Summary
Not every Helldivers 2 offensive Stratagem deserves a slot in your loadout. Some struggle with damage, cooldowns, or consistency, while others can completely change a difficult fight. From the Eagle Strafing Run to the new Eagle Gas Strike, this ranking compares offensive Stratagems by damage, versatility, cooldowns, and overall usefulness across enemy factions. Players looking to improve their progression can also explore Helldivers 2 Items.
1. What Makes a Great Offensive Stratagem?
Before ranking them, five factors matter most:
Damage: Can it eliminate dangerous enemies?
Versatility: Does it work against different enemy types?
Cooldown: How quickly can you use it again?
Uses: How many deployments do you get?
Reliability: Does it consistently hit what you throw it at?
A Stratagem that does massive damage but takes several minutes to return may be less useful than one with slightly lower damage and a much shorter cooldown.
2. F Tier: Stratagems You Can Skip
Eagle Smoke Strike:
The Eagle Smoke Strike is one of the weakest offensive choices.
Its main purpose is supposed to be concealment, but the smoke often fails to provide the stealth advantage players expect. It can occasionally help against enemy spawners or specific missions, but that is not enough to justify losing an offensive slot.
Verdict: Too inconsistent for normal missions.
Orbital Smoke Strike:
The Orbital Smoke Strike suffers from the same problem.
It covers a larger area, but it still does not provide enough value compared with Stratagems that can directly kill enemies or destroy objectives.
Verdict: Extremely niche.
Orbital EMS Strike:
EMS can temporarily stop enemies, making it useful for defensive objectives such as high-value asset missions.
However, it does not actually eliminate the threat.
Verdict: Useful in specific situations, but weak as a general offensive pick.
3. B Tier: Useful but Specialized
Orbital Airburst Strike:
The Airburst Strike is excellent against groups of smaller enemies. Its multiple explosions can clear dense swarms quickly.
The problem is its limited versatility and relatively long cooldown.
Eagle Cluster Bomb:
This is one of the strongest anti-swarm options.
You get five uses, and the large blast area makes it excellent against bug breaches and large groups. The main weakness is friendly fire and poor performance against heavily armored targets.
Eagle Air Strike:
The Eagle Air Strike is much more balanced.
It works particularly well against:
Hulks
Tanks
Fabricators
Heavy enemies
Enemy structures
With three uses, it does not have the Cluster Bomb's volume, but it offers much better performance against heavier targets.
4. A Tier: Powerful Endgame Options
Orbital Laser:
The Orbital Laser remains an extremely powerful emergency button.
It can destroy enemies, structures, nests, and important side objectives with minimal effort. The biggest drawback is its limited three uses.
Use it when the situation is genuinely dangerous rather than wasting it on enemies you can handle normally.
Orbital Railcannon Strike:
The Railcannon is the ultimate single-target answer.
It can deal enormous damage and automatically targets major threats. Its ability to eliminate powerful enemies makes it especially valuable when facing dangerous heavies.
The downside is the long cooldown.
Orbital Precision Strike:
This Stratagem has become much stronger after damage and radius improvements.
Its biggest advantage is simple: high damage + relatively short cooldown.
It can handle Hulks, Harvesters, Bile Titans, and other difficult targets when the beacon is placed correctly.
Eagle Napalm Strike:
Napalm is excellent for area denial.
It creates a large wall of fire that can stop pursuing enemies and control enemy approaches. It is especially effective against large swarms and bug breaches.
5. S Tier: The Stratagems Worth Building Around
380mm Orbital Barrage:
The 380mm is pure destruction.
Its enormous area makes it excellent for attacking large enemy bases, although its unpredictable spread and long cooldown can make it dangerous for teammates.
Best for: Large bases and massive enemy concentrations.
120mm Orbital Barrage:
The 120mm offers a more controlled alternative to the 380mm.
It has a tighter spread, shorter cooldown, and still delivers substantial explosive damage.
Best for: Players who want heavy bombardment without as much chaos.
Eagle Gas Strike:
The Eagle Gas Strike has quickly become one of the most impressive offensive options.
It combines:
High damage
Large area coverage
Enemy confusion
Structure destruction
Three uses
Fast deployment
That combination makes it useful against bugs, bots, and Illuminate forces.
6. S+ Tier: Eagle Strafing Run
The Eagle Strafing Run takes the top spot because it does almost everything well.
It deploys extremely quickly, has low friendly-fire risk, and can be used repeatedly thanks to its five uses per rearm.
It can deal with:
Chaff
Heavy enemies
Hulks
Chargers
Harvesters
Tanks
Spawners
Enemy structures
Most importantly, it does not force you into one specific playstyle. Whether you are fighting bugs, bots, or Illuminate, the Strafing Run remains useful.
Final Thoughts
The best Helldivers 2 offensive Stratagems are not necessarily the ones with the biggest explosions. Consistency, cooldown, deployment speed, and versatility matter just as much.
For a reliable loadout, the Eagle Strafing Run is the strongest all-around choice, while Eagle Gas Strike, Orbital Precision Strike, and Eagle Air Strike provide excellent alternatives depending on the mission. If your current loadout is filled with flashy but inconsistent Stratagems, it may be time to rethink your strategy and consider cheap Helldivers 2 Items for additional options.
