Best Orbital Barrages In Helldivers 2

In Helldivers 2, players use special abilities called Stratagems as a key part of their loadout. Some Stratagems are Support Weapons like the Grenade Launcher, while others call a small fighter called an Eagle to drop bombs or do a strafing run on a group of enemies.

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Orbital Barrages are a type of Stratagem that calls on the player’s Super Destroyer to fire onto the planet’s surface from low orbit. With a range of different guns, bombs, and lasers, these orbital Stratagems can easily turn the tide of battle around in favor of the helldivers.

Updated on February 13, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat: Sometimes the battlefield gets so messy and chaotic that weapons or throwables cannot really clear it out, and that’s when orbital stratagem can save the squad and open up a path for them to move around and deal with the enemies.

Thankfully, Arrowhead Studios doesn’t take these stratagems loosely, providing players with a good range of options to choose from for the type of orbital strike they may need on the battlefield. And some of them are just more suitable for a variety of situations.

12

120MM HE Barrage

Random Bombardment Over A Large Area

• Prolonged bombardment over an area
• It isn’t very precise and can easily kill allies

Despite this Stratagem’s description, the 120MM HE Barrage is not a precise bombardment. The blasts are sent down in a radius around the spot where the player called it in, but many players have been frustrated by its lack of accuracy. Even calling it down in an area swarming with Bug Holes does not guarantee that the desired targets will be hit.

Instead, players may be caught unaware by the range of the barrage and be killed by accident. While it is not a bad way to cover a retreat or potentially clear an area so that players can advance into it, there are better Stratagems to use for these purposes.

11

380MM HE Barrage

Random Bombardment Over A Huge Area

• Prolonged barrage over a very large area
• It is deadlier than the 120MM HE Barrage to both enemies and players

The 380MM HE Barrage is essentially the same as the 120MM HE Barrage except that it hits a wider area. This makes it better for targeting entrenched locations like Heavy Automaton Fabricators or Terminid Hatcheries, provided that all the players stay at least 90 meters away from the barrage’s center.

Communication is key when using this Stratagem, as players may not realize that they are walking into a dangerous area when the barrage is first called in. Making sure that teammates are aware of the barrage’s location mitigates the risk of friendly fire while letting the bombs drop on as many enemies as possible.

10

Orbital Gatling Barrage

Good Early-Game Orbital Attack

• Can target buildings and enemies
• It does not penetrate armor

The Orbital Gatling Barrage

is a Stratagem that is useful on easier missions but may not be worth keeping in loadouts on harder levels. It is great at thinning out crowds of unarmored enemies or taking on Light Fabricators and Bug Nests since it can damage buildings as well.

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However, this orbital barrage cannot damage armor, which makes it useless when fighting against Chargers, Hulks, and other enemy types that are more common for missions above Level 4 or so.

9

Orbital Smoke Strike

Niche Ability That Can Be Used Defensively

• Provides a smoke screen to reduce enemy accuracy
• Can provide cover for players at a terminal

The Orbital Smoke Strike

is a niche Stratagem that can be very helpful in certain situations. It produces a thick cloud of smoke in the area around where the player calls it in, which makes Automatons much less accurate. Using it to assault a Fabricator on a hill can more or less neutralize the manned machine gun turrets that usually make the approach difficult for helldivers without long-range weaponry.

When fighting Terminids, an Orbital Smoke Strike can help pinpoint the locations of Stalkers once they’re invisible. Since most Terminids are melee enemies, however, this is one of the few ways that this Stratagem can be helpful against them. Players wanting to use this Orbital Stratagem need to keep its narrow uses in mind if they want it to be helpful.

8

Orbital Gas Strike

Good Strategem For Damage-Over-Time

• Gas deals damage to Terminids and Automatons
• The cloud lingers for some time, making it great against Bug Breaches

Orbital Gas Strike is unlocked at lower levels and so many players may overlook it while waiting to unlock flashier Stratagems. While it does not deal high damage instantly like the many explosive Stratagems in the game, dealing damage over time is a great way to counter a concentrated area of enemies.

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Bug Breaches can be all but neutralized by a single Orbital Gas Strike

, as bugs emerging from the hole into the gas will start to take damage the instant they spawn into the game. And since the cloud lingers for some time, placing it behind retreating helldivers can get enemies off the players’ backs. With a low Cooldown Timer and good damage over time, this Stratagem should be revisited by players who have not given it a fair shot.

7

Orbital Airburst Strike

Three Explosions To Take Out Multiple Enemy Groups

• Three concentrated blasts
• Good against crowds but not heavy armor

When called in, the Orbital Airburst Strike

causes three explosions to go off in the air and then rain shrapnel down in a concentrated area. If players are being chased by a swarm of Terminids, this Stratagem can be a lifesaver. Players can call this orbital strike in the area between their squad and the approaching enemies so that waves of bugs are taken out with each successive blast.

Unfortunately, this orbital attack cannot pierce heavy armor, so it cannot be relied on to take out Chargers or Bile Titans. However, since it is so effective at taking out groups of enemies, it has a wider range of applications than other orbital Stratagems while keeping the friendly fire risk comparatively low as well.

6

Orbital EMS Strike

Stun A Group Of Enemies

• Stuns enemies (and players) within its radius
• Great against Hulks or to retreat

When called down, Orbital Ems Strike

hits an area with a stun effect. Enemies and players alike found within the striking radius are slowed down to a crawl, but do not take any damage from it. This stun can give players enough time to run away from a large group of Terminids or be used to stop Automatons from firing for enough time to take them out. In addition, players can coordinate to stun a group of enemies with Orbital EMS Strike and then hit them with something powerful like the 500 KG Bomb.

Another great use of this Stratagem is against Hulks. A stunned Hulk cannot turn around, so players can easily run to the bright orange weak spot on its back and take it out with primary weapons instead of relying on high-powered weaponry and abilities. Players looking to maximize their damage output may not like equipping an ability that does no damage, but this orbital barrage definitely has its uses.

5

Orbital Walking Barrage

Explosions In A Line

• A series of explosions in a line going away from the beacon
• Can be used against enemies or buildings

Orbital Walking Barrage

takes a little bit of time to get used to. Since it is a series of explosions, other players may accidentally stray into its line of fire without realizing it. Once players get a good eye for how far the explosions go, they can be used to great effect against large groups of enemies and places where enemy structures are clustered together.

On higher mission difficulties, the fact that Orbital Walking Barrage can help with crowd control or destroying Fabricators and Bug Holes means that players do not have to dedicate one of their Stratagem slots to one specific niche. Mastering this Stratagem can mean the difference between being overwhelmed by enemies and making it off-planet alive.

4

Orbital Railcannon Strike

Target A Heavily-Armored Enemy

• Targets the largest enemy near the beacon
• It can only kill one enemy per use

Orbital Railcannon Strike

is a niche strategy that can be used to take down the most powerful enemy units in the game. Players can use it in their loadout to make sure they have something to deal with Bile Titans and Hulks while using other Stratagems like the Flamethrower that can’t deal with them.

The one downside to this orbital attack is that the Orbital Railcannon Strike will only hit one target, so it cannot be used to cull a wave of enemies chasing players down. However, given that it is one of the few Stratagems in the game that can easily take down the most powerful enemies, it is a valuable part of loadouts for higher-difficulty missions.

3

Orbital Napalm Barrage

Burn Enemies Down With Toxic Strike

• Targets the requested area with expansive AOE
• Deals damage over time due to its Napalm nature

By far, Orbital Napalm Barrage is the best crowd-control stratagem in Helldivers 2. It can help the players get rid of small and medium-sized enemies almost instantly. This orbital strike comes with a big area of effect, and it deals damage over time even after the initial explosion, which is why it can kill a massive number of enemies.

That being said, the players might be very careful with locating this strike, as spawning it on top of players could be lethal. While Napalm Barrage can damage defensive structures, it is most effective against the living units, making it quite hard for them to survive.

2

Orbital Precision Strike

The Default Orbital Barrage

• It can destroy buildings, close Bug Holes, and kill enemies
• Its small radius keeps friendly fire damage minimal

Since Orbital Precision Strike

is the first orbital Stratagem available to players, it would make sense to think that this Stratagem is weaker than those that can be unlocked after progressing in the game. However, it is a versatile and powerful ability that is still useful for more challenging missions.

Its relatively small explosion radius keeps friendly fire risk much lower than Stratagems like the 380MM HE Barrage and also allows players to use it as a precision ability. Bot fabricators, Bug Holes, and Hatcheries can all be destroyed with this barrage, which keeps it relevant in missions like Blitz: Search And Destroy. It can also kill enemies that are grouped together or even be used to take out Automaton Tanks. With its versatility and power, this starting Stratagem remains powerful throughout the game.

1

Orbital Laser

Target The Most Powerful Enemies Or Take Down Huge Crowds

• The laser targets any enemies around where it was called in
• It can pierce armor and even destroy large structures

Orbital Laser

is the most versatile, high-powered orbital Strategem in Helldivers 2. When called in, the laser strikes the ground and then moves to target the closest enemy. Once that enemy is dead, the laser will move again until it finds a new target. Players can be killed if they are caught in the beam, and they can catch fire if they stand where the beam has traveled.

Orbital Laser is great at taking out crowds since it moves each time it takes an enemy out. It is also a great Stratagem to use against Hulks, Bile Titans, Chargers, and other heavily-armored threats. Many Stratagems are good at either crowd control or taking on armored enemies, but Orbital Laser can do both, making it the best orbital Stratagem in the game.

Systems

Released

February 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Arrowhead Game Studios

Franchise

Helldivers

OpenCritic Rating

Strong