Helldivers 2 Full Breakdown of every Emplacement Stratagem

In Helldivers 2, Emplacement Stratagems are an interesting defensive tool. They are deployed directly to the ground and include mines, shields, and turrets. However, these Emplacement Stratagems perform drastically differently against Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminates. Don't waste your Helldivers 2 Super Credits; let's see which ones are worth using!

Mines

MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield

This mine has medium armor penetration and explosive damage, primarily targeting infantry units, but it can also kill tactical units themselves, potentially causing friendly fire.

Its performance against Terminids is only so-so. Because of the random distribution of the mines and the random movement of Terminids, enemies often don't even step on them. It's not very reliable in normal missions, but it's more effective in defensive missions where enemy routes are fixed. Therefore, Terminids deserve three stars.

Against Automatons, it's even worse. Automatons rarely cluster together, have higher armor, and mines are difficult to kill effectively, often requiring manual follow-up shots; one star is warranted.

Against Illuminates, the situation is more complex. Against Appropriators, mines are almost completely useless, as they simply float by. However, in regular Illuminate missions, they are somewhat effective; overall, three stars are warranted.

MD-I4 Incendiary Mines

Unlike MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield above, these mines release flames that remain on the ground.

Flames are deadly to Terminids, especially when used to trap them. You can use this to create a safe zone to block Terminids. Therefore, four stars are warranted here.

Flames are less effective against Automatons. The flames dissipate faster than the enemy's movement speed, and insufficient enemy numbers won't trigger a large amount of fire. This type of mine only deserves one star against Automatons.

It performs quite well against Illuminates, especially effective against Voteless and Fleshmob. Concentrated deployment in city streets can effectively eliminate hordes. While slightly weaker against airborne Appropriators, it still poses a threat to Veracitors and can hinder enemies in defensive missions, hence four stars.

MD-8 Gas Mines

When enemies step on these mines, they release poison gas, creating a large gas cloud.

Against Terminids, this gas not only eliminates them but also hinders their progress, buying time for attacks. Deserves four stars.

Unlike the previous two, this mine is effective against Automatons. The poison gas on enemies can have a disorienting effect. Four stars.

It's also good against Illuminates. The gas cloud rises high enough to even affect airborne enemies, and it's extremely effective against Voteless and Fleshmob. Also four stars.

It's clear that Gas mines are the most stable and versatile of the three types.

MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines

As the name suggests, it's useful against anti-tank enemies.

It performs poorly against Terminids. Charger is usable, but Bile Titan's legs are too thin and it often misses, so it only gets three stars.

It was expected to be strong against Automatons, but it's disappointing. Factory Striders often bypass the mines or explode them directly, Hulk and War Striders are also unreliable, and Vox Engine even takes a detour, so it also only gets three stars.

It's basically useless against Illuminates. Harvester and Veracitor's legs make it difficult to trigger the mines, and it only has some effect against Fleshmobs, making it completely not worth using. Therefore, it gets one star.

Shields

FX-12 Shield Generator Relay can project bubble shields to help you withstand damage for a short time.

However, it's really terrible against Terminids. Because Terminids have very few ranged attacks, while they can block Bile Titan's acid and even deflect it to kill enemies, they cannot stop melee enemies, and the shield duration is insufficient. Only one star.

They are quite good against Automatons, effectively blocking rockets and artillery fire, suitable for protecting teammates at mission or extraction points. The downside is that the shield's health and duration are insufficient. Therefore, four stars.

They are average against Illuminate. Although they can block Harvester's death ray, the duration is too short, and enemies can easily rush into the shield. Three stars.

Turret

HMG Emplacement

This is a manually controllable heavy machine gun turret with a high rate of fire and heavy armor penetration.

Very useful against Terminids, capable of clearing hordes, but be careful as Terminids will surround you, requiring constant turning. Four stars.

Defeating Automatons is definitely five stars. They can quickly tear apart almost all enemies, including the blast-resistant Vox Engine, making them extremely powerful.

Against Illuminate, it's a five-star turret. It can quickly break shields and eliminate Harvesters, Veracitors, and Overseers. Its only weakness is that it might miss enemies at close range, requiring careful positioning.

E/AT-12 Anti-Tank Emplacement

This turret can fire extremely powerful explosive anti-tank shots. It has a slow rate of fire, but high damage.

It excels against large targets like Terminids, but is less effective at clearing hordes. It can destroy burrows and spore towers from a distance. Three-star.

A five-star turret against Automatons. It can one-shot tanks, Hulks, and Factory Striders, and can destroy regular and large factories from a distance. It's also effective against Vox Engines.

A five-star turret against Illuminate. It quickly eliminates Harvesters, shoots down or destroys ground ships, and one-shots Overseers. It performs exceptionally well against Leviathans. Its weakness is its ineffectiveness against groups of targets.

Grenadier Battlement

These Emplacement Stratagems can deploy protective walls. They have a grenade launcher in the center, but the firing angle is limited and cannot rotate 360°.

The walls are almost useless against Terminids because of the significant angle restriction, earning only two stars.

Against Automatons, the walls can block projectiles, and grenades are effective at clearing small and medium-sized robots, but their mobility is poor. Three stars.

Against Illuminate, predicting the trajectory of airborne enemies is crucial, and the angle is a major issue. They can clear Voteless hordes with splash damage, but overall performance is mediocre. Again, three stars.

So, these are the performance characteristics of different Emplacement Stratagems against different enemies. Hopefully, these recommendations are helpful!