How to kill Hulks in Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 Hulks are Automaton Bosses and one of the most dangerous foes that players are likely to come across in Bot territory. Covered in thick armor, players will to work their way around it, either by using explosives, or by using any of the Helldivers 2 armor piercing weapons that the game has to offer. It's also worth keeping in mind that there's various types of Hulk, like the flamethrower-wielding Hulk Scorcher or the melee-focused Hulk Bruiser - but they all have the same weakness, a vent in their back, between their shoulders. Still, getting to that point isn't easy, especially for individual players - so I'll lay out the best way to kill Hulks in Helldivers 2 below.

Hulk weaknesses and Strategies in Helldivers 2

Hulks in Helldivers 2 can be taken out through any of the following means.

Powerful explosives and armor penetration. Hulks are covered in thick armor that regular weapons won't even penetrate. Railguns, Rockets, Stratagems and explosives are the way to get through it - we particularly recommend the high level Orbital Railcannon Strike, which will automatically target and one-shot the deadliest enemy in the area.
Target the head. The tiny head in the middle of the Hulk's body is a particular weakness, the only spot from the front on which it'll reliably take damage. Not a LOT of damage, admittedly, but if you're relying on regular guns then it's your only real option.
The vent in the back. This is the big weakness: all Hulks have a glowing vent to the rear that takes significant damage compared to the rest of it, especially if you can hit with an explosive. Enough damage will cause the vent to explode, doing major damage to the Hulk and triggering a permanent bleed effect on it - even if you don't do any more damage, it should die eventually.

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Admittedly, all this is easier said than done, especially considering that hitting the Hulk from behind is hard to do when their default behaviour is to march towards you. It's much easier to have two players to lure them around, otherwise you can use sentries, static fields and quick dives to slow them down and hold their attention.

Admittedly, this is still risky - Hulks are much more dangerous in close range, no matter their form, and if you don't want to fight them your best hope is to keep far away and ideally with some cover. If you're fighting them in a Bot Base with a target structure, maybe try calling in a Hellbomb and using that to wipe them out?

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.