Stratagems go on cooldown. Stims run dry. Friendlies become bug food. What doesn't fail players in the chaotic fight to spread managed democracy is their primary weapons, which can now be customized and modded to be the first thing enemies regret seeing in Helldivers 2.
While players get access to an impressive arsenal, not all weapons are created equal. Some need the right tweaks (and love) to transform from a situational firearm to a walking war crime. That's what players can expect from Helldivers 2's new weapon customization system.
From reducing recoil to improving ergonomics, some primary weapons have gained the most from the new attachments. But which ones to grind first? These are the best weapons worth leveling up for maximum carnage in Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2: Best Predator Strain Loadouts
Discover the best Predator Strain loadouts in Helldivers 2, featuring top weapons, stratagems, and armor to counter these deadly mutated Terminids.
5 SMG-32 Reprimand
Now Slaps Like It Always Wanted To
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The SMG-32 Reprimand has always been an objectively poor weapon choice. While its slow reload speed and small magazine size can be played around with, its wild recoil and low accuracy make it difficult to hit anything reliably.
The Reprimand has only one redeeming quality. It fires medium armor-penetrating rounds. Remember that, because now, the SMG can be customized to lower its recoil and improve its accuracy, turning it into a headshot machine at mid-range.
Unfortunately, players still have to deal with the small mag. A drum mag would easily make the Reprimand a top-tier primary weapon in Helldivers 2.
4 SG Breaker Shotguns
Chokehold on the Bug Meta
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The full choke attachment breaths new life into all three shotguns: Breaker, Spray and Pray, and Incendiary, making them flat-out broken. With a tighter pellet spread, better range, and accuracy, each blast becomes a single, meaty hit that chunks enemies instead of scattering damage across the screen.
Shotguns do stagger damage, momentarily stunning enemies with every hit. This makes them highly effective against the Predator Strain in Helldivers 2.
No more chaotic blast-blast-blast just to take down a few grunts. No more wasted shells. The full choke makes sure every pellet counts.
Even with the duckbill choke, such as for the Breaker Incendiary, players can customize the weapon to shoot a horizontal line of fiery pellets, effectively turning it into a mid-range flamethrower.
Additionally, the standard Breaker finally gets its drum mag. That's fewer reloads and more shots to the face.
Thanks to the new weapon customization system, players can combine recoil control and pellet precision to make the SG shotguns the ultimate bug-smashing tools in Helldivers 2.
3 BR-14 Adjudicator
Handles Like a Dream
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The 
BR-14 Adjudicator has undergone a quiet transformation thanks to the new weapon customization system, turning it from a mid-tier rifle into a precision powerhouse.
With recoil-mitigating attachments, the weapon becomes incredibly stable, almost laser-precise. Its recoil control is so refined now in Helldivers 2 that it's surprisingly effective at mid-to-long range, something it previously struggled with.
While players may still wish for a bit more base damage or a bump in magazine size, its current handling more than makes up for it, delivering consistent, controllable fire that's incredibly satisfying to use. So, it might not hit as hard as some wish, but it wins where it counts: precision, consistency, and feel.
For anyone chasing a rifle that handles like a dream and rewards accuracy, the Adjudicator is now firmly in the spotlight.
2 AR-23A Liberator Carbine
From Spray-and-Pray to Pinpoint Precision
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The 
AR-23A Liberator Carbine has one of the fastest fire rates in Helldivers 2. Unfortunately, it also kicks like a mule, making it nearly impossible to dump a full mag into a target without sending half the rounds into the stratosphere. That’s where the new weapon customization system steps in.
With the right attachments, the Liberator Carbine becomes far more manageable, mitigating its wild recoil and refining its weapon handling. Slap on a drum mag and players get a mini-Stalwart that's fast, accurate, and deadly up close. It’s a prime example of a once-overlooked weapon in Helldivers 2 turned into a laser beam with just a bit of tuning.
1 R-36 Eruptor
Ergonomics Turns Its Drag to Dynamite
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The 
R-36 Eruptor has one of the worst ergonomics in Helldivers 2. Its crosshair more or less crawls back to the center of the screen when switching between targets, making the weapon feel like a clunky artillery piece rather than a practical firearm.
However, thanks to the new ergonomic mods, the Eruptor can be customized to feel significantly more responsive and behave like a proper assault rifle. Think 35+ ergonomics. Get an angled foregrip and lose the 10x default scope. Those jet-assisted shells will never reach that kind of distance anyway.
The Eruptor is a clear winner of Helldivers 2's weapon customization system. What was once a sluggish, high-risk option is now a fast, surgical tool for players who know how to build around its strengths.
Pair a high-ergonomics R-36 Eruptor with the Peak Physique armor passive to get a weapon that handles like an assault rifle but hits like a freight train.
Helldivers 2
- Released
- February 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
