Helldivers 2: Which Enemies Can Smell You?

There are many ways to tackle the enemy in action-packed Helldivers 2. You can drop bombs on them, get up close and personal with a flamethrower, blast them with your shotgun, or snipe them from a distance. The possibilities seem endless. Unfortunately, some players think that's not the case.

Can Enemies in Helldivers 2 Smell You?

It seems some players have been trying a stealth approach to Helldivers 2. Despite them remaining out of sight somehow bugs are still attacking. It isn't line-of-sight or the noise you make that is the problem. According to the Director of Helldivers 2 Johan Pilestedt, some aliens have a sense equivalent to smell. 

They also have an approximation of smell within a close radius. If you’re in proximity of some of the units that are very sensory aware, like the Stalker, they will detect you no matter if they can see you.

-Johan Pilestedt

During the conversation, Johan Pilestedt and Head of Product Testing Patrik Lasota discussed the stealth approach. It seems Arrowhead did not put any gameplay mechanics into Helldivers 2 to encourage sneaky players. However, that doesn't mean you cannot be sneaky. The developers created realistic senses for the enemy, how you play around those is your choice. 

By crouching, not setting off grenades, or not having supplies dropped in, you are essentially being stealthy and aliens won't detect you as easily. You can avoid patrols if you want, but if they can smell, or hear you, they will come after your squad. 

Can All Enemies Smell You in Helldivers 2?

Pilestedt and Lasota did not specify which enemies have the sense of smell. The only alien in Helldivers 2 mentioned was the Stalker but that doesn't mean others don't have another form of detection. For example, the developers did not mention Automatons, so do the robots have mechanical noses? Or do they have inbuilt radar?

We can only speculate for now. One thing we can say for certain is that Helldivers 2 continues to impress fans with each new drop of information. That concludes everything we know about if the enemy can smell you in Helldivers 2. For the full conversation with Pilestedt and Lasota check out this video.