Helldivers 1:NUX-223 Hellbomb
| Helldivers 2 | Helldivers 1 |
“The Hellbomb is provided when the Helldivers need to destroy a stationary target.
— Armory Description
Stratagem Code
Players must enter the following sequence, using the controller d‑pad, in order to call down this Special stratagem during a mission:
Unlock Requirement
The NUX-223 Hellbomb is a standard-issue stratagem, available to all Helldivers regardless of rank. However, Helldiver Command only provides this stratagem during missions that require the destruction of a stationary enemy target (either Cyborg AA Guns, Bug Nests or Illuminate Beacons).
Upgrades
| Upgrade | Cost | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Mk1 | Basic variant, no upgrades. | |
 |
Mk2 |  2 |
Upgraded to have more health, allowing the NUX-223 Hellbomb to sustain more damage before failing. |
 |
Mk3 | 3 |
New routines for handling nuclear material allows for the bomb to be readied much faster and cuts down on the call-in time (activation time reduced from 25 seconds to 15 seconds). |
Detailed Statistics
For a detailed overview and comparison of the statlines for Helldivers, their equipment and all enemies, check the Detailed Statistics page.
| Health | Constitution | Armor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Decay | Base | Decay | Location | Min | Max |
| 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | default (original) | 30 | 30 |
| 200 | default (upgraded) | |||||
The Hellbomb has two separate explosions that trigger together, with the first explosion occurring only a few frames before the second one. The second explosion inflicts the bulk of the Hellbomb's effective damage, and the purpose of the first explosion, presumably, is to remove a Helldiver's active shield if they are standing, while not giving the Hellbomb the ability to destroy Illuminate Beacons through their shields via the "ignore shield" property. Those two explosions are listed in the statistics table below as Primary and Secondary, respectively.
| NUX-223 Hellbomb Detailed Analysis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratagem Info | Additional Notes | ||
| Planet Reward | N/A | Unlocked by default | |
| Stratagem Category | Special | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Base | Upgraded | Additional Notes | |
| Cooldown | 35 s | ||
| Number of Uses | Unlimited | Requires unfinished 'Destroy' objective | |
| Activation Time | 25 s | 15 s * | * Requires Mk3 upgrade |
| Explosion Info (Primary) | |||
| Blast Radius | 17 m | ||
| Blast Power | 500 | ||
| Center Radius | 0 m | ||
| Center Power | 0 | ||
| Ignores Armor? | No | ||
| Ignores Shield? | Unknown | ||
| Force | Unknown | ||
| Explosion Info (Secondary) | |||
| Blast Radius | 17 m | ||
| Blast Power | 4000 | Much higher damage in outer radius compared to Shredder | |
| Center Radius | 8 m | ||
| Center Power | 4000 | ||
| Ignores Armor? | No | ||
| Ignores Shield? | No | Can't destroy shielded Beacons, unlike Shredder | |
| Force | 1000 | ||
| Activation Info | |||
| Activation Type | Hellbomb | ||
| Patrol Alert Radius | 160 m | Pulls patrols to call-in spot (80 m for other stratagems) | |
| Detonation Timer | 5 sec | Becomes armed on interaction | |
| Despawn Timer | 120 sec | ||
Gameplay Tips
- Hellbombs have a tertiary use in that they can be used as a practically limitless supply of improvised distractor beacons. Enemy patrols will gather around the Hellbomb, slowly whittling down its hit points, instead of raising the alarm when they spot a Helldiver. The Hellbomb can then be detonated to rid the area of enemies, or left as a lure for nearby patrols.
- After all 'Destroy' objectives have been completed, the Hellbomb will no longer be available for the remainder of the mission. This is worth keeping in mind when planning order in which mission objectives are to be completed.
- The blast radius of the Hellbomb is very large. In fact, only the Shredder Missile Strike stratagem has a comparable area of effect. Still, going prone allows Helldivers to survive nuclear explosions even at what seems like suicidally close proximity.
Alternatives to the Hellbomb
'Destroy' objectives can also be eliminated using most anti-tank weapons and stratagems, such as (but not limited to):
Anti-tank Supply stratagems:
Anti-tank rounds fired by:
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Anti-tank capable Offensive stratagems:
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Note that not all weapons and stratagems are effective against all targets, particularly if the area of effect for their Anti-Tank or Explosive element is especially small. While the MLS-4X Commando can theoretically destroy objectives, its missiles require precise angle and distance as they do not home in on objectives; to make things worse, any nearby enemies will attract the missiles instead.
Also note that the only attack stratagems capable of destroying a shielded Illuminate Beacon are the Thunderer Barrage and Shredder Missile Strike; the Missile Barrage's spread is random and it will occasionally manage it, but all other approaches require the Beacon's shield be disabled first.
Lone Cyborg AA Guns can also be found on most missions in Cyborg territory, and will project a small jamming field of their own. As the single AA Guns are not powered by generators that can be disabled, their radar jamming is only shut down when they are destroyed. For this reason, non-objective Cyborg AA Guns are not vulnerable to the NUX-223 Hellbomb.
Gallery
NUX-223 Hellbomb
Activated NUX-223 Hellbomb
NUX-223 Hellbomb about to explode
