How To Destroy Harvesters in Helldivers 2

Where have I seen you before?

Harvester Helldivers 2
Image via Arrowhead Game Studios

The Illuminate are finally back in Helldivers and stronger than ever. These are part of the new Omens of Tyranny update for Helldivers 2 and have already been wiped out completely once by the Federation of Super Earth. Still, they’ll continue to reappear in droves bringing along towering tripod machines of death called Harvesters. These are a bit tricky to take down but here is how you can effectively take down Harvesters in Helldivers 2.

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Harvesters in Helldivers 2

Harvesters can initially feel very intimidating because most weapons simply don’t do enough damage because of their armor and shield.

However, taking them out is a simple matter of having the right weapons and aiming at their exposed weak spots. We’ll run down our suggestions on how to take these tanky tripods down.

Harvesters Weak Spots in Helldivers 2

The hip joints of Harvesters are its major weak spots and targeting those with the right weapon will bring the Harvester tumbling down.

Additionally, the crest right above its eye is the shield generator. You can take that out with a single AMR shot to stop it from reactivating shields.

Eagle and Orbital strikes are not effective against them, and even the Eagle 500kg Bomb is unreliable and works half the time. It’s better to use stratagem weapons instead.

Destroying Harvesters in Helldivers 2

The Harvesters’ shields can be taken down by any weapon. The shield doesn’t stay down forever and will be brought back up after a while. Once the shield is down, we recommend attacking the Harvester’s hip joints with the following weapons for easy wins.

LAS-99 Quasar Cannon

This powerful laser weapon can one-shot a Harvester if aimed at its weak spot. This needs a few seconds to charge so it’s more effective if the Harvester is at a distance. We recommend switching to first-person mode for a precise shot.

MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun

This is my favorite way of taking down Harvesters because the heavy machine gun is effective at all ranges. Sure, the recoil can take a bit to adjust, but firing away at the joints will topple them in a matter of seconds.

MLS-4X Commando

The Commando is another weapon that can one-shot Harvesters if you aim directly at its weak spot. It’s very effective, but you need to be precise or it won’t work as effectively.

Apart from these, the following weapons can work well too:

  • APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle (AMR)
  • GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
  • LAS-16 Sickle

Overall, taking down Harvesters is a thrilling act of violent liberty. Personally, my go-to method is using the Heavy Machine Gun because there’s something exhilarating about taking these head-on and ripping their legs to shreds.

Harvesters aren’t the only new Illuminate technology you’ll destroy, their warships need to be dealt with as well. The new update also introduces the first set of melee weapons including the Stun Baton and Stun Lance that are particularly effective against the Illuminate.

Ali Hashmi

Ali Hashmi is a games journalist, reviewer, and guides writer with over eight years of experience covering the gaming industry across news, reviews, features, walkthroughs, and technical guides. He currently writes for Prima Games and GTA 6 Bible, and has previously contributed to Dot Esports, WhatIfGaming, GameTyrant, and The OuterHaven. With a background in Computer Science and years spent covering PC gaming, Ali has developed a strong focus on performance analysis, optimization, troubleshooting, and in-depth game coverage alongside traditional reviews and features. A longtime fan of action games, Ali spends most of his time obsessing over stylish combat systems, difficult boss fights, immersive sims, and retro shooters that feel like they were pulled straight out of the late ‘90s. When he isn’t replaying Dark Souls for the hundredth time or climbing Ascension levels in Slay the Spire, he’s usually hunting for the next indie game to recommend to everyone around him. His coverage regularly includes AAA releases, indie games, Soulslikes, survival titles, live service games, and technical PC focused guides.