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

Most of the time, Impalers find you in Helldivers 2, not the other way around. You can recognize them by their body, which looks like a Charger Behemoth but much larger. Impaler can also send out tentacles, so if you get surrounded by three giant tentacles, know the Impaler has entered the fight.

Impalers only seem to spawn on higher difficulties. The lowest difficulty I found one was on Suicide Mission (difficulty eight) alongside Spore Chargers and Alpha Commanders, added in the Escalation of Freedom update.

They might appear on lower difficulties, but you can consider them an Automatons’ Factory Strider alternative for Terminids when it comes to how often you encounter them in missions.

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 move elsewhere.

Evade the tentacles and locate the Impaler’s body. 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.