Shriekers—one of the newer enemy types in Helldivers 2—can rain down pain and peril from above. So, let’s round up everything we know, including where you can find them and how to eradicate these icky flying bugs.
It took us off guard when a new enemy randomly appeared following the Helldivers 2 March 14 update. For some reason, along with new weapons and armor choices, Arrowhead Game Studios decided to omit any mention of Shriekers from the patch notes, treating players to an offensive, overhead surprise.
Even now, their presence largely remains a mystery, as do their mechanics, so let’s take flight on our quest for answers and hope we can get Shriekers to say hello to democracy.
Are Shriekers in Helldivers 2 yet?
Yes, Shriekers are most definitely in Helldivers 2 now—as you can see above—but their randomness and limited presence make it easy to question this.
They are not a common, widespread enemy like a Devastator or any other Helldivers 2 enemy, so your encounters with Shriekers will be few and far between until Super Earth manages to get its intel in order.
How to find Shriekers in Helldivers 2
So far, the best way to find Shriekers in Helldivers 2 appears to be to track down and locate large mushroom clusters consisting of three glowing mushrooms all bundled up next to one another. This is known as a Shrieker’s Nest.
From what we understand, a Shrieker Nest can only spawn if you’re on a Terminid planet with a secondary objective. This isn’t official just yet, but this seems to be a good indicator of whether or not you can find one.
From their nests, Shriekers spawn in droves and hunt you down. For an accurate frame of reference, YouTube creator All Things Josh recorded a rare run-in with these elusive guardians of the sky.
As you can see, Shriekers are big, mean, and can reduce your brave Helldiver into a succulent snack with just one swoop of its mighty mass. Until democracy demands that you take down a certain number of Shriekers as part of a Major Order, there will be some guesswork about consistently tracking down the enemy.
But stay tuned because we’ll be updating this guide as reconnaissance comes in and we are privy to the top-secret information of the higher-ups in command.
How to kill Shriekers in Helldivers 2
To kill a one-off Shrieker on its own, you need to be accurate and eliminate one by concentrating your fire at it (a Rifle should do the trick) with accuracy before it flies straight into you, or take no chances and use powerful Stratagems.
To stop them from spawning and ravaging you with their deadly attacks, act quickly and take down the entire Shrieker Next altogether—lest you antagonize Super Earth’s government and waste their precious resources.
How to destroy Shrieker Nests in Helldivers 2
To swiftly finish off a Shrieker Nest in Helldivers 2, dispense with reservedness and just pepper the nest with Orbital Support Stratagems such as the Orbital 380MMM HE Barrage or Orbital Laser.
There’s a complete list of all Stratagems to see what you have access to now, but the majority of them should get the job done.
