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If you’re new, then our Helldivers 2 tips and tricks are a stratagem to employ against the threats to Super Earth. Helldivers 2 and its hordes of bugs and bots can overwhelm you if you’re not prepared. You’ll be out there surviving longer, winning battles and progressing the operations to come with ease moving forward. Check out our list of 16 must-know tips going forward.
Our 16 Helldivers 2 tips when starting out
1. 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. All in all, make sure you extract in time to get all the rewards and don’t overpush it.
2. Team up with randoms/friends for optimal loadouts
Helldivers 2 is designed to be played in a squad of up to four players and is brutal if you tackle missions alone at higher difficulties. After some near-misses and running for my life, I can attest to that as a former solo player. There are no classes in Helldivers 2 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. We have some of the best Helldivers 2 loadouts, ready for fighting Automatons, Termininds, or looking for a certain playstyle.
3. 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 armour-penetrating weapons and explosives. Remember that some of these secondary structures have unique effects like jamming towers preventing stratagem usage.
4. 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 a little bit faster.
5. It’s okay to die, just remember to pick yourself up
This game is hard and you’re going to die… a lot. But when you do, you’ll be redeploying in no time so the action keeps on going. Just remember to go over to your body and pick up any valuable loot or supply weapons you had. Some boosters increase the number of revives so consider using them on higher difficulties.
6. 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.
7. There are a lot of currencies that bleed into each other.
Samples scattered across missions are used to get the best stratagems through upgrades to your ship. Super Credits let you get new armour from the Superstore or buy a Warbond. 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 (aka, Warbonds) to earn weapons and armour. Helldivers Mobilise is free, while the Steeled Veterans, Cutting Edge, and Democratic Detonation are some of several Premium Warbonds you can get. Find the best armour and best weapons that fit your play style as they can cost quite a few Medals to unlock.
In general, there are a lot of currencies to be mindful of. This table will give you a bit more insight into how the currency system works.
| Currency | How to get it | What to spend it on |
|---|---|---|
| Requisition | These are the yellow R-looking icons at the top of the screen. You’ll get them via completing missions or from loot. | You can buy Stratagems with them as you level. |
| Medals | You’ll earn these by completing missions and personal orders. See the missions via the map, and the personal orders under the orders tab. | You can buy Warbond items, unlock items like Super Credits for premium cosmetics, gear or in-game microtransactions like poses, emotes, etc. |
| Samples | Samples are a currency you can get on-world, though, the amount and frequency depend on difficulty. | Spend them on ship upgrade modules. |
| Super Credits | You can buy them with real money, or awarded through Warbond progression. You can get them by exploring too as a reward for playing the game, like smashing crates and breaching doors. | Spend on the Super Store (in-game premium store) or to buy Warbonds. |
8. Stances affect recoil and accuracy
Steady your aim by not moving, 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 the Autocannon. With automatic weapons, firing in bursts will help with accuracy. Consider aiming down your sights 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. In other words, position well, set your stance appropriately, and it will make you a more efficient soldier.
9. Friendly Fire is always on, and it is deadly
Helldivers 2 is meant to be a challenging game for the sake of the game’s immersion. One feature that makes the game hard is the friendly fire setting. It is always on, it will get you killed, and you will kill other players. Don’t be toxic, and be mindful of your actions.
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.
10. 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.
11. 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. Be careful of these issues. But, you can also use them to your advantage with careful planning as well as quick thinking.
12. 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.
13. Reloading magazines with ammo wastes the rounds
Reloading in most games adds whatever ammo was left in the mag back to your ammo stockpile. However, reloading with ammo remaining in the mag causes you to lose ammo in Helldivers 2. Ammo is precious, especially when you’re in a pinch. Use all the bullets you can and only reload and waste ammo if there are a few rounds left.
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, allowing you to time your attacks.
14. 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 haemorrhage 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.
15. 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 your teammates. This will let them use stratagems as often as possible.
If you need help, you can find the cooldown of each strategem under the ship management screen.
16. Ship upgrade modules
Ship upgrade modules are a feature that gives you some firepower while on missions. It’s one of those things you’ll spend those samples (one of the currencies we talked about) to get upgrades. There are a lot of modules, so they’ll likely be used depending on the situation. Some affect your preferred loadout, the best weapons, or used to adapt the strategy. You’ll gradually learn what best to use as you get more familiar with the game. But, make sure to spend them as you play your missions. This is a feature we’ve kept for last as it is more of a complex feature. Get your basics then learn this feature as and when you can. After that, you can worry about buffs that some of the more expensive ship upgrades can provide. Those samples can only be found in high-difficulty missions anyway, so be prepared for a grind.
Last, but not least, we leave you with a cliche – don’t forget to have fun! Helldivers 2 can be a challenging game, and sometimes frustrating. But remember why we’re here: to spread democracy and eliminate all enemies of Super Earth!
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