Helldivers 2: Every Energy Weapon, Ranked

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has already substantially expanded the weapons lineup from launch. While there were initially only two energy-based guns for players to use, there are now six. This increase in options combined with buffs to energy and incendiary damage types begs the question: which energy-based weapon should you take on your next mission?

After pouring through each weapon’s statistics, and seeing how they fare against the game’s various enemies, there are clear winners. Most energy-based weapons in Helldivers 2 are useful in some situations, but the LAS-5 Dagger, LAS-16 Sickle, and PLAS-1 Scorcher take the cake. Keep reading to learn when these weapons are most effective, and why they beat out the competition.

6 SG-8P Punisher Plasma

There Are Better Options

• Shoots very slowly
• Single Round Reload
• High Chance of Friendly Fire
• Doesn’t Have Unlimited ammo

The lowest ranked on this list is the SG-8P Punisher Plasma. The Punisher Plasma is a shotgun you can purchase from the Cutting Edge Premium Warbond for 60 Medals and does best against swarms of enemies because of its’ AoE damage. However, the SG-8P Punisher Plasma unfortunately combines the worst traits of both energy weapons and shotguns in Helldivers 2.

From the shotgun side of the family, it inherits a smaller magazine size and poor long-range effectiveness. From the energy weapon side, it gets a slow response time and lower damage output. This means you are limited to short-range engagements and will need to reload often but don’t have the high damage numbers necessary to give you breathing room between shots. In addition, explosive ammo can produce friendly fire, and each shot at short range is a fine line between blowing up your enemies and blowing up yourself.

5 ARC-12 Blitzer

An Energy-Based Shotgun Done Right

• Unlimited Ammo
• Arc-based AoE
• Stuns Enemies
• Slow Fire Rate

On the other hand, the ARC-12 Blitzer is a fantastic choice against swarms of enemies and lacks many of the weaknesses of the Punisher. This weapon, also purchased from the Cutting Edge Warbond, features arcs of energy on each shot that can hit either a single enemy, or several depending on distance to the target. While you can accidentally tag your teammates, you’ll not be in danger yourself, making it similar to other shotguns in terms of friendly fire risk.

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This weapon also suffers from the slow fire rate common in the energy-based weapon group, which you’ll need to offset by swapping to a responsive secondary, but it has unlimited ammo. This results in never needing to reload your primary weapon and is a fair trade-off. As an added bonus, the arcs of electricity will briefly stun enemies hit, which keeps the swarm at bay between shots.

4 LAS-5 Scythe

Niche, But Has Solid Build Potential

• A Precise Beam of Damage
• Unlimited Ammo
• Heat-Based
• Light Armor

Unlike the previous two primary weapons, the LAS-5 Scythe is part of the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond, which all players of the game automatically gain access to. This weapon is a precision mid-range weapon with a constant beam of low-damage fire, making it somewhat like a submachine gun in application. However, its heat mechanic and lack of armor penetration make it a very niche choice. The LAS-5 Scythe does best when dealing with patrols or other small groups of weaker enemies and shouldn’t be used for dealing with large waves of enemies or armored enemies.

When using the LAS-5 Scythe, it is best to pair it with a secondary and Support Weapon capable of filling these weaknesses, such as the EAT and the Redeemer sidearm. Alternatively, you can take the Laser Guard Dog to have an automated LAS-5 Scythe floating around your head and take a different primary instead.

3 PLAS-1 Scorcher

Long Live The King Of Marksman Rifles

• Mid to Long-range
• Precise and Responsive
• Explosive Ammo
• Low Capacity

The PLAS-1 Scorcher, prior to the launch of the Cutting Edge Warbond, was the king of energy-based weapons. This gun handles similarly to a Marksman Rifle, with highly precise shots and very little recoil. It also does better against armored enemies than most primary weapons due to its explosive ammunition.

To balance out these great features, the PLAS-1 Scorcher also sports a very small magazine capacity, which means you’ll be running out of ammo a lot. As a way to combat this, you can bring a Support weapon with a higher capacity such as one of the game’s three machine guns.

2 LAS-7 Dagger

A Handy Backup Gun To Have

• Only Energy-based Secondary
• Unlimited Ammo
• Heat-based
• Precise

The LAS-7 Dagger, found on the third page of the Cutting Edge Warbond, is the only energy-based Secondary Weapon in the game currently. Usually, Secondary Weapons are used to conserve ammo, or when transporting objects during missions and are not expected to be as powerful as your Primary. For these purposes, the Dagger is an excellent choice. Not only will this gun never run out of ammunition, making it ideal for swapping to in a pinch, but it is highly precise and thus can be used as a quasi-sniper during medium-range engagements.

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There are only two downsides to this weapon. First is the costly Heat Sink swap should it become overheated, although this is rarely an issue because it isn’t your main gun. Secondarily, its low damage (even by Secondary Weapon Standards) means it requires sustained aim at enemies to do significant damage. This isn’t impossible because of how precise it is, but it may be tricky to deal with Hunters due to their mobility.

1 LAS-16 Sickle

The AR-23 Liberator, But Better

• Infinite Ammo
• Recoil and Sway are nearly zero
• Quickly Clears large groups of non-armored or lightly armored enemies
• Lacks the slow response time of many energy-based weapons

The LAS-16 Sickle is widely regarded as the cream of the crop for energy-based weapons in Helldivers 2 and is often described as an upgraded AR-23 Liberator. Found on the first page of the Cutting Edge Warbond, the Sickle sports a nearly identical damage rating to the Liberator, a much higher fire rate, nearly non-existent recoil, and endless ammunition.

That being said, it does still struggle in some areas. Similar to the Liberator, the LAS-16 Sickle lacks medium armor penetration. This can be a problem on missions of difficulty six or greater, so you should plan on taking an anti-tank support weapon (such as the Quasar Cannon) to compensate. Additionally, you will need to manage the gun’s heat in order to benefit from the unlimited capacity. It is advised to have a Secondary Weapon you are comfortable switching to while your Sickle cools off.

Helldivers 2

Released

February 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Arrowhead Game Studios