Harvesters are no ordinary enemies in Helldivers 2. These towering biomechanical terrors from the Illuminate faction are designed to crush unprepared players and their attempts to spread managed democracy across the galaxy.

However, every enemy has weaknesses, and the Harvesters are no exception. The following Helldivers 2 guide breaks down their weak points, how to exploit these vulnerabilities, and the strategies you and your teammates need to take down these "Tripods" with precision and efficiency. Ready to turn these deadly machines into scrap? Let’s dive in!

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Harvesters appear in medium-difficulty or higher missions on Illuminate-controlled (blue) planets.

How to Beat Harvesters in Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 - Harvester With Full Shields

Harvesters are large, three-legged "Walkers" created by the Illuminate to reap democratic citizens in Helldivers 2. They are often part of patrols, but can also be beamed into battle by flying Warp Ships as reinforcements.

Harvesters should always be considered priority enemies to beat in Helldivers 2. They fire an extremely long-range sweeping laser from their cyclopean eye that can turn you into ash within seconds. When that deathray starts trailing toward your location, start running or find cover! When engaging Harvesters at close range, their eye instead fires a powerful arc of electricity that jumps between players similar to the ARC-3 Arc Thrower and the A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower in Helldivers 2.

Harvesters are also equipped with a regenerative shield, making it even more challenging to take them down. Wait too long after breaking the shield, and it will come back right up, forcing you to start all over. Here are some important Helldivers 2 tips to know about taking down Illuminate shields.

  • Harvesters only deploy their shields after being engaged or if they see you. Hence, the best way to beat them is without gaining aggro. That way you do not have to waste time and ammunition on bringing down their shields.
  • Any weapon with a fast, consistent fire rate can destroy shields. However, electricity and energy weapons are useless.
  • Shields can withstand a direct hit from an Orbital Railcannon Strike and even a Eagle 500Kg Bomb , so do not waste your offensive stratagems.
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Harvester Weaknesses in Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 - Harvester Weak Spots Marked

Harvesters are heavily armored enemies, but you do not necessarily need to throw every stratagem (and the kitchen sink) at them. Harvesters have several weak points that you can target after depleting their shields.

1. Top Fin - Shield Generator (Medium Armor)

Destroying the shield-generating fin permanently disables the Harvester from deploying a shield after it has been drained. You can use any weapon, but a APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle takes only a single shot to destroy the shield generator.

2. Bottom Fin (Medium Armor)

Extensive field-testing confirms that while the bottom fin is also a weak point, destroying it does not disable the Harvester from shooting arcs of electricity. Any damage done to the bottom prong gets transferred to the main health pool. That said, targeting the other weak points is still recommended instead to get more value.

3. Eye (Light Armor)

While one of the major enemy weak spots in Helldivers 2, the Harvester's cyclopean eye is actually only the lowest armored area, meaning you still need firepower. If you are a crack shot, land an anti-tank shell right in the middle to efficiently kill Harvesters.

4. Thighs (Medium Armor)

The upper leg joints, as marked in the image above, are the biggest weak spots because destroying them kills the entire Harvester in Helldivers 2.

While explosive/anti-tank weapons such as the AC-8 Autocannon , EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank , GR-8 Recoilless Rifle , and LAS-99 Quasar Cannon work best, most support weapons such as the MG-43 Machine Gun and the LAS-98 Laser Cannon can also damage the thighs.

Nothing beats the MLS-4X Commando against the Illuminate in Helldivers 2. You only need one rocket to destroy a Harvester, and it comes with four, meaning that a single Commando can take down multiple armored enemies—Illuminate patrols commonly consist of armored Overseers and Harvesters.

Additionally, the Commando has a low cooldown, so you can always call in another one after you have fired all four rockets.