◈ Navigation Index ▼
- 01 Getting Started
- 02 Understanding Progression & Currencies
- 03 Essential Ship Upgrades
- 04 Mastering Stratagems
- 05 Combat Tips & Strategies
- 06 Teamwork for Liberty
Main Content
Welcome, recruit, to the front lines of managed democracy! HELLDIVERS 2 throws you into intense, cooperative third-person shooter action against alien factions. To ensure your survival and success, this guide will equip you with the fundamental knowledge and strategies needed to become an effective Helldiver.
Getting Started
Before diving headfirst into battle, there are a few core principles every new Helldiver should grasp:
Friendly Fire is Always On: A crucial aspect of HELLDIVERS 2 is that friendly fire is a constant threat. Be mindful of your aim, Stratagem placements, and team positioning to avoid accidental casualties.
Don't Panic: It's a loading screen tip for a reason – knowing when to engage and when to retreat is vital. Utilize stealth by staying out of sight and going prone if necessary.
Explore Thoroughly: While mission objectives are important, take time to explore the map for points of interest (marked with a question mark). These often contain valuable resources.
Difficulty Progression: HELLDIVERS 2 features nine difficulty levels, ranging from Trivial to Helldiver. You begin on Trivial, and completing a full operation on one difficulty unlocks the next. Higher difficulties offer greater rewards. Play at your own pace and advance when you feel ready.
Understanding Progression & Currencies
Your progress in HELLDIVERS 2 is tied to several currencies, each vital for unlocking new gear and abilities:
Requisition Slips: These are used to purchase new Stratagems for your Destroyer. You earn them by completing mission objectives, successfully extracting from missions, and finding them in minor points of interest like pods or bunkers.
Medals: Medals are spent on Warbonds to acquire new weapons, armor, and cosmetic gear. You can find them in missions at points of interest, by completing missions, and through personal or major orders.
Samples: Samples are the lifeblood of your ship upgrades, which provide permanent bonuses to your Stratagems and other capabilities.
* Common Samples: These are the most basic samples, found on easier planets, and are essential for initial ship upgrades.
* Rare Samples (Orange): Encountered as you tackle tougher enemies and higher stakes, these are crucial for mid-tier ship module enhancements.
* Super Samples (Pink/Purple): The most valuable samples, found in higher-difficulty zones or near specific enemy structures like Spore Spewers. They unlock game-changing, top-level ship upgrades.
* Important Note: Samples are lost if you die while carrying them, so prioritize extraction if you have a significant amount.
Super Credits: A rarer currency that can be found in-game to unlock new Warbonds, offering additional gear and cosmetics.
Essential Ship Upgrades
Ship upgrades are permanent enhancements that boost your Stratagems and overall combat effectiveness. Prioritize these early to maximize your democratic efforts:
Donation Access License: Increases the magazine capacity for your support weapons such as the Railgun, Machine Gun, and Laser Cannon, reducing the need for frequent resupplies.
Liquid-Ventilated Cockpit: Significantly reduces the cooldown time for all Eagle Stratagems by 50%, allowing for more frequent aerial support.
Synthetic Supplementation: Reduces the cooldown for Sentry, Emplacement, and Resupply Stratagems by 10%, which is invaluable for maintaining a constant barrage on enemies.
Expanded Weapons Bay: Provides an additional use for all your Eagle Stratagems per Rearm, extending your offensive capabilities.
Other beneficial upgrades include the Shield Generator for increased craft durability, Weapon Systems Upgrade for enhanced firepower, and Cargo Hold Expansion for more equipment storage. For Orbital Cannons, consider the Exploding Shrapnel Module, and for Sentries, the Dynamic Tracking Module.
Mastering Stratagems
Stratagems are powerful call-in abilities that provide crucial support, from offensive airstrikes to defensive turrets and supply drops. You can select up to four Stratagems for each mission. Always call in your support Stratagems (the blue ones) as soon as you land. Stratagem input codes typically start by holding CTRL by default.
Recommended Early Game Stratagems:
Orbital Precision Strike: An excellent starting Stratagem for clearing bug holes and damaging tougher enemies like Chargers. It has a relatively short 100-second cooldown.
Expendable Anti-Tank (E.A.T.): Highly spammable with a low 70-second cooldown, providing two rockets per drop. It's one of your earliest options for taking out large threats and can even one-shot Automaton dropships with a direct hit on the thrusters.
Supply Pack: A backpack Stratagem that provides ammo, stims, and grenades for yourself and allies. Remember you can only equip one backpack at a time.
Eagle Cluster Bomb: Effective for clearing out hordes of smaller enemies.
Grenade Launcher: Offers significant Area-of-Effect (AoE) firepower, capable of destroying objectives like nests and eggs, and is effective against armored enemies.
Gatling Sentry: A superior choice over the standard Machine Gun Sentry, excellent for defensive missions and protecting flanks. Place sentries on high ground when possible, but be careful of bounces.
Mortar Sentry: Pelts the battlefield with high explosive shells, making it useful for defending areas.
Autocannon: An S-tier support weapon offering high AoE firepower that can reliably take down most enemy types and objectives like nests and eggs. It occupies a backpack slot.
"Guard Dog" Rover: This drone backpack provides continuous fire against enemies with unlimited ammo, making it excellent for crowd control.
M-105 Stalwart: A light machine gun with a large magazine capacity, ideal for mowing down light-armored enemies without sacrificing mobility, as you can move while reloading.
Eagle Airstrike: A highly effective Hangar Stratagem for clearing nests, damaging Chargers, and exposing Bile Titan weak points.
Eagle Napalm Airstrike: Great for crowd control and area denial, useful for slowing down chasing enemies and making escapes.
Jump Pack: While not for every mission, it's useful for quickly traversing maps and reaching high ground for tactical advantages.
General Stratagem Usage Tips:
Vary Your Loadout: Adapt your Stratagem selection based on the enemy faction and mission type.
Pre-emptive Strikes: Use Stratagems from a distance to soften up enemy concentrations before engaging directly.
Placement Matters: Be aware of friendly fire. Avoid placing turrets directly behind teammates, as they will fire through you to hit enemies.
Beacon Safety: If a Stratagem beacon becomes stuck to your shield backpack, immediately drop the pack and move away to avoid being caught in the blast.
Combat Tips & Strategies
Effective combat in HELLDIVERS 2 requires more than just shooting; it demands tactical awareness and precise execution.
Aiming for Precision: Your reticle will move significantly while moving and firing. To improve accuracy, avoid moving when aiming. Crouching or going prone will provide a much steadier aim.
Reload Management: Unlike many games, reloading before emptying a magazine in HELLDIVERS 2 will discard any remaining ammo in the current clip. Train yourself to manage reloads to avoid wasting precious ammunition. Some weapons, like the Punisher shotgun, reload shot by shot, or have cooling systems, reducing this concern.
Utilize the Environment: Look for explosive tanks to throw at enemies or activate SEAF Artillery as side objectives. Environmental hazards like deep water can also slow down enemies, making them easier targets for bombings.
Gain the High Ground: Positioning on higher ground or behind obstacles can slow down enemies and provide excellent vantage points for using weapons and Stratagems. Be aware that some enemies can climb.
Conserve Stamina: Move purposefully rather than maniacally. Good positioning before a fight reduces the need to sprint, conserving your stamina for crucial escapes or repositioning.
Exploit Enemy Weaknesses: Every enemy type has vulnerabilities. Headshots are generally effective, especially against Automatons. Aim for the limbs of Chargers first. The glowing blue eyes of Fleshmobs are weak spots, and they are vulnerable to fire and AoE damage. Stingrays expose themselves when attacking, making them vulnerable to weapons like the WASP, Anti-Materiel Rifle (AMR), and Autocannon.
Heavy Armor Penetration: Against heavily armored enemies, especially Automatons, standard weapons may ricochet. Carry heavier weapons like the Autocannon to punch through their defenses.
Railgun Caution: Do not overcharge the Railgun.
Grenade Proficiency: Practice and get good at throwing grenades for effective crowd control and destroying structures.
Spore Tree Takedown: Eliminate Spore Trees with weapons from a distance instead of Stratagems to conserve ammo.
Teamwork for Liberty
HELLDIVERS 2 is a cooperative experience, and teamwork is paramount for success:
Communicate Effectively: Use quick communication pings, chat, or voice comms to inform your teammates about enemy patrols, mines, ammo, support weapons, and Stratagem usage.
Mark Everything: Marking enemy patrols, resources, and objectives helps your team stay informed and alive.
Stick Together: Avoid getting separated from your squad, as enemies will actively try to cut you off. It's good practice to run back and assist pinned-down teammates.
Coordinate Stratagems: Discuss your loadouts before missions and call out your airstrikes and orbital bombardments to prevent friendly fire incidents. Generally, it's beneficial for everyone to bring a variety of firepower rather than specializing too heavily.
Share Resources: Don't take support weapons or vehicles called down by others unless they explicitly give you permission. Use your stims to heal injured friends.
Assisted Reloads: For backpack-mounted weapons like the Autocannon, a teammate can assist with reloading, significantly increasing your sustained damage output.
By internalizing these tips and strategies, you'll be well on your way to becoming a formidable Helldiver, capable of spreading managed democracy across the galaxy with efficiency and valor. For Super Earth!