Helldivers 2 Grenades: Every Throwable and Best Picks

Helldivers 2 has 24 grenades and other throwables as of November 2026, from the starter G-12 High Explosive to the G-11 Caltrops added in October. The best all-round picks are the G-12 High Explosive, G-16 Impact and G-123 Thermite, with the G-6 Frag, G-4 Gas and G-23 Stun filling specific jobs. Below you will find what each key grenade actually does, how fuses and capacity work, and which throwables suit each front right now.

We checked this against the Helldivers wiki's individual grenade pages (updated 25 October 2026), its armor passive list and Arrowhead's patch notes and Warbond posts on Steam.

Every Throwable in the Game

The wiki lists 24 throwables, sorted here by their armor penetration so you can see at a glance which ones can hurt armored targets. Anti-Tank ratings are the strongest, then Heavy, Medium, Unarmored, and finally the support items with no hitbox.

• Anti-Tank III: G-123 Thermite, G-142 Pyrotech, G/40-K Melta Mine
• Anti-Tank II: G-23 Stun, G-4 Gas, G-109 Urchin
• Anti-Tank I: TM-1 Lure Mine, G-48 Giga Grenade, G-60 Anti-Tank Seeker
• Heavy: G-12 High Explosive, TED-63 Dynamite, G-16 Impact, G-50 Seeker, G-31 Arc
• Medium: G-6 Frag, G-10 Incendiary, G-7 Pineapple, G-13 Incendiary Impact, K-2 Throwing Knife, G-11 Caltrops
• Unarmored: G-8 Immolation
• No hitbox (support): G-3 Smoke, G-89 Smokescreen, G/SH-39 Shield

Most of these come from Warbonds, bought with medals, while the G-12 High Explosive is part of every Helldiver's starter kit. Note that the wiki rates a status-effect grenade such as the Stun or Gas by the penetration of its effect, which is why they rank high despite doing little direct damage.

How Grenades Work: Fuses, Cooking and Capacity

Fuse type decides how you use a grenade. Timed grenades like the G-12 High Explosive (3.5 second fuse) and G-6 Frag (2.4 seconds) can be cooked, which means holding them after arming so they detonate sooner after the throw. The wiki notes that cooking the High Explosive helps against chasing heavies like Hulks and Chargers. Impact grenades like the G-16 detonate on first contact, so they cannot be cooked, and the G-123 Thermite sticks to whatever it hits, so cooking it is optional.

Capacity changed in June 2026. Patch 6.3.0 rebalanced throwable amounts to make less-used options more viable, and most common grenades now start with four, refill three from a supply drop and hold a maximum of five. That applied to the High Explosive, Impact, Pineapple, Stun, Urchin, Seeker and both Incendiary types. The Giga Grenade's refill went from one to two, and the TED-63 Dynamite's maximum rose from three to four.

Your armor can stretch that further. The Engineering Kit, Concussive Padding (Grenadier) and Integrated Explosives passives each add two throwables to both your starting count and capacity. Servo-Assisted adds 30 percent throwing range and Desert Stormer 20 percent. Our armor passives guide lists every passive if you want to build around grenades.

The Starter and Mobilize Grenades: High Explosive, Frag and Impact

The G-12 High Explosive is the grenade every new Helldiver owns, and it is still one of the best. It deals 800 explosive damage with Heavy penetration at the center, has a 2.5 meter inner radius and a 7 meter outer radius, and carries no fragments, which the wiki notes makes it safer in close quarters than the Frag or Dynamite. It also destroys Bug Holes, Automaton Fabricators and grounded Illuminate Warp Ships when thrown inside.

The G-6 Frag comes from page 1 of the free Helldivers Mobilize! Warbond for just 2 medals. It deals 500 explosive damage plus 35 pieces of shrapnel at 110 damage each against standard targets, with a 2.4 second fuse. It starts with four and holds six after an October 2025 increase. It is excellent against groups of light enemies, and it also closes holes and fabricators, but the shrapnel makes it dangerous to drop near your squad.

The G-16 Impact sits on page 5 of the same free Warbond for 20 medals. It explodes on contact for 400 damage with Heavy penetration and holds five. Its standout trick, per the wiki, is weak-spot targeting: two Impacts into an Automaton tank's turret vents can destroy it. Its weakness is structures: it cannot fall into Bug Holes or Fabricators, so it has to be thrown close to the bottom of the opening, apart from grounded Warp Ships.

Between them, these three cover almost every job in the early game without spending a Super Credit, which is why they are the default answer for new players.

Anti-Armor and Utility: Thermite, Stun and Gas

The G-123 Thermite, from page 1 of the Democratic Detonation Premium Warbond for 15 medals, is the heavy-killer. It sticks to targets, burns, and then explodes for 2,000 damage at Anti-Tank III penetration, about 6.5 seconds after attaching. It starts with two and holds three, with two refilled from supply, so each one should count. Aim it at large armored enemies, and note the wiki says it can even transfer between two living targets that touch, but it cannot close Bile Titan holes.

The G-23 Stun, from page 2 of the Cutting Edge Warbond for 25 medals, freezes enemies in place for five seconds and interrupts their current attack across a 10 meter radius. It does not affect Automaton Tanks, Factory Striders, Impalers or Bile Titans, and with zero demolition force it cannot destroy holes or fabricators. Stamina drains for any Helldiver caught in the blast, so throw it ahead of your squad, not on top of it.

The G-4 Gas, from page 1 of the Chemical Agents Warbond for 30 medals, leaves a 15 second cloud that damages and confuses enemies, and since April 2026 confused enemies are also slowed by 25 percent. It can demolish Bug Holes, Automaton Fabricators, Illuminate Warp Ships and Lightning Spires, and even opens the special loot containers at minor points of interest. The newest throwable, the G-11 Caltrops from October's Scope of Authority Warbond, scatters proximity submunitions that slow and stun enemies.

Best Grenades by Front in November 2026

No grenade is best everywhere, so match it to the enemy:

• Terminids: Arrowhead's 3 November 2026 briefing says the new Noxious Scavengers are fast but fragile, and that weapons rewarding volume over precision, including grenades, make short work of them. The Frag and High Explosive handle those packs and close Bug Holes. Bug caves now appear on more biomes, and the High Explosive's lack of shrapnel makes it the safer pick in tight tunnels.
• Automatons: the Impact for tank vents and for fast reactions, the High Explosive for fabricators, and the Thermite for Hulks and other heavies.
• Illuminate: the Gas grenade stands out because it demolishes Warp Ships and Lightning Spires while slowing the crowds around them, and the High Explosive can destroy grounded Warp Ships too.

Check the Galactic War map before you drop so you know which enemy variants and hazards you will face. Our guides to fighting Terminids and beating Automatons go deeper on full loadouts for each front.

Building a Squad Grenade Plan

Four Helldivers carrying the same grenade leave gaps. A simple split covers almost everything a mission throws at you:

1. Structure clearer: one or two players bring the High Explosive or Frag, ideally with a plus-two passive, and take responsibility for Bug Holes and Fabricators.
2. Heavy hunter: one player carries the Thermite for armored targets, which frees the rest of the squad's support weapons for crowds.
3. Controller: one player brings the Gas or Stun to lock down pushes, objectives and extraction, throwing ahead of the squad so the stamina drain and confusion land on enemies, not friends.

Then plan around the supply drop. Most grenades now refill three per pickup, but the Thermite refills only two and the Gas holds just four, so let the players with the scarcest throwables grab supplies first. The split works in mixed-platform groups too; just agree on it before the drop, as our crossplay guide suggests for any squad of strangers.

Mistakes That Waste Grenades or Teammates

A few habits cost squads more than they realize:

• Throwing Impacts at holes from range. They detonate at the rim. Walk closer and aim low, or use a timed grenade.
• Tripping while holding a live grenade. The wiki's dry note on the Impact is that tripping while holding one "will likely be fatal." Do not sprint through rough ground with one cooked.
• Stunning your own squad. The Stun drains Helldiver stamina, and the Frag's large shrapnel radius punishes anyone standing too close.
• Hoarding. With most grenades now holding five and refilling three from each supply drop, using them freely is usually better than saving them.
• Leaving exosuit pilots without support. If a teammate is in a mech, your grenades are often the squad's main way to close holes nearby, as our exosuit guide discusses.

One upside: throwing a live enemy grenade back earns the "Hot Potato!" trophy, a bronze on the PlayStation list.

Unlocking Your Grenade Arsenal Faster

Most throwables live in Warbonds, so a full grenade collection takes both medals and Super Credits. If you would rather not farm them, the store's Helldivers 2 boosting hub lists medals, Super Credits, Requisition Slips and level boosts for Steam and PlayStation. Check current availability on each listing before you rely on it. The hub does not list Xbox.

Frequently Asked Questions