Summary
- Mission Time: Be mindful of time limits before starting a mission to ensure completion for rewards.
- Mission Difficulty: Find the right balance between easy and hard to maximize rewards and fun.
- Main Objective(s): Prepare accordingly for combat or mini-game objectives to successfully finish a mission.
Helldivers 2 is a surprisingly varied game, with a plethora of mission objectives, planet types, weapons, and abilities. There are many ways for players to help humanity as helldivers, elite soldiers who are dedicated to stopping the two-front war against the bug-like terminids and humanoid automatons.
Helldivers 2: 10 Tips For Solo Players
Helldivers 2 is centered around squads of up to four players fighting against alien threats. Going alone requires extra preparation.
With so many planets in need of helldiver assistance, there are many missions to choose from at any given time. Choosing the right one, however, can mean the difference between success and defeat. Players need to take many factors into account before dropping onto their next planet.
1 Mission Time
Nothing Is Worse Than Starting A Mission That Can't Be Finished
- The Mission Select Screen shows the time limit
- Rescue Scientists and Eradicate Enemies are shorter than other missions
Players cannot save mid-mission, so no progress is saved until the mission is over. This includes Super Credits, Requisition Slips, Samples, Experience, and Major Order Progress. Because of this, players should not start a mission unless they know that they will be able to finish it.
Most missions have a 40-minute timer. Once time is up, Strategems and reinforcements are no longer available, and the difficulty ramps up until players either evacuate or die. Rescuing civilians and eradicating waves of enemies take up much less time, so players in a rush can still choose one of these mission types and know that they will be able to finish it.
2 Mission Difficulty
Missions Shouldn't Be Too Easy Or Too Hard
- Choosing a mission that is too hard minimizes player rewards
- Choosing a mission that is too easy can be more tedious than fun
Mission Objectives change with the difficulty of the mission, as does the payout for finishing it. The harder the mission, the more complex the objectives, and the more rewards the player receives for finishing it. Harder missions also have more difficult enemies like Hulks and Bile Titans.
While players may seek the higher rewards of harder missions, choosing one that is too hard risks being defeated and receiving nothing. On the other hand, easy missions guarantee a reward, albeit a smaller one. Choosing the right difficulty means the right balance of fun and mission rewards.
3 Main Objective(s)
The Main Objective Determines What Players Need To Prepare For
- Some objectives are combat-oriented
- Some require mini-games
Main objectives have a wide range of necessary steps. Some, like the mission "Eliminate the Bile Titan," are combat-focused missions where players have to find and kill specific enemies. Others, like "Launch the ICBM," are more complicated and require players to coordinate between operating a terminal and unlocking the launch pad.
Most campaigns, clusters of two or more missions, have multiple mission types that must be completed before receiving a big payout and unlocking the next difficulty. This means that players should look at all mission objectives for a campaign to make sure that they will be able to finish it successfully.
4 Player Level
Weapons And Strategems Are Locked By Player Level
- Low-level players don't have access to abilities that are unlocked later
- At Level 20, players have the ability to unlock any Strategem
Strategems, the spectrum of special abilities that helldivers have access to, are unlocked by reaching the required level and then paying its one-time cost in Requisition Slips. Players earn these by completing missions and exploring the map. The last Strategems are available for purchase when players reach Level 20.
Helldivers 2: 10 Beginner Mistakes To Avoid
Helldivers 2 has different gameplay mechanics than many shooters. Players should avoid making these mistakes when starting to play the game.
Players under Level 20 may be great helldivers, but they don't have access to Strategems that some players may consider essential to finishing harder missions. This doesn't mean that players at or below Level 20 should be avoided, but choosing something like a Helldive with a player around Level 10 would generally not be very wise.
5 Day/Night Cycle
Visibility Can Vary Wildly Between Day And Night
- Some planets get extremely dark at night
- Daytime is better for precision weapons like the Anti-Material Rifle
When choosing a mission, players can rotate the cursor around the currently selected planet as they look for available missions on the selected difficulty. One side of the planet appears brighter than the other because each planet has day and night cycles in Helldivers 2.
On some planets, like those with low atmospheres, the difference in visibility between day and night is not very big. On others, however, it is surprising how difficult it is to see at night. On planets that deal with rain or sandstorms, it can be nearly impossible to see very far at night. Players who favor precision weapons should keep this in mind when selecting a mission, as long-range weapons become ineffective when darkness obscures everything.
6 Enemy Type
Some Strategies Work Better Against Terminids Or Automatons
- Terminids mostly use melee attacks
- Automatons have more ranged weapons
Super Earth is under threat by bug-like aliens called terminids and humanoid automatons. When choosing a mission, players can see which enemy type is found in different systems. Automatons are attacking the red systems on the left, while terminids are found in the orange systems on the right.
Most terminids use melee attacks (although Nursery and Bile Spewers can easily kill players at range) and are weak to fire. Flamethrowers, Napalm Strikes, and shotguns tend to be very effective against them. Automatons tend to use ranged weapons, and therefore having shield generators and long-range weapons is good for combating them. Knowing the enemy that players will face helps a squad prepare for victory.
7 Player Count
Having Four Players Can Be The Key To Victory
- Missions can be done with 1-4 players
- Missions are easier with more players
Helldivers 2 has an emphasis on multiplayer, but that does not mean that the game cannot be played alone. Solo players start missions with a set amount of reinforcements and automatically respawn when killed. The 
SOS Beacon Strategem can be used to call in more players if needed.
That being said, the game is balanced according to having a full squad of four helldivers. Having more players means that it is easier to take on waves of enemies, complete objectives, and stay alive. Larger squads tend to be more effective against higher-level missions, especially when they diversify their loadouts to take on a wide range of situations.
8 Weather Effects
Weather Impacts Visibility, Stamina, And Energy Weapons
- Hot and cold weather impacts stamina and energy weapons
- Rain and fog reduce visibility
The planets in Helldivers 2 have a range of different environments and effects. On hot planets, players run out of stamina more quickly, and energy weapons overheat faster as well. On cold planets, energy weapons do not overheat as fast, but standard weapons fire slower.
10 Games Where Weather Impacts Gameplay
Many games have dynamic weather effects, but the weather in some games goes beyond visuals.
Rain and fog occur on certain planets and obscure visibility. Lightning can also strike players, dealing them massive damage. On higher-level missions, there are other atmospheric effects tied to planets such as scrambling Strategems and haze obscuring the mini-map. If players do not account for these changes, they can end up in a tough situation very quickly.
9 Major Orders
Major Orders Are Given To All Players Across The Globe
- Global orders that need help from every player in the game
- Planets and sectors can be invaded by automatons or terminids
Major Orders are given to every player in the game and must be worked on together. All players in the game succeed or fail together, and everyone receives the same reward if the orders are carried out.
One Major Order example that requires all players to work together is the one to win eight Defend Campaigns.
When a new system is attacked, a voice comes over the PA in the player's ship will announce the name of the planet and which enemy attacked it. Players need to band together to save the planet in question from its threat, and this cannot be done individually or with a single squad. Players who want to help progress Major Orders like these should choose planets that are under attack.
10 Personal Orders
Individual Assignments That Grant Rewards
- Players get extra rewards for individually completing these orders
- They can be weapon-based or based on specific enemies
Personal Orders are assigned to players individually on a daily basis. These orders are tied to specific enemies, weapons, or Strategems and players are rewarded if they complete the order in the allotted time.
Personal Orders in the past have involved killing a set number of enemies with a specific Orbital Strategem or Support Weapon, while others have been tied to killing a predetermined number of a specific enemy type like terminid Hunters. Players who want to earn the various in-game currencies and level up quickly should choose missions where they can finish their Personal Orders quickly.
Helldivers 2
- Released
- February 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
