Helldivers 2 Adds Venomous Noxious Terminids and More Bug Caves Across the Galaxy
Arrowhead's new Noxious Terminid strain brings fast, poisonous Scavengers and Spewers, plus bug caves under more biomes, according to the PlayStation Blog.
Helldivers 2 has a new enemy to fight. The PlayStation Blog says a venomous Terminid strain, called the Noxious strain, is now on the front lines. Bug cave networks have also spread to more of the galaxy. The blog post is dated November 3, 2026, and says the changes arrive "today".
What the Noxious Terminids add
Two enemy types are described in the official post.
Noxious Scavengers look like ordinary Scavengers, but they are noticeably faster and harder to keep in your sights. Every bite delivers poison, and they can bite again almost right away. They are fragile, though. The post recommends weapons that reward volume over precision, such as shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades.
Noxious Spewers are not the slow crawlers players know. The post calls them hulking and surprisingly fast, and says they are responsible for the webs now draped across battlefields.
- At medium range, the Spewer uses a Web Spit. One hit removes your ability to sprint.
- Its bite is quick, has surprising reach and carries a stronger dose of venom than a Scavenger's.
- Its head has medium armor, but its web-filled abdomen has no armor at all.
- Shooting the abdomen causes a Web Explosion that snares every Helldiver and bug nearby, so avoid being close to it.
How poison works
Every Noxious bite inflicts poison, and a new poison icon on the HUD tracks your condition. The official post describes two levels:
- Lightly poisoned: your vision hazes and poison slowly eats away at your health.
- Heavily poisoned: damage over time increases, you lose the ability to sprint, and your vision hazes.
Stims help cure the condition. The post notes that a poisoned squadmate may need your stim to keep going, so it suggests rationing them. Push Square adds that heavy poison stacks over time.
More bug caves
Bug caves are no longer limited to a handful of worlds. They now have a chance to appear across more biomes, from scorched deserts to frozen tundras, according to the PlayStation Blog.
Inside the tunnels, sightlines are short, corners are blind and fast enemies arrive before you hear them. The advice is to bring close-range firepower, stay with your squad and keep a stim in reserve.
Push Square describes the update as another example of how developer Arrowhead changes the shared warfront with new missions and narrative beats. One commenter on that site said modifiers that delay stratagem cooldowns make cave-based levels hard to play. That is a reader's opinion, not something from the developer.
What it means for you
If you play Helldivers 2, expect more cave missions on more planets and a different kind of threat inside them. Close-range, high-volume weapons are the official recommendation, and a spare stim is worth keeping. The sources do not list patch notes, a platform breakdown or any balance changes beyond what is described here.
Quick answers
When did the Noxious Terminids arrive in Helldivers 2?
The PlayStation Blog post is dated November 3, 2026 and says the new strain and extra bug caves spawn "today".
What is the best way to fight Noxious Scavengers?
Use weapons that favor volume over precision. The official post names shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades, since the Scavengers are fast but fragile.
How do you cure poison in Helldivers 2?
Stims help cure the condition, according to the PlayStation Blog. A new HUD icon shows whether you are lightly or heavily poisoned.
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