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- Helldivers 2 Noxious strain: the two new enemies
- How to kill Noxious Scavengers
- How to kill the Noxious Spewer
- Noxious poison in Helldivers 2: light vs heavy, and how to cure it
- Where to find Noxious bugs: caves on more biomes
- Helldivers 2 weapons for the Noxious strain
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources and update history
The Helldivers 2 Noxious strain is a poisonous Terminid variant with two new enemies: the fast, fragile Noxious Scavenger and the large, web-spitting Noxious Spewer. Kill Scavengers with shotguns, flamethrowers or grenades, shoot the Spewer’s unarmored abdomen from a distance, and use stims to cure the poison. Arrowhead announced the strain on November 3, 2026.
This guide covers what each Noxious enemy does, how the new poison status works, where you will meet them now that bug caves spread to more biomes, and which weapons Arrowhead recommends. Everything below comes from Arrowhead’s November 3 Steam announcement unless a section says otherwise. If your shotgun or flamethrower is still low level, our Helldivers 2 items page has max-level weapon unlocks.
Helldivers 2 Noxious strain: the two new enemies
| Enemy | What it does | Weak point | Arrowhead’s advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noxious Scavenger | Looks like a normal Scavenger, moves noticeably faster, poisons on every bite and bites again almost at once | Fragile overall | Shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades |
| Noxious Spewer | Large and fast; Web Spit at medium range stops you sprinting; long-reach bite with stronger venom; spreads webs across the map | Web-filled abdomen with no armor (head has medium armor) | Aim for the abdomen, but stay out of the Web Explosion |
Both belong to the Terminid faction, the bugs. Arrowhead did not give health or damage numbers for either enemy, so the descriptions above are the official ones and nothing more.
How to kill Noxious Scavengers
Noxious Scavengers are the small ones. They look almost the same as ordinary Scavengers, so the giveaway is speed: they close the gap faster and keep biting once they reach you, and every bite poisons you.
The good news is that they die easily. Arrowhead points to weapons that “reward volume over precision”: shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades. A wide spread or a burst of fire catches a fast swarm better than a rifle that needs careful aim.
1 Selected Weapon to Level 25Arrowhead recommends shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades against fast Noxious Scavengers; this levels one chosen weapon for you.From $5.65View offerHow to kill the Noxious Spewer
The Noxious Spewer is the big one, and it does not drag itself along like older Spewers. It moves quickly and it is the source of the webs you will see draped over the battlefield.
- Web Spit: its medium-range attack. If it hits you, you cannot sprint, which lets the Spewer catch up.
- Bite: fast, with longer reach than it looks, and a stronger dose of venom than a Scavenger bite.
- Armor: the head has medium armor. The web-filled abdomen has none.
- Web Explosion: when the abdomen sac bursts, it snares every Helldiver and bug nearby.
Put together, the plan is simple: shoot the abdomen, but do it from far enough away that the Web Explosion does not catch you or your squad. The announcement itself warns against being caught in the blast. Because the explosion also snares bugs, a Spewer that pops in the middle of a swarm can hold the other Terminids in place.
Noxious poison in Helldivers 2: light vs heavy, and how to cure it
Every Noxious bite poisons you, and a new poison icon on your HUD shows how bad it is. Arrowhead splits it into two stages:
| Stage | Effects |
|---|---|
| Lightly poisoned | Hazy vision; the poison slowly drains your health |
| Heavily poisoned | More damage over time, no sprinting, hazy vision |
Stims cure the poison. That makes stims more valuable than usual on Noxious missions, both for you and for a poisoned squadmate. Arrowhead asks players to ration them. Combined with Web Spit, heavy poison is the real danger: both stop you sprinting, so you cannot simply run away.
Where to find Noxious bugs: caves on more biomes
The same announcement says bug caves are no longer limited to a handful of worlds. They now have a chance to appear across more biomes, from deserts to frozen tundra. Arrowhead did not list which planets or which missions use them.
Caves suit the Noxious strain: short sightlines, blind corners, and fast enemies that arrive before you hear them. Arrowhead’s advice for caves is close-range firepower, staying with your squad, and keeping a stim in reserve for whoever wandered ahead.
If you are still picking a loadout, our guide to the first stratagems to unlock covers the starter picks, and the Helldivers 2 difficulty levels guide explains what each tier adds. To level a new shotgun faster, see how to level up weapons fast.
Helldivers 2 weapons for the Noxious strain
Arrowhead names shotguns and flamethrowers against Noxious Scavengers. If you would rather skip the weapon grind before taking them on:
2 Selected Weapons to Level 25Levels two weapons of your choice to 25, such as a shotgun and a flamethrower, the weapon types Arrowhead suggests for Noxious Scavengers.From $11.00View offer
1 Selected Weapon to Level 25Levels one weapon of your choice, if you only need one gun for the Noxious strain.From $5.65View offerFrequently asked questions
What is the Noxious strain in Helldivers 2?
A poisonous Terminid variant announced on November 3, 2026. It adds the Noxious Scavenger and the Noxious Spewer, and every Noxious bite poisons you.
Where is the Noxious Spewer’s weak spot?
The abdomen. It has no armor, while the head has medium armor. Shooting it can burst the sac in a Web Explosion that snares anyone nearby, so keep your distance.
How do you cure poison in Helldivers 2?
Use a stim. Arrowhead says stims cure the Noxious poison condition.
What is the best weapon against Noxious Scavengers?
Arrowhead recommends shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades, because Noxious Scavengers are fast but fragile. It did not rank specific guns.
Which planets have Noxious bugs?
Not confirmed. Arrowhead has not listed which planets or missions the Noxious strain appears on. What it did confirm is a separate change: bug caves can now appear across more biomes.
Sources and update history
- Arrowhead Game Studios (Steam): Helldivers 2: new poisonous Terminid types, bug caves spawn across the galaxy, November 3, 2026 (both enemies, armor, Web Spit, Web Explosion, poison stages, stims, caves, weapon advice, all images)
- Helldivers 2 official YouTube: A Cleaner Galaxy Starts With You, embedded in the same announcement
Update history: Published November 9, 2026. Facts last checked November 9, 2026 against the sources above.
