Helldivers 2: Best Solo Loadout (All Factions)

Playing solo changes everything: no teammate to reload you, revive you or pull aggro. The solo loadout must therefore be self-sufficient and lean on mobility. Here’s the base that holds across all factions.

Why solo is different

• No ally reload → out goes the Recoilless (which shines in pairs), in comes the Quasar.
• No mutual reinforcements → every death costs a squad life. Survival comes first.
• All the aggro on you → you must handle the heavies AND the small stuff alone.

Armor: light, always

Solo, you survive by moving, not tanking. Light armor (mobility, stamina) lets you kite, flank and flee. Add the stamina booster.

Primary weapon: versatile

Pick a weapon that handles small stuff without constant reloading:

• Terminids: incendiary (Cookout, Breaker Incendiary).
• Automatons: precision (Diligence Counter-Sniper) or energy (Scorcher).
• Illuminate: AOE energy (Purifier).

(Details per faction in our anti-bot, bug and Illuminate builds.)

Support weapon: Quasar Cannon

The Quasar Cannon is the king of solo:

• No backpack → you keep your back slot for something else.
• No reload → just a cooldown, no teammate required.
• Handles Chargers, Bile Titans, Hulks, Factory Striders and Harvesters.

The EAT-17 (disposable, short cooldown) is an excellent complement to double your anti-tank cadence.

Self-running stratagems

• Guard Dog Rover → automatically handles small stuff while you aim at heavies. Essential solo.
• Eagle Airstrike → versatile, short cooldown (see our tier list).
• Orbital Precision Strike → short-cooldown anti-heavy.
• 4th slot: faction-dependent (Orbital Gas for bugs/Illuminate, Orbital Railcannon for an isolated heavy).

How to play solo

1. Objectives over kills: avoid patrols, do the job, leave.
2. Keep moving, never let yourself get surrounded.
3. Quasar ready for every heavy unit.
4. Rover on your back so you’re not nibbled from behind.
5. Lower the difficulty a tier or two vs your team level.

Common solo mistakes

• Taking the Recoilless (useless without a reloader) instead of the Quasar.
• Trying to kill everything → you get overwhelmed. Play the objective.
• Heavy armor → you lose your only defense, mobility.
• Rushing too high a difficulty → with no reinforcements, it’s certain death.

Conclusion

The solo loadout is self-sufficiency + mobility: light armor, Quasar, Rover, and disciplined objective play. With that, you’ll clear missions alone all the way to Helldive. For faction details, use our dedicated builds, and if you’re new, start with our beginner guide.