Helldivers 2 has a new Terminid strain on the front lines today, November 3: the Noxious strain, a pair of fast, venomous bugs called the Noxious Scavenger and the Noxious Spewer. At the same time, bug caves are no longer limited to a handful of worlds and can now appear across more biomes on the Galactic map. Arrowhead community manager Mitchell Ayre announced both changes on the PlayStation Blog.
Arrowhead hasn’t published patch notes or a version number with the announcement. The newest notes on Steam are still Devoid of Liberty 7.2.0 (October 20) and its 7.2.1 and 7.2.2 follow-ups.
Table of Contents
Helldivers 2 Noxious strain: the new enemies at a glance
| Enemy | What it does | Weak point / counter |
|---|---|---|
| Noxious Scavenger | Looks like a normal Scavenger but is noticeably quicker; every bite poisons and it can bite again almost immediately | Fragile: shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades |
| Noxious Spewer | Large and fast; Web Spit at medium range stops you sprinting; a quick, long-reaching bite with stronger venom | Head has medium armor, the web-filled abdomen has none (but it bursts in a Web Explosion) |
Noxious Scavenger: small, fast and full of venom
At first glance, the Noxious Scavenger looks like the ordinary Scavenger. The difference shows when it closes in: Arrowhead says it is noticeably quicker than its cousins, which makes it hard to keep in your sights, and every bite delivers a dose of poison. The upside is that it’s fragile. The blog recommends weapons that “reward volume over precision”, naming shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades.
Noxious Spewer: the big one, and the source of the webs
The Noxious Spewer breaks the usual Spewer pattern. Instead of dragging itself across the ground, Arrowhead describes it as a hulking enemy that “moves with unsettling speed”, and it’s the reason webs are now draped across battlefields.
- Web Spit: its medium-range attack. One hit and you lose the ability to sprint, which lets the Spewer close the gap.
- Bite: quick, with surprising reach, and a stronger dose of venom than a Scavenger’s.
- Armor: medium armor on the head, no armor on the web-filled abdomen.
- Web Explosion: when that abdomen sac bursts, it snares every Helldiver and bug nearby, so the obvious weak spot is also a trap at close range.
From Arrowhead's Noxious strain reveal: the Spewer's abdomen is unarmored, but it bursts into a Web Explosion. Image: Arrowhead Game Studios / Sony Interactive Entertainment
How poison works in Helldivers 2
Every Noxious bite poisons, and a new poison icon on the HUD tracks your condition. Arrowhead lists two stages:
- Lightly poisoned: your vision starts to haze and the poison begins to eat away at your health.
- Heavily poisoned: damage over time increases, you lose the ability to sprint and your vision hazes.
Stims cure the condition, and the post’s advice is to ration them: a poisoned squadmate may need that stim more than you do.
Bug caves now appear on more biomes
The second change is about where you fight. According to the blog, Terminid cave networks now run beneath more biomes, “from scorched deserts to frozen tundras”, and caves have a chance to appear across more of the Galactic map. Inside, sightlines are short, corners are blind and fast enemies arrive before you hear them, which is exactly where the Noxious bugs are strongest. Arrowhead’s suggested loadout: close-range firepower, stay with your squad and keep a stim in reserve.
Bug caves can now appear across more biomes, from deserts to frozen tundras. Image: Arrowhead Game Studios / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Why this strain is new
Bile Spewers and Scavengers aren’t new to Helldivers 2, but how their strain shows up has changed. In the 7.2.0 notes, Arrowhead said it split out the bug strain that spawns Bile Warriors, Spewers and Scavengers into its own strain, controlled by the Game Masters, with its own visualization when it’s active, like the Rupture and Spore Burst strains. The Noxious strain adds a new poison status and web attacks, plus a new trailer, “A Cleaner Galaxy Starts With You”, on PlayStation’s YouTube channel.
It follows a busy few weeks for Arrowhead: the Scope of Authority Warbond and the 7.2.0 anti-cheat update and the Liberty Day 2026 free Liberator Legacy. If you’re picking gear for the new bugs, our Helldivers 2 Warbond tier list ranks all 26 Warbonds, and newer players can start with our Helldivers 2 beginner tips.
What’s next
Arrowhead hasn’t said how long the Noxious strain will stay active or which planets it targets first, and patch notes haven’t been posted on Steam yet. We’ll update this post if Arrowhead publishes notes or balance changes for the new enemies.
Sources: PlayStation Blog (Mitchell Ayre, Arrowhead Game Studios), Helldivers 2 Devoid of Liberty 7.2.0 notes (Steam).
Live: Follow today’s gaming news as it happens
Featured image: Arrowhead Game Studios / Sony Interactive Entertainment
