If you’ve been deploying to Terminid hive worlds, you’ve likely either seen the massive ground tremors or heard the stories from other squads. The Hive Lord is not just another bug; it’s a mission-changing event. This guide breaks down what they are and, more importantly, how most squads actually handle them based on common gameplay.
What exactly is a Hive Lord?
A Hive Lord is the largest Terminid enemy currently in the game. It’s a gargantuan, worm-like creature that burrows underground and can emerge during missions on certain planets, primarily within the Hive Worlds. Its primary role seems to be creating tunnels and overwhelming any opposition with sheer mass and firepower. In practical terms, it has the highest health pool of any enemy; for perspective, a single Hellbomb does 10,000 damage, and it takes much more than that to bring one down.
How will I know one is coming?
The game gives you a very clear warning. You’ll experience intense screen-shaking tremors for a short period before it erupts from the ground in a specific area, often with a loud roar. Its emergence can destroy terrain, flip vehicles, and instantly kill any player caught directly under it. Most players learn to recognize the quakes and immediately check their surroundings for the safest, most open ground.
What are its main attacks?
Once surfaced, a Hive Lord has a limited but devastating moveset:
Acid Barrage: It spews a wide cone of acidic bile. This is its most common ranged attack. Without significant acid damage reduction, this is almost always fatal.
Body Slam: It will lift a large segment of its body and slam it down onto the ground. The area of effect is large, and it will flatten anything underneath.
Debris Spray: When initially bursting from the ground, it launches rocks and debris. This can cause damage and knock you down.It also has a collision mechanic that pushes Helldivers away if they get too close to its body, preventing you from standing inside it.
Is it even possible to kill one?
Should I try?This is the core question. The official in-game tip advises disengagement, and for good reason. Killing a Hive Lord is a massive resource commitment. Most squads only attempt it under specific conditions:
You are on a lower difficulty (up to about Challenging) where you can manage other bugs.
Your squad is prepared with anti-tank (AT) stratagems and weapons.
You have ample time left in the mission.In general, on higher difficulties or during complex primary objectives, the consensus is to avoid the fight. The ammo and stratagem cooldowns spent on the Hive Lord are often needed for the main mission and extraction. However, slaying one does grant a substantial one-time Experience Bonus for the mission.
What are the actual tactics if we decide to fight?
If your squad chooses to engage, here’s how it usually plays out:
Choose the Battleground: Fight it in a large, open area. Avoid settlements; buildings offer no protection and block your movement. Lure it away from objectives.
Target Armor Plates: Its body is divided into segmented armor plates. Focus all AT fire (Recoilless Rifle, EAT-17, Autocannon, etc.) on a single segment. It will visually crack and then break, exposing a fleshy weak point. Focusing fire is key; spreading damage across its entire body is inefficient.
Stratagem Choice: Orbital and Eagle stratagems with shorter cooldowns are often more valuable than the biggest, one-time strikes. A constant stream of damage from Gatling Barrages, Precision Strikes, or Airstrikes is more reliable than a single 500kg bomb that might miss. Some players find it beneficial to buy Helldivers 2 items like specific stratagem boosters to reduce these cooldowns further during these prolonged fights.
Sustain: Drop a Supply Pack stratagem before the fight starts. You will need the ammo. Designate one player to focus on resupplying the team with rockets and grenades.
Distraction: A player in a light armor set can often kite the Hive Lord, keeping its attention while the rest of the squad focuses fire on the broken armor segment.
What if we just want to survive and complete our mission?
This is the most common approach. Your goals are:
Disengage: Do not shoot it. Aggroing it ties you to a long fight. Mark its location on the map for your team and move away.
Use Terrain: It cannot follow you into most caves or tunnels. If you need to pass its area, going underground is the safest bet, though it can still attempt to slam through the ceiling in large caverns.
Extract Early: If a Hive Lord is camping near your extraction point or main objective, sometimes the only practical solution is to call the shuttle early and defend a perimeter until it arrives.
Can more than one spawn?
Yes, though it is rare. Reports exist of multiple Hive Lords spawning in a single mission. The common advice is to not attempt to fight more than one. The resource drain and chaos are almost unmanageable for most squads. The experience bonus likely applies per kill, but the risk of total squad annihilation is extremely high.
In summary, the Hive Lord is a force of nature. Treat it like a natural disaster: you can either evacuate the area or commit your entire squad’s resources to a grueling, attrition-based battle. Most experienced players prioritize the mission objective first and only take the fight if the circumstances are overwhelmingly in their favor.
