Helldivers 2 SMG-37 Defender guide: 110-damage, one-handed SMG with tight recoil and big mags, built for burst control, swarm stagger, and shield/backpack pushes vs bugs and bots.
I used to treat the SMG-37 Defender like filler gear. Pick it up, spray a bit, swap back to an AR. Then the buffs landed and it clicked. The thing hits for 110 a shot now, and you feel it the moment a pack rounds the corner. It's also one-handed, which sounds like a small detail until you're trying to keep moving, keep aiming, and still play the objective. If you're the kind of player who likes to stay stocked without breaking your flow, grabbing upgrades and gear through EZNPC can save a ton of time, especially when you're building around one weapon and want the parts ready to go.
Why It Plays Different
The Defender isn't a "hold down the trigger and pray" gun. At 520 RPM it chews through targets, but it'll chew through your ammo too if you let it. The recoil number looks fine on paper, yet you'll still miss weak points if you get lazy. Think short bursts. Two, maybe three. Reset. You'll notice it stays surprisingly stable when you treat it like a high-DPS carbine instead of a bullet hose. That's where it becomes scary: you're mobile, you're accurate, and you're not stuck in that slow rifle strafe when things get messy.
Shield Synergy on the Bot Front
Against Automatons, the Ballistic Shield is the whole point. Defender plus shield backpack lets you bully sightlines that would normally delete you. You can step into laser fire, soak the chip damage, and still return tight bursts into heads and joints. It's not glamorous, but it wins fights. People often overextend once they feel "tankier," though. Don't. Use the shield to take space, then stop and punish. If a Devastator shows up, keep your bursts disciplined and let your support weapon do the heavy lifting instead of dumping a full mag and praying.
Attachments and Ammo Habits
The base 45-round mag works, but it's not where the gun starts to shine. The Helical Magazine bump to 75 is the quality-of-life upgrade you'll feel every mission, especially when a breach pops and you're forced to hold a lane. A Vertical Compensator smooths the gun out even more, so your bursts stay on point. Reinforced Barrel is nice if you're worried about drop-off, but the Defender's still a brawler. The real "upgrade" is how you reload: top off between waves, not mid-panic, and you'll stop getting caught empty.
Loadouts That Actually Make Sense
If I'm playing "frontline shredder," I'll run Defender for general work, a Railgun for armor checks, and the P-19 Redeemer for that awful moment when something's in your face and you're out of time. Gatling Sentry and Orbital Gas help you own space while you move up. On bugs, I'm less married to the shield—Rover or Autocannon can feel better—and the Defender's stagger is a lifesaver when Stalkers get cute. Bring Stamina Enhancement, keep aiming for weak points, and stay close enough to melt shields fast; if you want your build online quickly, browsing Helldivers 2 Items can help you lock in the exact pieces you're missing without turning it into a grind.
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EZNPC SMG 37 Defender Guide for Helldivers 2 Loadouts
