ODST Helldivers 2: How To Stealth Like an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (No Warbonds Needed)

With the Xbox reinforcements arriving comes the much-awaited Halo collaboration Warbond for Helldivers 2. The new Warbond is Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) themed and centres heavily around stealth gameplay. However, these new additions will be useless if you do not know how stealth works in Helldivers 2. This guide will teach you the basics of stealth and options from the base Warbond. It will also cover some alternatives available from other Warbonds, and the upcoming ODST Warbond.

Foreword: Context and Background to ODST and Helldivers 2 Stealth

ODST shock troopers excel in special warfare tactics. In the streets of New Mombasa in Halo 3: ODST, this meant picking off enemies from the shadows. This allowed them to fight off the Covenant’s alien forces even when they were heavily outnumbered and outgunned.

Helldivers 2 does not have formal stealth mechanics. Instead, stealth is a byproduct of its highly polished detection system. Thus, you should first learn how detection and enemy patrols function.

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Detection: How Did They See Me?

Enemies in Helldivers 2 detect first by sound, then sight, then finally “smell” (i.e., proximity). Almost every action taken by a Helldiver creates some amount of sound. There currently appear to be two types of sound: Neutral and Aggression sounds. When an enemy hears a Neutral sound, they will go over to investigate before returning to their position. On the other hand, once an enemy hears an Aggression sound, they will automatically know where your position is.

This makes for some interesting interactions. Firstly, the sound of a bullet hitting (NOT your gun firing) is an Aggression sound. Try and melee kill enemies instead of shooting them. Secondly, the G-16 Impact grenade uniquely makes only a Neutral sound, so it can be used to lure enemies away from their positions.

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In terms of sight, enemies notice Helldivers at different ranges depending on their stance. It is around 45m while standing, 25m while crouching, and 15m while prone. This assumes perfect line of sight, so make use of cover to avoid alerting the enemy.

Enemies tend to be quite oblivious unless you’re right next to them for an extended period of time. This means we can mostly ignore proximity. Simply keep moving and don’t stay in one spot too long.

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Detection: They See Me! (Or Do They?)

Enemies sometimes do not automatically start engaging you. Instead, they have three states.

1. First is Suspicious mode, where they will check out nearby sounds for a while before returning to their positions.
2. Alerted mode comes next, triggered when enemies spot the Helldiver and become aware of their location.
3. Third is the Engaging mode, where they will attempt to kill the Helldiver and/or call in reinforcements.

Engaging mode is easily the most dangerous of the three, as enemies will attempt to call in reinforcements. Reinforced enemies always hunt you down, compounding the situation. Fortunately, only one enemy can call in reinforcements at a time. You then have a short opportunity to kill them and reset the reinforcement timer. If you can kill all of the enemies fast enough, there will be no one left to call in reinforcements.

Consequently, it is important to recognise the reinforcement animation cues to be able to immediately pick off the caller. Automatons will raise their arm into the air to call in a flare. Bugs will release an orange pheromone into the air. Illuminate Watchers will begin glowing blue before firing three blue signals into the sky.

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Patrols: How Do They Know Where I Am?

In addition to normal patrols and stationed enemies, there is always at least one patrol on the map that will be aware of the Helldivers’ positions. They spawn about 125m away from the Helldivers and will continuously march towards their location at all times (although they will not be alerted to them). This is why the enemy sometimes seems to know your exact location, and Alien: Isolation uses a similar mechanic for its titular Alien.

As you can imagine, this makes it paramount to constantly keep moving around the map to prevent this patrol from catching up to you. Otherwise, they could come at an inopportune time while you are sneaking into an enemy base and alert every enemy there. You can also destroy the patrol right before you stealth into an enemy base to ensure you are not disturbed for a time.

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Armour and Weapons: Killing Them Softly

The Base Warbond is lacking in dedicated stealth gear, and most of the options lean towards head-on confrontation. However, some unlocks are very useful for sneaky gameplay.

Firstly, the G-3 Smoke Grenade is a premier option for quickly creating cover and disengaging from enemies. The G-16 Impact can also be used either to take out patrols or distract enemies, as stated above.

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Secondly, you can use the light armour sets to move around fast and make less noise. The Scout armour perk on the SC-34 Infiltrator and SC-30 Trailblazer Scout also allows you to locate enemies on the map by pinging. This is extremely helpful to keep on top of incoming patrols, so make it a habit to constantly check your map.

Thirdly, laser/energy weapons make very little noise compared to their ballistic counterparts and are also very precise over long ranges. The base Warbond offers two: the LAS-5 Scythe and the PLAS-1 Scorcher. If you want more conventional weaponry, then the R-63 Diligence and R-63 CS Diligence Counter Sniper will allow you to snipe down key targets from afar.

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Stratagems That Complement an ODST Playstyle

In truth, almost any stratagem can complement an ODST playstyle. This is partly because stealth is more of a skill that you can add to your normal gameplay – it is simply the art of choosing when you want to engage with the enemy. Therefore, almost any stratagem works as they all either help you avoid the enemy or deal with them once they have been alerted.

Eagles and Orbitals

One particularly effective yet underrated stratagem is the Eagle Smoke Strike. It provides a nice blanket of cover to help you disengage enemies or sneak into position.

Another extremely effective stratagem is the Orbital Laser, as this will take out objectives without needing you to sneak into the outpost. As some point out, it’s still stealth if there’s no one alive to catch you. This can be swapped out for any of the Orbital Barrages (120mm, 380mm, Napalm, and Walking) for more frequent damage.

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Defensive Stratagems: Mines and Turrets

Mines are some of the best ways to covertly eliminate patrols. Their low cooldowns and high damage give you a consistent option to deal with those pesky groups while remaining undetected. Just make sure you don’t call it in on your escape avenues, or you may end up cornering yourself.

Turrets also help a lot, as they can draw attention and fire away from your position. They synergize very well with Mines and Gas, Napalm, or EMS Strikes to effectively control the enemies while you infiltrate their bases and destroy their objectives.

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Support Weapons: Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick

You may not have the Rocket Launcher or Spartan Laser from Halo 3: ODST, but Helldivers 2 sports a wide variety of similar alternatives. Support Weapons tend to make a lot of noise, so it is best to take those that either kill quickly and efficiently, or kill enemies at long range.

Good choices include the APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle, LAS-98 Laser Cannon, and LAS-99 Quasar Cannon. You can also take a support weapon that aims to take out patrols in one clean shot, like the Sta X-3 W.A.S.P. Launcher and RL-77 Airburst Launcher.

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Backpacks: No Dogs Allowed!

If you have a backpack slot free, the LIFT-850 Jump Pack allows you to enter outposts through alternate routes. Alternatively, you can use the B-1 Supply Pack to reduce the need for Resupply drops and keep on the move to avoid patrols.

However, there are some stratagems that you should consider against bringing if you are attempting some sneaky maneuvers. The AX/AR-23 “Guard Dog” and AX/LAS-5 “Guard Dog” Rover will always shoot at enemies in range with no way to stop it. This will inevitably alert enemies while you try to hide behind cover, making it a poor choice for stealth.

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Warbond Alternatives

The ODST are not the only ones who can fight in the shadows. Helldivers have often used guerrilla tactics against overwhelming enemies since the onset of the Second Galactic War. For example, stealth was considered one of the main ways to beat the Automatons on higher difficulties during the Battle of Malevelon Creek. This made sense, as back then, the Automaton armour was much stronger, while our gear was far more limited and lacking in firepower.

Nowadays, our weaponry has diversified significantly to be able to fight heavy units head-on. However, stealth has remained a highly viable and efficient playstyle. Although never the sole focus of a Warbond until the ODST collaboration, many Warbonds nevertheless offered unique options to complement a stealth-focused playstyle.

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Laser Weapons

As mentioned earlier, energy/laser weapons fit well into a stealth playstyle as they create less sound. The Premium Warbonds increase our arsenal on this front greatly. For example, the Cutting Edge Warbond gives the LAS-16 Sickle and LAS-7 Dagger, while Borderline Justice unlocks the LAS-58 Talon. The Servants of Freedom Warbond has the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle, but the amount of time and health required to fire the weapon to its full damage is ill-suited for stealth gameplay.

Gas, Gas, Gas

Gas is notably very effective as it prevents enemies from calling in reinforcements, confuses them, and is very quiet. Thus, the Chemical Agents Warbond can provide a unique angle to a stealth playthrough with access to the G-4 Gas and TX-41 Sterilizer.

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Going Commando

The Viper Commandos Warbond was arguably the closest thing to a stealth Warbond before the ODST Warbond. The K-2 Throwing Knife from the Viper Commandos Warbond replaces your grenades and gives you a quiet option for taking out medium-armoured enemies at range. The Peak Physique perk on the armour also increases melee damage, making it easier to quietly assassinate enemies with weapons like the CQC-5 Combat Hatchet.

ODST: Feet First Into Hell

Finally, the upcoming ODST Warbond has a host of new silenced toys to play with. The M6C/SOCOM pistol and M7S SMG both sport a silencer, while the new Feet First armour passive reduces the sound you make by a massive 50%, making you almost invisible unless the enemy is looking at you.

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Conclusion

Helldivers 2 is not a stealth game. Many of the design choices are meant to encourage and force players into confrontational gameplay, which explains why there is no formal stealth system. Despite this, stealth remains a paramount tool in any Helldivers’ skillset in defeating enemies. It gives them more control over the battlefield and enables them to take down detachments and platoons much larger than themselves.

To sum up the basics of stealth, you should always keep moving, use lots of cover, and stay aware of where your enemies are. With a little bit of practice, you too will join the elite ODST who are dropping in to defend Super Earth as the aliens besiege us on all three Galactic Fronts.