How to find and kill Annihilator Tanks in Helldivers 2

Annihilator Tanks are among the more dangerous enemies you’ll encounter while playing Helldivers 2. So, if you’ve been recently enlisted to help defend Super Earth or need to take out an Annihilator Tank for a Daily Order, you need to know where you can find them and how to kill them.

Where to find Annihilator Tanks in Helldivers 2

If you’re new here, Annihilator Tanks are part of the Automaton enemy faction in Helldivers 2, so you’ll want to select missions on planets under that faction’s control. We recommend sticking to the Severin, Trigon, and Xzar sectors.

Given how tough Annihilator Tanks are, if you’re a new player, you should avoid them until you’re more acquainted with Helldivers 2’s gameplay. Fortunately, Tanks don’t appear on the easier difficulty settings; they only start showing up on missions labeled Hard difficulty or higher. If all you’re after is to complete a Daily Order, consider sticking to Hard missions, since they’re technically the easiest to complete. Annihilator Tanks are rare encounters, though rumor has it you can improve the odds of them appearing if multiple players are assigned to the same mission.

How to destroy Annihilator Tanks in Helldivers 2

Much like the Terminid’s Bile Titans, Annihilator Tanks are heavily armored. They have very little health, meaning you can take one out quite quickly if you can target one of its weak spots. The first weak spot is the vents on the back of the tank’s body, and the second is the heat sink in the back of the tank’s turret. So, target either one of these with your weapons, particularly explosives like grenades or rocket launchers.

Be warned: tanks can kill you in a single shot and they have a 360 degree field of view, which makes it difficult to get close. Use of cover to avoid being blasted if you plan on approaching them. Fortunately, tanks move very slowly, and if you’re up close, they can’t hit you, and you can climb onto them.

If you’d rather not risk approaching it, you can always use one of Helldivers 2‘s Stratagems to bypass its armor and deal heavy damage. The Expendable Anti-Tank is the obvious first pick (the clue is in the name), but any heavy ordinance, like rail cannons, should be effective too.