I’m around level 35. My playgroup all run shotguns so I typically use the marksman rifle to provide covering fire ( the counter sniper is awful, don’t bother). Light armor every mission; armor rating is bugged but besides that you can out run anything except chargers; just remember to kill hunters and stalkers.

Expendable Anti Tank every mission. Every minute you can kill a charger or another elite. They can also take out bug nests and bot factories. Just throw them out and let your team use them if they want to. Every minute you have a strategem to drop on someone’s head or into a big hole. I can’t stress enough how great it is to have these.

Autocannon/Railgun. Auto Cannon can take out nests, factories and eggs. If anyone else decides to help reload you can go full automatic and kill everything. Remember to reload yourself between 1 and 5 shots to get the quick reload. Railgun is mostly to 1-2 shot hulks in the eye. Otherwise it can kill anything if you are alone.

Then free slots for experimentation. I like the gas for softening groups, all eagle gems are good, and the 380mm barrage for killing my friends. The personal shield is great but I am not a coward.

The mortors make exterminations a cake walk. I otherwise avoid the turrets since they aggro everything around you and I usually walk around every pack. I may start using them as a distraction though.

Breaker shotgun, extended mag pistol, impact grenade.

Orbital laser, napalm strike, grenade launcher, supply back pack, vitality booster.

Depending on a mission I might switch out some stratagems but that’s pretty standard loadout the last day or two for me. Level 17. Playing hard typically but about to bump up to the next difficulty

It’s a super fun game!

For me, it highly depends on the enemy type (bugs or terminator), the mission type and the load out of the other helldivers.

The shield backpack is great for almost all missions. I also like to bring the rail canon as it helps to kill medium tier enemies.

For the tough enemies and for horde control, I’ll usually bring the orbital laser beam and the eagle airstrike.

On “kill them all” missions (on the small map with 12 min time limit) I also prefer EMS and regular mortar (a deadly combination).

The smoke screen can be a great addition as well to give the team a break. However, it has to fit the playstyle of the squad.

My go-to weapon is the incindery breaker. It’s insanely overpowered and even on long distances quite effective. And on close range? gg!

The redeemer pistol and a heavy granade give you so much opportunities to singlehandedly kill the lookout and a medium sized enemy hive/base.

Public service announcement: don’t forget to bring a booster!

I wish I weren’t such a basic bitch with the Breaker, but the way it can blow brood commander’s legs clean off and dig through a warrior’s armor is just too good. Plus, I’m generally on recoilless duty and can usually solo a Charger with a rocket into a front leg followed by a breaker clip into the exposed flesh.

been digging the arc thrower, jetpack, EAT combo against the bug bastards lately. last slot is circumstantial or experimental.

having the jump pack pairs super well with the arc’r since you can both get on high ground for better clearance and/or get a few extra zaps in before jetting to safety.

arc thrower was scary to use at first due to the team kill potential, but I rarely hit people now and it is so great at keep hordes at bay.

I’m not as comfortable against bots so I follow more of the ‘meta’ load out with rail gun and eagle strike.

Only just made level 7 today, and I’m trying to keep my accuracy above 70% with Marksman +Uzi +HE grenades, and swapping out Strats per mission params (leaning heavy on Eagle Strafe and Gatling Turret, though I’ve only been bug hunting [PSA: fuuuuck Bile Titans 🤬🤦🏼‍♂️])

With bots ive been loving the arc thrower, thinking about pairing it with orbital ems for maximum zappy zappy

With bugs, all I see is fire… incendiary grenades, flamethrower, orbital laser, maniacal laughter, charred skin