Machine Gun aimed in at a Warrior in Helldivers 2
Screenshot by Dot Esports

How to get and use the Machine Gun in Helldivers 2

So anyway, I just started blasting.

Mow down the competition and send those invading forces back from whence they came with the Machine Gun in Helldivers 2. The bed bugs won’t know what hit them. Here is how to get and use the Machine Gun in Helldivers 2.

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How to unlock the Machine Gun in Helldivers 2

Shooting a Warrior with the Machine Gun in Helldivers 2
Keep an eye on your ammo and reposition when you’re getting low. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Machine Gun is just one of the many Stratagems in Helldivers 2. It is a support weapon, putting powerful armor penetrating bullets in the spotlight. While you need a mix of artillery fire, support weapons, and a good primary weapon as your loadout foundation, the Machine Gun is a great pick on the lower-end of the difficulty scale.

You can quickly purchase the Machine Gun in your early days of your Helldiver career. Visit the Ship Management inside your Super Destroyer and scroll over to Stratagems. The Machine Gun is the first support weapon in Helldivers 2. Call in the Machine Gun with ▼◄▼▲►. It has a 480-second cooldown, with two massive magazine capacities, and an extremely high firing rate.

The Machine Gun is a go-to weapon for Terminid swarm annihilation, and is incredibly helpful against heavy armored enemies. As enemy spawns increase and types vary in higher difficulty settings, we don’t recommend the Machine Gun for solo Helldivers in difficulties higher than Challenging.

How to easily kill 200 enemies with the Machine Gun in Helldivers 2

Eradicate Terminid Swarm mission summary
Target the Terminid for easy pickings. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Head to Terminid missions with frequent enemy spawns like the Purge Hatcheries, Eradicate Terminid Swarm, and Retrieve Essential Personnel. You can visit Automaton-controlled planets for Machine Gun kills, but we recommend the Terminid due to the high Bug Breach frequency and how easily you can kill Hive Guards and Brood Commanders with this support weapon.

Make sure to call in a Supply Pack (purchasable from level three for 4000 credits) to replenish your ammunition and stims. The Machine Gun is usable in third-person and first-person mode. Use first-person for long-range shooting and third-person when enemies get close. It has manageable recoil, albeit with slow mobility. Make sure your primary and secondary weapon have full magazines in case you need to reload the Machine Gun.

Being surrounded by a Hunter and Scavengers in Helldivers 2
Don’t get surrounded. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Watch out for any Hunters. They can easily bypass the Machine Gun if you run out of ammunition. Use this weapon in mid- to long-range so you aren’t putting yourself in a position to be surrounded. Finally, the Machine Gun has a somewhat long reload time. Make sure you aren’t reloading with any enemies around you.


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Author
Hadley Vincent
Writer for Dot since Oct. 2023. Just a Psychology graduate trying to find the meaning of life through gaming. An enthusiast of indie horror and anime, where you'll often find them obsessing over a great narrative and even better twists that'd make M. Night jealous. Their shocking twist? They think The Last of Us II is a masterpiece.