Armor Penetration Analysis on TERMINIDS! ｜ Helldivers 2 Weapons Guide

Armor penetration mechanics in Helldivers 2 determine weapon damage based on penetration tiers versus enemy armor, signaled by specific hit markers: red crosshairs denote full damage against unarmored targets or lower-tier armor, white crosshairs signal reduced damage when matching armor tiers, and deflection icons show zero damage from ricochets.

Weapon testing illustrates these tiers: light-penetration weapons like the AR-23 Liberator, Punisher, and Redeemer deal reduced white damage to lightly armored targets like Brood Commander heads and Nursing Spewers while deflecting off medium and heavy armor, whereas the medium-penetrating Liberator Penetrator hits medium-armored walker heads at the cost of lower base damage.

The Slugger performs identically to a medium armor-penetrating weapon by scoring red full-damage hits on lightly armored Brood Commander heads and white hits on medium walker heads, contradicting its in-game light penetration description.

Helldivers 2 armor penetration mechanics and hit marker indicators.

Comparative weapon testing across the AR-23 Liberator, Liberator Penetrator, Punisher, Redeemer, and Slugger against enemy armor types.

Discrepancy between the Slugger's in-game description and actual penetration performance.

Whether the Slugger's medium penetration performance exceeding its in-game light armor description stems from a bug or an inaccurate text description.