Beginner's Guide to Helldivers 2

New to spreading democracy? Everything you need to survive your first drops.

Getting Started

1Complete all training missions first - they teach core mechanics and give free rewards.
2Start on Trivial/Easy difficulty. Even experienced shooter players need to learn Helldivers mechanics.
3Always bring at least one anti-tank stratagem. You will encounter armored enemies on every mission.
4Pick up samples (orange, pink, purple containers) during missions - they are the main progression currency.
5Friendly fire is always on. Watch your aim and communicate with your team.

1Dive (hold crouch while sprinting) to dodge attacks and go prone for accuracy.
2Always reload behind cover. The reload animation leaves you vulnerable.
3Call in stratagems before engaging - the input takes time and enemies will not wait.
4Aim for weak points: head for bugs, eye slit/vents for bots. Random body shots waste ammo.
5Use grenades on Bug Holes and Fabricators to permanently stop enemy spawns in that area.

1Memorize your stratagem input codes. In combat, you will not have time to look them up.
2Eagle stratagems share a pool and must rearm after all uses. Mix Eagle with Orbital stratagems.
3Expendable Anti-Tank (EAT) has a very short cooldown - spam it for infinite anti-tank rockets.
4Sentry turrets can kill you. Place them facing away from where you will be fighting.
5The Reinforce stratagem brings back dead teammates. Always save it for emergencies.

1Stay within 100-150m of your team. Isolated players die quickly.
2Ping enemies and objectives using the communication wheel.
3Coordinate stratagems - do not overlap 4 Eagle Airstrikes on the same target.
4Revive teammates as fast as possible. Dead players cost Reinforcement charges.
5Share ammo and stims. A well-supplied team survives longer than individually stocked players.

1Focus on unlocking Stratagems first - they define your combat capability.
2Super Samples only appear on difficulty 7+ (Suicide Mission and above).
3Ship Modules provide passive upgrades. Prioritize Eagle and Orbital upgrades first.
4Warbonds are battle passes. Free warbond has excellent weapons like the Breaker.
5Medals from missions unlock warbond rewards. Complete all optional objectives for more medals.