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If you’re on the lookout for some passive buffs in-game, you might be wondering how to unlock and use the best boosters in Helldivers 2. In a game where alien foes can overwhelm you, it’s good to have some bonuses that can be enabled before diving in. We’ve covered what they are and how to use them.
How to get and use boosters in Helldivers 2
Unlock them with Medals in Warbonds and equip them in the Armory or before entering a mission.
How to get boosters in Helldivers 2
Use Medals earned from completing operations in Helldivers 2 to unlock boosters in the Helldivers Mobilise, Steeled Veterans, Cutting Edge, and Democratic Detonation Warbonds. These are powerful and permanent buffs that can be equipped before going into a mission.
You can only use one of them at a time. They aren’t one-use items though and their effects are applied across all your squadmates. This means that four boosters can be active at a time. Try to equip different boosters since their squad-based effects do not stack. If an ally picks a booster before you, you cannot pick it for that operation. Six boosters are in the free reward pass while the Premium Warbond battle passes have one each. New boosters may arrive as a part of Warbonds in the future.
How to use a booster in Helldivers 2
Equip a booster by going into the Armory section of your Destroyer ship and heading to the Boosters section. These are purchased in the Acquisition Centre. Right before dropping into a mission via the Galactic console, you’ll get to finalize your loadout. Here, you can swap between boosters you own by pressing the yellow hexagon icon to the right of your mission stratagems. Keep your team’s strategy in mind to make the most of the booster’s benefits.
Sprint for longer with this buff. Image captured by VideoGamer.
Travel through rough terrain quickly with this buff. Image captured by VideoGamer.
Resist injuries with this booster. Images captured by VideoGamer.
Use this to drop into matches with more ammo. Image captured by VideoGamer.
Reduce the odds of engaging with enemies with this buff. Image captured by VideoGamer.
Get more revives with this item. Image captured by VideoGamer.
Get a better minimap with this booster. Image captured by VideoGamer.
Use this booster to get more reinforcements quickly. Image captured by VideoGamer.
Best boosters in Helldivers 2 ranked
We’ve ranked the best boosters in Helldivers 2 so that you know what to use against the Terminids and Automatons. These are based on our experience so feel free to experiment before settling on a favorite. For a comprehensive overview of the game, read our Helldivers 2 review.
9 – Expert Extraction Pilot
This booster will drop with the Democratic Detonation Warbond. It reduces the extraction timer for quicker escapes. While we haven’t tried it yet, extractions are rarely the hardest part of missions in Helldivers 2. Even if this booster provided a significant difference, other options have a more meaningful impact on your gameplay.
8 – Flexible Reinforcement Budget
This booster costs 75 Medals and can be found on page 3 of the Steeled Veterans Warbond. It reduces the time until new reinforcements are granted once they’ve been depleted. This helps with tougher difficulties but it’s certainly not worth spending Super Credits on a premium Warbond. And since it only cuts down 12 seconds from the recovery time, there are better boosters out there.
7 – UAV Recon
The UAV Recon booster costs 40 Medals and is a part of page 6 in the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond. It increases all Helldivers’ radar range. This lets you spot threats and points of interest (POI) easily as the default 72m range is boosted to 110m. Your team can earn XP and rare resources faster with this booster but it’s still not as valuable as some of the others on this list.
6 – Increased Reinforcement Budget
This booster costs 150 Medals and is a part of page 10 in the free Helldivers Mobilize Warbond. It increases the number of available Reinforcements by one per player, increasing the total from 20 to 24. This one’s a godsend on higher difficulties. I might have ranked it higher had it not been on page 10 of the reward pass. This would require players to earn 1350 Medals before even unlocking this booster.
5 – Localization Confusion
The Localization Confusion Booster costs 18 Medals on page 1 of the Cutting Edge Warbond. While it reduces enemy encounters, it’s not as helpful as some of the other boosters on this list. And since it’s a part of a Premium Warbond, you’ll need 1000 Super Credits to unlock it in the first place.
4 – Hellpod Space Optimization
This option costs 15 Medals and can be found on page 3 of the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond. With the help of this booster, Helldivers drop in with fully stocked Ammo, Grenades, and Stims. This will let you take your time before calling in Resupply stratagems. Remember that this does not apply to the support weapons that you call in via stratagem codes. While you might be better equipped with this booster, it’s not very valuable as you’re bound to run into ammo during missions.
3 – Vitality Enhancement
The Vitality Enhancement booster comes at 20 Medals on page 4 of the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond. This allows all Helldivers to resist injuries from attacks. Since leg injuries can hamper movement, arm injuries affect reloads and aim, and chest injuries drain health, being resistant to these is a great benefit. This is particularly useful when friendly fire due to stratagems may catch stray Helldivers.
2 – Muscle Enhancement
This booster can be earned with 70 Medals on page 9 of the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond. It allows Helldivers to traverse difficult terrain without slowing down. This one’s good in most maps where you may slow down due to snow, sand, mud, or other obstacles. While you’ll need 920 Medals to get to page 9, it’s still a good pick for high-level players.
1 – Stamina Enhancement
At 75 Medals from page 7 in the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond, this is our top booster pick in Helldivers 2. It increases all Helldivers’ stamina capacity and recovery. Jog for longer and ambush foes better with this booster. With a 30% increase in sprint time and approximately a 20% increase in recovery speed, this lets all players sprint more often. It’s a good bonus that lets Light armor players double down on their strength while Medium and Heavy armor players can sprint a bit more than before.
Helldivers 2 boosters FAQs
How many boosters can you equip at a time in Helldivers 2?
A player can only equip one booster at a time, meaning that four boosters can be active in a squad.
Can you unlock any booster when you want in Helldivers 2?
No, you can only unlock them if you have used enough Medals to unlock their corresponding pages in the reward passes.
