See better, fight smarter: how to navigate the Gloom, work around “no full Destroyer support” zones underground, and kit your squad for bug-stomping below ground.
TL;DR (so you don’t die in the first tunnel)
- The Gloom blankets Hive Worlds in thick, shifting fog and feeds cavern systems anchored by Spore Lungs. Expect low visibility and tight angles.
- Underground = limited stratagems. Your Super Destroyer can’t fully support you in caves; you can only call in pods/strikes where there are holes in the cave roof. Plan your route around these “stratagem windows.”
- Bring light and control. Flashlights are mandatory; fire-based options help you both see and shape fights. Destructible cave walls let you open new lines, but explosives are risky in tight spaces.
- Roles win runs. Assign a pointlight, an anchor gunner, a sapper/loader, and a rear guard. Practice assisted reloads for crew-served weapons.
- Loadouts that shine below ground: shotguns (SG‑225 Breaker), high-burst secondaries (P‑19 Redeemer / P‑4 Senator), support weapons that don’t need constant call-ins (Arc Thrower, Stalwart, Flamethrower, Railgun), plus mines and EMS for choke control.
1) The Gloom & why caves play by different rules
Hive Worlds are where the Gloom—an ominous fog born of Terminid biology—has taken hold. Underneath the surface, a web of tunnels and chambers connects to grotesque Spore Lungs that keep that fog thick and growing. Some cave rooms open to the sky; most don’t. That matters, because your Super Destroyer can’t give you full support underground—you’ll only be able to call Stratagems in those rare “open-roof” pockets. In all other spaces it’s just your squad, your kit, and whatever you carried through the last choke.
Arrowhead’s patch notes nail down the practical bits: giant, randomly generated cave systems, destructible walls, “Bring a flashlight!,” and the crucial cave rule—“Holes in the cave roof will allow stratagems to be called down.” Translation: you must learn to chain fights and resource usage from one skylight to the next, treating each open-roof arena as a resupply/reset node.
2) Visibility rules that actually save lives
Think of cave lighting as a series of cones and islands:
- Headlamps are your lifeline. Keep one light forward at all times, one offset to the flank, and one sweeping the rear. Avoid “dueling beams” that blind your own point diver.
- Fight toward light. If you can fight in a skylight chamber, do it; both vision and Stratagem access improve there. Mark these on your map as SWs (Stratagem Windows) for team callouts.
- Use fire as a tool. Incendiary damage not only controls crowds—it creates momentary light that defines silhouettes and approach vectors. The AR‑2 Coyote (Dust Devils warbond) is a standout here—its incendiary rounds are especially effective against bugs and double as ad‑hoc illumination when the tunnel gets crowded.
- Mind the blast. Grenades, Eruptor shots, and rocket splash bounce hard off rock. In choke points, swap boom for stun/slow (EMS) and precision to cut down on friendly fire.
3) Underground enemy behaviors (and what’s changed lately)
Hive World tunnels introduce or highlight enemies that burrow and ambush. You’ll also encounter aerial nasties in big caverns (e.g., Dragonroaches diving through open ceilings). Expect surprise contacts right on your headlamp edge; listen for audio tells and dust plumes moving underfoot.
Patch watch: Arrowhead temporarily took the newly added Rupture Strain offline for a five‑week fix/rebalance window after balance issues post‑launch. If/when they return, expect their ambushes to feel fairer—but the core cave behaviors (burrow, erupt, swarm) will still apply.
4) Roles that make cave runs clean
Assign four clear jobs and your wipe rate plummets:
- Pointlight (Scout/CC)
- Job: Own the forward cone, pick the lane, and set the pace.
- Kit: Close‑range primary (e.g., SG‑225 Breaker) for reliable stuns and deletes in tight quarters; stun grenades; a Shield pack if you expect heavy contacts near corners. The Breaker’s high DPS and stagger are made for tunnels; conserve shells by bursting.
- Anchor Gunner (Area denial)
- Job: Control the chokepoint behind/around the point.
- Kit: M‑105 Stalwart for hose‑down control or Arc Thrower for chain‑stuns that don’t care about armor tiers; EMS tools are a plus. Arc Thrower’s armor‑agnostic, chaining arcs shine in narrow corridors—just maintain spacing to avoid zapping friends.
- Sapper/Loader (Demolition + team reloads)
- Job: Open/deny paths (mines, grenades), mark destructible walls, and assist reloads on crew‑served weapons (Autocannon/Recoilless/Railgun carriers). In Helldivers 2, assisted reloads are built‑in co‑op mechanics—get right on the gunner’s right side and speed‑cycle heavy weapons when pressure spikes.
- Rear Guard (Security/medic)
- Job: Watch the six, sweep side tunnels, carry Supply Pack or Guard Dog rover to stabilize the team between skylights, and call out pursuit. Guard Dog’s consistent chip damage and light beam help sniff threats before they’re in melee.
Common callouts that help:
- “SW ahead” (skylight = stratagem window), “Choke mine” (dropping a minefield), “Slow up” (EMS out), “Load me” (assisted reload), “Back 10” (controlled retreat ~10m).
5) Loadouts that shine below ground
Primaries (pick for control and ammo economy)
- SG‑225 Breaker – Tunnel MVP for close‑range reliability and stagger. Keep bursts short to prevent overkill and conserve ammo.
- LAS‑16 Sickle / LAS‑58 Talon – Infinite‑ammo lasers excel in prolonged underground pushes when resupplies are scarce between skylights. Overheat discipline beats reloads.
- AR‑2 Coyote – Incendiary rounds punish clustered bugs and briefly light the lane. Great hybrid option when your squad lacks a dedicated flamer.
Secondaries (emergency deletes)
- P‑19 Redeemer – The panic button. Dumps a bug screen in a heartbeat when your primary runs dry or you’re reloading a heavy.
- P‑4 Senator – High‑damage revolver that rewards headshots in low‑light and doesn’t chew through ammo. Both are top community picks; choose burst (Redeemer) vs. precision (Senator).
Support weapons (call down at the cave mouth or first skylight and carry them in)
- Arc Thrower – Corridor king: stuns, chains, and ignores most armor interactions; a superb “oh no” lever when the point collapses.
- M‑105 Stalwart – Crowd control that won’t cook the team.
- FLAM‑40 Flamethrower – If your group struggles with visibility/control, fire gives you both (with friendly‑fire risk).
- RS‑422 Railgun – Precision anti‑armor that thrives in tight angles where rockets are dangerous. Fire in SAFE for consistency; flip to UNSAFE only when you have the space and timing.
Backpacks & utilities
- Supply Pack – Vital on long delves; stage a resupply cache at each skylight.
- Shield Pack – Stabilizes the point during corner pushes.
- Guard Dog Rover – Adds passive DPS, spotting, and a little “always‑on” light.
Defensive control (when/where you can call them)
- Mines (MD‑6 / MD‑I4 / MD‑17) – Layer minefields to seal flanks or cover retreats in wide rooms; incendiary mines add damage‑over‑time and lingering light cues.
- A/M‑23 EMS Sentry – Slows waves in a corridor without splash trauma; ideal for establishing a fallback wall if the chamber has ceiling clearance. (Related note: Orbital/Mortar EMS got improved stagger behavior in the Into the Unjust patch—use skylights to capitalize on those buffs.)
Build example (balanced 4‑stack):
Pointlight: Breaker • Stuns • Shield Pack • Mines
Anchor: Sickle • Impact grenades • Arc Thrower • EMS Sentry
Sapper/Loader: Coyote • GP‑31 Grenade Pistol • Recoilless or Railgun • Supply Pack
Rear Guard: Breaker or Talon • Redeemer • Guard Dog • Mines
6) Movement & fights: how to win one room at a time
A. Treat skylights like bases. Before you plunge deeper, drop resupply, pick up your support weapons, angle a sentry if the ceiling allows, and mark the route out. You’ll fight from skylight to skylight; the rest is endurance and spacing.
B. Corners & tee‑intersections. Grenade → flash → point‑burst. If you throw, the anchor holds fire until the blast finishes. Then flood with Breaker/Stalwart for two seconds, pause, re‑assess—repeat.
C. Chokes and killboxes. The sapper calls “Choke mine,” lays a short mine ribbon 7–10 meters forward, and the anchor angles EMS in front of the mines to slow enemies into the blast zone. The rear guard floats ~8 meters back to cover burrowers or flankers.
D. Retreats you can win. Pre‑name a fallback (“Back to SW‑2”). As you peel, loader stays attached to the heavy gunner for assisted reloads, and the point drops a final stun to break line‑of‑sight.
E. Make your own doors. Patch‑added destructible walls let you bypass meat grinders; look for fissures or softer textures. A single grenade or a few heavy hits often does it, but confirm you have the space and friendlies clear before you blast.
7) Objective tactics in the dark
- Spore Lung hunts. Work in a box: clear → plant/damage → rotate around the chamber edge to the next angle. Never stand directly in the Lung’s line if spawn vents are behind you; you’ll get pincered. (These missions are a flagship part of the Hive World rotation.)
- Large caverns (Dragonroach risk). If you hear the dive, look up and step away from the cluster. Railgun/Recoilless can tag them between passes; use the extra light from fire or explosions to catch their silhouette.
8) Common mistakes (and quick fixes)
- “We’ll call gear later.” You won’t, not underground. Call it at the entrance or the first skylight and ferry it in.
- Explosive happy. Splash and ricochet punish stacked squads. Use stuns, EMS, and shotguns in hallways; save boom for big rooms.
- No rear guard. Burrowers/stragglers will farm your backs. Assign the job every run.
- No loader. Crew‑served weapons underperform without assisted reloads. Practice the dance—it’s worth it.
- Ignoring patch reality. Enemy mixes and weapon tuning shift. (Example: Rupture units are temporarily offline for rework; adjust expectations until they return.)
9) Drop checklist
- Route: Identify three skylights on the approach; label them SW‑1/2/3.
- Roles: Pointlight / Anchor / Sapper‑Loader / Rear Guard confirmed.
- Call‑ins: Support weapons and a sentry staged at SW‑1; resupply markers at SW‑1 and SW‑2.
- Signals: “Choke mine,” “Slow up,” “Load me,” “Back 10,” “SW ahead” agreed upon.
- Visibility: Flashlights keyed; one player carries an incendiary option for emergency light.
10) Recommended cave kits (quick picks)
- Safe & steady team: Breaker • Redeemer • Stalwart • EMS Sentry • Shield Pack • Mines
- Aggressive pushers: Coyote • Redeemer • Arc Thrower • Supply Pack • Mines
- Anti‑heavy lean: Talon/Sickle • Senator • Railgun • Guard Dog • EMS Sentry
Pair any of the above with disciplined spacing and you’ll turn claustrophobic chaos into extremely manageable encounters. And when you hit daylight in a cavern? Exploit that skylight—top up, call heavies, and turn the room into democracy incarnate.
