What is Demolition Force in Helldivers 2?

Demolition Force plays a big role in the general gameplay of Helldivers 2, but despite its importance, the game doesn't exactly tell players what it does, nor that it's even a thing in the first place. Nearly every explosive weapon and stratagem in the game is subjected to Demolition Force's rules, and you'll want to know how this works if you want to take advantage of its mechanics. This Helldivers 2 guide briefly touches upon what Demolition Force is while also including notable Demo Force breakpoints for weapons and stratagems.

What is Invasion Level in Helldivers 2?

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By Joshua Leeds

What Does Demolition Force Do in Helldivers 2?

HD2 Destroying a building — Helldivers 2 Destroying a building

Demolition Force determines if an attack can destroy structures. This has no effect on damage; it is strictly for, as its name suggests, demolition purposes. Demolition Force mainly matters against buildings like enemy spawners (bug holes, warp ships, fabricators, etc) and obstacles like buildings, walls, fences, gates, and so on.

The bigger the explosion, the stronger its Demolition Force. If something isn't getting destroyed, then your demo force isn't strong enough.

Helldivers 2's destruction system checks if your attack's Demolition Force matches or exceeds a structure's Demolition Force threshold, which is a number between 10 and 60. If the attack beats the demo force threshold, then that structure is either damaged or destroyed (usually the latter). Here are the demo force breakpoints for commonly-seen structures and side-objectives in the game:

Structure	Demo Force Threshold
Bug Hole	20 (Hole); 40 (Exterior)
Illuminate Warp Ship	20 (Door); 40 (Exterior)
Bot Fabricator	20 (Vent); 40 (Exterior)
Bile Titan Bug Hole	40
Bulk Fabricator	20 (Vent); 50 (Exterior)
Stratagem Jammer	50
Detector Tower	50
Gunship Facility	60
Illuminate Monolith	60
Broadcast Towers	20
Rogue Research Station	50
Defense Gates	40
Container Doors	20

Meanwhile, here are some commonly-used weapons and stratagems that are good for destroying such structures:

Weapon/Stratagem	Demo Force
EAT	30
Commando	30
Recoilless Rifle	30
Laser Cannon	20
Quasar Cannon	30
Orbital Precision Strike	50
Orbital Gatling Barrage	30
Orbital 120/380/Walking Barrage	50
Orbital Napalm	30
Eagle 500KG	50
Breaching Hammer	30
Defoliation Tool	30
GL-21 & Belt-Fed Grenade Launcher	30
Leveller & Ultimatum	40
Grenade Pistol	30
Eruptor	30
Exploding Crossbow	20
Portable Hellbomb & Hellbomb Stratagem	60
C4 Pack	40
Dynamite	40
Thermite Grenades	30
Solo Silo	40
AMR	20
Autocannon	30 (APHET); 20 (Flak)

There are some exceptions to the rule on how demo force affects structures:

Terminid Shrieker Nests and Spore Towers count as enemies, and while they have demo force values, they can be destroyed with any weapon that can penetrate their armor.
Inversely, Fabricators and Warp Ships use Demolition Force as well as health and armor stats.
Fabricator and Warp Ship weak points (i.e. Open vents and doors) have lower demo force breakpoints and use neither health nor armor.
Minor destructible structures like Broadcast Towers and Containers can be destroyed by projectile-based weapons with at least 20 Demolition Force.

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%

Released: February 8, 2024
ESRB: Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s): Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
Publisher(s): Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing