From bunker‑busting orbitals to Leviathan‑killing shenanigans: the strongest picks, when to bring them, and how they synergize.
How this was built: This list reflects live balance and community usage as of August 27, 2025, across all three factions (Terminids, Automatons, Illuminate). Rankings emphasize reliability, uptime, precision (low friendly fire), objective control, and team synergy.
Quick TL;DR by Category
- Orbital (S): Railcannon Strike, 380 mm HE Barrage, Orbital Laser.
- Eagle (S): Strafing Run, 500 kg Bomb.
- Sentry (S): Autocannon Sentry, EMS Mortar Sentry, Tesla Tower.
- Utility (S): Supply Pack, Shield Generator Relay, Guard Dog Rover, Shield Generator Pack, Railgun/Recoilless/Autocannon (support weapons), Spear (AA/anti‑big).
Details, caveats, and the all‑important synergy callouts below.
ORBITAL STRATAGEMS (Bridge)
S‑Tier
• Orbital Railcannon Strike — Delete the biggest threat, right now.
Auto‑targets the largest enemy near the beacon—ideal for Hulks, Tanks, Bile Titans, Illuminate heavies, or a stubborn Fabricator you can’t safely approach. It’s point‑and‑yeet reliability with minimal friendly‑fire risk. Synergy: Pair with Orbital EMS or Eagle Smoke to hold aggro/LOS while it lines up; with Spear or Recoilless, it cleans up heavies instantly.
• Orbital 380 mm HE Barrage — Area denial & base clearing royalty.
Huge footprint and sustained shelling that erases patrols, vents nests, and softens Automaton outposts before your push. Synergy (Base Clearing): Drop Eagle Smoke to cross open ground, then 380 mm to churn the compound; have a Gatling/Autocannon Sentry cover your flank as you breach.
• Orbital Laser — Long‑duration crowd control with surgical sweeps.
The laser’s long dwell time lets you carve lanes through bugs or pin bots while your squad rotates. Excellent on defense points and during evac chaos. Synergy: Use with Shield Generator Relay to keep sentries alive while you “mow” with the beam.
A‑Tier
• Orbital Gatling Barrage — Fast, flexible suppression; great vs. swarms.
Quick call‑in that carpets an area with HE autocannon fire. Amazing vs. Terminid breaches and mixed packs; less consistent on high armor. Synergy: Toss onto one side of a nest while your team clears the other; layer Gas on bots to compound stagger.
• Orbital Precision Strike — The “click heads” of orbitals.
High‑caliber, exact shell placement. Perfect for popping Fabricators or bug structures without blanketing your squad in danger. Synergy: Smoke → Precision the core → push.
• Orbital Gas Strike — Control and confusion in a can.
Creates a damaging, disorienting cloud that slows and can cause enemies to attack each other—surprisingly potent on bots as well as bugs. Synergy: Drop Gas at choke points while Autocannon Sentry or Tesla Tower farms slowed targets.
• Orbital EMS Strike — Emergency brakes for enemy pushes.
Briefly stuns heavies and freezes swarms so you can reposition or set up a finisher. Synergy: EMS → Railcannon or 500 kg for guaranteed deletes; EMS → Recoilless/Railgun focus fire.
B‑Tier
• Orbital 120 mm HE Barrage — Reliable early unlock and safer pattern than 380 mm; fine when you need HE pressure but not your best slot at higher difficulties.
• Orbital Airburst Strike — Anti‑infantry rain that’s great in open terrain; can be overshadowed by Gatling/380 mm unless your team is starved for anti‑horde tools.
• Orbital Smoke Strike — Niche but clutch: blinds firing lines so you can complete terminals or extract safely. Prefer Eagle Smoke when you want a long wall; use Orbital Smoke when you want a big bubble.
EAGLE STRATAGEMS (Hangar)
Rearming 101: When Eagle charges are low, you can manually trigger Eagle Rearm to send your pilot back to the Destroyer to restock (default ~2:30). Do it between fights; during rearm you can’t use any Eagle attacks.
S‑Tier
• Eagle Strafing Run — Fastest, most spammable “oh‑no” button.
Arrives instantly, clears lines, staggers heavies, and buys breathing room with minimal friendly‑fire risk—especially good while rotating or on dynamic objectives. Synergy: Chain strafes with Rearm timing to guarantee air cover on every approach; top off with Railcannon for a mid‑fight delete.
• Eagle 500 kg Bomb — Single‑target eraser and structure smiter.
Drops a delayed mega‑charge that annihilates big targets or cores if you’re precise. Land it just behind mobile heavies or atop fixed targets. Synergy: EMS a Bile Titan/Harvester, then 500 kg; combine with Spear/Recoilless if it survives.
A‑Tier
• Eagle Airstrike — Consistent line clear.
Six bombs in a straight line; great on approach lanes and outpost walls. Synergy: Smoke your left flank, Airstrike your right, push through the gap.
• Eagle Cluster Bomb — Carpet‑bombing for sprawling outposts.
Wide coverage that chews light/medium infantry and soft targets. Synergy: Chain Clusters with Gatling Barrage for a sustained, push‑friendly killzone.
• Eagle 110 mm Rocket Pods — Boss chip damage with snappy delivery.
Good follow‑ups on wounded Titans/Tanks; shines most when your squad already has reliable armor breaks. Synergy: Recoilless/Railgun break → 110 mm finishes.
• Eagle Napalm Airstrike — Hard denial wall.
Ignites a lane so you can rotate, revive, or reset; useful on bot AA yards and Illuminate city streets. Synergy: Napalm lane + Shield Relay bubble = safe terminal time.
B‑Tier
• Eagle Smoke Strike — Great utility, low lethality. Use it to cut LOS while rearming or reinforcing; pick Air/Cluster when you need kills instead.
SENTRY STRATAGEMS (Robotics Workshop)
S‑Tier
• Autocannon Sentry — The anchor gun.
Long range, armor‑piercing bursts that chunk Chargers, Bile Titans, and even punish Automaton dropships at range. Place it with clear arcs; protect it and it will carry fights. Synergy: Shield Generator Relay bubble over the turret keeps it alive under bot fire; EMS Mortar turns targets into target dummies.
• EMS Mortar Sentry — Area lockdown without team‑killing explosions.
Fires EMS charges that slow/stun enemies in a wide radius—buying your team time and setting up precision finishers. Synergy: EMS Mortar → Railcannon or 500 kg; EMS + Autocannon Sentry is a boss‑melter combo.
• Tesla Tower — Illuminate & swarm shredder.
Arcs chain through clustered targets; exceptional in tight city spaces and on Stalker/Seeker packs. Hot tip: Go prone near it to avoid getting zapped yourself. Synergy: Tesla in front, Shield Relay over the team and turrets, Gas or Napalm to punish clumps trying to path around.
A‑Tier
• Gatling Sentry — High ammo, high RPM bug blender.
Fantastic for sealing a breach or holding angles while you push another. Needs cover from heavies.
• Mortar Sentry — Indirect fire that reaches over walls.
Great for bot compounds—just mind friendly fire; pair with Smoke to reduce TKs.
• Rocket Sentry — Anti‑heavy specialist, best with clear lines.
Punishes Tanks/Chargers on approach, but slow turning and backblast make placement crucial.
B‑Tier
• Machine Gun Sentry — Low‑maintenance extra gun.
Always useful but rarely fight‑defining; bring when you want an almost‑always‑up turret with minimal setup.
UTILITY STRATAGEMS (Engineering Bay / Support Weapons / Static Defenses)
What counts as “Utility” here? Backpacks, static defenses (mines/shields/emplacements), and support‑weapon drops (Railgun, Recoilless, Autocannon, Spear). These are all called down via stratagems, even though they’re not “red” attacks.
S‑Tier
• B‑1 Supply Pack (backpack) — The economy king.
Refuels primaries, support weapons, stims, and grenades; the single biggest force‑multiplier in long ops. Synergy: Combine with Superior Packing Methodology ship module so every resupply fully tops support weapons.
• FX‑12 Shield Generator Relay (static) — Pop a bubble, break a siege.
Creates a 360° projectile‑blocking dome that keeps turrets and teammates alive while you do terminals, hack AA, or fight waves. Synergy: Drop Relay → set Autocannon/EMS behind it → advance under Eagle Smoke. It’s also fantastic for defense missions where turrets normally get shredded.
• AX/“Guard Dog” Rover (backpack drone) — Hands‑free perimeter.
Orbiting laser buddy that screens flankers and clears chaff while you handle objectives; low micro, high uptime. Synergy: Guard Dog + Shield Pack user becomes a hard‑to‑kill medic/ammo mule.
• SH‑32 Shield Generator Pack (backpack) — Personal extra life vs. bullets.
Blocks high‑speed projectiles and lets a revive/Objective run happen under fire. Synergy: Shield Pack + Railgun/Recoilless user can face‑tank chip damage to land critical shots.
• Support Weapons: Railgun / Recoilless / Autocannon (drops) — Your sustained anti‑heavy trio.
Railgun for precise deletes, Recoilless for team‑oriented tank busting, Autocannon for mobile APHE spam. Synergy: EMS anything scary, then focus fire. (All three are standard “support” stratagem drops.)
• SPEAR (support AA/AT) — The problem solver for aircraft & big targets.
Lock‑on, long‑range tool that deletes gunships/dropships and helps finish wounded heavies; essential on Illuminate air‑heavy maps. Synergy: Strafing Run staggers → SPEAR finishes.
A‑Tier
• HMG Emplacement (HMG Replacement) — Manned lane control.
Turns a hallway into a no‑go zone for mediums; place with fields of fire and cover its sides. Synergy: Bubble it with Shield Relay so the gunner actually lives.
• MD‑6 Anti‑Personnel Mines / MD‑I4 Incendiary Mines — Cheap map edits.
AP mines shred runners; incendiary mines deny doorways and ladder chokepoints (great in Illuminate cities). Synergy: Gas or Napalm over mines punishes pathing AI even more.
• SH‑20 Ballistic Shield / SH‑51 Directional Shield — Objective tools.
Portable cover so someone can hack, plant a Hellbomb, or escort civilians through bot fire. Synergy: Pair the shield‑bearer with Guard Dog for autonomous return fire.
• LIFT‑850 Jump Pack / Hover Pack / Warp Pack / Dark Fluid Vessel — Position is power.
Verticality breaks swarm surrounds, reaches rooftops in Illuminate cities, and lets you bypass Automaton killboxes. Synergy: Jump/Hover to the terminal → Smoke/Shield it → Precision the last turret.
B‑Tier
• MD‑17 Anti‑Tank Mines — Map‑specific value (roads/ramps) and excellent on bot armor lanes; less impact in random bug terrain. Synergy: AT mines ahead of EMS Mortar chokepoints pop Chargers brilliantly.
Synergy Callouts You’ll Actually Use
Leviathan Hunting (Illuminate “whales”)
- Hellbomb Catapult — The community‑discovered combo: use an Autocannon Sentry as a “trebuchet” to launch a Hellbomb into a Leviathan’s flight path; it’s effective enough that Arrowhead acknowledged the tactic in‑lore/design notes. Pair with Eagle Strafing to stagger escorts and SPEAR for aerial cleanup.
- Practical backup plans: Time a 500 kg or Railcannon if a Leviathan crosses a predictable line—works, but lining it up is inconsistent. Eagle 110 mm can help finish if it dips to mid altitude; expect to set this up rather than rely on it.
Base Clearing (nests, bot outposts, Illuminate city blocks)
- One‑two‑three that wins fights: Eagle/Orbital Smoke to break LOS → Orbital 380 mm to churn the compound → Gatling/Autocannon Sentry holds the flank while you breach the core. Precision Strike the last structure you can’t safely reach.
- Hold the ground you take: Plant Shield Generator Relay and an EMS Mortar Sentry once inside; use Napalm (Eagle) or Gas (Orbital) on the far side to stop counter‑pushes.
Tiered Picks by Enemy Faction
Terminids (Bugs):
- Top: 380 mm, Gatling Barrage, Strafing Run, Autocannon Sentry, EMS Mortar, Napalm, Railgun/Autocannon, Supply Pack.
- Notes: Keep fights moving and lanes burning; Napalm and Gatling make breaches trivial; EMS + 500 kg/Railcannon deletes Bile Titans safely.
Automatons (Bots):
- Top: Railcannon, Precision, Strafing, 500 kg, Autocannon Sentry, Shield Relay, Smoke (Eagle/Orbital), Recoilless/Railgun/Spear, Supply Pack.
- Notes: It’s a gunline war: break LOS with Smoke, bubble the line with Shield Relay, and surgically remove Fabricators with Precision/Railcannon.
Illuminate:
- Top: Strafing, SPEAR, Tesla Tower, Smoke, Railcannon, Hover/Jump, Guard Dog.
- Notes: They’re mobile with tricksy LOS; Tesla dominates clustered foot‑mobs and SPEAR/Strafing handle the aerial threats; vertical mobility lets you play rooftops.
Sample Loadouts
Solo “Swiss Army Knife” (All Factions):
- Orbital Railcannon, Eagle Strafing, Autocannon Sentry, Supply Pack.
Covers panic button, delete button, area control, and sustain. Add Eagle Rearm cadence between fights.
Leviathan Crew (4‑Player):
- P1: Strafing, 500 kg, Autocannon Sentry, SPEAR.
- P2: Railcannon, Precision, EMS Mortar Sentry, Supply Pack.
- P3: Gatling Barrage, Airstrike, Shield Relay, Recoilless.
- P4: Laser (map control), Gas, Tesla Tower, Guard Dog.
This comp staggers escorts, creates safe bubbles, and sets up Hellbomb or heavy‑weapon finishers when Leviathans present.
Outpost Eraser (Bots):
- 380 mm, Strafing, Gatling Sentry, Shield Relay (swap Relay → Supply Pack if team is ammo‑hungry). Smoke when crossing, Precision the core if anything remains.
Final Notes & Meta Watch
- Eagle management wins campaigns. Manually Rearm during travel time so your air is always up for the next fight.
- Protect your investments. A single Shield Generator Relay can double or triple the useful life of Autocannon/Tesla turrets in bot/Illuminate zones.
- Community tech matters. Arrowhead has folded emergent tactics (like the Hellbomb catapult for Leviathans) into live events—keep an eye on new tricks.
Alternate builds to consider quickly
- Bug BBQ: Napalm (Eagle) + Gatling Barrage + Gatling Sentry + Supply Pack.
- Boss Hunters: Railcannon + 500 kg + EMS Mortar + Recoilless.
- Objective Stack: Smoke (Orbital) + Strafing + Shield Relay + Guard Dog.
3 Common Mistakes (and fixes)
- Dropping Tesla in the open → Put it where enemies must funnel and go prone nearby to avoid friendly arcs.
- Ignoring Precision → It’s your safest Fabricator/nest delete tool when teammates are close.
- Leaving Sentries naked → Bubble them with Shield Relay and give them EMS to chew stunned targets.
