Helldivers 2 Noxious Terminids arrived on 3 November 2026, bringing two new enemies: the fast Noxious Scavenger and the web-spitting Noxious Spewer. Both inflict poison when they bite. The Spewer can also stop you sprinting before it closes in.
They’re much easier to deal with when you know which one is coming. Here’s how to spot the difference, where to shoot the Spewer and when you should use a stim instead of trying to run.
Helldivers 2 Noxious Terminids: The two new enemies
The Noxious Scavenger is smaller, faster and more persistent than the regular version. The much larger Noxious Spewer fires webs from medium range and has a venomous bite. Don’t treat them as the same kind of threat.
Scavengers go down quickly if you can keep them in front of you. Arrowhead recommends shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades because their speed makes precision fire awkward. Make space first, then clear the group before you get bitten.
How poison works against Helldivers 2 Noxious Terminids
Each Noxious bite causes poison and adds an icon to the HUD. Light poisoning blurs your view and drains health. Heavy poisoning increases that damage and stops you sprinting. A stim cures poison, so don’t wait until you can’t get away.
You can see how badly you’re affected from the poison indicator and how your Helldiver moves. If the screen starts to haze, use a stim before the damage stacks up. In a squad, call it out when you’re poisoned rather than trying to outrun another bite.
How to Beat the Noxious Spewer
The Spewer fires Web Spit from medium range. If it hits you, you lose the ability to sprint, leaving you open to its longer-reaching bite. Back off before it gets close. It’s quick for its size, so standing still to line up the perfect shot is risky.
The Spewer’s head has medium armour, but its large abdomen is unarmoured. Shooting the abdomen can trigger a Web Explosion that catches both nearby bugs and Helldivers. Keep clear of your teammates before bursting it.
Where do Helldivers 2 Noxious Terminids and new caves appear?
The November Galactic Sterilisation content opened procedural bug caves to more planets. Arrowhead clarified on 10 November that these infestations can develop on non-ice planets, while PlayStation’s event page excludes the arctic biome. They follow the Galactic War, so simply selecting a Terminid mission doesn’t guarantee a cave.
Helldivers 2 Noxious Terminids are particularly troublesome underground. Short sightlines give Scavengers room to close quickly, while a Spewer’s webs can shut down your escape route. Stick close enough to cover each other without clustering around a web sac.
Do the Noxious enemies require a Warbond or unlock?
No. The two new enemies and the expanded cave systems are permanent free additions from Galactic Sterilisation. You don’t need to buy a Warbond or complete a particular mission to unlock them.
The Galactic Sterilisation narrative campaign runs from 3 to 16 November 2026. PlayStation lists the M-104 Incinerator FRV stratagem as a reward for participating players if the campaign succeeds. That’s a Galactic War reward, not something you get by killing a Noxious Spewer.
What changed in the November 11 cave hotfix?
The enemies are still poisonous after 7.2.3. That 11 November hotfix only fixed a crash triggered by poison or gas effects inside Hive World caves. It also corrected underground fire and a problem with blocked objectives.
Best Preparation for Helldivers 2 Noxious Terminids
In a cramped cave, keep a route back to the entrance rather than letting a Spewer pin you against a wall. Spread out when someone starts firing at its abdomen. Getting caught in your teammate’s web explosion is an easy way to turn a manageable fight into a wipe.
If you’re looking for the underground missions themselves, our Hive World caves guide explains which worlds can develop them and why stratagems sometimes struggle beneath a solid roof. Patch 7.2.3 fixed a poison-related crash in caves, not the poison effect on your Helldiver.
Related Guides
Official source: Arrowhead’s official Noxious Terminids breakdown on PlayStation Blog.
