Helldivers 2’s new Escalation of Freedom update dropped on August 6, and it’s packing a ton of changes and additions, including a bunch of new enemy types. On the Terminid front, we’ve now got the Impalers, which are returning from the first game, and love to stab you with their wildly long tentacles that they burrow into the ground. However, they’re somehow not even the most terrifying new bug enemies included in the update.
That honor belongs to the new Spore Chargers. While functionally similar to the already existing Chargers, which are enough of a problem as they are, this new variant throws a menacing twist on their whole deal. Besides rocking a bunch of nasty growths on their carapaces, Spore Chargers also emanate an acid-green fog that fills their immediate surroundings and obscures their exact location.
The first time I bumped into one of these things, I didn’t even realize it. Thanks to Helldivers 2’s various weather effects, I thought I was simply caught in one of the planet’s acid storms, which I knew could happen before diving into my mission. Before I knew it, I was running to an objective and could hardly see a few feet in either direction when a teammate called out that they’d spotted a Spore Charger among the dense fog.
Reader, I yelped when the thing finally popped out of nowhere. But thanks to that experience, I can now inform y’all on how best to proceed when running into a Spore Charger.
Where to find a Spore Charger
Much like the new Impaler, as well as most of the advanced variants of enemies, Spore Chargers are more easily spotted on higher difficulties. I first spotted one around a level 7 mission, and they likely begin to show up around level 6, which is dubbed “Extreme” in the game. This is around the time where the modifiers start suggesting massive enemies as well as heavily armored ones, and I do think these bad boys fit the bill.
As I already mentioned, they are pretty apparent from their appearance, but the telltale sign that you are about to face off with a Spore Charger is the fog that’ll quickly swallow you up. The fog moves with the Charger so they’ll always be at the heart of it, even if it’s difficult to tell up from down while you’re in there. That’s why we’re going to need abilities and weapons that lock on and pack a lot of strength in order to take them out easily.
How to kill a Spore Charger
Now because these things are so heavily armored, you’re going to want to pack something with explosive power. As far as weapon stratagems, bring an Expendable Anti-Tank rocket launcher, Commando, or a Spear if you think you’re going to have to deal with a Spore Charger. Much like with a normal Charger, blowing the protective shell off its face and then following up with a second shot should do the trick quite easily.
Personally, I might prefer a Spear due to the lock-on function. Given the nature of the Spore Charger’s passive fog, as well as the fact that it appears on difficulties where you’re often being swarmed, it’s good insurance to have a weapon that makes up for any human error. Just remember to give it some space, since the Spear has to first launch the rocket up into the air before it locks on and comes back down on it.
If you don’t want to have to deal with a Spore Charger head-on, there are actually a number of ways to get around that which put some of Helldivers 2’s underused stratagems to use. Both the Orbital Railcannon Strike and the Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods are going to be key to taking out Spore Chargers from a relatively safe distance. That’s because both stratagems will automatically lock on to the largest target in the area, rather than simply hitting the area marked by your beacon.
These stratagems have always been helpful for enemy units that are constantly on the move, like Bile Titans and standard Chargers, but thanks to the Spore Charger’s ability to impair your vision, they are now handier than ever.
If you’re feeling particularly gung-ho and want to avoid using any stratagems—or simply run out because of how grueling your mission is—Spore Chargers do actually have more gaps in their armor than most other Chargers. Their sides are practically exposed thanks to the immense acidic growths, and the underside of their rear sports the same weak spot as every other Charger, but this approach will consume both ammo and time, which are a hot commodity in Helldivers 2. Also be wary of killing them while you’re too close, as they do explode and spread their acid all over the place as they do. You’re much better off using any number of the above stratagems to quickly take out a Charger before it becomes a problem.
Now, I believe you’re ready to take on the bug front of the Second Galactic War and thank goodness for that. We need well-informed boots on the ground out there to bring the fight to those nasty bastards and really stick it to them.