In Helldivers 2, the difference between mission success and a chaotic wipe often comes down to how well your team can hold a position. While aggressive loadouts may look flashy, it's the defensive builds—those quiet heroes with shields, barriers, and support gear—that often save the squad from total annihilation. Below are 14 tried-and-tested defensive builds that rely on Helldivers 2 items to turn your team into an unbreakable wall.
Pair the SH-20 Shield Generator Pack with the Laser Cannon to create a portable stronghold. This setup lets you tank forward positions while holding fire lanes against charging bugs.
Deploy the Resupply Backpack and a pair of Sentry Turrets. Stay near your turrets, feeding them and your allies with ammo, ensuring your line never runs dry.
Combine the ARC Thrower with Stun Mines to lock down chokepoints. Great for controlling waves in tight terrain, especially when protecting objectives.
Use the Ballistic Shield Backpack along with a fast sidearm like the Peacemaker. Your main role is to soak bullets and push into contested zones while drawing aggro.
Place Shield Generators and Mortar Turrets to build a semi-permanent defensive nest. This build is best used when your mission involves long defense timers.
Equip the Healing Stim Pack and Shield Backpack. Combine sustain with protection, keeping allies alive in heated zones without needing to retreat.
EMP Grenades and a Shockwave Generator make this build ideal against Automatons. It stalls their advance while your team focuses fire.
Use the Recoilless Rifle and pair it with the Ammo Pack. Set up in a corner or behind barriers to provide heavy support during base defense.
Deploy Anti-Air Turrets and Motion Sensors. This setup is excellent against flying units and scouts, denying vision and air control.
Set up multiple Machine Gun Sentries alongside a Shield Generator. Position carefully and create overlapping fire zones for maximum effect.
Equip the Incendiary Mines and Flamer. Works best in narrow terrain where you can create kill zones while stopping melee attackers from reaching your squad.
With the Stratagem Priority Booster and Orbital Barrage support, your goal is to clear large clusters before they overwhelm the line.
Pair a scoped rifle with a Resupply Drone. This build is about holding elevated ground and feeding real-time enemy data while staying resupplied.
Bring the Shield Dome and set up near the Uplink device or evacuation zone. While the rest of the team handles threats, you ensure the extraction point stays secure.
Defensive builds in Helldivers 2 are more than just passive strategies—they’re proactive setups that allow your team to control the pace of the battlefield. With the right Helldivers 2 items and teamwork, these builds can shift a mission from barely surviving to confidently dominating.
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