How to find and kill Warriors in Helldivers 2

A weaker enemy than most.

Flamethrower versus warrior in Helldivers 2
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Basically, the naked version of the Nest Guards, the Warriors are your introduction to Helldivers 2‘s giant bugs. Their presence can seem threatening at first, but as you land on new planets and venture onto higher difficulties, they quickly become just another pest you’ve grown used to eradicating.

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Here is where to find and how to kill Warriors in Helldivers 2.

Where to find Warriors in Helldivers 2

Warrior spawning in from a Bug Breach
Invite Warriors to the party with the Bug Breaches. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Warriors are just one of the many Terminid species in Helldivers 2. For newly recruited Helldivers, the Warrior’s size surely looks impressive in Trivial difficulty. But the bugs grow larger and larger as you reach higher levels, making the Warriors look tiny and fragile in comparison. Warriors appear in all difficulty settings, with their power and presence getting dimmer as Terminid, like the Bile Titan and Spewers, get involved.

You can find Warriors in patrols, guarding Nests, or emerging from the ground after a Scavenger calls for their aid. They reside on all Terminid-controlled planets and aren’t limited to specific difficulties. So, if your Personal Order demands the eradication of Warriors, feel free to drop down your difficulty setting to quickly find them.

Helldivers 2: How to kill Warriors

Aiming at a Warrior's leg to immobilize it
Head first, legs second. Screenshot by Dot Esports

You can kill a Warrior with a single headshot. The number of bullets it takes to kill a Warrior depends on your primary weapon. It shouldn’t take more than three bullets into the Warrior’s head to kill it. Most Terminid species have an exposed head and limbs to immobilize or decapitate. All weapons and Stratagems can easily take out a Warrior. We recommend any shotgun or assault rifle to easily kill Warriors, but a pistol is enough to take one out.

Always aim for the head when dropping into a Terminid-controlled planet. If you’re surrounded, use your secondary to destroy Terminid limbs if accuracy isn’t possible in those circumstances. Impact grenades are a viable option, too. Explosives eradicates anything within its radius, including multiple Warriors at once.

The Warrior behaves like the larger version of the Scavenger. Its attacks are weak and slow, but they can overwhelm with their sheer numbers alone. There isn’t any challenge to killing a Warrior unless a larger, armored enemy is around or the Stalkers and Hunters try to ambush you while your back is turned. Warriors are incredibly weak. They have no armor on their body, and their exposed skin is particularly weak to any primary weapon.

Blowing up three Warriors with the impact grenade in Helldivers 2
Reduce the numbers with a single grenade. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Warriors are armorless Hive Guards. You should view the Warrior as a weaker version of the Nest’s more protective bodyguards. Warriors have few ways to fight back aside from their two front claws. The Warrior can gain a burst of speed if decapitated, but this frenzy attack isn’t always guaranteed. Their frenzy attack doesn’t last long, however, so keep your distance to avoid taking damage if the Warrior continues to move after you’ve shot its head off.

We recommend any shotgun or assault rifle to easily kill Warriors. The early-game SG-8 Punisher or the default AR-23 Liberator are examples of capable weapons that can kill Warriors with few bullets and minimal effort. Simply aim for the head or use your secondary to destroy its limbs and immobilize it.

Author
Image of Hadley Vincent
Hadley Vincent
Writer for Dot since Oct. 2023. Just a Psychology graduate trying to find the meaning of life through gaming. An enthusiast of indie horror and anime, where you'll often find them obsessing over a great narrative and even better twists that'd make M. Night jealous. Their shocking twist? They think The Last of Us II is a masterpiece.