fronts and benefits a lot from grips/compensators. If you want one gun for mixed queues, this is still a safe pick.
Best vs: Terminids B+, Automatons A, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: A/A — not flashy, just effective.

VG‑70 Variable — “Choose your mode”

Why it’s great: A seven‑barrel volley gun with Auto, Volley, and Total modes. Enormous burst when you flip to Volley/Total; light AP means you’ll aim for weakpoints or use it to delete packs. New and surprisingly effective with practice.
Best vs: Terminids B, Automatons A, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: B+/A — better when teammates cover armor.

SG‑8P Punisher Plasma — “Long‑arc plasma ‘shotgun’”

Why it’s great: Lobs explosive plasma balls that stagger bots and pick off striders/overseers at range; think of it as a gentler Scorcher with an arcing trajectory. Watch friendly fire and small mags.
Best vs: Terminids B+, Automatons A, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: B+/A — shines when someone else holds the line.

AR‑61 Tenderizer — “Low recoil, easy beams”

Why it’s great: A select‑fire AR with phenomenal stability that’s excellent for precision weak‑spot work on bots/Illuminate. Ammo capacity is its limiter; the new attachment system helps mitigate that.
Best vs: Terminids B, Automatons A, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: A/A — forgiving handling; bring extra ammo.

SG‑20 Halt — “Control lever (stun/flechette)”

Why it’s great: Dual‑mag design: swap between stun shells and flechettes. That utility is clutch against Illuminate and Automatons to set up finishers. Swapping modes is fiddlier on controller than we’d like, but if you master it, it’s a sleeper.
Best vs: Terminids B, Automatons A, Illuminate A
Solo/Squad: B+/A — great team enabler.

Faction‑by‑Faction shortlists

Illuminate (precision & uptime):

• LAS‑17 Double‑Edge, PLAS‑1 Scorcher, PLAS‑101 Purifier, ARC‑12 Blitzer, VG‑70 Variable, R‑63CS Diligence CS. These provide constant pressure and safe stagger against Voteless/Fleshmobs while still puncturing key targets.

Automatons (AP & stagger):

• R‑36 Eruptor (fabricators, elites), PLAS‑1 Scorcher, PLAS‑101 Purifier, R‑63CS Diligence CS, Adjudicator. If no one brought heavy support for structures, Eruptor/CB‑9 save the day.

Terminids (swarm control):

• SG‑451 Cookout, SG‑225 Breaker/IE, R‑36 Eruptor (holes + bigs), CB‑9 (stealth hole sealing), with Punisher Plasma as a utility flex. The fire scaling change in May helped Cookout/IE builds feel better against bigger bugs.

Solo vs. Squad guidance

• Solo: Prioritize a primary that solves objectives by itself or has infinite uptime. Top solo picks: R‑36 Eruptor and CB‑9 Crossbow (both close spawners), PLAS‑1 Scorcher (safe explosive pressure), LAS‑17 (ammo‑free pressure if you manage heat).
• Squad: Specialize. One player runs Eruptor/CB‑9, another precision DMR (R‑63CS), a third swarm control (Cookout/Breaker), a fourth plasma/laser sustain (Scorcher/Purifier/Blitzer). Attachment diversity (grips, mags, optics) lets each of you lean further into your role.

Honorable mentions / niche picks

• StA‑52 (Killzone AR): Solid Liberator‑like option with bigger mag and ROF; not meta‑defining but a fine generalist when it rotates into the store.
• JAR‑5 Dominator: Still satisfying medium‑AP punch, but many players now prefer Scorcher or Halt for similar jobs with more utility.

Attachments & handling (quick, actionable setup)

• Ballistics (Adjudicator / Tenderizer / Breaker family):
  • Grip + muzzle for recoil; larger mags if available; reflex/holo for 0–50 m, low‑zoom optic for 50–100 m tap‑fire.
• DMRs (R‑63CS):
  • Opt for a clear, higher‑zoom optic and stability pieces; keep your ADS speed reasonable for snap headshots.
• Explosive primaries (Eruptor / CB‑9 / Scorcher / Punisher Plasma):
  • Favor control over greed. Take optics that keep your point of impact obvious (simple reticles), and avoid anything that tempts CQC splash.
• Energy/Arc (LAS‑17 / Blitzer):
  • Prioritize sustain/heat options where available; pick simple sights to track shimmer on weakpoints (Illuminate especially).
    (Attachment availability varies per weapon — see patch 01.003.000 notes for the system overview.)

“What might change next” (late‑Aug 2025 & beyond)

• VG‑70 Variable has already shaken up close‑to‑mid‑range play thanks to its mode switching; expect continued experimentation.
• ODST “Helljumpers” Warbond (Aug 26) adds the MA5C AR and M90A Shotgun as new primaries plus a stealth‑leaning passive (“Feet First”) that could enable more CB‑9/DMR stealth comps. Give the meta a week to settle after it drops.

Sources & notes

• Patch 01.003.000 (May 13, 2025) — weapon customization & fire rework; official notes.
• Illuminate upgrade (May 2025) — new enemies & why uptime/precision rose in value.
• VG‑70 Variable (Control Group, July 17) — overview and modes.
• ODST “Helljumpers” Warbond (Aug 26) — included weapons & passive.
• Weapon pages & capabilities: R‑36 Eruptor; CB‑9 (one‑handed; closes holes/fabs); Bug Hole page (methods); Scorcher; Purifier; LAS‑17; Blitzer; Breaker & variants; Diligence CS; Adjudicator; Tenderizer; Halt.
• Community/meta pulse (for context): aggregate lists and Illuminate/bot pick discussions.

TL;DR loadout recipes (fast starts)

• Solo Bugs: R‑36 Eruptor + Redeemer; Gas grenades; bring Supply Pack. (Close holes, blast Chargers from range.)
• Squad Bots: R‑63CS + PLAS‑1 Scorcher split across two players; a third brings CB‑9 for objectives; fourth runs Cookout/Breaker for flank clear.
• Illuminate Mixed: LAS‑17 or Purifier as primaries; keep a Blitzer or VG‑70 in the group for chaff and burst.