Practical, field‑tested tactics to survive bug hell: how to delete Chargers, drop Bile Titans, counter the new Predator variants, and shrug off acid, fire, and knockback.
Read This First: Beat the swarm by playing roles
Terminids punish hesitation and reward squads that divide responsibilities. Go in with a simple plan:
- Bug clearer: SMG/shotgun or flamethrower to mulch Warriors, Hunters, and Pouncers.
- Anti‑tank: One diver focused on deleting heavies (Recoilless Rifle, Railgun, Quasar Cannon, EAT‑17, Autocannon).
- Utility/air support: Eagle 500kg/Cluster, Orbital Laser or Railcannon, Stuns, Guard Dog Rover (Laser for Pouncers/Shriekers).
Against bugs, mobility matters more than extra plates—lighter armor keeps you sprinting and repositioning as the tide shifts.
Chargers: The rhino that hates your ankles
Behavior & tells. Chargers sprint, over‑commit, and take a moment to wheel around if they miss. Juke late (sidestep or dive), then punish. If they faceplant into a rock or wall, they’ll briefly daze—great window for a finisher.
Weak points (and what actually works).
- Headshots with anti‑tank: A well‑placed Recoilless Rifle or EAT‑17 to the face can one‑shot post‑patch (Arrowhead lowered Charger head health in March 2024). That’s your fastest, cleanest kill.
- Leg‑stripping plan: If your anti‑tank shot isn’t ideal—or you’re running Autocannon—strip the front leg armor. Once plates come off, even primaries shred exposed flesh. Finish the job at close control. (Plenty of veteran players prefer legs unless taking a guaranteed headshot.)
- Stuns work: Stun grenades are brutally effective. Stun + leg strip = quick cleanup.
- Air & orbitals: Orbital Railcannon locks and deletes; Eagle 500kg or Cluster tidies up groups, but watch for friendly fire.
Micro checklist vs. a Charger
- Bait the charge, sidestep at the last half‑second.
- Call the shot: “Face shot” (Recoilless/EAT) or “Strip legs” (Autocannon/AMR).
- If it whiffs into terrain, toss Stun, then finish.
- Don’t tunnel—communicate if adds are swarming; your bug clearer should peel Hunters off you.
Bile Titans: The artillery monster
What makes Titans scary. They’re skyscraper‑tall, claw one‑shots, and the bile barrage suppresses whole areas. Unlike Chargers, Stuns don’t work—don’t waste them.
Where to shoot & with what.
- Mouth/head for burst deletion: Railgun (unsafe mode) shots to the mouth chunk or finish Titans quickly; combine with one offensive stratagem (Eagle/Orbital) for a reliable takedown. Don’t overcharge.
- Disable the bile gun: Destroy the green belly/abdomen sac with MG‑206, Autocannon, or Anti‑Materiel Rifle to stop ranged spitting and reduce pressure on your squad.
- Bring big hammers when you can: Two Orbital Railcannon strikes, a 500kg dropped precisely, or a sustained Orbital Laser will finish a Titan. These are resource‑heavy but decisive.
Positioning & timing.
- Fight Titans in open lanes where you can see bile arcs and sidestep.
- Have your bug clearer kite the tide—Hunters will otherwise body‑block your anti‑tank line.
- Never stand in front of a Titan that’s “inhaling”—that next bile blast will erase you.
- If your Railgunner is lining up unsafe shots, call the inhale so they can time mouth hits safely.
The Predator Strain: What’s different and how to counter it
Planets marked with Predator Strain swap in nastier, faster variants and change spawn compositions—expect more ambush behavior, cloaks, and relentless pressure. Treat these worlds as hard mode bugs with heavier emphasis on mobility and area denial. (This is a rotating galactic “Effect” visible on the star map.)
Predator Stalkers (P‑Stalkers).
- The twist: They’re aggressive Stalker variants that can’t cloak, and they show up in patrols (not just from lairs). They hit fast, don’t flee, and exist to collapse your spacing. High stagger (JAR‑5, Punisher) and fire expose and stun‑lock them.
- Counterplay: Keep a laser Guard Dog or continuous‑fire primary ready, mark them when visible so the ping persists, and set them on fire so they remain visible even when they try to reposition. (Marking/fire visibility is a known trick vs. vanilla Stalkers and carries over.)
Predator Hunters (P‑Hunters).
- The twist: These are upgraded Hunters that can cloak and use staggering tongue lash akin to Stalkers. They’re faster, nastier, and don’t always uncloak on attack—watch for shimmer and sound cues.
- Counterplay: Stick together, keep arcs and cones overlapping. Flamethrowers and Incendiary rounds hard‑check them (continuous damage reveals), and Stuns are great if you see them pre‑pounce.
Nests & airspace: Shriekers
- Shriekers are post‑launch flying Terminids that dive‑bomb in flocks. Their nests are side objectives—if you don’t clear them, you’re fighting the ground war and an air war forever. They’re fragile; Flamethrower, Breaker Incendiary, or any accurate burst deletes them fast, but the numbers strain your awareness. Clear the nest to end the drip feed.
Loadout tweaks for Predator planets
- Flamethrower / Incendiary: Amazing vs. Shriekers, Hunters, and P‑Stalkers; fire also reveals cloaks.
- Laser Guard Dog (Rover): “Auto‑aim for pests.” Great against Pouncers, Shriekers, approaching Hunters.
- Autocannon or Railgun: In case a Charger or Titan joins the party.
- Eagle/Orbitals: Save one heavy call for emergency nest deletion if terrain blocks approach.
Status Effects: How to avoid, clear, and exploit them
Terminids and the environment apply a few key debuffs. If you plan around them, you’ll save stims, lives, and objectives.
Acid (slow)
- What it does: From Bile Spitters/Spewers and some Hunter hits, acid slows you ~30% for a few seconds; it refreshes if you get tagged again. That’s a death sentence when a Charger is setting up a line.
- Clear it instantly: Dive to wipe the acid slow (same as fire). Get used to “hit → dive → re‑engage” when green globs land.
- Map hazards: Acid Storms can layer on top—visibility plummets, and in newer builds they can even lower armor temporarily for both sides. Treat it like low‑profile fighting: shorter ranges, more explosives.
Fire (DoT + panic)
- How to put it out: Dive or go prone to extinguish. If you keep getting reignited mid‑dive (common in burn zones), crawl a beat longer before popping back up. Some players even hold prone while using high‑heat weapons to avoid re‑ignition.
- How to avoid: Watch friendly napalm/Incendiary arcs, and save Stims until you’ve extinguished—stimming while burning wastes healing.
Knockback & stagger
- Tongue lash & pounces: Stalkers and Hunters ragdoll you, especially dangerous near cliffs or bile puddles. Keep spacing so one knockback doesn’t pinball you into a Titan’s lane. Fire and stagger weapons interrupt these rushers; Stuns work on them but are hard to land mid‑sprint.
Visibility effects (fog & Nursing Spewer gas)
- Nursing Spewer fog creates a yellow soup that hides pushes and clogs callouts—kill the source to dissipate the cloud. Don’t brawl inside it.
- Planetary fog cuts line‑of‑sight for both sides. Shorten engagement distances, lean on lasers/flames, and use ping discipline.
Fight plans you can copy‑paste
A. Charger control (two‑diver anti‑tank)
- Bait & juke: One diver kites; when it whiffs, toss Stun.
- Headshot finisher: Recoilless/EAT to the face for the one‑shot when the head is clear. If the angle’s scuffed, strip front legs with Autocannon and finish with primaries.
B. Titan takedown (safe & repeatable)
- Open with an Orbital/Eagle to stagger the horde and make the Titan “open up.”
- Unsafe Railgun to the mouth (call the inhale). Two good mouth shots + one offensive stratagem = a dead Titan.
- If resources are flush: Orbital Laser or double Railcannon for surgical removal.
C. Predator planet routine
- Prioritize lairs & nests (Stalker and Shrieker). If you see a nest, delete it—EAT‑17 or Quasar from range if terrain is noisy.
- Overlap sightlines: Don’t solo corners; P‑Hunters will decloak on your face.
- Fire + stagger: Set and pin—let the Guard Dog swat skirmishers while your anti‑tank watches for heavies.
Loadouts that consistently work
Solo/duo bug clearer
- Primary: SG‑225 Breaker (Incendiary) or SMG‑37 + Mag upgrades.
- Secondary: Any pistol; you won’t use it much.
- Support: Flamethrower or Autocannon (choose based on squad comp).
- Stratagems: Eagle Cluster or 500kg (nest deletion), Stuns, Supply Pack or Guard Dog (Laser).
- Booster: Flex (Stamina or Vitality).
Dedicated anti‑tank
- Support: Recoilless Rifle or Railgun; pack EAT‑17 for emergencies.
- Backup: Autocannon if your team lacks one (leg‑stripper + general armor solution).
- Stratagems: Orbital Railcannon (Charger/Titan delete button) or Orbital Laser (zone denial).
Predator Strain specialist
- Primary: Flamethrower synergy (Breaker Incendiary is a great alt).
- Backline: Guard Dog (Laser) + Quasar Cannon (answers heavies without reload dance).
- Throwables: Stuns (for Chargers/Hunters you can see); Frags for lair entries.
Smart habits that keep squads alive
- Always call the heavy. “Charger left!” or “Titan South!”—then say how you’ll kill it.
- Dive discipline: The moment you’re green or on fire, dive. Don’t stim until the status clears.
- Nest economy: You can spend two EAT‑17s or one precise 500kg now…or bleed reinforcements for the next ten minutes. Clear nests early.
- Spacing vs. Predators: Don’t conga line; create overlapping cones so cloaked P‑Hunters can’t isolate a back player.
- Bile lanes: Fight Titans in clear lanes. If you must brawl in scrub, disable the sac first so the artillery turns off.
Quick reference (pin this)
Chargers
- One‑shot the head with Recoilless/EAT if you’ve got the angle. Otherwise strip front legs with Autocannon, then hose the meat. Stuns are great.
Bile Titans
- Stuns don’t work. Aim mouth/head with Railgun (unsafe), combine with one offensive stratagem. Or use Orbital Laser/dual Railcannon/500kg for decisive kills. Shoot the belly sac to disable bile.
Predator Strain
- Expect P‑Stalkers (no cloak, hyper‑aggressive) and P‑Hunters (cloak + tongue stagger). Fire reveals, Guard Dog covers air/ambushers, and nest priority skyrockets.
Status effects
- Acid slow (~30%) & Fire: Dive to clear immediately; don’t waste stims mid‑burn. Acid storms reduce visibility and may lower armor (check modifiers). Nursing Spewer fog = kill the source.
Final word
Terminids aren’t complicated; they’re relentless. If your squad communicates “who kills what” and treats statuses as muscle‑memory (get hit → dive), you’ll turn even Predator Strain worlds into fertilizer runs. The only real mistake is fighting the swarm on its terms: standing still, ignoring nests, and letting heavies live long enough to shape the fight.
Good luck, Helldiver. Bring democracy—and a spare EAT.
