There are hundreds of planets to liberate in Helldivers 2 and each comes with a set of environmental conditions to overcome. These are weather effects and planetary hazards that serve as mission modifiers. They not only add cinematic value but also unique buffs and debuffs.
Dense fog, for example, will make it difficult for you to find that elusive Super Uranium rock. Sandstorms will hinder your ability to see. Ion Storms will disrupt your stratagems. You should, hence, always check a planet's environmental challenges from your ship before embarking on a mission. That will give you an informed idea of what weapons to equip.
Below is a list of all weather effects and planetary hazards in Helldivers 2, alongside what they do and how you can deal with them. Do note that environmental conditions are not tied to difficulty levels. Planets can have anywhere from zero to two environmental modifiers at once.
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Acid Storms
Acid Storms are the latest planetary hazard introduced in Helldivers 2. They greatly reduce your visibility, similar to Rainstorms. Most importantly, Acid Storms lower armor ratings for all players and enemies. While this forces armored enemies to take more damage, an acidic shower also makes you more vulnerable to one-shot deaths.
Blizzards
Blizzards are similar to Rainstorms except that you have to deal with massive snowstorms in Helldivers 2. The dense fog moderately reduces visibility for both you and your enemies. The thick snow, furthermore, reduces mobility for all units.
The reduced visibility makes it hard to figure out how many enemies are approaching from afar. You are likely to get overwhelmed or flanked by remaining stationary. Make sure to keep moving, and stay as close to your teammates as possible. Do not lose them in the fog.
Keep checking your mini-map radar for nearby enemy patrols. Take advantage of their reduced visibility and sneak past them. Remember that Sentries work wonders in Blizzards since they do not rely on sight.
Extreme Cold
"Extreme Cold" is an environmental condition fairly similar to Blizzards in Helldivers 2. There are deep patches of snow that greatly reduce mobility. There is also fog but not as thick as with Blizzards. You can generally see far-off enemies and buildings due to the clean, white terrain. You will want to increase your Render Distance to capitalize on the improved visibility. Do not worry though. Render Distance hardly lowers your FPS in Helldivers 2.
Mines are harder to see in the snow. Be careful about approaching Automaton-controlled fortifications. The bigger bases always have minefields outside their walls.
Unlike Blizzards, the Extreme-Cold weather effect reduces all of your weapons' firing rates in Helldivers 2. The exact percentage reduction is unknown, but you will notice a slight sluggishness in your automatic weapons. Energy-based (laser/beam) weapons, on the other hand, take longer to overheat in icy temperatures.
The new LAS-16 Sickle is an excellent weapon for freezing temperatures. You get to increase your overall damage per second since the heat sink takes longer to overheat.
Fire Tornadoes
Fire Tornadoes are one of the new planetary hazards in Helldivers 2. They are currently active on the planet Hellmire at the time of writing but should start appearing on other planets with high temperatures.
Fire Tornadoes, as the name suggests, are fiery twisters that appear randomly across the map. They are always moving at random while leaving behind a trail of fire. Getting caught in a Fire Tornado or its fiery trail will leave you in flames. Make sure to heal yourself with a Stim to stop the burning.
Intense Heat
Some planets are arid with high temperatures. The Intense Heat forces all of your energy weapons to overheat faster than normal. Your other weapons, however, remain unaffected. The sweltering environmental conditions also drain your Stamina faster in Helldivers 2, but your Stamina regeneration remains hardly touched.
Take note that some planets may not have high temperatures, but some areas (near bug nests) may warn you of Intense Heat. You can move out of the heated area to remove the Stamina debuff.
The Stamina Enhancement Booster is excellent for environmental conditions that involve high temperatures in Helldivers 2. It increases your overall Stamina capacity.
Ion Storms
Ion Storms are one of the most frustrating weather effects. They temporarily jam all of your stratagems in Helldivers 2. This can happen multiple times during the same mission. Do note that Ion Storms take place over a large area, so trying to run outside its radius to enable your stratagems is a tough task.
Meteor Storms
Meteor Storms are perhaps the most challenging planetary hazard in Helldivers 2. They are similar to Volcanic Activity but are far more common in comparison. During a Meteor Storm, meteor rocks will rain down from the skies. Any players (or enemies) hit by a meteor will be knocked down and take a lot of damage. Make sure to find some cove because a Meteor Shower lasts under a minute.
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Rainstorms
Rainstorms have to be one of the most beautiful weather effects to come across in Helldivers 2. They greatly reduce visibility, especially at night. There are, however, no other negative status effects to worry about. The rumors about Rainstorms negatively impacting Incendiary builds with flamethrowers are false.
Sandstorms
Sandstorms carry the same environmental conditions as Blizzards but are far more difficult in comparison. They greatly reduce visibility for all friendlies and enemies. You will hardly be able to see further than a few meters. To make matters worse, mobility is also greatly reduced for everyone.
Thick Fog
A defense blanket of fog reduces visibility for all enemies and friendlies. This is more of an accompanying environmental condition that will sometimes be part of other weather effects such as Rainstorms and Blizzards.
If the dense fog is of a musky green color, you are dealing with a Spore Spewer, not the weather. Find a giant, glowing mushroom inside the fog and destroy it to clear the mist. Expect the mushroom to be defended by a lot of Bile Spewers in Helldivers 2.
Tremors
Tremors are basically earthquakes that can occur randomly in an area and are common on planets with either Intense Heat or Volcanic Activity. Any players and enemies caught in an earthquake will be temporarily slowed. You will be unable to sprint but can dive to evade enemies.
Tremors are another planetary hazard introduced in Helldivers 2. There seems to be no way to avoid them. Thankfully, they only last for a few seconds.
Tremors can stun enemies. Instead of trying to run away, it might be better to stand your ground and finish heavily armored enemies like Chargers.
Volcanic Activity
Volcanic Activity is another planetary hazard that can occur on hot planets in Helldivers 2. If you spot volcanoes in the distance, there is a high chance they will soon erupt to throw giant rocks of molten magma across the map. Volcanic Storms leave the land scorched. Getting hit by a burning rock will kill you, while getting caught in a burning area will leave you in flames.
Similar to Meteor Storms, you can watch the skies to confirm where the burning rocks are going to fall.
Helldivers 2
- Released
- February 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
