Orbital Airburst Strike is an offensive tactic in Helldivers 2 designed to eliminate large numbers of enemy infantry.
Orbital Airburst Strike is incredibly powerful, capable of destroying everything within its area of effect. Enemies, allies, and even yourself are not immune. When used correctly, it's one of the most effective clearing strategies in the game. Incorrect use, however, can lead to total annihilation.
So how exactly do you use Orbital Airburst Strike effectively in Helldivers 2? I've noticed many players are getting it wrong, so this article will explain it in detail, hoping to provide you with valuable insights.
How it works?
While Orbital Airburst Strike is completely ineffective against heavy armor and most enemy structures, it can quickly destroy everything else within its blast radius. This tactic is extremely effective against light units and can even affect friendly forces. Any Helldiver caught in the blast wave will be instantly crushed into a bloody pulp, regardless of their armor type or whether they are equipped with Shield Generator Backpack.
This attack is like a giant shotgun fired downwards from orbit, unleashing four dense hailstorms at the target area every four seconds. With an extremely short cooldown, it's highly effective for long-range, covert elimination of patrols, halting pursuing enemy squads, or blocking drop points.
Furthermore, its projectile dispersion is much larger than you might imagine, with an effective area width of 40 meters. However, because Super Destroyer is located near the edge of the mission area, its rectangular shape means the effective area may be distorted due to the random dispersion of shrapnel.
Orbital Airburst Strike fires a 110mm shell from your Super Destroyer. The shell weighs 5 kg and has a velocity of 400 m/s. However, unlike other strategies, this shell is merely a launching device; its sole purpose is to reach a designated altitude over the battlefield and detonate, delivering the actual damage to the enemy.
Each shell carries 12 8mm shrapnel fragments, each weighing 2 grams and traveling at 300 meters per second, enough to penetrate medium armor. But that's not all; upon impact, each shrapnel fragment explodes, dealing 350 damage within a 6-meter radius.
The shockwave from the explosions accumulates until it covers the entire area. A total of 48 shrapnel fragments, each exploding, create a chain reaction of deadly damage.
This effect is most pronounced if Orbital Airburst Strike is deployed at the edge of the map because of the more extreme firing angle. Any Helldiver caught within the shockwave's radius will be instantly killed - not wounded, but killed on the spot. Their armor type is irrelevant; even Shield Generator Backpack offers no protection, demonstrating Orbital Airburst Strike's devastating power.
Shortcomings
Orbital Airburst Strike's primary weakness is against heavy armor; it is completely ineffective against it. Shrapnel fragments cannot penetrate their armor. However, they can clear out everything in their vicinity - a large number of troops around them. Any troublesome enemy becomes much easier to deal with once its support forces are eliminated.
In Helldivers 2, theoretically, Orbital Airburst Strike can destroy Bulk Fabricators and Bug Holes, but the effect is inconsistent because it requires the shells to directly hit the ventilation shafts of Bulk Fabricator and Bug Hole, and they must be facing Super Destroyer; otherwise, it's impossible.
Orbital Airburst Strike deploys with only a one-second delay. Be mindful of teammates near the designated area; due to the wide blast radius, if deployed too close together, they may not be able to dodge and survive.
Stratagem Loadouts
Orbital Airburst Strike works very well in combination with Orbital Precision Strike. You just need to compensate for their strategic shortcomings by doing the following two things: first, effectively covering a large number of targets; and second, promptly dealing with enemy forces during deployment gaps. Against heavily armored enemies, tactics like Orbital Precision Strike are clearly more effective.
Orbital Airburst Strike can eliminate infantry, while Orbital Precision Strike is better suited for Hulk and Bile Titans. They won't compete for the same target, ensuring neither weapon is wasted. If you need to deal with a small number of heavily armored enemies in an emergency, you can also use Helldivers 2 Items like Recoilless Rifle or Quasar Cannon.
When facing rapidly deployed automatons, Eagle Airstrike works very well in combination with Orbital Airburst Strike. Eagle Airstrike can cover manufacturers and groups of armored targets that Orbital Airburst Strike cannot destroy.
Unlike Orbital Airburst Strike, it doesn't require Super Destroyer's line of sight to be safely deployed. Eagle Airstrike, combined with Orbital Airburst Strike, provides a faster attack option in unfavorable situations, whether due to time constraints or terrain disadvantages.
This concludes the article on Orbital Airburst Strike in Helldivers 2. We hope you found it helpful. If used properly, it can be one of the most effective monster-farming strategies in the game.













