Helldivers 2 tips and tricks for beginners

Beginner Helldivers 2 tips and tricks

Here are some general Helldivers 2 tips and tricks that will prove useful on your journey.

Keep track of the ticking clock

Missions have a set amount of time indicated at the top right of your screen. If you stray too far to finish your mission objectives, you might find yourself too far from the extraction point, indicated by a glowing blue pillar of light. I’ve failed to extract seconds after reaching the transport location. Call in an extraction after finishing as many objectives as possible. While Exterminate missions may be quicker, you still need to stay focused on the main objective and the mission timer.

Team up with randoms/friends for optimal loadouts

Helldivers 2 is designed to be played in a squad and is brutal if you face the Terminids alone at higher difficulties. After some near-misses and running for my life, I can attest to that as a former solo player. Helldivers 2 doesn’t feature a class system but you can still come up with roles. One player can act as a defender with heavy gear while another could serve as a scout, pinging locations and foes. A third role could be a support character, with ammo, turret, and shield deployments. This ensures that all of you don’t drop with the same loadout.

Go for tougher challenges and earn more XP

These reward more experience and are generally more fun than easier difficulty settings in Helldivers 2. This can be changed at the Galactic Map console before diving into a mission. Finishing all the secondary objectives nets you more XP and rewards. More elite enemies also give you a reason to stock up on armor-penetrating weapons and explosives. Remember that some of these secondary structures have unique effects like jamming towers preventing stratagem usage.

Open sealed doors and blast open containers for Medals and Super Credits

These have a low chance of appearing in every mission. Look for yellow pillars of light that blink at intervals to get your attention. Use an explosive to blast them open or simply interact with them. Medals and Super Credits are extremely valuable so they’re well worth the effort. You can then use them for upgrades back at your Destroyer ship.

Juggle item objectives to move faster

The good old Halo flag trick is alive and well here. If you need to carry an objective like an artillery shell to load up a SEAF artillery gun, picking it up and dropping it repeatedly can help you reach your goal quickly.

Be mindful of how you spend Medals, Samples, and Super Credits

Samples scattered across missions are used to get the best stratagems in Helldivers 2 that upgrade your ship. Super Credits let you get new armor from the Superstore. So think twice before spending this resource. On the same note, Medals from winning missions are used to progress in the game’s battle passes to earn weapons and armor. Helldivers Mobilise is free while the Steeled Veterans, Cutting Edge, and Democratic Detonation are Premium Warbonds. Find the best armor and weapons that fit your play style as they can cost quite a few Medals to unlock.

Combat Helldivers 2 tips and tricks

Use these Helldivers 2 tips and tricks in combat to even the odds against both bugs and robots.

Crouch to stabilize the floating circle where your shots will land

Steady your aim by not moving and crouching or going prone. This improves the odds of your shots landing where you want them to, especially with heavy weapons like a sniper rifle or Autocannon. With automatic weapons, firing in bursts will help with accuracy. Consider aiming down your sights in Helldivers 2 whenever possible. In addition to zoom levels, you can change fire rates and enable/disable flashlights for more versatility. Some weapons like the Railgun’s unsafe mode can improve your damage too.

Warn your allies instead of engaging in friendly fire

Communication is key in Helldivers 2. Knowing how to ping can help you pinpoint objectives and points of interest to work toward or enemies to fight/avoid. You can mark locations on the minimap using the ping system, too. While this warning might sound dire, the results are often hilarious. I’ve been caught reloading as a friendly supply drop landed on me. I’ve been deliberately used as a bomber when an ally threw a revive stratagem on top of an enemy base. There’s a lot of fun to be had but remember to watch where you aim. Try calling out stratagem usage in advance to protect your fellow Helldivers.

Don’t fire at every enemy you see

Stealth can help you while working towards an objective. I’ve snuck past weak enemy patrols to make it to an extraction. But if you choose to engage, failing to take them down quickly will just call in more enemies. As for bug nests, try to destroy them whenever you spot them. This applies to objectives like fuel silos as well. Avoiding patrols is essential while trying to make a quick getaway via an extraction. If you’re caught by surprise, it’s okay to sprint away from trouble.

Keep track of weather effects and planetary hazards

While earlier conditions like cold would lower your rate of fire and delay heat buildup, new planetary hazards have more significant effects. Meteor storms can destroy your teammates as well as enemy troops and objectives. Tremors can slow down your offensive and help Super Earth’s enemies push you toward cover.

Use the right weapons based on enemy types and weak spots

The unique factions and enemy types of Helldivers 2 require different kinds of weapons to be handled effectively. Bugs are weak to flame while robots usually require armor-penetrating weapons. You’ll also need a mix of high fire rate weapons (Machine Gun, Stalwart) and explosive ones (EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank, Recoilless Rifle). Save your explosives and Eagle airstrikes for larger threats like Hulk Bruisers and Bile Titans. Automaton missions will usually have you taking cover from overwhelming laser fire, making sentries a good option. Accounting for this before a mission with the right support weapons and stratagems will let you have a smoother time.

Don’t reload too early and dive to save your magazines

This was a bit of muscle memory I had to unlearn as I got accustomed to Helldivers 2. Fellow writer Jay says it’s ‘quite realistic in its ammo approach.’ You have a set number of mags and reloading replaces the entire mag, wasting bullets that haven’t been fired. It’s not Call of Duty, you don’t have to reload every time you shoot. You can call in a Resupply stratagem if you’re running low on ammunition. On that note, you may want to cancel a lengthy reload if you’re caught by surprise. So if you spot a bug or a glowing grenade, press Alt on PC to dive and cancel the animation. Just remember to reload later. In addition, grenades can be cooked by waiting before releasing the throw, letting you time your attacks.

Be aware of injuries and use stims for a stamina boost

Your arms can be wounded, resulting in poor accuracy and lengthier reload times. Your feet can be damaged, lowering your movement and general agility. And you can suffer a chest hemorrhage too, draining your health unless you pop a stim. Healing will fix these problems. Keep that Resupply stratagem close as they drop stim packs too. Speaking of healing, stims also give you a stamina boost. This can be useful while trying to outrun foes or simply rejoining your teammates. Some armor like the CM-09 Bonesnapper increases this duration while letting you carry more stims.

Keep track of stratagem cooldowns

Outside missions with modifiers that delay stratagem cooldowns, most difficulties have specific cooldowns for each stratagem. Spread out your team’s stratagem usage, especially when it comes to weapon drops and devastating ones like the 500kg Bomb. Whenever an ally is knocked out in combat or friendly fire, bring them back into the fight by reinforcing teammates in Helldivers 2. This will let them use stratagems as often as possible.