In Helldivers 2, Harvesters are giant three-legged creatures that you should underestimate. If you have played Half-Life, then you must see the close resemblance they share with the Striders. They are killable, but we need to pick out all the weak spots before they beam out a laser to wipe us all to the game overscreen. Here we will cover defense and offense tactics against Harvesters, and the best weapon to equip to defeat them easily.
Harvesters Overview
Class: Heavy
DMG Dealing: Energy
Armor Value: 4
Don’t bring any weapon with an Armor Value of less than 4, they will be useless in the battle. We should note, that Harvester’s eye has an Armor Value of 2, the same goes for its internals. But if you are going into the battle against these behemoths, then consider opting for an Armor Value 4 gun.
Defense Tactics Against Harvester’s Attacks
The goal here is to survive long enough to kill the Harvesters. Here we must resort to a bit of running and dodging to get out of many deadly attacks from the harvesters. If you are breathing after a heavy attack, then you will be ready to fire back.
- Long-Range Laser Attack: The very first thing you should be worried about these Harvesters is the laser attack. It’s extremely long-range and will instantly take you out of the game. Basically, a one-hit kill for the Harvester. When you see the laser beam moving towards your location, start running or better find a decent cover. Another tactic would be prone but it might not work all the time.
- Close-Range Arc Attack: So long range makes the Harvester use the laser beam, short range is also worse. If you get too close to the harvester, it will resort to using an electricity arc shot, that can also instantly kill you.
- Luckily we have the EX-00 Prototype X Armor (112 medals to unlock) that has the 95% resistance to arc Damage. So suit up, if you prefer the close-range combat option in the game.
- Shield: The Harvester’s shield carries no armor, so no need to use the best weapon. You can start hitting the shield with a primary weapon to take it down.
- Opt for a weapon that comes with a good Fire Rate.
- Don’t use energy or electricity-based weapon sets. They will not do any damage against the shield.
Note: The shield will come back after 10 seconds. So never waste your time after breaking their shield down. If you do mess up the time, then you will have to break the shield again.
Offensive Tactics Against Harvesters
There are a few weak spots that we attack to bring down the shield, Tesla Cannon which deals arc damage close range, Eyes, and Leg joints.
- Leg Joint: Once you bring down the shield, you should focus on the Leg Joints. They are, by far the weakest spot on these giants. If you want to move things fast, then shoot the joints instead of focusing on anything else.
- You can use the Anti-Tank, GR-8 Recoilless Rifle at the joints, but even common support weapons such as Laser Cannon or a machine gun work well against it.
- Horn: Shoot the horn above its head to disable its ability to regenerate the shield. The horn can be a good indicator to test your gun’s strength, if your gun can’t destroy it, then you should change to another set.
- Bottom Arc: You will also spot another horn at the bottom, the same as the horn above, if you shoot it long enough, the harvester will lose the ability to deal close-range arc damage.
- Eye: Eye on Harvester has an Armor Value of 2. You can deal a heavy amount of damage if the gun at your back has good firepower.
But we recommend that you prioritize the Leg Joint over the Eye. The reason for this is the higher health pool for the Eye as compared to the Leg Joints.
Best Effective Weapon Against Harvesters In Helldivers 2
You should not sleep on Flamethrower, it deals a massive amount of damage but you have to be at close range. This leaves you vulnerable to its Tesla Canon arc attack, but it can be avoided with the EX-00 Prototype X Armor.
One of the best things about Flamethrower is its range. Also, you don’t have to pinpoint Harvester’s proper weak spot to deal some damage. Just whip out the flamethrower at a close distance, and fire away until the harvester falls apart.
While you are here, you may want to check our guide on how to get your hands on the FRV in the Omens of Tyranny update.
