Mastering Orbital Strikes in Helldivers 2: A Comprehensive Guide
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2025 3:46 am
In Helldivers 2, orbital strikes play a pivotal role in shaping the battlefield, providing players with a strategic edge across missions. From crowd control to taking down massive enemies, understanding each orbital strike and its optimal use can dramatically improve your efficiency on the field. In this guide, I’ll break down every orbital strike, analyze their effectiveness against the three main factions—bugs, bots, and squids—and share practical tips to maximize their potential.
Understanding Orbital Strikes
Orbital strikes are immediate-use abilities that go on cooldown after deployment. Each strike has its own cooldown timer, independent of others, allowing for a mix-and-match strategy. While some orbitals excel against certain factions, others are more versatile.
Key Orbital Strikes and Rankings
Orbital Precision Strike
Availability: Free from the start
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Analysis: This strike delivers high single-target damage. Against bugs, it’s slightly less effective due to the mobility of titans and chargers but still an A-tier option. Its precision and low cooldown make it S-tier against bots and squids, where targeting hulks, tanks, or illuminate ships is straightforward.
Gas Strike
Availability: Level 1
Cooldown: 75 seconds
Analysis: The Gas Strike combines impact damage with lingering poison gas, making it excellent for crowd control. It’s S-tier across all factions, effective for both objectives and choke points, and rarely causes friendly fire unless teammates remain in the gas.
Orbital EMS Strike
Availability: Level 5
Cooldown: 75 seconds
Analysis: A non-lethal area control strike, it slows enemies but also affects friendlies, reducing its overall effectiveness. Rated D-tier for bugs and squids, and C-tier for bots. Its utility is situational and requires precise placement.
Orbital Smoke Strike
Availability: Level 8
Cooldown: 100 seconds
Analysis: Primarily for obscuring ranged attacks and objectives, smoke offers minor advantage against bugs and squids (D-tier) but can be B-tier against bots in certain tactical scenarios.
Gatling Barrage
Availability: Level 1
Cooldown: 70 seconds
Analysis: A fast-firing, armor-piercing strike ideal for crowd control. S-tier against bugs, A-tier against bots and squids. Excellent for preventing bug tunnel breaches and managing melee swarms.
Orbital Air Burst
Availability: Level 5
Cooldown: 100 seconds
Analysis: Effective for breaking up crowds with multiple air bursts, but weaker against bots (C-tier) compared to bugs and squids (B-tier). Friendly fire risk exists, so careful placement is key.
120 and 380 Barrages
Availability: Level 5 and Level 8
Cooldown: 180 seconds (120), variable (380)
Analysis: Both are high-impact explosive barrages capable of destroying enemies and structures. The 120 is S-tier across factions due to fast cooldown and reliable area damage, while the 380 excels against bots (S-tier) and remains A-tier against bugs and squids. Using both in tandem can efficiently clear entire bases.
Orbital Walking Barrage
Availability: Level 10
Cooldown: 240 seconds
Analysis: This barrage moves toward enemies in a straight line, covering long distances. S-tier against bots for strategic objective control, C-tier for bugs due to tunnel layouts, and A-tier against squids.
Orbital Laser Strike
Availability: Level 15
Cooldown: 300 seconds, limited to three uses per mission
Analysis: Prioritizes big targets like illuminate ships and bot factories. A-tier against bugs and squids, S-tier against bots. Its limited use requires careful timing, making it ideal for high-value targets.
Orbital Napalm Barrage
Availability: Level 18
Cooldown: 240 seconds
Analysis: Designed for crowd control via fire damage, S-tier against bugs for closing off areas, B-tier for bots and squids. Requires fireproof armor for personal safety.
Orbital Rail Cannon
Availability: Level 20
Cooldown: 120 seconds
Analysis: Similar to the precision strike but with auto-aim. Best against larger bots (A-tier), moderately effective against bugs and squids (B-tier).
Practical Tips for Players
Consider mixing short cooldown strikes like the Gas Strike or Gatling Barrage with high-impact barrages like the 380 or Napalm to balance crowd control and objective damage.
Prioritize strikes according to enemy type: use fire or air-based strategies for bugs, heavy barrages for bots, and precision strikes for squids.
For new players or those looking to save resources, platforms like U4GM can help you buy Helldivers 2 medals or buy Helldivers 2 items discount, which can speed up access to higher-tier orbital strikes.
Mastering orbital strikes in Helldivers 2 requires understanding cooldowns, strike effects, and faction-specific strategies. Whether you prefer precision strikes for surgical attacks or high-damage barrages for area control, aligning your choice with mission objectives ensures optimal results. Combining strategic planning with timely use of these orbitals can transform the tide of any battle.
Understanding Orbital Strikes
Orbital strikes are immediate-use abilities that go on cooldown after deployment. Each strike has its own cooldown timer, independent of others, allowing for a mix-and-match strategy. While some orbitals excel against certain factions, others are more versatile.
Key Orbital Strikes and Rankings
Orbital Precision Strike
Availability: Free from the start
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Analysis: This strike delivers high single-target damage. Against bugs, it’s slightly less effective due to the mobility of titans and chargers but still an A-tier option. Its precision and low cooldown make it S-tier against bots and squids, where targeting hulks, tanks, or illuminate ships is straightforward.
Gas Strike
Availability: Level 1
Cooldown: 75 seconds
Analysis: The Gas Strike combines impact damage with lingering poison gas, making it excellent for crowd control. It’s S-tier across all factions, effective for both objectives and choke points, and rarely causes friendly fire unless teammates remain in the gas.
Orbital EMS Strike
Availability: Level 5
Cooldown: 75 seconds
Analysis: A non-lethal area control strike, it slows enemies but also affects friendlies, reducing its overall effectiveness. Rated D-tier for bugs and squids, and C-tier for bots. Its utility is situational and requires precise placement.
Orbital Smoke Strike
Availability: Level 8
Cooldown: 100 seconds
Analysis: Primarily for obscuring ranged attacks and objectives, smoke offers minor advantage against bugs and squids (D-tier) but can be B-tier against bots in certain tactical scenarios.
Gatling Barrage
Availability: Level 1
Cooldown: 70 seconds
Analysis: A fast-firing, armor-piercing strike ideal for crowd control. S-tier against bugs, A-tier against bots and squids. Excellent for preventing bug tunnel breaches and managing melee swarms.
Orbital Air Burst
Availability: Level 5
Cooldown: 100 seconds
Analysis: Effective for breaking up crowds with multiple air bursts, but weaker against bots (C-tier) compared to bugs and squids (B-tier). Friendly fire risk exists, so careful placement is key.
120 and 380 Barrages
Availability: Level 5 and Level 8
Cooldown: 180 seconds (120), variable (380)
Analysis: Both are high-impact explosive barrages capable of destroying enemies and structures. The 120 is S-tier across factions due to fast cooldown and reliable area damage, while the 380 excels against bots (S-tier) and remains A-tier against bugs and squids. Using both in tandem can efficiently clear entire bases.
Orbital Walking Barrage
Availability: Level 10
Cooldown: 240 seconds
Analysis: This barrage moves toward enemies in a straight line, covering long distances. S-tier against bots for strategic objective control, C-tier for bugs due to tunnel layouts, and A-tier against squids.
Orbital Laser Strike
Availability: Level 15
Cooldown: 300 seconds, limited to three uses per mission
Analysis: Prioritizes big targets like illuminate ships and bot factories. A-tier against bugs and squids, S-tier against bots. Its limited use requires careful timing, making it ideal for high-value targets.
Orbital Napalm Barrage
Availability: Level 18
Cooldown: 240 seconds
Analysis: Designed for crowd control via fire damage, S-tier against bugs for closing off areas, B-tier for bots and squids. Requires fireproof armor for personal safety.
Orbital Rail Cannon
Availability: Level 20
Cooldown: 120 seconds
Analysis: Similar to the precision strike but with auto-aim. Best against larger bots (A-tier), moderately effective against bugs and squids (B-tier).
Practical Tips for Players
Consider mixing short cooldown strikes like the Gas Strike or Gatling Barrage with high-impact barrages like the 380 or Napalm to balance crowd control and objective damage.
Prioritize strikes according to enemy type: use fire or air-based strategies for bugs, heavy barrages for bots, and precision strikes for squids.
For new players or those looking to save resources, platforms like U4GM can help you buy Helldivers 2 medals or buy Helldivers 2 items discount, which can speed up access to higher-tier orbital strikes.
Mastering orbital strikes in Helldivers 2 requires understanding cooldowns, strike effects, and faction-specific strategies. Whether you prefer precision strikes for surgical attacks or high-damage barrages for area control, aligning your choice with mission objectives ensures optimal results. Combining strategic planning with timely use of these orbitals can transform the tide of any battle.