Helldivers 2 Stratagem Picks for Patch 7.0.2
A correction first. This article sat unchanged under the heading "Patch 01.000.400 environment". That patch is from June 2024, over two years ago. As of 6 September 2026 the current build is 7.0.2 (25 August 2026), and everything below has been rewritten against it.
That said, there is no urgent rebuilding to do. The last major update, 7.0.0 on 12 August 2026, retuned exactly two stratagems, and 7.0.1 (17 August) and 7.0.2 (25 August) were fixes only — mostly crashes, plus a 7.0.1 fix for the UI failing to show all available stratagems in some cases. Neither touched stratagem balance.
Written on 6 September 2026 against patch 7.0.2. Patch dates and contents come from Arrowhead's own notes. Equipment details come from helldivers.wiki.gg, a community-run wiki, not an official database. The tier ordering is our editorial judgement, not an official recommendation.
Only two stratagems changed in 7.0.0
| Stratagem | Change | Stated reason |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle Napalm Airstrike | Explosion radius 8m → 10m, with a more spread-out bomb pattern covering a larger area | It did not feel as effective as other Eagle and napalm stratagems |
| MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines | Demolition strength 30 → 40 | The explosion looked like it should destroy more than it did; the goal was to let the mines take out colony walls and bug holes from the outside |
The MD-17 change matters more than it looks. Higher demolition strength turns the mines from something that only stops enemies into something that also removes objectives. Popping bug holes from outside means fewer trips to the nest itself.
The loadout icons changed too
Not a number, but it affects how you pick.
- Stratagem weapons that require a backpack now show a backpack icon on their loadout icon.
- Stratagem weapons that cannot be reloaded now show a drop-weapon icon.
Arrowhead's stated reasoning was that the arsenal had grown large enough to make specific weapons hard to find, and that the icon alone did not tell you whether something needed a backpack or could not be reloaded. Read those two marks before anything else.
One backpack slot, and three of these compete for it
This article previously placed both the AC-8 Autocannon and the SH-32 Shield Generator Pack in S tier without mentioning that they fight over the same slot.
Per helldivers.wiki.gg, the AC-8 is a support weapon that "includes support backpack required for reloading" and lists Backpack among its traits. The SH-32's traits are Backpack as well. And the wiki consistently refers to "the backpack slot" in the singular — the B-100 Portable Hellbomb occupies the backpack slot when carried, and the B-1 Supply Pack entry talks about a teammate with an empty backpack slot.
You can put both in your four stratagem slots, but one player cannot wear both. Both are genuinely strong, so "both are S tier" is right and "you can run both" is wrong. The linked build article covers how to work around it in a squad.
The enemy changes matter more than the stratagem changes
- The Veracitor, the Illuminate exomech, hits much harder in melee. Its melee force went from 25 to 40, and its melee armour penetration was standardised to anti-tank across the board. Blocking with a ballistic shield now ragdolls you, and the shield breaks after roughly 15 direct hits. Any plan built on tanking hits behind a shield needs revisiting.
- Hunters can now land melee attacks on FRVs. Previously they could only use their tongue and struggled to line it up. Driving away from them is less safe than it was.
Our picks at 7.0.2
Everything below this line is editorial, not official. This is a shortlist of what is worth taking now, not a ranking of every stratagem — anything missing is not thereby weak. Names, input codes and cooldowns are the values listed on helldivers.wiki.gg. Cooldowns are base values and shift with ship upgrades and mission conditions.
| Tier | Stratagem | Code | CD | Best against | Role and synergy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | LAS-99 Quasar Cannon | ↓↓↑←→ | 480s | All factions | Anti-armour with no ammo to carry. Leaves the backpack slot free, so it pairs with the SH-32 or the Rover |
| S | AC-8 Autocannon | ↓←↓↑↑→ | 480s | Automatons above all | Penetration plus volume of fire. Takes the backpack slot, so no SH-32 or Rover. Hand the ammo pack to a teammate and assisted reload drops to 0.66s per clip |
| S | Eagle 500kg Bomb | ↑→↓↓↓ | 15s | All factions | A finisher. Being an Eagle it comes back fast enough to run alongside the Airstrike |
| S | SH-32 Shield Generator Pack | ↓↑←→←→ | 480s | Illuminate and Automatons | Fewer hits taken. Since 7.0.0 made Veracitor melee uniformly anti-tank, it is a better answer than leaning on a ballistic shield. Mutually exclusive with the AC-8 and Rover |
| S | Eagle Airstrike | ↑→↓→ | 15s | All factions | Uses and coverage line up well. Also breaks nests and fabricators |
| A | EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank | ↓↓←↑→ | 70s | All factions | A 70s cooldown lets you add anti-armour while keeping your support weapon slot for something else |
| A | Orbital Laser | →↓↑→↓ | 300s | All factions | Limited-use cleanup, strongest against outposts |
| A | A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry | ↓↑→→← | 150s | Terminids and Automatons | A sentry with the Anti-Tank trait. Best when a defence mission lets you choose placement |
| A | AX/LAS-5 Rover | ↓↑←↑→→ | 480s | Terminids | Light Armor Penetrating, so it is for enemies that come in numbers. Takes the backpack slot, so not with the AC-8 or SH-32 |
| A | Eagle Napalm Airstrike | ↑→↓↑ | 15s | Terminids | Radius went from 8 to 10m in 7.0.0. Incendiary, so it is for cutting off the path of a swarm |
| B | RS-422 Railgun | ↓→↓↑←→ | 480s | Automatons | Demands precision; for players who can hold it |
| B | GL-21 Grenade Launcher | ↓←↑←↓ | 480s | Terminids | Medium Armor Penetrating; leans toward nests and fabricators |
| B | MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines | ↓←↑↑ | 120s | Terminids | Demolition went 30 to 40 in 7.0.0, letting them take bug holes from outside, which cuts down trips into the nest |
Concrete combinations
The "best against" column is derived from each stratagem's traits — Anti-Tank, Light Armor Penetrating, Incendiary and so on. Arrowhead does not publish per-faction recommendations. Where 7.0.0 gives direct evidence, it is stated in the role column.
- LAS-99 Quasar Cannon + SH-32 Shield Generator Pack: the Quasar uses no backpack, so the slot goes to the shield. This is how one player covers anti-armour and survivability at once.
- AC-8 Autocannon + a teammate on the ammo pack: since 7.0.0 it works as long as either the wielder or the reloader has the backpack. Your own reload is 4s; assisted is 0.66s per clip.
- Eagle Airstrike + Eagle 500kg Bomb: both are 15s Eagles, so you can alternate area clear and single-target at short intervals.
- MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines + Terminid nests: demolition 40 means bug holes can be closed from outside, cutting the number of trips into the nest.
- Eagle Napalm Airstrike + choke points: with the radius at 10m, blocking a swarm's route is a more reliable use.
The combinations to avoid are AC-8 with SH-32, AC-8 with Rover, and SH-32 with Rover. All three fight over the backpack slot.
The order to build in
- Decide the backpack slot first. The AC-8, SH-32 and AX/LAS-5 Rover all claim it. Settle this or the rest of the loadout falls apart later.
- Assign one anti-armour answer. If you want the slot free, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon or EAT-17.
- Assign one area clear. Eagle Airstrike, Eagle 500kg Bomb or Eagle Napalm Airstrike, depending on the mission.
- Flex the last slot. A sentry for defence, MD-17 or GL-21 where there are many nests.
Bottom line
7.0.2 is current, but stratagem balance stopped at the two changes in 7.0.0. Nothing needs rebuilding. What is worth acting on: the Eagle Napalm radius increase, the fact that MD-17 mines can now break objectives, and that the single backpack slot is contested by the AC-8, SH-32 and Rover.
Sources
Patch dates and contents come from Arrowhead's own notes. Equipment details come from helldivers.wiki.gg, a community-run wiki, not an official database.
- Helldivers Wiki — 1.007.000 (7.0.0 Devoid of Liberty) (12 August 2026: Eagle Napalm and MD-17 changes, icon changes, Veracitor and Hunter changes)
- Helldivers Wiki — 1.007.001 (7.0.1) (17 August 2026, fixes only)
- Helldivers Wiki — 1.007.002 (7.0.2) (25 August 2026, fixes only)
- Helldivers Wiki — AC-8 Autocannon (Backpack trait and the included support backpack)
- Helldivers Wiki — SH-32 Shield Generator Pack (Backpack trait)
- Helldivers Wiki — B-100 Portable Hellbomb ("occupying the backpack slot")
- Helldivers Wiki — AX/LAS-5 Rover (Backpack among its traits)
- Helldivers Wiki — B-1 Supply Pack ("empty backpack slot" wording)
- Helldivers Wiki — Stratagems (four stratagem slots)
