What Counts as an Elite Foe in Helldivers 2?

In Helldivers 2, elites are enemies that:

  • Can’t be killed quickly with primary weapons

  • Force you to reposition

  • Punish bad coordination

  • Usually require stratagems or heavy weapons

For Terminids, that means Chargers, Bile Titans, and sometimes Brood Commanders if you’re overwhelmed.

For Automatons, think Hulks, Tanks, Devastators, and Gunships.

If you try to treat them like regular enemies, you’ll waste ammo and die. The biggest mistake I see new players make is panic-firing at armor plates and wondering why nothing happens.

Why Do Squads Wipe to Elites?

It’s usually one of these:

  1. Nobody brought proper anti-armor

  2. Everyone brought anti-armor and nobody clears small enemies

  3. People split up

  4. Stratagems are thrown without coordination

  5. The squad fights elites in open ground

Elite fights are about control, not damage. Damage comes second.

How Should You Prepare Before the Mission?

Bring at Least Two Reliable Anti-Armor Options

One railgun or one recoilless rifle isn’t enough if that player dies.

Good anti-armor options include:

  • Recoilless Rifle

  • Railgun

  • EAT-17

  • Autocannon (situational)

  • Orbital Precision Strike

  • 500kg Bomb

You don’t need everyone running heavy weapons. But at least two players should have something reliable for armor.

Balance the Squad

A common mistake is four people bringing heavy anti-tank gear. Then the squad gets overrun by medium enemies.

What works better in practice:

  • 1–2 anti-armor specialists

  • 1 crowd-control player

  • 1 flexible support

This keeps you stable during long engagements.

How Do You Kill Chargers Consistently?

Chargers punish bad positioning.

What doesn’t work:

  • Shooting the front legs randomly

  • Standing still

  • Calling in stratagems while it’s charging

What works:

  1. Bait the charge.

  2. Dodge sideways at the last moment.

  3. Shoot the exposed rear weak point.

  4. Repeat.

If you have heavy weapons:

  • One clean recoilless shot to the head usually solves it.

  • Railgun in unsafe mode works, but you need accuracy.

In real missions, Chargers rarely come alone. Clear smaller enemies first. If hunters are slowing you while you dodge, you’re dead.

What’s the Safest Way to Handle Bile Titans?

Bile Titans aren’t dangerous because they’re fast. They’re dangerous because they control space.

Common mistake: Everyone clusters under it.

Better approach:

  • Spread out.

  • Keep moving.

  • Designate one player to focus on stratagem timing.

Orbital Precision Strike and 500kg Bomb are reliable if placed well. But you need to predict movement, not react to it.

Heavy weapons to the head are effective, but it takes coordination.

In practice, I’ve seen more squads survive by staying calm and kiting than by trying to burst it instantly.

How Do You Fight Automatons Like Hulks and Tanks?

Automaton elites punish bad cover use.

Against Hulks

Never fight a Hulk in open terrain.

Use:

  • Cover

  • Elevation

  • Flanking

Shoot weak points:

  • Back vents

  • Eye slit (harder but effective)

EMP stratagems help more than people expect. Slowing a Hulk even briefly gives your anti-armor player a clean shot.

Against Tanks

Tanks require either:

  • Rear shots

  • Heavy ordnance

  • Coordinated stratagem use

Don’t stand in front of it trying to out-DPS it. That almost never works.

One player should draw attention while another circles. Communication matters here more than raw firepower.

When Should You Use Stratagems?

New players either hoard stratagems or waste them.

Use stratagems when:

  • Multiple elites stack together

  • You’re defending an objective

  • Extraction is getting overwhelmed

Don’t waste a 500kg bomb on a single Charger unless your squad is already in trouble.

In longer operations, resource management matters. If you’re constantly calling in heavy airstrikes on one elite at a time, you won’t have them when three show up.

Should You Buy Better Gear or Farm It?

You don’t need top-tier equipment to kill elites. Positioning and teamwork matter more.

That said, unlocking strong anti-armor tools makes life easier.

Some players look for Helldivers 2 items at discounted rates to speed up progression, but gear alone doesn’t solve elite encounters. I’ve seen well-equipped squads wipe because they didn’t coordinate, and basic-loadout squads succeed because they stayed disciplined.

Focus first on understanding enemy behavior.

What’s the Best Positioning Strategy Against Multiple Elites?

When multiple elites appear, do not:

  • Scatter randomly

  • Tunnel vision on one target

  • Ignore smaller enemies

Instead:

  1. Move toward defensible terrain.

  2. Clear medium threats first.

  3. Assign targets.

If two Chargers spawn, one anti-armor player handles each. If a Bile Titan appears with a Charger, kill the Charger first unless the Titan is blocking the objective.

Priority decisions matter more than damage numbers.

How Do You Survive Elite Fights During Extraction?

Extraction is where elite fights become chaotic.

Here’s what actually works:

  • Call extraction before things spiral out of control.

  • Set up overlapping fields of fire.

  • Save at least one heavy stratagem for the final minute.

Do not stand on the shuttle pad the entire time. Use the area around it.

When the shuttle lands:

  • Clear immediate threats.

  • Board quickly.

  • Don’t chase kills.

Many failed extractions happen because someone tries to finish off a Titan instead of leaving.

What Role Does Communication Play?

It’s the difference between controlled chaos and a wipe.

Even simple callouts help:

  • “Charger on me.”

  • “Railgun reloading.”

  • “Orbital ready.”

  • “Need clear on hunters.”

You don’t need complex strategy talk. Just enough to avoid overlapping cooldowns and wasted shots.

What Are the Most Common Elite-Fighting Mistakes?

After many hours in Helldive difficulty, these stand out:

  1. Shooting armor plates instead of weak points

  2. Standing still while aiming heavy weapons

  3. Fighting in bad terrain

  4. Ignoring small enemies

  5. Overusing stratagems early

  6. Not reinforcing quickly

Most wipes are preventable. Elite enemies are predictable once you’ve seen them enough times.

Advice: Control the Fight

Elite foes in Helldivers 2 aren’t about reflexes. They’re about:

  • Positioning

  • Target priority

  • Cooldown management

  • Staying calm

If your squad controls space, clears smaller threats, and uses anti-armor correctly, elites become manageable instead of overwhelming.

And once you reach that point, higher difficulties stop feeling unfair. They start feeling structured.