Helldivers 2: How to Kill Dropships

Every match of Helldivers 2 becomes a desperate fight for survival where the squad of four players must take on innumerable hordes of enemies. While the players have an arsenal of weapons and stratagems at their disposal, what if you could take out battle units before they even hit the ground?

Unlike the Terminids, who emerge from the ground, Automatons prefer to drop down from the aptly named Dropships. These reinforcement carriers can be the make-or-break moments in missions, but did you know you can take them out before they deploy their payloads? We’ll show you how to kill Dropships in Helldivers 2 so you can thin the herd of Automatons on the field!

When Will a Dropship Appear on the Field?

The Terminid forces tend to swarm out of the ground, and this functions as a way to surprise the player. Even large bugs, such as the Bile Titans, can get the drop on a player if they emerge from right below them. However, while it’s easier to know when Automaton reinforcements are nearing the battlefield, it isn’t all that easy to take them down.

These ships are “packed to the brim with robotic infantry” and are designed to deploy them rapidly. Dropships spawn during Bot Drops, can be called in by a signal flare from a Commissar or a Detector Tower beam, or are map objectives such as Conduct Geological Survey probes.

When a Dropship is incoming, you’ll see a ‘Bot Drop Detected’ at the top of the screen. While on the easier difficulties, you’ll have just one, maybe two ships fly in; on higher difficulties, you could have three to four enter the field at once, with some even carrying a Tank. It might not be possible in such situations to take them all down, but you can take out a couple with proper teamwork and knowing where to hit.

How to Kill Dropships in Helldivers 2?

Dropships are heavily armored, but they have a single weak point: the engines. There are four on every ship, and focusing your fire on one is how you can down it before it deploys its battle units. Taking down the Helldivers 2 Dropship in the air will crush the battle units, and any leftover Automatons will be taken out by the delayed explosion.

Any that do survive will be pinned under the wreckage but will still be able to fire at the player. This can be a bit annoying, as the player will not be able to shoot the bot and won’t be able to use the wreckage as cover against other incoming fire.

You can also deal with the bots as the Dropship gets ready to deploy them, but you need to be up close and risk being crushed. Your other option is to call in a minefield under the Dropship to neutralize all the bots.

What Guns to Use to Kill Dropships in Helldivers 2?

Your best bet to take down these reinforcement carriers is to use heavy support weapons. Aiming at the engines with a GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank, or LAS-99 Quasar Cannon can destroy the Dropship with a single shot.

Out of these three, the best choice would be the Quasar Cannon, as it does not need to be reloaded after the first shot. Certain stratagems can also help you in taking out these Automaton ships.

Certain anti-armor weapons, such as the AC-8 Autocannon, APW-1 Anti-Material Rifle, or LAS-98 Laser Cannon, can be used, but the Helldiver will need to be directly under the ship. Doing so puts the Helldiver at risk of being crushed when the ship explodes.

Orbital stratagems can also take out the engines, and you don’t have to be super precise with them either. The Railcannon Strike, Precision Strike, and the Laser can all take out a Dropship, but you are not guaranteed a hit as you can’t manage the aim of these armaments as you can with primary and support weapons.

What enemy type in Helldivers 2 do you find most challenging? Let us know in the comments below and check out our other Helldivers 2 guides to be prepared for every eventuality on the battlefield.