Helldivers 2 teaches movement, shooting and stratagem inputs in basic training, then drops you into a galactic war with four currencies, ten difficulties and a Super Destroyer full of upgrade menus. Most early frustration comes from things the game never says plainly: samples do not buy stratagems, extraction does not decide whether a mission succeeded, and Medals stop accumulating at 250.
This guide is the order of operations for your first hours. Stratagem picks themselves are covered in depth in the stratagem guide; here they appear only where they matter for a new player.
What to do in your first hours
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before the first mission | Finish basic training and keep the 1,000 Requisition Slips it gives you | That money plus one or two mission rewards buys your first stratagem |
| Missions 1-3 | Play Trivial (1) to Medium (3); complete the main objective and extract | Learn stratagem inputs, the extraction sequence and how reinforcements work without pressure |
| First Requisition | Buy the EAT-17 (Level 3, 3,000) and Eagle Airstrike (Level 1, 4,000) | A reliable anti-tank answer and a way to destroy nests and Fabricators from a distance |
| First Medals | Spend them in Helldivers Mobilize; aim for Hellpod Space Optimization (page 3) and Vitality Enhancement (page 4) | Two boosters the whole squad benefits from; unspent Medals are wasted above 250 |
| First Common Samples | Buy a tier 1 Ship Module, such as Donation Access License (60 Common) | Tier 1 modules cost only Common Samples, which every difficulty drops |
| Once you extract reliably | Move up to Challenging (4) | Rare Samples start here, and every higher Ship Module tier needs them |
| Later | Work toward Extreme (6) | First difficulty with Super Samples, which tier 3 and higher modules require |
Missions in the early hours are about learning the loop, not scoring kills. The fastest progress comes from finishing objectives, picking up samples on the way and extracting, then raising the difficulty as soon as that feels routine.
How a mission works
Every mission follows the same loop.
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1
Drop
Pick a landing zone on the map. Each player brings a primary, a secondary, a throwable, armor, one booster and four stratagems.
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2
Complete the main objectives
These decide success. On Trivial there is 1; from Suicide Mission (7) there are at least 3. Each main objective pays 500 Requisition and 100 XP before the difficulty multiplier.
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3
Do optional objectives and explore
Optional (tactical) objectives pay 200 Requisition and 50 XP each. Pods, containers and bunkers at minor points of interest hold Requisition, Medals and Super Credits. Samples lie around the map.
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4
Extract
Activate the extraction terminal by entering its code. The shuttle arrives after about 2 minutes (3 with some operation modifiers). At least one Helldiver must stay within the 50 m zone during the countdown, or the shuttle aborts.
Three rules are worth knowing before your first drop:
- Success is the main objective. If the main objectives are done, the mission counts as a success even if the whole squad dies before extracting. If they are not done and the squad wipes with no reinforcements left, the mission fails.
- Extraction protects samples. Samples carried by a Helldiver who does not board the shuttle are lost for everyone. That is the main reason to extract carefully.
- The mission timer is real. When it runs out, the Super Destroyer leaves low orbit and the extraction shuttle is called automatically, so finish the main objectives with time to spare.
Missions are grouped into Operations. Failing one mission fails the rest of the Operation, so a bad mission early is worth taking seriously.
Reinforcements
Reinforce is a stratagem every Helldiver has. The budget is 5 reinforcements per player, up to 20 in a full squad. When the pool reaches zero, a new reinforcement is generated every 2 minutes. The Increased Reinforcement Budget booster adds 1 per player (24 in a full squad).
When you are reinforced, your Hellpod lands where the stratagem was thrown. Run back to your body to pick up your support weapon, backpack and dropped samples rather than waiting for the stratagem cooldown.
Samples
Samples come in three types. They are pooled for the squad when you extract.
| Difficulty | Common | Rare | Super | XP / Requisition bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Trivial | 12-15 | — | — | +0% |
| 2 Easy | 14-17 | — | — | +0% |
| 3 Medium | 15-18 | — | — | +25% |
| 4 Challenging | 21-25 | 12-13 | — | +50% |
| 5 Hard | 25-29 | 17-20 | — | +75% |
| 6 Extreme | 30-35 | 20-25 | 2-3 | +100% |
| 7 Suicide Mission | 36-40 | 27-30 | 3-4 | +150% |
| 8 Impossible | 40 | 30-35 | 5 | +200% |
| 9 Helldive | 40 | 35-40 | 6 | +250% |
| 10 Super Helldive | 40 | 35-41 | 3-7 | +300% |
Sample counts are for regular (non-defense) missions. You can hold at most 500 Common, 250 Rare and 100 Super Samples; anything above that is wasted, so spend them on modules before you hit the cap.
Difficulty: when to move up
The ten difficulties change more than enemy numbers. Medium (3) adds medium outposts, Challenging (4) heavy outposts and Rare Samples, Hard (5) the first operation modifier, Extreme (6) Super Samples, Impossible (8) a second modifier and Super Helldive (10) giant outposts.
A sensible climb for a new player:
- Trivial to Medium until stratagem inputs and the extraction sequence are automatic. One or two sessions is usually enough.
- Challenging and Hard as your main early range. Rare Samples, a +50 to +75% reward bonus, and heavies you have to answer with anti-tank weapons.
- Extreme once you can kill Chargers, Hulks or Harvesters reliably. This is where Super Samples begin.
- Suicide Mission and above when your squad handles Extreme comfortably. Every step from here adds more enemies, more objectives and more pressure.
There is no shame in dropping a level. Losing samples and failing an Operation costs more than a slower but successful mission.
Currencies and what each one buys
| Currency | How you get it | What it buys | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requisition Slips | 1,000 after basic training, objectives, extraction, points of interest | Stratagems, Ship Modules from tier 4, weapon customization, donations to the Democracy Space Station | 50,000 |
| Medals | Points of interest (1-3), mission completion, Personal Orders (15), Major Orders (35-100) | Items in Warbonds | 250 |
| Super Credits | Points of interest (usually 10, rarely 100), Warbond pages, or real money | Premium and Legendary Warbonds, Superstore items | — |
| Samples (Common / Rare / Super) | Picked up in missions and kept by extracting | Ship Modules | 500 / 250 / 100 |
The most common beginner trap is the Medal cap. Medals over 250 are discarded, so a player saving for later loses everything earned past the cap. Spend Medals as they come in.
Warbonds: start with Helldivers Mobilize
Warbonds are the game's reward tracks. Helldivers Mobilize is free; Premium Warbonds cost 1,000 Super Credits to unlock, after which you still spend Medals on their items. Warbonds never expire, so there is no pressure to buy one before you know what you want.
Helldivers Mobilize has 10 pages. A page unlocks after you have spent a set number of Medals in the Warbond: 8 for page 2, 35 for page 3, 75 for page 4, up to 1,200 for page 10. Buying everything costs 2,015 Medals and returns 750 Super Credits along the way.
| Item | Page | Medals | Why take it early |
|---|---|---|---|
| SG-8 Punisher (shotgun) | 1 | 4 | Cheap early primary; buying page 1 items opens page 2 |
| R-63 Diligence (marksman rifle) | 2 | 8 | A precise primary for Automatons |
| Hellpod Space Optimization (booster) | 3 | 15 | Helldivers come out of the Hellpod with full ammo, grenades and stims, on the first drop and every reinforcement |
| Vitality Enhancement (booster) | 4 | 20 | Reduces damage taken by 10% for every Helldiver in the squad |
| SG-225 Breaker (shotgun) | 4 | 20 | A common early primary upgrade |
| G-16 Impact (grenade) | 5 | 20 | Explodes on impact instead of on a timer |
| Increased Reinforcement Budget (booster) | 10 | 150 | +1 reinforcement per player; a long-term goal |
Boosters are squad-wide: each Helldiver brings one, and a mission can have up to four different boosters. Two players bringing the same booster gains nothing, so agree on who brings what. For primary weapons beyond the free ones, see the weapons tier list.
Helldivers Mobilize contains 750 Super Credits, and missions drop more. Together they can pay for a 1,000-credit Premium Warbond without real money, but there is no rush: finishing pages in Mobilize first gets you boosters that help every mission.
Ship Modules
Ship Modules are permanent upgrades to your Super Destroyer, bought with samples. There are 30 modules in 6 categories, each with 5 tiers. Tier 1 costs 60 to 100 Common Samples; from tier 4, each module also costs 20,000 to 35,000 Requisition.
Good early purchases:
- Donation Access License (Patriotic Administration Center, 60 Common) — support weapons deploy with the maximum number of magazines.
- Liquid-Ventilated Cockpit (Hangar, 80 Common) — Eagle stratagem cooldown reduced by 50%.
- Pit Crew Hazard Pay (Hangar, 80 Common + 40 Rare) — Eagle Rearm time reduced by 20%.
- Streamlined Request Process (Patriotic Administration Center, 80 Common + 40 Rare) — support weapon cooldown reduced by 10%.
- Expanded Weapons Bay (Hangar, 80 Common + 80 Rare + 10 Super) — one extra use per rearm for every Eagle.
Pick a category that matches how you play. If your loadout leans on Eagles, the Hangar line pays back fastest; the stratagem guide explains how Eagle uses and rearming work.
Armor: weight class and passive
Body armor sets your armor rating, speed and stamina. Helmets have no gameplay effect, and capes are cosmetic.
| Class | Armor rating | Speed | Stamina regen | Feels like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 50-100 | 550 | 125 | Fast repositioning; good for objectives and avoiding fights |
| Medium | 100-150 | 500 | 100 | The default; works everywhere |
| Heavy | 150-200 | 450 | 50 | Survives more hits but makes escaping hard |
The passive often matters more than the class. The B-01 Tactical you start with is medium armor with Extra Padding, which raises its armor rating to 150. Passives worth knowing early:
- Med-Kit — +2 stims carried and +2.0 s stim duration (CM-09 Bonesnapper in Mobilize).
- Engineering Kit — +2 throwables and 30% less recoil when crouching or prone (CE-35 Trench Engineer).
- Democracy Protects — 50% chance to survive lethal damage and no bleeding from chest wounds (DP-40 Hero of the Federation).
- Fortified — 50% resistance to explosive damage and 30% less recoil when crouching or prone (FS-05 Marksman, FS-23 Battle Master).
- Scout — map markers generate radar scans every 2.0 s and enemies detect you from 30% shorter range (SC-34 Infiltrator, SC-30 Trailblazer Scout).
For a first armor upgrade, Med-Kit or Democracy Protects on medium armor is forgiving on every faction.
Friendly fire and teamwork
Friendly fire cannot be turned off. The usual causes:
- Hellpods. Support weapons, sentries, resupply and reinforcements land in Hellpods that crush whatever is under them.
- Eagles and orbitals. Strikes do not distinguish targets. Throw beacons ahead of the squad, never at your own feet when teammates are near.
- Sentries. They fire through Helldivers in their line of fire. Place them to the side of the fight.
- Your own aim. Shooting across a teammate kills them as easily as an enemy.
Teamwork basics that fix most problems: stay within sight of at least one teammate, call out big strikes, share the Resupply stratagem (4 Supply Boxes, each with ammo, grenades and two stims; one call per squad every 180 seconds), and do not bring duplicate boosters. In a squad, at least one player should carry anti-tank and one should focus on crowds. The stratagem guide has four-player role loadouts.
The three factions in one line each
- Terminids — swarms of bugs that close the distance fast, with heavies such as Chargers and Bile Titans; destroy Bug Holes to stop the flow.
- Automatons — armored robots that punish you at range, with Hulks, Tanks and, on higher difficulties, Gunships; Fabricators keep producing them until destroyed.
- Illuminate — Voteless swarms backed by shielded Harvesters and Warp Ships that drop reinforcements; sustained fire beats single big hits.
Weak points and counters for each are in the faction guide.
Common beginner mistakes
- Spending samples on the wrong thing in your head. New stratagems cost Requisition. Samples are for Ship Modules only.
- Sitting on Medals. Anything above 250 is lost. Spend them in Mobilize even if the item is not your first choice.
- Staying on low difficulty too long. Trivial to Medium never drop Rare Samples, so Ship Module progress stalls without Challenging and above.
- Leaving the carrier behind. If the player holding the samples misses the shuttle, the whole squad loses them. Make sure they board.
- Waiting out an 8-minute cooldown. After dying, run back to your body for your support weapon and backpack.
- Wearing the same booster as a teammate. It does not stack.
- Throwing a beacon at your feet in a crowd. Hellpods and strikes kill Helldivers too.
Related guides
Once you know the loop, the next step is a proper loadout: the stratagem guide ranks stratagems and gives faction loadouts, the faction guide covers enemy weak points, and the weapons tier list covers primaries. Whether the game is worth buying is in the honest review.
★Honest Take: the game teaches the shooting and hides the economy
Basic training does a good job of the parts you would figure out anyway: aiming, diving, entering stratagem codes. What it barely explains is the economy around them. Samples that do not buy stratagems, a Medal cap that silently discards rewards, Rare Samples locked behind difficulty 4 and the difference between a successful mission and a successful extraction all have to be learned the hard way. None of this is complicated once written down, and the free Warbond is generous enough that a non-paying player never feels locked out. The honest caveat is that solo play is noticeably harder than squad play: reinforcements, reloads and anti-tank coverage are all designed around four people, so if you mostly play alone, stay a difficulty lower than you think you need.
