Become a Helljumper ghost: how to stack Feet First’s 50% movement‑noise reduction and leg‑injury immunity with the MA5C / M7S / M6C(SOCOM) to clear objectives without waking the planet.
Why stealth finally works (and when it doesn’t)
With the Halo‑inspired Legendary Warbond (“Obedient Democracy Support Troopers”) Arrowhead leaned into stealth for the first time in Helldivers 2. It brings a new armor passive — Feet First — plus four ODST‑themed weapons that include suppressed options (notably the M7S SMG and M6C/SOCOM Pistol). This drop is explicitly built for quieter play, not just role‑play.
Mechanically, stealth in HD2 is simple but unforgiving:
- Enemies “notice” you by sound → sight → proximity (“smell”), in roughly that order. Make less noise, break line of sight, and keep distance to avoid the proximity trigger.
- Stance matters: standing is loud/visible; crouch and prone shrink your detection radius and steady your weapon. Bushes and hard cover amplify this.
- Patch 1.003.101 reduced some cheap detections (e.g., spawners no longer auto‑aggro just because you approached), which makes stealth routes more predictable.
Two passives define your approach:
- Feet First (ODST armors): 50% less movement noise, immunity to leg injuries, and +30% POI identification range. It’s tailor‑made for quiet runs and never getting hobbled mid‑sprint.
- Scout (classic stealth): −30% enemy detection range and auto‑radar pings from map markers. It’s still excellent for “stay unseen” pathing, especially if you don’t have the ODST set yet.
Faction caveat: stealth is easier vs. Automatons (line‑of‑sight machines) and harder vs. Terminids (proximity‑heavy “smell”). Plan your routes accordingly.
Core kit: the ODST trio
M7S SMG (Primary or utility primary)
The M7S ships with a fixed suppressor and comfortable handling. Use it for sentries, patrol Troopers, and isolated bugs you can single‑tap before they signal. It’s the new backbone for quiet picks.
When to favor it: solo infiltration, Automaton outpost creeping, “no alert” objectives. Swap to bursts on medium targets; keep your lanes short and cover‑to‑cover.
M6C/SOCOM (Secondary)
Finally, a suppressed sidearm with real stopping power for precision stealth kills and one‑handed interactions. Think of it as a Peacemaker that trades some raw oomph for low sound profile and lower “where‑did‑that-shot-come-from?” radius. Great while carrying objectives.
Tip: use it to clear patrols while your stratagems cool down; many players underestimate how far a silenced sidearm can carry a stealth route.
MA5C Assault Rifle (Primary)
The MA5C isn’t suppressed; it’s your break‑glass primary for when quiet turns into a sprint‑and‑gun. It features a first‑person aim view, ammo counter, and medium AP, but its small mag and lack of optics make it a situational pick rather than a meta rifle right now. PC Gamer currently rates it around B‑tier — fun, thematic, but not your loud anchor on Helldive difficulty.
Loadout logic: If you expect mostly stealth, lead with M7S and keep MA5C for “oh no” moments; if you expect frequent escalations, run MA5C but open engagements with the SOCOM whenever you can to delay drops.
Armor & boosters: stack silence and stay mobile
Armor: pick by mission
- A‑9 Helljumper / A‑35 Recon (Feet First) — the day‑one ODST sets. Movement noise −50%, leg‑injury immunity, +30% POI ID range. This lets you sprint out of danger without getting crippled by mines, shrapnel, or unlucky blasts. It’s the single best stealth passive because it protects your mobility budget.
- SC‑30 Trailblazer Scout (or any Scout‑passive armor) — when you specifically want −30% detection range to snake around dense patrol belts or farm sample routes with minimal fights.
Feet First vs. Scout?
If you’re avoiding fights and sprinting between covers, Feet First wins (no hobbling, less footstep noise). If you’re threading needles through tight patrol cones, Scout wins. Mixed teams should bring both.
Boosters (teamwide)
- UAV Recon — bigger radar scan radius for the whole squad so you spot POIs and red dots sooner and chart safer paths. (It complements Scout/Feet First; it doesn’t change the Feet First POI bonus.)
- Stamina Enhancement / Experimental Infusion — sprint more, reposition faster; Infusion adds speed + DR when you stim, which is clutch during stealth‑to‑loud pivots.
- Vitality Enhancement — extra durability and resistance to limb injuries. Redundant for your own legs if you’re on Feet First, but superb team glue if only one or two divers have the ODST armor.
Stratagems that don’t blow your cover (as much)
You’ll still throw stratagems — just treat them as planned spikes of noise with immediate displacement.
- Orbital Smoke Strike / Eagle Smoke Strike — create LOS breaks for crossings, uplinks, or Hellbomb plants. Smoke is non‑lethal (and controversial in the meta), but for stealth routes, it’s perfect to move not fight. Throw the smoke on the enemy/asset, not between you and them, so they lose vision first.
- Orbital Precision Strike — the quietest “surgical delete” for alarm sources (sirens, radar dishes, spawners) when you can’t get a clean satchel or Hellbomb.
- Resupply — plan drops at pre‑cleared or off‑angle positions so the beacon’s noise doesn’t pull patrols across your route. (Calling anything makes noise; place thoughtfully.)
Support weapon (optional):
If you need a precision answer to heavies while staying relatively composed, the Railgun or Quasar used sparingly can remove a problem without starting a fireworks show. They’re not “silent,” but single, aimed shots between moves create the fewest seconds of exposure compared to sprays or barrages. (Community stealth guides frequently pair quiet primaries with Railgun/Quasar for outpost works.)
The builds (day‑one, ODST‑first)
1) Ghostjumper Solo (Automatons)
- Armor: A‑35 Recon (Feet First)
- Primary: M7S SMG (suppressed)
- Secondary: M6C/SOCOM (suppressed)
- Stratagems: Orbital Smoke Strike, Orbital Precision Strike, Resupply, Eagle Smoke Strike
- Booster: UAV Recon (solo pathing) or Experimental Infusion (faster clutch escapes)
Game plan: skirt patrols, prone‑crawl within 30–40m of sentries or Troopers, then SOCOM head‑tap or M7S short burst. Use Smoke to cross Detector Tower sightlines or to plant a Hellbomb; Precision deletes Jammers or dishes you can’t safely approach. Move immediately after any stratagem call. (Detector Towers will lock on if you “announce” yourself; smoke keeps their eye off you while you close.)
Why it works: Feet First halves your movement noise (easier close‑range sneakers) and completely removes the “my legs are broken” fail state when a stray round, mine, or grenade clips you mid‑route.
2) Feet‑First Recon Pair (Co‑op, mixed passives)
- Diver A (Pathfinder): Scout‑passive armor; M7S + M6C/SOCOM
- Diver B (Sprinter): Feet First armor; MA5C + M6C/SOCOM
- Team Stratagems: Orbital Smoke, Precision, Resupply, plus one flex (e.g., Eagle Airstrike as your “oh‑no” button)
- Booster: UAV Recon (A) + Stamina Enhancement (B)
Game plan: Pathfinder sets map markers and hand‑pings patrols/radars as the team’s “eyes,” cutting detection range for the squad’s approach. Sprinter carries objectives and plays the leg‑injury‑immune runner. Your suppressed weapons do the trimming; MA5C intentionally stays holstered until contact breaks — then it provides a controllable, medium‑AP response while you bound to fresh cover.
Why it works: Scout makes “threading the needle” easier; Feet First prevents the carry from ever getting hobbled during extracts or uplink loops. You split roles without duplicating weaknesses.
3) Bug Whisperer (Terminids)
- Armor: Feet First (for sprint‑reposition reliability)
- Primary: M7S (controlled taps), or swap to a quiet marksman if you insist on ranged picks; keep the SOCOM for forced one‑handers.
- Stratagems: Orbital Smoke (for breach‑adjacent LOS breaks), Precision (delete alarm‑prone assets), Resupply, Eagle Smoke
- Booster: Stamina Enhancement or Experimental Infusion
Game plan: against bugs, stealth = pathing. Avoid breach clusters and hives. If you must shoot, kill the fewest and move; don’t “poke the hive.” Smoke is for reposition only (bugs don’t care about vision the way bots do), so use it to cross fields and break line‑of‑sight from ranged variants. Expect to sprint more, hence the mobility boosters.
4) Loud Insurance (ODST Theme, flexible squad)
- Armor: any ODST Feet First set
- Primary: MA5C (your escalation gun)
- Sidearm: M6C/SOCOM (your default while “cold”)
- Stratagems: Precision, Smoke, Resupply, plus one situational delete (e.g., Railcannon for boss checks)
- Booster: Vitality Enhancement (if not everyone owns ODST armor), otherwise UAV Recon
Game plan: Play the mission almost entirely on SOCOM and Smoke. Swap to MA5C only when the situation goes kinetic (dropship inbound, tower locks on, hulks walk into you). This preserves stealth windows but gives you a consistent “feel” when it’s time to brawl — even if MA5C is currently a role‑play B‑tier rifle, it’s intuitive and responsive when used in short, controlled bursts.
Micro‑tactics that make silent runs stick
1) Budget your noise.
Think in noise spikes. A Resupply, a Railgun shot, or a Precision call are all spikes. After any spike, move 40–60m and reset your stealth state before doing anything else. (Enemies investigate the area of the noise, not your last exact pixel.)
2) Use stance deliberately.
Stand to move between hard covers; crouch to watch patrol routes; go prone for final approaches, uplink blitzes, or to crawl under detector arcs. Feet First lowers the movement‑noise floor; your stance compresses visual cones. Use both.
3) Smoke on them, not on you.
Drop Orbital/Eagle Smoke directly on the asset or patrol so they lose sight. Run the edge of the cloud to keep your vision. Use it to plant Hellbombs inside Automaton bases or to cross big kill zones.
4) Precision before breach.
If a radar dish, jammer, or alarm siren will turn a stealthy infiltrate into a shootout, Precision Strike it from an off‑angle, then close while cooldowns tick. It’s your smallest‑footprint delete tool.
5) Prioritize callers and towers (Automatons).
Troopers that call drops and Detector Towers are your stealth run‑enders. SOCOM/M7S the callers; smoke + Hellbomb or Precision the tower. Don’t shoot at towers without a plan — they’ll “stare” where they sense activity.
6) Accept that bugs smell you.
Terminids will pop you by proximity even if you’re quiet. Your win condition is route quality and speed, not kill count. Use Infusion/Stamina to disengage when they “perk up.”
7) Suppressed rhythm:
Open encounters with M6C/SOCOM head‑taps. Use M7S bursts for two‑or‑more targets within 15–25m. Save MA5C for when the fight is on. That rhythm maximizes silent uptime and minimizes drop calls.
Mission picks that favor stealth
- Retrieve/Upload/Data‑heavy objectives: lots of movement, little required killing — perfect for Feet First + Smoke.
- Automaton outpost clears: plan a tower/jammer chain: Smoke to cross → Precision to disarm → Hellbomb to finish, moving 40m between steps.
- POI farming / Super Credit runs: Feet First’s +30% POI identification and UAV Recon speed this up while you avoid patrols.
Troubleshooting (common pain points)
- “Smoke feels bad.” You’re likely placing it between you and enemies. Put it on top of the shooters or the tower lens, then move through the edge of the cloud. Against bugs, think “crossing tool,” not “cover fire.”
- “I still get leg‑broken.” Check your armor passive: only Feet First grants immunity. Vitality Enhancement resists injuries but doesn’t make you immune.
- “MA5C feels underwhelming.” That’s expected in the current balance; it’s rated mid‑tier. Keep it as escalation insurance, not your primary stealth tool.
- “Stealth breaks randomly near spawners.” Some auto‑aggro cases were toned down (1.003.101), but there are still map‑specific oddities. Route wider, avoid throwing stratagems near spawners unless you’re immediately relocating.
TL;DR day‑one ODST stealth blueprint
- Wear Feet First when sprint mobility and leg‑injury immunity matter most; run Scout when threading detection cones.
- Use M6C/SOCOM for surgical starts, M7S for quiet trims, MA5C only when it’s time to go loud.
- Build around UAV Recon / Stamina / Infusion boosters to chart safer paths and escape faster.
- Anchor your route with Smoke + Precision instead of big explosives; move after every “noise spike.”
Do that and you’ll feel like an ODST: Feet first into Hell; footsteps unheard.
