Helldivers 2 Maxigun Guide: Best Loadouts and Team Strategies

[PhantomPulse]

If you’re diving into Helldivers 2 and looking to dominate the battlefield, few weapons embody the thrill of teamplay like the M-1000 Maxigun. This bullet-spitting powerhouse is both a dream and a nightmare—it can tear enemies apart, but its high-risk mechanics require careful handling and smart positioning. As someone who’s spent dozens of missions mastering this weapon, I’ve gathered insights to help you get the most out of it.

Understanding the Maxigun’s Weakness

Before anything else, it’s crucial to recognize the Maxigun’s biggest drawback: the brace animation. Once you start firing, your character locks in place and cannot move or dive out of the action. This makes you extremely vulnerable to fast enemies like hulks, chargers, or flying overseers. A small tip: burst-fire instead of holding the trigger down constantly. Doing so lets you cancel the brace animation at the right moment and dive to safety, allowing you to control when and where you engage.

Another aspect to consider is positioning. With the Maxigun’s medium penetration and 750 ammo cap, staying on high ground or controlling choke points is essential. Without careful placement, even a continuous fire of 1,500 rounds per minute won’t save you from being overwhelmed.

Optimal Maxigun Loadouts

To maximize its potential, you need to think beyond just the weapon itself. Here’s a breakdown of the loadout strategies I’ve found most effective:

Stratagem Synergy

Gas Strike: Perfect for creating artificial chokepoints. It’s particularly useful against squids and bugs, letting you focus your fire on priority targets while slowing down incoming waves.

Eagle Strafes & Rocket Sentry: Essential for bots, especially for dealing with heavy units like war striders and factory striders. The rocket sentry doubles as a stable high-ground platform, letting you maintain continuous fire.

Armor Selection

Two armor setups work exceptionally well with the Maxigun:

Heavy Fortified Devastator with Minion Hat: Reduces recoil, helping you land more shots and conserve ammo.

Doubt Killer Armor with Cover of Darkness Cape: Offers unflinching passives and gives a “supervillain” aesthetic, while also aiding mid-range engagements.

Weapon Combos

Primary: Crossbow or ARGL for crowd control and stagger, particularly against bug holes, fabricators, and UFOs.

Secondary: The Ultimatum shines on bugs and bots alike, clearing snap chargers, bile titans, and factory striders quickly.

Grenades: Gas grenades are incredibly versatile. They slow enemies and create space, giving you better control of battlefield flow.

If you ever find yourself running low on resources, some players use third-party services like U4GM to top up in-game currency—but always ensure you’re following safe practices if you go that route.

Teamplay and Ammo Management

The Maxigun is built for duos or full squads. Coordinating resupply backpacks between two players allows both to maintain peak firepower throughout the mission. Key tips for duos:

One player calls in the supply backpack.

Double-tap the other player to max their ammo.

Communicate to ensure both players maintain full ammo without wasting shots.

This method enables continuous “full power fantasy” mode where you can focus on dominating enemies rather than worrying about resupplies. For larger squads, combining the Maxigun with vehicles like the FRV adds chaos and fun, turning missions into spectacle-filled firefights.

Faction-Specific Tips

Illuminate: Flying overseers and grenades are the main threats. Recoil reduction armor helps you blast these threats out of the sky.

Bugs: Prioritize gassing chargers for backshots. Tentacles and bile titans need special attention with Ultimatum or rocket sentries.

Bots: War strider spams are tricky, but using Eagle Strafes and stratagem support makes them manageable. Gas grenades also help control hulks effectively.

For players looking to accelerate progress, you can occasionally buy Helldivers 2 medals to quickly unlock cosmetics or achievements without grinding endlessly, though this is purely optional and should be balanced with regular gameplay.

Thoughts on Improvements

Even with its quirks, the Maxigun is one of the most fun weapons in Helldivers 2. I’d love to see a few changes that could enhance its usability:

Ability to dive out of brace animation safely.

Increase ammo cap from 750 to 1,000 rounds for sustained firefights.

Allow heavy armor to move while firing at the cost of stamina, enhancing the “beefcake power fantasy.”

Minor tweaks like these would make the Maxigun even more satisfying while keeping it balanced.

The M-1000 Maxigun is a weapon that rewards patience, coordination, and strategic thinking. Mastering burst fire, positioning, and team synergy can transform chaotic battles into controlled, high-DPS domination. Whether you’re mowing down bugs, bots, or Illuminates, a well-coordinated squad can unleash some of the most spectacular gameplay Helldivers 2 has to offer.

Helpful Tip: 2025 Meta: Best Illuminate Loadouts for Helldivers 2