How to find and kill Impalers in Helldivers 2

The battlefields of the Galactic War have become way more dangerous as the Escalation of Freedom update for Helldivers 2 introduced new enemies to Automatons and Terminids—including an old foe, the Impaler.

Impaler is a Terminid from the original Helldivers game, and its tentacles turn the battlefield into total mayhem—especially if you’re already swarmed by bugs. On the plus side, they aren’t as hard to kill as expected, so here’s how to find and kill Impalers in Helldivers 2.

How to find Impalers in Helldivers 2

Impalers are elite enemies, like Bile Titans and Factory Striders, when it comes to how often you encounter them in missions. You can find Impalers on the fifth (Hard) difficulty and above as a target in the Eliminate mission, where you have to scout a designated area for the major target and kill it.

Starting with the eighth difficulty (Suicide Mission), you might encounter Impalers anywhere, alongside Spore Chargers and Alpha Commanders, added in the Escalation of Freedom update. I noticed they often appear alongside a Bug Breach, so keep an eye out for the big guy when you alert the enemies.

You can recognize Impalers by a body that looks like a huge Charger. Impalers can also send out tentacles, so if you feel the ground shaking (not to be confused with planetary tremors), look out for a surprise attack.

How to kill Impalers in Helldivers 2

Impalers burrow their heads into the ground and send out tentacles to attack you. Attacking tentacles isn’t an option, as they are swift to hit you and then go back underground. Evade the tentacles and locate the Impaler’s body nearby.

When the Impaler is burrowed, it can’t move, and its head is exposed to critical damage. You can recognize the weak spot by the beige color contrast to the darker shell of the bug. Focus your fire on the exposed spot, and the Impaler should be dead just from a few Breaker mags.

Stratagems, like Orbital Railcannon Strike and Orbital Laser, also work on the Impaler if you’re preoccupied with other Terminids.