With our Helldivers 2 guide, you'll go from a flailing, bug-food-on-legs cadet to a gleaming beacon of democracy with everything you need to know about the game. There's a lot to learn in Helldivers 2, including what the bot and bug enemies you'll face are all about, the best weapons, stratagems, and armor to use, and even how to use push-to-talk and level up fast - From basic tips to handy tidbits, we've got you covered here. Importantly, Helldivers 2 escalates rapidly in terms of difficulty as you play. Couple that with quite slow progression and it can be tough out there on the frontlines, but that needn't be an issue as we'll help you progress forward every step of the way, and ensure the protection of our beloved Super Earth. Err… we are protecting Super Earth, right?
Basic Helldivers 2 guides
To start with, let's cover the real fundamental technicals, and the sorts of things that even prospective players might want to check before buying the game.
- Can I play Helldivers 2?
- Developers Arrowhead famously live by the mantra that "A game for everyone is a game for no one" - but does that include you? If you have specific needs from your games, we'll explain if there's Helldivers 2 crossplay and cross-platform compatibility, as well as answering the important question for lovers of Single Player: can you play Helldivers 2 Solo?
- Before the fighting starts…
- There are a few things you might want to be clear on before you start shooting down Terminids. Our Helldivers 2 tips should help you out as you go into your first few operations, but you may also be wonderinder where the Helldivers 2 rename ship function is, if you're not thrilled with the first title you christened it with. And if you want to be selective with your dialogue, where's the Helldivers 2 push to talk button?
Server Problems, Error Codes and Glitches
Helldivers 2 has not had the most stable reputation so far. Oh sure, the game itself is superb, at least when it's working. Unfortunately, what with server overload and a few other problems, there are moments where it isn't - and that's where our Helldivers 2 errors and server status page will help you out. One server error that has thankfully now been fixed involved Helldivers 2 not giving rewards after missions, and while it's no longer an issue, it might be good to know how to handle it in case similar issues occur in the future.
Weapons, Armor, Stratagems and Loadouts
Knowing what weapons, armor and equipment to bring into Helldivers 2 is essential, as your choice of guns and Stratagems will definitely mean the difference between success and annihilation.
- Weapons and Guns
- To start with, we'll explain how to unlock weapons in Helldivers 2, as it's not the most obvious process and all the great guns will require some work to obtain first. But once you do, our Helldivers 2 best weapons page comes with a full tier list for every firearm in the game and more besides, even breaking down the best weapons for fighting specific kinds of enemies! As you up the difficulty of your missions Helldivers 2 armor-piercing weapons become even more important too, so it's good to know exactly how punching through armor works.
- Armor, Stratagems and Equipment
- Beyond that, there's plenty more to choose. Make sure you're dressed up in the Helldivers 2 best armor, for one thing, as well as equipping all the Helldivers 2 best stratagems, allowing you to call in superweapons or rain death about those damn automatons! Finally, you might've noticed all the Helldivers 2 Boosters, special perks you can equip - but how do they work, and are they worth the high investment price?
Enemies and bosses
The enemies of Helldivers 2 are all lethal in different ways, with some trying to swarm the player in hordes, while others unleash deadly barrages of ranged attacks - or even just soaking up damage before they club you into the floor with barely a scratch on them. Let's cover your foes, and how you can take them down.
- Bestiary and factions
- Yes, we went to the effort of assembling a full Helldivers 2 enemies list, with every foe and how to beat them explained here. Not only that, but we've also got the Helldivers 2 factions explained here, including theories about a future third faction!
- Bosses and specific enemies
- There's plenty of enemies either tough enough to warrant their own guide on how to beat them, or who have been tied to challenges where hunting them down earns you rewards. Here you can find out how to kill…
Progression, XP, and Samples
The Helldivers 2 progression system is a bit confusing at first, largely because it's essentially made up of several smaller systems that link in some ways. Earning XP by completing missions and objectives during operations is how you'll level up, unlocking new Stratagems and titles as you climb. However it's a slow process, so you might want to know how to level up fast in Helldivers 2 to get the best Stratagems ASAP.
As you unlock more Stratagems, you'll want to start upgrading these with Ship Modules, which you pay for with varying amounts of Common, Rare, and Super Samples. Learning how to farm Samples in Helldivers 2 can really speed up the process of unlocking these Ship Modules, as they're by far the hardest things to unlock the in game.
Missions and objectives
Finally, once you're in the field - what do you do? How do you complete your objectives successfully? There's no shortage of challenges and missions to complete in the name of Super Earth, and we've explained all the ones that have given players the biggest problems.
If you're trying to do some industrial sabotage, knowing how to destroy Fuel Silos in Helldivers 2 is crucial. If you've got to carry information across enemy lines, then you need to know how to Transport the Hard Drive in Helldivers 2. Finally, learning how to rescue science teams in Helldivers 2 and evacuate civilians will help you tackle one of the most infamously hard mission types in the whole game!
If you're also caught in the midst of a multi-week battle to save planets from encroaching enemies, you need to know what to how to beat these time-sensitive Helldivers 2 Defend Campaigns.
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