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Orbital Stratagem Tier List
Orbital Stratagems are some of the most powerful tools you can have in your Democratic toolbelt and it is recommended to always bring at least one with you on every mission.
Tip: Stratagems are deployed from the Super Destroyer that can be seen if the player looks up in the sky. This means that the direction that the orbital comes from varies relative to the location of the Super Destroyer to the Target. When using Orbitals like the Railcannon, make sure the enemy is facing the Super Destroyer when the Orbital is fired for a higher chance of a headshot and one-shot kills to large enemies like the Bile Titan.
Primary Orbitals for Terminids
Primary Orbitals for Automatons
Stratagem Breakdown
The Orbital Laser is one of the most powerful Orbitals in the game along with the Orbital Railcannon. It fires a sustained laser that auto locks on the largest target in the area.
This includes Heavy enemies like the Bile Titan, Chargers, Tanks, and Hulks as well as structures like Spore Towers, Cannon Turrets, Factory Striders, Bug Holes and Fabricators. It can also take out multiple heavy enemies in one use. To balance this massive power it is the only orbital that cannot be rearmed and has a fixed 3 uses per match.
The Orbital Railcannon is up their with the Orbital Laser when it comes to power. It also auto locks, has unlimited uses but a long 210 seconds between strikes so use it wisely.
It can also take out large enemies and structures similar to the Orbital Laser. It is important to note that although it is not reliable at one shotting the Bile Titan, you can use the Pro Tip above to increase your chances. It cannot one shot a Factory Strider but you can destroy a Drop Ship before it unloads its bots if timed well.
The Orbital Gas Strike is a grossly underrated Stratagem as it has a very short cooldown (75s) and can destroy Fabricators and is great at wave clearing and squashing Bug Holes. If you are being chased it can be useful if thrown at your feet as you make your escape.
The Orbital Airburst Strike is another underrated Orbital that is best suited for Terminids as it can totally squash Bug Breaches and swarms of lighter enemies. It fires 3 barrages with a 3 second delay in between shots but is not effective against heavier enemies or structures.
The Orbital Precision Strike is a great all around option for heavier enemies, especially because it is unlocked at level one so it is a great entry into the world of Orbitals. Since it has a long time to deploy after being thrown Helldivers must throw them in the predicted path of enemies and as a result is not a great option against Chargers. It can also destroy structures like Spore Towers and Research Stations.
The Orbital EMS Strike has a long stun duration of 18 seconds and completely immobilizes enemies that are caught in the radius of the blast. This is a special use case Stratagem and in truth, most situations would be better served with the EMS Mortar Sentry if sustained stun effects are necessary.
The Orbital 120mm and 380mm HE Barrages can be a love hate relationship as these rounds are dispersed in an RNG fashion. The 380mm has a much larger radius so the chance of a direct hit are less than the 120mm, but it does fire larger more powerful rounds so Helldivers can find a use if there is an exceptionally large Bug Nest or Factory. It is effective at taking out heavier enemies IF you are lucky enough to land a direct hit.
The Orbital Walking Barrage travels in a straight line directly away from the direction the player is facing when it is thrown. With this interesting strike pattern it makes it somewhat niche to use but it is worth noting that it fires the same shells as the 380mm HE Barrage so it does has some kick to it. Recommended to either throw behind you if you are being chased through a choke point.
The Orbital Gatling Barrage is a good choice for light to medium enemies and can even take out Illegal Broadcast Towers but cannot take out Bug Holes or Fabricators.
The Orbital Smoke Strike is another special use Stratagem as it provides cover from enemy fire so it is best suited against Automatons. It is worthwhile to note that the location of the smoke rounds for the Orbital are dependent on the location of the Super Destroyer relative to the player, whereas the Eagle Smoke Airstrike is always deployed perpendicular to where the player was when it was thrown offering a more consistent smokescreen.
Orbital Stratagem Stats
| Orbital | Tier vs Bugs | Tier vs Bots | Cooldown (s) | Applicable Ship Modules | Best Against |
| Gatling Barrage | 1 | 1 | 80 | – Exploding Shrapnel – More Guns – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | Medium, Illegal Broadcast Towers |
| Airburst Strike | 3 | 2 | 120 | – Exploding Shrapnel – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | Medium, Illegal Broadcast Towers, Bug Holes |
| 120mm HE Barrage | 3 | 2 | 240 | – Exploding Shrapnel – More Guns – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade – Atmospheric Monitoring | Heavy, All Structures (RNG) |
| 380mm HE Barrage | 1 | 2 | 240 | – Exploding Shrapnel – More Guns – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade – Atmospheric Monitoring | Heavy, All Structures (RNG) |
| Walking Barrage | 1 | 1 | 240 | – Exploding Shrapnel – More Guns – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | Light |
| Laser | 3 | 3 | 300 | – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | Heavy, Fabricators, Bug Holes, Cannon Turrets, Spore Towers |
| Railcannon Strike | 3 | 3 | 210 | – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | Heavy, Factory Striders, Canon Turrets |
| Precision Strike | 2 | 2 | 100 | – Exploding Shrapnel – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | Heavy, Research Stations, Fabricators, Bug Holes |
| Gas Strike | 3 | 3 | 75 | – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | Medium, Fabricators |
| EMS Strike | 2 | 2 | 75 | – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | All Enemies |
| Smoke Strike | 1 | 2 | 100 | – Zero-G Breech Loading – Targeting Software Upgrade | All Enemies |
Applicable Ship Modules
Ship Modules are bought from the Ship Management Terminal and are bought with Samples that are picked up during your Democratic Missions:
– Exploding Shrapnel: Reduces damage falloff from the center of the explosion of Orbital Stratagems
– More Guns: Barrage Orbitals fire one additional Salve per Barrage
– Atmospheric Monitoring: Reduces Orbital cooldowns by 10%
– Zero-G Breech Loading: Reduces deployment time for Orbital Stratagems by 1 second
– Targeting Software Upgrade: Orbital HE Barrage spread reduced by 15%