PSA: Helldivers 2 side objectives can be completed in seconds with the right weapons

A heroic-looking Helldiver from Helldivers 2 stands proud in front of a flag, while a fellow soldier unloads a gun in stylish slow-mo in the background.
(Image credit: Arrowhead)

Helldivers 2 has plenty of side objectives to complete as you clear out each planet, but a few of them you can actually finish right from the start of a mission.

Both the illegal broadcast towers and the spore spewers that blanket the planet in fog can be destroyed as soon as you start a mission. Normally, you have to go through a whole process to overload the broadcast towers, but they can actually be destroyed without even getting close to them. And while you're doing that, you can take down the mushrooms too.

You might've guessed the solution already: Explode them. Several methods work, but I'd recommend a support weapon like the Recoilless Rifle or the Expendable Anti-Tank gun. It might take a bit of practice if you're trying to do it from far away, but a well-placed shot at the center of the broadcast towers will take them out for an easy side objective completion.

The spore spewers, or giant mushrooms, that show up on medium difficulty or higher have the same weakness, but keep in mind that the fog they emit can be used to sneak past tougher enemies. If that's not a concern, then fire away with anything long-range and explosive that you have. Regular guns work as well, including shotguns surprisingly, but doing it with a rocket launcher is more satisfying. 

How to destroy Helldivers 2 broadcast towers fast"

Here's a quick list of your easiest weapon options to unlock: 

  • Expendable Anti-Tank (level 3)
  • GL-21 Grenade Launcher (level 5)
  • Recoilless Rifle (level 5)

Helldivers 2's loadouts are the key to finishing these two objectives way faster than fiddling with air strike Stratagems. The best guns for the job are available pretty quickly, too, so you can start blasting through missions early on in your campaign.

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Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.