How to get a Support Weapon during a mission in Helldivers 2

So, you got all decked out with the buds and are in the middle of a drop onto a bug-infested planet. But, oh no! You forgot to bring a Support Weapon Stratagem. Well, if you’re lucky, Helldivers 2 may gift you a Support Weapon somewhere on the planet’s surface.

You can indeed find a free Support Weapon during a mission in Helldivers 2, but it’s not a guarantee. To up your chances of finding one, you must seek out and explore various Places of Interest (POI) and objectives on maps. On rare occasions, you’ll find a free Support Weapon ripe for the taking. And sometimes that weapon may be far more luxurious than what you’re typically rocking.

Where to find extra Support Weapons in Helldivers 2

The Support Weapons you can find in Helldivers 2 range from low- to high-level items. You start with the Machine Gun Stratagem already unlocked, but praise be to the level 5 Helldiver who stumbles on an Arc Thrower in the wild. It happened to me, and at least one of my allies regretted my good fortune. 

To find Support Weapons during a mission in Helldivers 2, you need to track them down. As mentioned, you can find them near POIs dotted around the map. Look for pulsating shafts of light, military structures, and follow question marks that appear in the compass at the top of your HUD. 

Some POIs seem to have a higher chance of containing a Support Weapon. The vault that requires two players to open, destroyed military structures, and farms are among the places I find free Support Weapons most often. Look inside said vault for something like a FLAM-40 Flamethrower and get ready to toast some Terminids.

They can also appear around an objective point. Look around to see if there’s one leaning against a wall or next to the fallen body of a soldier. Weapons can also spawn near ammo crates.

Here are the Support Weapons I found on the field:

• Machine Gun
• Arc Thrower
• Flamethrower
• Expendable Anti-Tank (EAT)
• Laser Cannon
• Break-Action Shotgun

The last on the list may have thrown you off. Yes, there is a double-barrel shotgun in Helldivers 2, but it’s not the DBS-2 Double Freedom from the first game. I’ve found it a couple of times, and it’s okay. The weapon is powerful when hitting enemy weak points, but most other shotgun weapons still outclass it in DPS. It is fun to use at first, but I typically leave it behind.