Online co-op shooter Helldivers 2 contains a number of nasty enemies across its Terminid and Automaton factions. The Chargers are one such foe: Large, heavily armored Terminids, they will happily charge toward you and your party to send you all to your deaths. They can prove quite a challenge if you’re not prepared, but with our tips, you can handle these imposing and deadly beasts.

Regular weaponry isn’t terribly effective against Chargers. Even their weak spot, located behind their armor, will soak up a lot of damage before the creature dies, so it’s best to head in equipped with the most lethal weaponry you can find.

How to find and kill Chargers

Chargers aren’t guaranteed to appear in every Terminid location. The higher the difficulty, the more likely you are to spot one. There are also Charger-specific missions, which will guarantee at least one of the bugs.

Massive and loaded with armor on the front, Chargers require some pretty cunning tactics and the use of brutal weaponry wherever you can. They are very vulnerable from the rear, where they aren’t shielded. If you’re without appropriate weaponry, and they’ve caught sight of you, you and your team would do best to try and bait them to head in specific directions that expose their vulnerable backsides to gunfire.

It’s essential to try and take out Chargers before they spot you, ideally with Recoiless Rifles, Expendable Anti-Tank Rockets, Orbital Strikes, Orbital Lasers, and Eagle Napalm Airstrikes. If you’re dealing with multiple Chargers, you’ll want to use Stratagems that cover a wide area. You should also communicate with your team if you spot a Charger before anyone else, as they can quickly complicate an ordinary swarm of bugs.

Finally, if you’re redeploying after being killed by a Charger, it is possible to kill one by landing your drop pod on one of them.

Whether you’re taking on a Charger-centric mission, finishing a daily challenge, or just looking to take on higher difficulty missions, Chargers will become a common sight in your efforts to spread democracy. But while they’re initially quite intimidating, good strategy and the right equipment will take them out every time.