Helldivers 2 made a sizable impact when it first dropped onto PlayStation and PC back in February 2024. The game's constantly evolving player-driven universe, its tongue-in-cheek humor, and its varied mission objectives kept players hooked for months. And while Helldivers 2's player-count suffered a fairly steep decline around four months after its launch, developer Arrowhead has tried its best to keep fans invested by delivering a wealth of free content updates and premium paid Warbonds.
Now, Helldivers 2 has taken its boldest leap yet. As of August 26, 2025, Helldivers 2 is available on Xbox Series X/S. There's likely going to be a lot of new players joining the fight for Super Earth in the coming days, and those players might want a hand getting started.
Play Helldivers 2's Tutorial
It's the obvious place to start, but it's also the most necessary. While Helldivers 2 plays a lot like other contemporary third-person shooters, there are a few quirks to be found in its control scheme, such as health boosters and grenades being assigned to the D-pad. There are also key mechanics that are explained in the tutorial that players might miss if they just jump straight into a game, such as its integral Stratagem system. Helldivers 2's tutorial only takes a few minutes to complete, and its lessons are more than worth the time.
Squad Up and Dive In
After completing Helldivers 2's tutorial, the best thing for players to do – before they even check their loadouts, Warbonds, Stratagems, or Ship Modules – is to just jump straight into a game, preferably with a full squad of friends who all have a mic. Diving right in at the deep end will give players a good idea of what Helldivers 2's gameplay loop is all about.
Over the course of just one 15-minute match, players will hopefully learn how Helldivers 2's main and optional mission objectives work, how important teamwork is, and how the game's moment-to-moment action plays out. Of course, new Helldivers 2 players should make sure their first mission is set to "Trivial" or "Easy" difficulty, and they'll want to choose the right enemy faction to fight during their first outing.
There are a total of 10 mission difficulty levels in Helldivers 2. Those just enlisting in the galactic war should stick to level 1-3 until they have a loadout they're happy with, and they're sure they're ready for the challenge.
Anything after level 4 can be pretty unforgiving depending on the enemy faction the player is fighting. Higher difficulty levels also introduce more complex mission objectives and game mechanics, as well as more elaborate enemy designs.
Which Helldivers 2 Faction Should Players Fight First?
The Easiest Option: The Terminids
Terminids are undoubtedly the best starting faction for new Helldivers 2 players. A species of insect-like creatures, the Terminids primarily use melee attacks, which are much easier to deal with than the other factions' ranged weaponry. Of course, every faction in Helldivers 2 is tough to fight, but the Terminids pose the most manageable threat in the game, with their nests being easy to destroy and their mission objectives remaining fairly straightforward.
The Challenging Option: The Automatons
The second faction that appeared at launch, Helldivers 2's Automatons are widely believed to be more difficult to fight than the Terminids, at least for new players who are still learning the ropes. Most Automatons will fire deadly laser projectiles, and the faction has a penchant for sending in armored vehicles and drop-ships even on mid-range difficulty levels. Automaton camps are also a tad more difficult to infiltrate and destroy thanks to their built-in turret defenses.
A Potentially Frustrating Option: The Illuminate
But arguably the most difficult faction to fight in Helldivers 2 is the Illuminate. Added back in December 2024, the Illuminate are alien beings that use zombie-like monsters to savagely pummel players, while their high-tech warriors bombard them with energy-based mortar shells. Even on the lowest difficulty levels, the Illuminate will send in alien fighter ships to rain down plasma rounds atop players, and at that low level, players are unlikely to have the proper gear to take them down. Fighting the Illuminate off the bat can make for a frustrating first impression.
Cash In Those Requisition Slips and Medals
After completing a few missions, players should have a good feel for Helldivers 2's moment-to-moment gameplay, and they'll likely be in possession of a few Requisition Slips, Medals, and Samples. These currencies can be a little confusing at first, but they each have very specific uses:
- Requisition Slips - Used to purchase Stratagems (support items, powerful weapons, vehicles, turrets, and orbital strikes that can be called in during a match)
- Medals - Used to purchase new weapons, equipment, and cosmetic items from Warbonds
- Samples - Used to purchase Ship Modules (which provide stat boosts to specific Stratagems)
- Super Credits - Used to purchase premium Warbonds
These upgrades and unlockables are the driving force behind Helldivers 2's gameplay loop, and new players should focus on getting the ones that most appeal to them. While there are certain Stratagems that are undeniably more efficient than others, new players don't need to worry about the meta just yet.
The same is true for Helldivers 2's Warbonds. Players have access to the lengthy "Helldivers Mobilize" Warbond out of the gate, and there are more than enough rewards in there for players to work towards. Then, when players have earned some Super Credits (either through play or microtransactions), they should purchase the Warbond they personally like the look of, not necessarily the one that's home to the most meta weapons. That is, unless players want the most efficient loadouts as soon as possible.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
