GR-8 Recoilless Rifle guide: 3,200-damage HEAT rounds, 6,000 Requisition unlock at level 5, team reload, and one-shot targets explained.
Helldivers 2 Recoilless Rifle — Stats, Unlock and Guide
The GR-8 Recoilless Rifle is the game's classic anti-tank support weapon: 3,200 damage HEAT rounds that one-shot Hulks, Chargers, Bile Titans and Automaton tanks, with five spare shells in its backpack. It unlocks at Level 5 for 6,000 Requisition Slips — one of the earliest and best anti-tank investments in the game — and its only real weakness is the slow solo reload, which a teammate's crew-load turns into a rapid-fire tank-destroyer.
This guide covers the full stats, how to unlock it, the programmable HE round, exactly what it one-shots per faction, and how it compares to the Autocannon and other anti-tank options.
Official resources: Steam store page · Helldivers Wiki — GR-8 Recoilless Rifle · IGN — Best Stratagems · Game8 — Recoilless Rifle guide
The Stats: What 3,200 Damage Actually Means
The Recoilless fires 85mm rounds in two programmable modes, and the numbers (verified against the wiki, Game8 and Hardcore Gamer) are:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| HEAT damage | 3,200 projectile + 150 explosion |
| HE damage (programmable) | 750 projectile + 800 explosion |
| Armor penetration | Anti-Tank II (heavy) |
| Magazine / backpack | 1 round / 5 spare shells |
| Fire rate | 600 RPM effective (one shot, then reload) |
| Ergonomics | 10 (very heavy) |
| Unlock | Level 5, 6,000 Requisition Slips |
| Stratagem code | ↓ ← → → ← (Down, Left, Right, Right, Left) |
| Cooldown | 480 seconds (8 min), unlimited uses |
| Call-in | ~3 seconds |
The HEAT round is the anti-tank shell: Anti-Tank II penetration means it punches through the heaviest armor in the game — no ricochet screens, no armor math, just damage. The HE (high explosive) round, added in the 60-day patch 1.001.104, is a programmable anti-personnel shell that turns the rifle into a crowd-clearing tool: 750 + 800 AoE is enough to delete a patrol of Devastators in one shot.
Per the official Helldivers Wiki — GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, the weapon deals 3,200 damage with HEAT rounds and 750+800 with programmable HE rounds, holds one round plus five backpack shells, and is purchased at the Patriotic Administration Center for 6,000 Requisition Slips at Level 5.
How to Unlock the Recoilless Rifle
- Reach Level 5 — a couple of evenings of play, or a few higher-difficulty missions.
- Save 6,000 Requisition Slips — mission completions, loot containers and side objectives all pay out; higher difficulties multiply the amount.
- Buy it in the Patriotic Administration Center (Ship Management → Stratagems tab). It's listed under Supply weapons.
- Equip it in your loadout. It takes the support-weapon slot and comes with the ammo backpack — which means you cannot carry a separate backpack (no Shield Pack, no Jump Pack).
That's it. It's the cheapest serious anti-tank in the game, and the standard recommendation for new players moving past the early-game Machine Gun phase.
Hold R (don't aim while holding it) to switch between HEAT and HE. HEAT for heavies and structures; HE for anything that bleeds. Firing HE into a group of Troopers or a bug breach clears it faster than most primaries.
What the Recoilless Rifle One-Shots (by Faction)
Community testing and the wiki's damage math agree on the one-shot list. HEAT round:
- Terminids: Charger (head or body), Charger Behemoth (body — it bleeds out), Impaler (neck), Bile Titan (head). One rocket strips a Charger's leg armor for easy follow-up.
- Automatons: Hulk (center mass), Automaton Tank (anywhere, instant), Factory Strider (one shot to the eye, or three body shots), Dropships (one hit to any thruster brings the whole ship down — and usually kills whatever it was carrying).
- Illuminate: Warp Ships and Harvesters are your targets; the community's Leviathan guide names the Recoilless the best weapon for destroying the three underbelly weak points of the big airship (difficulty 7+).
HE round: clears hordes, bug breaches and Devastator groups, and both modes destroy bug holes and fabricators (Demolition Force 30).
Recoilless vs Autocannon vs Other Anti-Tank
The eternal loadout debate:
| Recoilless Rifle | AC-8 Autocannon | |
|---|---|---|
| Damage per shot | 3,200 (HEAT) | 260+150 per shell, 10-round mag |
| Penetration | Anti-Tank II | Heavy (not anti-tank) |
| Backpack | Yes (5 shells) | Yes (ammo) |
| Best at | One-shotting heavies, dropships | Sustained damage on everything |
| Solo play | Slow reload, punishing misses | More forgiving, better all-rounder |
The consensus: the Autocannon is the better all-rounder (Game8, Hardcore Gamer and most tier lists agree), but the Recoilless is the dedicated tank-killer — nothing else in the game one-shots a Factory Strider or dropship so reliably. If your squad already has an Autocannon for general work, the Recoilless fills the anti-tank role perfectly. Among other anti-tank options: the EAT is disposable (two shots, no backpack) and better for solo; the Quasar Cannon needs no ammo but has a slow recharge; the Spear lock-ons but has a much smaller ammo pool.
How to Reload Faster (and Not Die Doing It)
The Recoilless's weakness is the long stationary reload — roughly 4 seconds solo, longer feeling when a Charger is sprinting at you. Three fixes:
- Crew-load: a teammate standing near you reloads the rifle in under a second. This is the single biggest DPS upgrade in the game — two players with one Recoilless out-DPS most stratagem combos. The wiki describes the Recoilless as a "Stationary Reload" weapon specifically because of this.
- Reload cancel: after the shell is seated, interrupt the animation by diving or switching weapons. Saves about a second per reload.
- Watch the back blast: the rifle has a blast cone behind it that ragdolls teammates — don't fire with allies directly behind you.
With one shot per tube and a 480-second call-in cooldown, every miss costs you 8 minutes of anti-tank capability. Don't shoot at moving Hulks from hip-fire range; crouch, line up, and let the target come to you. If you're missing consistently, the Railgun (no backpack, precise charge control) or Commando (laser-guided) are more forgiving alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Recoilless Rifle good in Helldivers 2?
Yes — it's the classic anti-tank support weapon and remains A-tier in 2026 tier lists (S-tier vs bugs and bots per u.gg). Its one weakness is the slow solo reload, which a teammate's crew-load completely solves.
How do you unlock the Recoilless Rifle?
Reach Level 5 and buy it for 6,000 Requisition Slips from the Patriotic Administration Center on your ship. It's one of the earliest anti-tank weapons you can afford.
What can the Recoilless Rifle one-shot?
Chargers, Bile Titans (head), Impalers (neck), Hulks, Automaton Tanks, Factory Striders (eye), dropships (any thruster) and Illuminate Warp Ships — all with the HEAT round. The HE round clears hordes and destroys bug holes/fabricators.
Is the Recoilless Rifle better than the Autocannon?
As a pure anti-tank weapon, yes — nothing one-shots heavies like it. As an all-rounder, the Autocannon wins (sustained fire, no punishing reload). Bring the Recoilless when your squad needs dedicated tank-killing.
How do you reload the Recoilless Rifle faster?
Have a teammate stand nearby and crew-load you — it drops the reload to under a second. Solo, interrupt the animation after seating the shell by diving or switching weapons, and always fire from cover.
Related Guides
- Helldivers 2 Best Weapons — 2026 Tier List
- Helldivers 2 Stratagems — Full List and Best Picks
- Helldivers 2 Enemies — Full List and Weak Points
- Helldivers 2 Builds — Best Loadouts for Every Faction
- Helldivers 2 Eruptor — Stats, Unlock and 2026 Guide
- Helldivers 2 Scorcher — Stats, Unlock and Best Loadouts
Last updated: August 13, 2026.
More Helldivers 2 Guides
Helldivers 2 best weapons in 2026: the primary and support weapon tier list after Update 6.3, ranked per faction, with stats and what to buy first.
Bile Titans in Helldivers 2: weak points (head, underbelly sacs), best weapons and stratagems, spawn difficulties, and how to survive Terminid heavies.
Helldivers 2 boosters explained: the full list with effects and Warbonds, how unlocks work, the best boosters for each faction, and which to skip.
Helldivers 2 builds for 2026: complete loadouts for Terminids, Automatons and Illuminate — weapons, armor passives and stratagems per role.
Helldivers 2 Cheat Engine use explained: how GameGuard detects it, the real ban risk, what the cheat tables do, and the legal modding alternatives.
Helldivers 2 crashing on PC? 12 fixes for crash-on-launch, won't-launch Steam errors, the 0x44415441 mod crash, and the prod_slim beta.
Is Helldivers 2 crossplay? Yes — PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S share one matchmaking pool. Full platform matrix, friend code setup, and why there's no cross-save.
Are the Cyborgs in Helldivers 2? Yes — they return in the 2026 Machinery of Oppression update. Full lore, the Automaton connection, and new enemy counters.