Helldivers 2gives elite soldiers of Super Earth high-caliber weapons capable of causing utter destruction. Going in guns blazing while completing the main objectives or side one on a mission is the common sight. However, you can always be stealthy and still complete the objectives without getting detected by the bots' glowing eyes or bugs' vicious sight.

Stealth is an optional playstyle only possible to pull off by not attracting unwanted attention. The focus of a stealth build is to clear the main mission objectives first and successfully spread managed democracy. This guide lists the complete loadout for the stealth build in the game.

A player selecting mission for the night time in Helldivers 2

Stealth Build Playstyle

Stealth is an unconventional stylefor completing the main objectives in the game. This approach warrants a sound knowledge of certain in-game mechanics, such asenemy awareness range,sound detection, and avoiding line of sightthat varies between day and night.

Stealth build will not work on Eradicate mission types that require eliminating a certain number of Terminids or Automatons. Offense is the only playstyle that works in this mission type, and therefore, you must refrain from using the stealth build.

A player using Sorcher gun in Helldivers 2

Play Missions At Night

Always play missions at night to increase the chances of being in stealth mode. You willsee an hour, minute, and seconds timer whenever you scan a mission. This tells you the time of that planet, and, therefore, you can always launch missions that are in the nighttime.

Enemies have increased time to detect you by a line of sightif you roam around the foeswhen it’s dark. Foes always go into investigative mode if you make too much noise or get into the line of sight. A continued increase in any activity after the investigation stage will put

a player firing Scorcher on Strider in Helldivers 2

Use Plasma Weapons

Our testing in the field shows thatenemies detect you quickly if you use bullet-firing weapons instead of plasma guns. Weapons such as LAS-1 Scorcher,LAS-16 Sickle,LAS-7 Dagger, andLas-5 Scythedo not make a loud noise to attract the unwanted attention of enemies and, therefore, are the go-to weapons for the Stealth build in the game.

TheLAS-1 Scorcher is the best choice for the stealth playstyle,as the weaponcomes with explosive impact. Since each plasma round deals explosive damage, the weak spots of foes consistently get hit. This is also whymost light-armored enemies are killed instantlyusing the LAS-1 Scorcher.

A player calling Orbital EMS Strike in Helldivers 2

Avoid Engaging Patrols

It goes without saying but thepurpose of stealth build is to approach objectives without raising alarmandcompleting them without getting too much heat. Avoiding patrols should be done at all costs. These foes call in reinforcements almost instantly, and there will be light to medium and heavy armored enemies at the higher difficulty levels.

What Are The Best Stratagems For A Stealth Build?

You will need to rely heavily on offensive and defensive stratagems to complete main objectives while maintaining stealth.Support weapons are not recommended as they are loudand always attract enemy attention.

Orbital Smoke Strike

TheOrbital Smoke Strikeis, without a doubt, the best pick to run a stealth playstyle.Smoke in the game allows you to vanish and break the enemy’s line of sight. In most cases, you will be able to break the tail, and the enemies will start investigating your last known position.

This becomes possible by using smoke to your advantage. TheOrbital Smoke Strike stratagem, therefore, is an indispensable gem that you should reserve for dire situations,such as losing your tail whenever you are spotted or getting out of a zoneafter completing an objective.

A player calling Orbital Laser on an Automaton Fabricator in Helldivers 2

Orbital EMS Strike

TheOrbital EMS Strike ceases enemy movementand renders them useless. This is useful in stopping enemy reinforcements, which mostly happens when you fail to clear out enemies in a zone quickly.

TheOrbital EMS Strike allows you to freeze enemies, infiltrate the area, and wipe them out as quickly as possible without bringing more heat to that zone via bug breaches or bot ship drops.

A player calling down Eagle Airstrike in Helldivers 2

Orbital Laser

While the Orbital Smoke Strike and the Orbital EMS Strike act more as a defensive stratagem in the stealth build,the Orbital Laser is offensive. This stratagem is anarea-wiping tool, especially if the enemies are in close proximityto each other.

You must be aggressive while playing missions like Purge Hatcherieson the Terminid faction and theSabotage Airbaseon the Automaton faction. This will mean breaking out of stealth, and you do not want that if you are running with a stealth build.

A player passing a devastator in stealth in Helldivers 2

This is where the Orbital Laser stratagem comes in. Aperfect throw at the center of the Automaton Airbasewillannihilate the shipsstationed there. This will also allow you to maintain a stealth playstyle as the Orbital Laser does the heavy lifting for you.

You mustuse the Orbital Laser only if multiple medium to heavy armored foes existin a particular area, suchas a Chargeranda Bile Titan. The stratagem will make quick work of the crowd and eliminate all threats quickly.

A player wearing SC-34 Infiltrator light armor set in Helldivers 2

Eagle Airstrike

Eagle Airstrikeshould be the last resortwhen clearing an objective location. You must alsoreserve this stratagem for the main objectivesand not waste on side missions during an operation.

The best time to use Eagle Airstrike is while playing Blitz missions. In this mission type, you are tasked to destroy bug holes in the Terminid faction and Fabricator buildings in the Automaton faction.

Stamina Enhancement Booster screen in the Booster tab of Helldivers 2-1

Most of theAutomaton Fabricators are lined up adjacentto each other. Destroying these will require you to break stealth and throw a grenade from the front opening or fire a rocket at it.

However,dropping a well-timed Eagle Airstrike will allow you to maintain stealthand stillblow up two to three Automaton Fabricatorsin a single use. This is why Eagle Airstrike is a must-have stratagem for stealth build playstyle.

Eagle Airstrike always lands perpendicular to where you throw the stratagem. Make sure to position yourself properly and align the targets at the right angle to deal maximum destruction in a single use.

Loadout Choices

Plasma weapons tend to make much less noisethan regular munition round guns. There are a few plasma-firing weapons in the game, but thePLAS-1 Scorcher is by far the highest damage-dealing gunout of these.

This weapon is especiallyuseful to one-shot light-armored enemies. Foes like Scavenger, Hunter, Warrior from the Terminid side and Trooper, Raider, Marauder, and Commissar from the Automatons side will never threaten you while using the PLAS-1 Scorcher.

Besides being offensive while infiltrating the main objectives zone, you can alsouse G-3 Smoke to mask your presence. For example, while operating a terminal to raise the ICBM, you canthrow the G-3 Smoke at your feet and create a smoke. This will stop enemies from detecting you, even if they are standing very close.

As offense is not the priority while playing with the stealth build in the game, you must always prioritize picking the G-3 Smoke. It can stop causing more heat and allows you to complete the main story objective easily.

Armor Choice: SC-34 Infiltrator

Armor choice is the most important element of the stealth build. That is becausethere are noise levels each armor type makes. Theheavy armor is the easiest to detectby enemies, and themedium has reduced detection.

However, thelight armor with the highest Speed and Stamina Regeneration stats offers the lowest detection. Moreover, theSC-34 Infiltratorcomes with the Scout passive stat, which further reduces the range enemies detect you by 30 percent and is the best armor to pick for the stealth build.

Crouching reduces the noise your character makes whenever you are near enemies. However, going prone further reduces the overall movement noise, making you completely stealthy, especially if you move behind the enemies.

The best part of using the SC-34 Infiltrator armor is that you may do melee kills by approaching a target from the back. We tested it, and melee kills make zero noise and will never attract unwanted attention, provided another unit does not spot you directly.

Booster Selection

TheStamina Enhancement boosteris the best pickfor the stealth build in the game. The map size is huge for missions such as Purge Hatcheries, ICBM, and Blitz, and you need to run for greater distances.

Whenever you throw offensive stratagems with a red light, all nearbyenemies will automatically be alertedto your position. You mustbe swift and run awayfrom that spot to maintain stealth. This requires a lot of stamina and faster stamina regeneration.

This is where you will find the Stamina Enhancement booster useful. It willreplenish the lost stamina quicklyand alsogive you more stamina bar to runbefore enemies find you and blow your stealth playstyle.