Welcome to The Helldiver's Handbook, this is aiming to be a comprehensive and general purpose guide and a collection of various tips, tricks and explanations that should make your time diving more enjoyable, and hopefully you'll be stepping away from this guide having learnt something new.

First things first though, I'm going to start off with the basics, and we'll delve deeper into more complex mechanics as the guide continues, please feel free to scroll further down and read ahead if you're already familiar with the game!

Unfortunately, Steam has a character limit for each section, so I've had to split some sections into multiples parts. Hopefully it's still comfortable to read.




Feel welcome to use the sidebar to jump to a specific section, as this is a long guide, you needn't read through it all in order.


If you find this guide helpful, please leave a positive rating and a favourite, thank you!

Read Below.

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Updated for current patch? -- No.❌ - 13/12/2024

Let's start off with something simple:


You'll find this under the audio settings.

The year is 2024, and the default setting is an open mic, how horrifying.
I don't think I have to explain why this is a bad default, so do yourself a favour and toggle it off.

Take your time scrolling through the settings and changing everything to your liking, consider also rebinding your stratagem inputs from WASD to something else to allow movement while inputting codes, like so:



I personally use arrow keys, but pick whatever is comfortable to you.
This is merely a suggestion, and the default setting is fine but being able to call in a crucial stratagem while moving is very useful.

Other useful things to mention are reticule colour and vertical FoV, found under accessibility and display respectively, play around with these to see what you prefer.

I'm just going to go over some basic but important functions and controls for now, if you're already familiar please skip ahead to a relevant section of the guide, if you're new then continue on.

Dropping Equipment: Hold X
This can be useful for all sorts of reasons, accidentally picked up your teammates weapon or backpack? Simply drop it on the ground.
Passing by evac while carrying a ton of samples? You can drop them there for retrieval before leaving, instead of being KIA and dropping all of them in a dangerous location.

Pinging: Press Q
Pinging is very useful. From pointing out a resupply drop to a teammate that requires ammunition, to pinging a dangerous enemy, marking a point of interest, spotting an enemy patrol for your teammates to avoid. There's plenty of uses of pings, use them often and make sure to pay attention to the pings of your team!

Communication: Enter to open the chat to manually type a message, you can also hold down Q to bring up a wheel of voice commands for your Helldiver, 'Need supplies', 'Follow me', etc.

Crouch and Prone: Press C and Z respectively, sometimes you just want to get prone quickly instead of diving with alt.

Now for some handy tips and tricks for cadets...

All Helldivers are credited for collected Super Credits, Medals, Samples etc. regardless of who picked them up! - I've heard horror stories of people teamkilling over samples, no need for that.

You can share a stim with a teammate if they're on low health by approaching them and pressing E! - Sharing is caring!

Throw grenades into fabricator vents to destroy them!

Enemy patrols will roam across the map, if they're not immediately a threat or in your direct path consider holding your fire, not every enemy has to be engaged! - Remember that remaining crouched or prone makes it much harder for an enemy to detect you.

With smaller arms you can run and gun by moving and holding primary fire, allowing you to remain mobile while still dishing out damage! - Very comfy with the SMG's.

Upon landing at the start of a mission, immediately gear up and call in your support weapons and backpacks! - No brainer, arm yourself to the teeth before you're being swarmed.

Diving or going prone when faced with an imminent explosion will significantly improve your odds of survival! - Depending on what you're getting hit with, it may not save you from a direct hit but when all else fails, hit the dirt! - Brasch tactics, use 'em, or die trying.

While we're on the topic, if you're burning... dive! - This'll put you out and you can stim after the fact if you need to, stimming first puts you at risk of dying outright if you're already low on health!

If your team is split up and someone dies don't reinforce immediately, assess the situation! - What do I mean by this exactly? Let's say you're split into 2 teams of two, each on either side of the map, one Helldiver dies and is reinforced on the opposite end of the map, he is now without his support weapons and equipment and will have to trek miles or wait until he can replace them, this also leaves the other Helldiver without backup. You can open the map to see where your teammates have perished, keep this in mind.

Try out everything!

Primaries, secondaries, stratagems, you get the point. Some weapons will work better against some enemies, and worse against others. Experiment for yourself.





This honestly should have been in the tutorial, it sometimes appears as a loading screen tip but it's a total game-changer for some weapons. Depending on the gun, you'll be able to change various things such as scope zoom, rounds per minute, toggling burst fire, etc. Play around with it and see what settings are available for each weapon.




Number in the graphic is outdated. 65% of damage is dealt.

When firing upon an enemy, you'll receive feedback. If your shots are deflecting, you may have to aim for weak points or change strategy. I'm running out of characters here so we'll revisit this later in the guide.

'What stratagems should I unlock first?'
Starting out, you're going to want some kind of anti-tank weaponry, once you start climbing the difficulty ladder you'll be encountering more and more armour, and may democracy have mercy on you if you're caught without something to pierce the enemies' defences, after that grab anything you think looks fun.

• EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank - An expendable pair of rocket launchers, fantastic option against bigger targets, you can even drop your main support weapon to pick one up, shoot, and pick up your other gun again, you get two of these launchers on a low cooldown. Unlocked at Level 3.
  
  
• GR-8 Recoilless Rifle - Essentially the same thing as the expendable, but you know, without the expendable part. Comes with a backpack of rockets for reloading which you can carry yourself or have a teammate help load you, great anti-tank tool. Unlocked at Level 5.
  
  
• AC-8 Autocannon - A devastating cannon capable of shredding foes equipped with medium armor effortlessly, can take out heavy units with multiple shots and good aim, particularly effective against the Automatons. Comes with an ammunition backpack. Unlocked at Level 10.
  
  
• Eagle Airstrike - Despite being one of the first stratagems you can unlock its versatility, low cooldown and crowd control capabilities make it a force to be reckoned with, also capable of demolishing enemy spawners (Bug holes, Fabricators). Goes on cooldown after its charges are spent. Unlocked at Level 2.

Again, these are just some recommendations, you should try everything out at your leisure and unlock whatever looks fun to you.

'What stratagems should I bring?'
Whatever your heart desires, I recommend bringing at least one anti-tank tool so you're not totally helpless if your team can't deal with it for you. If you're playing with friends that you can rely on though it's not 100% neccessary. I'll leave some example loadouts below.

Versatile Anti-Armour:


A Recoilless Rifle and Autocannon Sentry to deal with armoured threats, an orbital airburst to squash bug breaches, and an Eagle Airstrike to deal damage and bust bug holes, there's not much this loadout can't handle.

The Demolitions Expert:


Armed with a grenade launcher, which is constantly refilled by a supply pack, with the support of a 380mm Orbital Barrage and a 500KG Bomb, this loadout excels at crushing bug nests and blowing up Automaton bases, though a bit weak against armour, a good loadout for blitz missions.

Bane of Automatons:


Armed with an Autocannon, an Eagle Airstrike for smaller bots and bases, Rocket Pods for tanks and large threats, with a deployable mortar to safely bombard enemies from a distance, you'll show those toasters the true meaning of 'Democracy'.

The Trashman: - 'And then, I start eatin' garbage'



Equipped with the Stalwart, a Laser Drone and a Gatling Sentry, this loadout really takes out the trash, destroying swarms constantly, lacks anti-tank, a fun loadout if you trust your team to deal with big guys. Also features Cluster Bombs, great for taking out weak bugs.

Requisition Slips
Your basic currency, used to purchase new stratagems and fund upgrades towards your Super Destroyer. Earned by completing missions and finding caches at points of interest.


Super Credits
The 'Premium' currency of Helldivers. While it can be purchased for real world money, it can be earned by looting points of interest in bundles of 10 SC, rarely found in a stack of 100SC. Medals can also be exchanged for a limited amount from the warbonds. Premium warbonds can be purchased for 1000SC.


Medals
Medals are spent in the Acquisitions shop to claim rewards from warbonds, which can be used to purchase primary weapons, secondaries, grenades, various cosmetics and armours, etc. Can be earned through completing missions, they are also awarded to each player upon successful completion of a major order.


Common Samples
The lowest tier of sample, but far from the least important. These are spent on research and upgrades to power up your Super Destroyer, they can be found in the field near objectives and points of interest. Despite being labelled as 'common', do not neglect picking these up as the more expensive upgrades will require these in abundance, likely becoming a bottleneck as you swim in rares and super samples later on. Spawns on any difficulty.


Rare Samples
Mid-tier sample, spent on upgrades for your ship just like the other samples. Found in the same manner as common samples, though they only start appearing on difficulty 4 and above. Not much are needed to begin with, but the final upgrades require a hefty amount. Snag them when possible.


Super Samples
The highest tier of samples, they will only spawn on difficulty 6 and higher. While they spawn in much fewer numbers than the other types of samples, far fewer are required for upgrades. By playing on higher difficulties often, you'll likely collect far more than you'll ever need. These will always spawn by a guaranteed setpiece that looks like a tall rock! Pictured below.



The Super Sample Rock spotted from afar.



A closer look.

This rocky formation will always house super samples if you're playing difficulty 6+, so keep on the lookout. However, decoy 'corrupted' rocks may also appear, these will provide no super samples but will always have something useful such as ammo or stims, so check them out anyway. However, if both of these rocks spawn in close proximity, it is possible for the super samples to spawn in the ditch next to the 'corrupted' rock.



A 'corrupted' rock - nice pose.

IMPORTANT: CURRENCY CAPS

Each currency has a cap, an amount that you will no longer be able to hold anymore once it's reached, and any acquired after this point will be wasted. Keep this in mind to save yourself from some frustration, caps for each will be detailed below.

While out in the field you may discover a point of interest. These sites hold a variety of useful loot all ripe for the taking, if you're up for the detour.

They can be easily spotted by using the compass at the top of your screen. If you see a question mark, head towards it and see what you can discover.



Once discovered these locations will show up on your map as a diamond icon to begin with, and when all the loot is exhausted (Medals, Super Credits, Samples, etc.) it will change into a generic marker. Though sometimes when there is nothing left to loot the diamond remains, I'm not sure if this is a bug or if there is a sneaky piece of loot somewhere, something to keep in mind.



Cargo Containers:


Sometimes at these locations you'll find a blue or orange cargo container. Simply blow it open with a weapon, or toss a grenade at it to open it up. Things like the Laser Cannon, Anti-Materiel Rifle and Grenade Launcher are all capable of blowing it open, as are some others.

Bunkers



You may find a friendship door closed off with two buttons on each side. You'll need two divers to press both at the same time to open it, let your team know if you find one.

Pods



Sometimes you'll come across a lone pod with a blinking light, simply approach and hit E to open it.

If you're vigilant, you may see yellow lights flashing in the sky. These will lead you to a pod that can be opened to receive medals, a support weapon, or even super credits!

First, I'll quickly recap some things from the tips mentioned earlier in the guide for the sake of clarity:

• You can press Q to ping, hold Q to bring up a communications wheel.
  
• C to Crouch, Z to prone.
  
• All pickups such as samples, medals and super credits are shared.
  
• Stim a teammate on low health by getting close and pressing E
  
• Consider not engaging enemies if you don't have to.
  
• Run and gun by moving and holding down primary fire.
  
• Call in your support weapons at the start of the mission.
  
• Incoming explosives? Dive! Same thing if you're burning.
  
• Try to reinforce fallen teammates near their dropped gear if possible, they'll appreciate it.

Now that we're all caught up, onto some new information we haven't gone over yet...

Shooting a Charger in the head with anti-tank weaponry is a one-hit kill - Expendable Launchers, Recoilless Rifle, Quasar Cannon; these are all capable of dealing with a charger swiftly.

I've mentioned pings already, but I haven't mentioned that you can respond positively to a teammates ping by pressing Q and respond negatively by holding Q.




Adds your callsign to the ping, with a tick or red 'x' depending on how you responded.




For bonus medals, complete your personal orders! - Despite being called a personal order, every Helldiver receives the same order. Progress is actually shared between Helldivers. However if one diver has completed the order while others have not they seemingly don't share progress with the divers with unfulfilled orders. They can be viewed from the pause menu or the Galactic Map - This resets every 24 hours.

Hitting armour with anti-tank weapons can open up weak points - For example hitting a Charger or Bile Titan with a rocket will blast a hole in them and expose their fleshy innards, allowing weapons with lower armour penetration to deal damage.



During Extraction, if everyone in the area leaves the extraction radius as Pelican-1 is coming down, he will hover in place and provide covering fire.
Our trusty pilot swoops down shooting anything in sight, even hundreds of metres away. Just be wary, he doesn't really get the concept of 'friendly fire'.


Pelican-1 is not invincible - Taking too much damage from enemies or friendly fire will set the Pelican on fire, causing the Pelican to leave as soon as one person enters! - If only one Helldiver can leave have it be the sample carrier.

No longer true since patch 1.4. Pelican-1 is invulnerable, disregard.








Wearing armour with more than 100 defense will offer additional protection and reduce damage taken upon being headshot - Information on this is scarce, I will update this if something is incorrect. Headshots increase damage taken by 50%.

When using a Jump Pack you won't take fall damage from jumping off of hills and other elevated positions and you'll pick up speed on the way down!

• Place sentries/turrets on higher ground to maximize their targets and reduce the chances of friendly fire. (This may not be as effective against Automatons, as they can fire back, use your own judgement)
  
• If you're going to be in the line of fire of a sentry on flat terrain, go prone to have it shoot over you.
  
• You can climb on top of sentries to remain safe from their line of fire, just don't try this with mortars.
  
• Be aware that when running multiple sentry guns, they can crossfire and eliminate each other, try to space them out

Using a stim not only grants health over time, it will refill your stamina, and you'll have unlimited stamina for the duration - Popping a stim when under fire can make you surprisingly tanky especially when using armour with the Med-Kit passive, however you won't be invincible. Hard-hitting sources of damage will still kill you in one hit. You can take advantage of the stamina boost by using your entire stamina bar, and then using a stim to get where you need to go quickly.

Thrown stratagems can stick to their target on direct hit - The pod being called down can crush them if done correctly. (For example, Expendable Launchers) Other times, the thrown stratagem bounces off. Seems to stick to enemy parts with less armour, while heavily armoured body parts will cause it to bounce.

Always have a plan - It's easy to get bogged down in endless enemy reinforcements, focus on your objectives and keep moving!

Stealth is a viable tactic - Sometimes it's simply easier to not get spotted than getting caught in a huge crossfire, if you see enemies nearby and you won't gain anything from fighting them, crouch or go prone and move around them. Speaking of which...

Enemy Patrols - ...You'll find enemy patrols roaming the map, if they're not in your way then simply ignore them utilizing crouching and prone movement.

You can disable a Bile Titan and prevent it from spitting bile - Shooting at its green abdomen can break it, once broken it will no longer be able to spit.

Moving through barbed wire in Automaton territory will slow you down and deal damage - I wasn't aware this also dealt damage at first but it does, so watch your step. Barbed plants will have the same effect.

If you're caught by a slowing effect, dive repeatedly to move faster - EMS, barbed wire, bug bile, it doesn't matter, you can dive over and over to move quicker.

Consider sharing your stratagems - If you're carrying a backpack or support weapon and it comes off cooldown again, consider sharing the spare with one of your teammates. You may wanna communicate for this one, as your teammate may already have a support weapon or backpack they'd rather carry instead.



From the left side of the UI, you can see who is holding a backpack, you're also able to see ammo and stim count, if it's red, that person is low on supplies.

During the SEAF Artillery objective, you can move faster when transporting shells by repeatedly dropping and picking it up while moving.




You can use Chargers to destroy bug holes - Simply bait the Charger into charging after you while standing in front of a bug hole and move out of the way in time, no more bug hole.

Backblast: Careful of firing rockets if teammates are behind you, and also be mindful of being behind a teammate when they're firing a rocket.

Originally posted by Sun Tzu:

Watch the backblast you idiot.

Wise words indeed.

Injuries - After taking damage to a limb, you may sustain an injury.



These can be fixed by simply using a stim. There are three different types of injuries: arms, legs and torso. These injuries apply different debuffs.

Left Arm - Accuracy reduced.
Right Arm - Accuracy reduced, grenade and stratagem throwing distance reduced.
Legs - Significantly reduced mobility, unable to sprint.
Torso - Bleeding, you will constantly lose health until you use a stim or perish.

Faster reloads - Reloading before you're completely empty will decrease the amount of time it takes to perform a reload.

Throwing stratagems further - You can toss your stratagem while at the apex of a dive for even more distance, combined with elevation and the Servo-Assisted armour passive, you can get some true longball throws.

Enemy spawns/patrols increase drastically once the primary objective is complete! - Completing the primary objective(s) will force more spawns, keep this in mind if you want to complete other objectives before being swarmed.

You can perform a slide while sprinting by pressing the crouch button - It's a very short slide, but this is something that you can do, so I thought I'd mention it anyway.

SEAF Artillery can be used when other stratagems are unavailable. (Jammers, Ion storms, Super Destroyer withdrawing support.)

Automatons become less accurate when they are under suppressive fire, keep shooting!

Mission Strategems

Stratagems that do not require a slot, either standard issue, or can only be called in under specific circumstances.

There are various miscellanious yellow stratagems, but for the sake of conciseness I have only mentioned the ones you will see most often.

Supply: Support Weapons

Weapons that occupy your support slot, some may require a backpack for ammunition and reloading.

Supply stratagems that occupy your backpack slot.
This section does not include support weapons that include a dedicated backpack.












Stratagems that call in everyone's favourite pilot.

Stratagems that make use of the Super Destroyer's devastating orbital cannons.

Turrets, Emplacements and other tools, defensive and stationary stratagems.

I'll give a brief description of each weapon and some opinions while trying not to be too biased.

AR-23 Liberator



The standard issue rifle issued to all Helldivers, the attached scope makes it a reliable weapon at any range, its ease of use and accuracy make it a solid choice for mowing down targets with light armour. A good choice for general use, its main weakness is its lack of armour penetration.

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator



While it boasts higher armour penetration than the standard AR-23 Liberator, it sacrifices damage and magazine capacity to make this possible. A sidegrade that may struggle in some areas that its original sibling may not.

AR-23C Liberator Concussive



Another take on the Liberator, dealing significantly reduced damage in exchange for concussive rounds that stagger targets, built for crowd control. Consider taking a support weapon to make up for the lack of damage that this weapon dishes out.

AR-23A Liberator Carbine



Similar to the stock Liberator, featuring a higher fire rate at the cost of more recoil. Best suited for close quarters.

AR-61 Tenderizer



A weapon filling a similar role to the Liberator.
Compared to its cousin, it does more damage per shot, has a smaller magazine size but carries more total mags. It also fires slightly slower in exchange for less recoil.

BR-14 Adjudicator



A heavy assault rifle with medium armour penetration, able to dish out damage quickly.
It has significant recoil, making it difficult to land shots at range unless the user paces their shots. A versatile weapon in skilled hands.

SG-8 Punisher



While it lacks range, this is a powerful pump shotgun capable of dealing heavy damage up close. While it only has light armour penetration, it is still capable of staggering enemies with medium armour. Due to loading one shell at a time, the user can quickly reload in-between shots, ensuring a near-constant pummelling of anything that gets into range.


SG-8S Slugger



A pump shotgun, capable of shooting targets from further away due to being loaded with slug rounds. Versatile due to the slug rounds it comes with, able to fire further down range compared to the Punisher or Breaker. Can be reloaded between shots like the Punisher.

SG-225 Breaker



A fully automatic mag-fed shotgun with extremely high burst damage. Capable of chewing through hordes of smaller enemies or dumping an entire magazine into a weak point for huge damage at close range. Just be aware of the lack of armour penetration and poor ammo economy.

SG-225SP Breaker Spray & Pray



A breaker modified to fire birdshot. Sacrifices damage for a bigger magazine and the sheer volume of pellets that it fires.
Excels at firing into hordes of bugs, specializing in killing hordes of smaller enemies. Very useful during bug breaches.

SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary



A burst fire shotgun that sets targets on fire. While raw damage is decreased, the fire provides damage over time. This beautiful invention was born to kill bugs, it's possible to dish out damage by shooting once and igniting an enemy and leaving them to burn, conserving ammo and allowing the user to focus on another target. The fire will damage even large targets like chargers, but don't expect your fire to kill them. Not bad against bots either.

R-63 Diligence



A versatile precision weapon, in comparison to its variant the Counter Sniper, it lacks medium armour penetration and cannot kill devastators with one shot to the head, making this weapon a more spammy DMR better suited for slaying bugs with precision.

R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper



In comparison to the regular Diligence, it features a scope capable of 200m and sporting higher damage and armour penetration capabilities, sacrificing ammo and having slightly worse sway. A powerful weapon that rewards precision shots and punishes reckless shooting. The slight damage increase may look negligible, but it reaches breakpoints to kill some enemies in one shot rather than its counterpart, which takes two shots. A rewarding weapon for a patient marksman.

MP-98 Knight



Exclusive to Super Citizens. I unfortunately don't have any experience with it first-hand, as I don't own it, all information will be what I've heard and seen from others.

A bullet hose of an SMG, with a fire rate so high it quickly burns through its 50-round magazine, paired with a quick reload, this is a perfect 'panic button' to delete close range threats. Just be mindful of the terrible ammo economy when used in full auto, and consider changing to burst fire and firing judiciously.

SMG-37 Defender



Somewhat inaccurate, but tears up targets at close range, comes with full auto capabilities for spraying a horde at close range, but can also be used in semi or burst mode for ammo economy.
Very quick reload, this weapon; like other one-handed weapons are a good choice if you want something to pair with the SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack.

SMG-72 Pummeler



Does less damage than the Defender, but gains concussive rounds, still packs a punch despite the tradeoff.
These concussive rounds work differently compared to the Liberator Concussive.
Sustained fire to an enemy will stun it, similar to an EMS, which makes it a very potent weapon at taking out Stalkers and similar dangerous enemies.

CB-9 Exploding Crossbow



A crossbow that fires bolts that explode in a radius, damaging anything around the detonation.
Very accurate. The bolt drops very quickly, making it tough to use at long ranges. Can be shot at the ground near a cluster of smaller enemies, blowing them all up. A weapon used for clearing crowds. The explosion will kill weaker enemies, and likely stagger medium enemies.

JAR-5 Dominator



A powerful semi-automatic gun that fires jet propelled rounds which can kill chaff in a single shot, killing many medium enemies with just a single headshot. Very accurate, but has significant bullet drop. The projectiles are quite slow, requiring lead on moving targets. Causes stagger to enemies, making it easy to take out Devastators and the like. Great against Automatons.

R-36 Eruptor



A bolt action rifle that fires explosive shrapnel rounds one a time, the Eruptor needs to be bolted after every shot.
Effective at devastating crowds, aim for the centre of an enemy cluster for maximum damage. Can destroy bug holes; fabricators too, if the shot is fired into the lower half of the vents. Take care of firing at close range, as the explosion will either heavily damage or kill the user.

SG-451 Cookout



A buckshot firing shotgun that could be considered a hybrid between the SG-8 Punisher and SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary. Can stagger and ignite enemies. Can be reloaded constantly like the other pump shotguns.

FLAM-66 Torcher



Essentially, a primary version of the FLAM-40 Flamethrower. Features heavy armour penetration. Possesses better handling than the Flamethrower, due to its smaller size.

SG-20 Halt



A pump shotgun with dual tubes, with one holding medium pen flechette rounds and the other stun rounds, these can be swapped between independently without reloading. However, these shells share the same ammo pool.

SMG-32 Reprimand



A two-handed SMG featuring higher damage than other SMG's, but heavy recoil and bullet spread.
Cannot be used with the ballistic shield due to the nature of requiring both hands.

PLAS-1 Scorcher



A powerful weapon that fires explosive projectiles, despite only having light armour penetration, the explosive AoE can deal with medium enemies like the Scout Strider and Hive Guard.
Very accurate with high damage, though poor ammo economy, requiring frequent reloading.

PLAS-101 Purifier



An energy weapon that can charge shots for increased damage and AoE, with no additional ammo cost. Very ammo effecient when charged.

LAS-5 Scythe



A beam weapon with long range and consistent damage, having little downtime if reloaded with a heat sink. Has 'unlimited' ammo, provided the user controls its heat. Fantastic against shriekers. Can set enemies on fire.

LAS-16 Sickle



Unlike other energy weapons, the LAS-16 Sickle acts more like an assault rifle, firing a barrage of energy projectiles. There's a small delay when the trigger is pulled for the gun to actually begin firing, so keep this in mind. Has 'infinite' ammo, as long as the user keeps the heat under control. Comes with a scope for longer ranges. Somewhat inaccurate fire.

SG-8P Punisher Plasma



An energy weapon that fires plasma orbs, behaving more similarly to a grenade launcher than a shotgun. Best at dealing with clusters of weaker enemies. Can shoot over cover, due to it's arcing projectile. Staggers enemies caught in the blast.

ARC-12 Blitzer



A shotgun that fires arcs of electricity unlike a conventical shotgun, similar to the ARC-3 Arc Thrower. Unlimited ammo and causes a small stun on hit.

SG-22 Bushwhacker



A one-handed triple-barrelled shotgun, able to fire one barrel at a time or all three at once. Great for close range encounters. Can force enemies to stagger.


P-2 Peacemaker



The standard issue sidearm for all Helldivers, the P-2 Peacemaker is a reliable handgun.
Very lightweight with great ergonomics; making it very snappy and easy to sustain accurate fire.
Can fire very quickly for those with quick fingers.


P-4 Senator



🎶 'Big iron on his hip
Big iron, big iron' 🎶

A powerful revolver with heavy armour penetration and six shots, more than enough to kill anything that moves.
Reloads one round at a time, but empty the cylinder and you'll use your speedloader to refill it quicker than if you reloaded with shots leftover. Rewards accurate shooting.

P-19 Redeemer



A fully automatic machine pistol, very fast firing speed with a small magazine.
Perfect for dumping a mag in a pinch. It'll devastate targets in close range, just watch out for the heavy recoil.

P-113 Verdict



The P-113 Verdict is similar to the P-2 Peacemaker, but features medium armour pen.
Packs a wallop with good accuracy, the small magazine requires frequent reloading; fortunately it has a generous amount of reserve ammunition. Great well-rounded sidearm.

GP-31 Grenade Pistol



Weapon or utility? How about both?
The GP-31 Grenade Pistol is a miniature grenade launcher, firing one grenade before requiring reloading, a very useful tool for clearing out a cluster of enemies or blowing up a fabricator or bug hole. Though this comes at the cost of giving up a sidearm that may just save your skin in close quarters combat. Consider the pros and cons before equipping.

LAS-7 Dagger



A laser pistol. Unlimited ammo so long as the user takes care not to overheat it too often, with extremely accurate fire for taking out weak targets.
Great for conserving ammo on a primary or support weapon but due to it overheating quickly, it is not so reliable in a pinch. Make sure your other guns can make up for this weakness. Can ignite enemies.

P-72 Crisper



A handheld flamethrower that can even penetrate heavy armour. Requires frequent reloading.
Firing at the floor creates a pool of fire that can prevent enemies from chasing.

P-11 Stim Pistol



A unique secondary that holds six darts for healing other Helldivers. Absolutely useless as an actual weapon, but a fantastic utility for your entire team. Doesn't heal fully like a proper stim, but heals chip damage nicely. Also features a speedloader for reloading like the Senator when empty.

Stacks with the Med-Kit armour passive and the Experimental Infusion booster for longer lasting stims and stim buffs respectively.

PLAS-15 Loyalist



The Loyalist is essentially a pocket version of the Plas-101 Purifier, it can be charged up for a more powerful shot and is very useful against scout striders and their reinforced variant.

G-6 Frag



A fragmentation grenade. Compared to the standard issue G-12 High Explosive grenade, the G-6 Frag grenade trades damage and armour penetration for a larger explosion radius and a shorter fuse time.

G-10 Incendiary



A grenade that bursts into flames upon detonation, anything in the radius is set aflame, and leaves a puddle of fire for ten seconds.
A potent insecticide, great for roasting bugs if the wielder doesn't mind the delayed killing time.

G-12 High Explosive



The standard issue grenade issued to all Helldivers.
No gimmicks, the G-12 High Explosive packs a punch and is a solid generalist grenade that can take out enemies and clear both fabricators and bug holes with ease. Can even damage or kill heavy units.


G-16 Impact



Very similar to the G-12 High Explosive grenade, instead of having a fuse, the G-16 Impact does what it says on the tin, it explodes on impact. Does not bounce.
Obviously, this is very dangerous if thrown haphazardly in close range, killing the user or anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby. Very useful for throwing directly at a target for instant damage. May take getting used to for closing bug holes and fabricators with. Very useful when you want something dead immediately; a popular choice for a reason.

G-13 Incendiary Impact



Much like the G-10 Incendiary grenade, but without a fuse time and instead detonating upon impact. More or less the same grenade otherwise. Doesn't bounce.

G-23 Stun



A non-lethal grenade that stuns any enemy caught in the blast radius; slowing any Helldiver inside as well.
While it exchanges damage and the capability to destroy bug holes and fabricators, what you gain is a grenade with huge utility, able to peel for yourself or teammates under attack or get enough time to flank an enemy to hit behind their armour.
Can be used to stun enemies in the middle of an attack, such as a Bile Spewer or Hulk Scorcher.
Very useful for immobilizing threats to follow up with a stratagem or lethal precision shot.
Stun lasts 5 seconds.

G-3 Smoke



A more niche grenade that produces smoke instead of dealing damage or demolishing structures.
The smoke cloud is small, and lasts for 30 seconds.
May be useful in concealing yourself or nearby teammates from a patrol that cannot be evaded.
More useful against Automatons than bugs.

G-123 Thermite



Has very high armour penetration and damage. Best suited for dealing with heavy units.
Once thrown, it will stick to its target, burning and dealing fire damage before exploding. Good anti-hulk and anti-charger tool.

K-2 Throwing Knife



Not really a grenade but you do throw it, so... Can carry up to 20 throwing knifes. Kills silently. Seems to aim to the left of the reticule, so compensate by aiming slightly to the right.
Throwing 4 into the leg of a charger should dispatch it.

G-4 Gas



A grenade that dispenses a cloud of gas instead of exploding. Works similarly to the Orbital Gas Strike, confusing and slowing enemies. A potent tool for dealing with crowds.
Throwing multiple gas grenades in the same location does not allow the damage to stack.

Armor pieces are classified into three categories:

• Light: These armour sets offer minimal protection but allow for greater speed and mobility.
  
• Medium: These armour sets provide a balance between both protection and mobility.
  
• Heavy: These armour sets offer maximum protection but hinder mobility.

Helmets and capes are cosmetic in function, only the armour equipped on your torso changes gameplay.
These armours are accompanied by three separate stats:

Armour Rating: The higher this value, the less damage you'll receive.
Speed: The higher this value, the faster you'll be able to move.
Stamina Regen: The higher this value, the quicker you'll regain lost stamina.

An example of stats from light, medium and heavy armour respectively:






Each armour has a passive associated with it, these will be listed below:




Exclusive to helmets and capes, as they provide no tactical benefit. Besides fashion and morale.




Upon taking lethal damage, the wearer has a 50% chance of surviving on one health. Immune to chest haemorrhaging/breakage and bleeding. Taking damage from DoT effects such as fire does not activate this passive.




Provides a 95% damage resistance to arc damage. This is purely for protecting oneself against self-damage or friendly fire, as no enemies currently use this damage type. Equipment capable of Arc damage are the ARC-12 Blitzer, ARC-3 Arc Thrower and A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower.




Grants the user +2 grenades, for six in total.
Further reduces recoil while crouched or prone by 30%, synergizes well with weapons with high recoil.




Provides an additional +50 to armour rating. Essentially, allows the user to wear light armour with the protection of medium armour, or to wear medium armour with the durability of heavy. If a heavy armour has this, armour rating will be increased further to a massive rating of 200.




All damage received from explosions is reduced by 50%, effective against explosive automaton weaponry and any friendly fire mishaps involving explosives. Further reduces recoil while crouched or prone by 30%.
Surprisingly bug bile counts as explosive damage, this perk will reduce the damage you receive from nursing spewers, titan bile, etc.




Grants the user +2 stims, for six in total.
Stim duration increased by 2 seconds, making the diver tanky against repeated hits while under the effects.
This bonus also applies to darts fired from the P-11 Stim Pistol!





Pins placed on the map scan the area around them, revealing the location of enemies.
Recudes enemy detection range of the wearer by 30%.




Increases throwing range by 30%, allowing stratagems to be thrown much further.
Increases the health of limbs by 50%.




+50% Melee Damage. Reduces weapon drag significantly, allowing snappier target acquisition; especially noticeable with heavier weapons.




Straightforward, reduces damage taken from fire sources by 75%. This counts both fire caused by friendlies and enemies.




Another straightforward passive, reduces gas damage taken by 80%. No enemy actually uses this damage type so this is purely for avoiding your own gas or friendly fire.




Reduces flinching upon damage taken by 95%. This is best used against bots due to their ranged nature. Pretty useful when using precision weaponry.

You may pick one booster per mission, its effects benefit the entire team, not just the user.




Upon both deployment and reinforcement, all Helldivers are fully stocked on ammo, grenades and stims. Helldivers will always carry their maximum, even if wearing armour that grants additional benefits. (Stims, grenades)




Grants one additional reinforcement per Helldiver in the squad for a maximum of +4 reinforcements, totalling to 24.




Increases all Helldivers stamina capacity and recovery.
The lighter armour the user is wearing, the greater the benefit.

• Light armour: - 9~ extra seconds of sprinting, stamina regenerates 2~ seconds quicker.
  
• Medium armour: - 7~ extra seconds of sprinting, stamina regenerates 1.5~ seconds quicker.
  
• Heavy armour: 5~ extra seconds of sprinting, stamina regenerates 1~ seconds quicker.

These factors are determined by your armours speed and stamina regen stats, all times are approximate.




Allows Helldivers to move through difficult terrain such as snow, mud, water, inclines and foliage faster. Useful on planets with rough terrain.
Very useful during hazourdous weather such as blizzards or sandstorms.




Provides more health to Helldiver's limbs, allowing them to take more damage before they break.
Provides damage resistance - This isn't mentioned in-game and it's a pretty big deal, testing with friendly fire it seems something that would normally kill a Helldiver in 3 shots now takes 4 shots. Increases effective maximum health by 30%~.




Increases the radar range of all Helldivers. Seems to increase by 50%, give or take.




Once reinforcements are exhausted, decreases additional reinforcement time by 10% for a difference of 12 seconds.

No booster: 2:00
With booster: 1:48




The official description of this is unclear: "Increases the time between enemy encounters" - What this actually means is that the enemy must wait longer before calling in reinforcements, reducing the amount of bug breaches and bot drops.
Seems to increase the cooldown of enemy reinforcements by 10%.




Reduces the time it takes for Pelican-1 to arrive at evac by 15%.

Standard
No Booster: 2:00
With Booster: 1:42

On planets with Complex Stratagem Plotting modifier:
No Booster: 3:00
With Booster: 2:30




Reduces the time you remain slowed by enemy debuffs (Bile titan, hunters) by 25%~




Stims now provide damage resistance and a boost to speed for a short time. Exact numbers unknown currently.




All hellpods carrying either Helldivers or equipment will now explode into flames upon landing.
Yes, it can friendly fire. Very chaotic.




Allows Helldivers to sprint even when stamina is exhausted, at the cost of draining health. Synergizes very well with the Vitality Enhancement Booster, significantly reducing health drain.





It's easy to see that some of these have niche, middling effects while others are more generalist and useful, but try each out and see for yourself.

'Which boosters should I equip?'
If you're looking for advice, I would say Hellpod Space Optimization, Stamina Enhancement, and Vitality Enhancement are the best options, leaving one slot open to flex. These are almost always useful. Muscle Enhancement is more situational, but remains very useful on planets with deep snow or large amounts of foliage.
Experimental Infusion is also useful.

Below, you'll find upgrades for the Super Destroyer, and the cost of samples and Requisition for each.


Donation Access License: Support weapons deploy with full reserve ammunition.
Costs: 60

Streamlined Request Process: Decreases Support Weapon cooldowns by 10%.
Costs: 80 40

Hand Carts: Decreases cooldown of all backpack stratagems by 10%.
Costs: 80 60 5

Superior Packing Methodology: Resupply boxes completely refill the ammunition of support weapons.
Costs: 150 150 15 20,000

Payroll Management System: Reduces reload time for all support weapons by 10%.
Costs: 200 200 20 30,000


Exploding Shrapnel: Reduces damage falloff from the center of explosions caused by orbital stratagems, making enemies on the edge of the blast take more damage.
Costs: 100

More Guns: Orbital barrages fire one additional salvo per barrage.
Costs: 80 60

Zero-G Breech Loading: Orbital stratagem cooldown time reduced by 10%.
Costs: 80 80 10

Atmospheric Monitoring: Orbital HE barrage spread reduced by 15%
Costs: 200 150 15 25,000

High-Density Explosives: Increases the damage radius on explosions caused by orbital Stratagems by 10%.
Costs: 250 200 20 35,000



Liquid-Ventilated Cockpit: Eagle stratagem cooldown time reduced by 50%.
Costs: 80

Pit Crew Hazard Pay: Reduces Eagle Rearm by 20%, for -30 seconds total, bringing the cooldown from 2:30 to 2:00.
Costs: 80 40

Expanded Weapons Bay: Gives every Eagle stratagem +1 use before needing to rearm.
Costs: 80 80 10

XXL Weapons Bay: Eagle Stratagems that drop multiple bombs will drop one additional bomb.
Costs: 150 150 15 25,000

Advanced Crew Training: Eagle Rearm cooldown further reduced by 10% if called in while Eagle uses still remain.
Costs: 200 250 25 30,000

Targeting Software Upgrade: Reduces deployment time for orbital stratagems by 1 second.
Costs: 60

Nuclear Radar: Increases enemy detection range of the radar by an additional 50m.
Costs: 80 40

Power Steering: Improves the steering of the hellpod during deployment and reinforcement.
Costs: 80 80 10

Enhanced Combustion: Increases stratagem fire damage by 25%.
Costs: 200 150 15 25,000

Morale Augmentation: Reduces cooldown time for all Stratagems by 5%.
Costs: 250 200 20 35,000



Synthetic Supplementation: Reduces cooldown time for Sentry, Emplacement, and Resupply stratagems by 10%.
Costs: 60 10

Advanced Construction: Increases the health of sentry stratagems by 50%.
Costs: 80 60 5

Rapid Launch System: Removes deployment time for emplacement stratagems.
Costs: 80 80 10

Circuit Expansion: Equipment that fires lightning arcs bounce to one additional enemy.
Costs: 200 150 20 20,000

Streamlined Launch Process: All Support Weapon stratagems launch immediately once called in, reducing overall deployment time.
Costs: 250 200 25 30,000

Dynamic Tracking: Reduces deployment time for all Sentry stratagems by 3 seconds.
Costs: 60 20

Shock Absorption Gel: Increases ammo for Sentry stratagems by 50%.
Costs: 80 40 5

High-Quality Lubricant: Sentries rotate towards new targets more quickly.
Costs: 80 80 10

Blast Absorption: Sentries take 50% less damage from explosions.
Costs: 150 150 20 25,000

Cross-Platform Compatibility: Mortar Sentries prioritize fire at marked targets.
Costs: 250 200 30 35,000



Total cost of all upgrades:

3,830 2,920 305 335,000


'What ship modules should I prioritize?'
If you're looking for advice I'd recommend upgrading the Hangar until you get the Expanded Weapons Bay, increasing the uses of each Eagle by one. Very nice to have if you use Eagle's often. Donation Access License is nice to make your support weapon last longer, as is Superior Packing Methodology. Power Steering is a very cozy one, the steering difference is quite significant, making it easier to choose a safe landing spot or to squash an enemy.
Enchanced Combustion is nice if you're a fan of things like the Flamethrower and Eagle Napalm.
If you enjoy using sentries, getting 50% more ammo with Shock Absorption Gel is very nice.

Up to 5 optional objectives may spawn at once on higher difficulties.
As they are only optional, they do not have to be completed for mission completion. More details below.




After the tower has been located, the terminal must be powered on and the radar dish must be raised, and then rotated in the specified direction, this can be done as a group or alone.
Once the radar dish is rotated in the correct direction the terminal will beep, allowing even solo divers to complete the objective easily.
Once completed the tower will mark all Terminid nests & Automaton outposts, optional objectives, and places of interest on the map.



After locating the artillery Helldivers must first activate the terminal, and manually load the shells scattered around the gun. There will be 7 shells to load around the artillery. Shells can be picked up and brought to the loader for insertion. The artillery will fire the shells in the order that they were loaded, from first to last. The artillery can load 5 shells maximum.


Shells can be transported quickly by picking them up and dropping them repeatedly while moving.
An even faster method, the shells can be 'thrown' by dropping a shell, picking it back up, and then swapping weapons as it reaches the Helldiver's hands. This is trickier to pull off than the first method.

There are 6 different kinds of shells, each with their own function.

Black - Mini-Nuke


Creates a massive explosion much like a hellbomb.

Yellow - High Yield Explosive


Creates a large explosion.

Green - Explosive


Creates a smaller explosion.

Red - Napalm


Creates an incendiary explosion with deadly lingering fire.

Blue - Static Field


Non-lethal. Creates a stunning field similar to an EMS Orbital.

Grey - Smoke


Creates a smokescreen to provide cover, more niche than the rest.

Once fully loaded and the objective has been completed, your team will gain access to the SEAF Artillery stratagem, number of uses and cooldown will be shared by everyone.


→ ↑ ↑ ↓

The specific shot in the gun will not be displayed, feel free to communicate the order of the loaded shells to your team if you wish. If you're in a rush, just load whatever you can, getting the objective done is priority over which shells are loaded.




Traitors and rogue scientists have produced research of a malevolent nature at this lab, it must be destroyed.

A Hellbomb can be called in to blow the research station to bits, the target building is the one with the satellite dish atop it.



A Hellbomb isn't the only way to destroy it, it can also be blown up by a 500KG bomb and other stratagems with similar armour pen.




Disloyal dissidents and those that would watch Super Earth burn are broadcasting their treacherous lies to innocent patriots, destroy the source.



The tower may be disabled by approaching and interacting with the terminal.
A much quicker method of dealing with the broadcast tower is by hitting it with an explosive with enough force, such as sniping it with an autocannon, rocket or quasar cannon shot. Grenades, eagles and orbitals will do the job as well. Utilizing one of these methods, the tower can be trivially destroyed without even needing to get close, it can be taken out hundreds of metres away.


A crashed escape pod in the area contains valuable data, retrieve it.



A simple objective, approach the pod and input the 'Upload data' stratagem that becomes available in proximity to the pod, and remain in the area until the upload is complete. Protect the Helldiver initiating the upload.
Samples will always be scattered around the pod.




Found on Terminid infested worlds, the spore spewer will produce spores that drastically reduce visiblity in the vicinity.



The spewer can be destroyed from a distance by using orbitals like the precision strike, or using an eagle airstrike or 500KG bomb. Rockets are very effective, only taking one shot to destroy it. It can be spotted by the orange light it gives off.




Found on Terminid worlds, this is a dangerous threat to be faced with. Stalkers will spawn from their lair and hunt down Helldivers. The lair will look similar to regular bug holes, and can be destroyed in the same manner. If Stalkers are found on your mission, find the lair and take it out ASAP!






Take note of how the land around the lair appears.
A Helldiver with a keen eye can pinpoint their location by spying the map for any land formations that look suspect.
The objective is complete once the lair is destroyed, preventing Stalkers from further spawning.




An objective that appears on Terminid planets, it is a group of hive-like structures that spawn Shriekers, a Terminid capable of flight that will swoop down at Helldivers to attack. Shriekers will start spawning once a Helldiver is within 130 metres of the nest.



While a Hellbomb may be called in to dispatch of these nests, it is dangerous. It is far safer and quicker to take it out from a distance using anti-tank weaponry such as rockets, or using a Quasar cannon.. Orbitals and Eagles capable of destroying structures can also be used.

Microwave icon

An abandoned SEAF Surface-to-Air Missile site that can be found on Automaton planets.
Simply approach and activate the terminal, inputting codes as necessary.
Once active, the SAM will attempt to fire missiles at any Dropships or Gunships in the area.



The SAM after being activated.




An Automaton Structure that will scan for nearby Helldivers, if it spots a hostile, it will constantly keep calling in Dropships until it is destroyed, highly dangerous.



The tower can be destroyed by barging into the base and calling in a Hellbomb.
A 500KG bomb will make quick work of the tower as well.




'Warning, you are in range of enemy artillery!' - Mission Control

An Automaton mortar that will constantly fire at Helldivers within 150 metres of it.
It can be located by looking to the sky to trace the shots back to where they originally came from.
Locate the emplacement and shoot the weak spot in the back of the mortars to complete the objective and neutralise them.




An Automaton structure that will prevent Helldivers from using a stratagem within 150 metres of it, this includes calling down reinforcements. A dangerous threat if it is close to other objectives or a large enemy force.
The jammer can be disabled by approaching the base and interacting with the terminal inside, once the jammer is disabled, it can be blown up by a Hellbomb or other powerful stratagem explosives.

Sometimes, the jammer will be next to an automaton fabricator, destroying the fabricator will cause it to detonate, blowing up the jammer without even needing to disable it first.



The jammer will give off a red light, and the tower will be constantly spinning, making it easy to spot from a distance.




Automaton AA guns that will prevent any Eagles from being called in.
They can be spotted by looking upwards, and looking for the periodic fire they shoot into the air.
They can be dealt with via Hellbomb, Orbital Strikes, or they can be destroyed by shooting at the vent weak spot behind the guns.




An Automaton Factory that will produce dangerous Automaton Gunships, these facilities can only be destroyed by a Hellbomb so don't bother wasting stratagems trying to blow it up. Demolishing the building will prevent further Gunships from spawning.




A mutated Terminid larva encased inside of a container. The specimen must occupy the backpack slot and be carried into the Pelican upon extraction for the objective to be considered successful.
It can be found inside of a container laying on the ground, usually swarming with bugs seeking to free it from its prison.
If the container sustains too much damage it will shatter and the objective will be failed.




The Automatons are breaking down organic matter for some nefarious purpose, destroy the processor.

The Bio-Processor possesses absolutely no armour, so destroying it should be trivial with no need of special equipment. It can be found within Automaton outposts.

Not every planet is the same, and some may have unusual environmental effects.

Rainstorms - Violent rainstorms reduce visibility.




Acid Storms - Reduces armour for both Helldivers and enemy units, increasing damage taken. Reduces enemy AV (Armour value) by 1, and increases damage taken for both Helldivers and enemies by 33%, but only while the weather effect is active.




Blizzards - Intense snowstorms reduce visibility. Functions the same way as sandstorms.




Sandstorms - Dense sandstorms reduce visibility. Functions the same way as blizzards.




Thick Fog - Dense fog reduces visibility.




Intense Heat - High temperatures increase stamina drain and speed up heat buildup in weapons. Maximum stamina halved. Stamina regens in half the usual time. Heat weapons don't build heat faster, they lose heat slower; takes 33% longer for these weapons to cool down.




Extreme Cold - Icy temperatures reduce rate of fire and delay heat buildup in weapons. Reduces fire rate by 10%. Heat weapons don't build heat faster, they lose heat slower; takes 33% longer for these weapons to cool down.




Volcanic Activity - Volcanic eruptions lob burning rocks around this planet. Impact zones have a red light on the ground, leaving a fire surface behind on impact. Helldivers crushed by a volcanic rock will die instantly. Very similar to meteor storms.




Meteor Storms - Meteors impact the surface causing massive damage. Impact zones have a blue light on the ground. Helldivers crushed by a meteor will die instantly. Very similar to volcanic activity.




Fire Tornados - The planet is plagued by deadly fire tornados. Fire tornados slowly drift on the surface of the planet, leaving behind deadly fire in their wake.




Ion Storms - Ion storms intermittently disable Stratagems.




Tremors - Periodic tremors ravage the surface of the planet, slowing Helldivers and stunning enemies. As soon as tremors begin anyone in range will lose all of their stamina, and all enemies in range will be stunned. Tremors do not affect the entire map, instead only happening in an area around a chosen player.





Operation Modifiers are an effect that apply to some operations, with one introduced at difficulty level 5 and another at difficulty 8, increasing difficulty significantly.

AA Defenses - Automaton planets only; reduces number of selectable stratagems by 1. - Very punishing, be prepared for a hard mission.
Removed from the game currently. Unknown if it will appear again. Good riddance.



Atmospheric Interference - Orbital stratagems suffer from increased scatter. - Consider your loadout carefully, Orbital Precision Strike won't be so precise anymore. - Removed from the game.


Atmospheric Spores - Terminid planets only; the map is obscured by spores, hindering radar capabilities, bug nests are not visible on the map.



Complex Stratagem Plotting - Stratagem call-in time increased by 50%. Pelican-1 takes one minute longer to reach the evacuation point.



Orbital Fluctuations - Stratagem cooldown increased by 25%



Electronic Countermeasures - Scrambles and randomizes stratagems codes. Removed from the game currently. Unknown if it'll return.


Gunship Patrols/Roving Shriekers - Adds periodic patrols of Gunships on Automaton worlds, and Shriekers on Terminid worlds.

This section is about the community contribution to the war effort. If you're already familiar or simply not interested, please skip to the next section.



From here you can see what planets are available to drop on, and how many Helldivers are present on each world galaxy-wide.



This number will show you how many Helldivers are currently on the surface of the planet, giving it their all for the sake of defending our way of life.

Every so often Super Earth will issue a Major Order, an objective issued to every single Helldiver. These orders can be anything, from making sure certain planets are defended against attack, to liberating key worlds, killing enough enemies as a community, etc. Successful completion of one of these orders will reward every Helldiver with medals and sometimes even new stratagems will be rewarded, such as when the Helldivers liberated Tien Kwan and secured supply lines for mass production of EXO-45 Patriot Exosuits.

The Major Order and depending on whether it succeeds or fails, can have positive or negative consequences and may change how the story of the Galactic War unfolds...

The Major Order gently suggests where Helldivers should be focusing their efforts, take note of what the order is and decide for yourself if you want to help contribute.



When viewing the galaxy map and selecting a planet you'll be presented with available operations, operations refer to a singular mission on easier difficulties, but later become multiple missions on higher difficulties.


An operation consisting of three missions.

If every mission in the operation is completed successfully, you'll contribute 'Squad impact' or 'War score', this is you and your team having a direct impact on the successful liberation or defence of a planet. You needn't do anything special to contribute, you'll do it passively just by completing operations. Failing one mission in the operation will net you nothing in terms of war score. Every squad completion of an operation raises the planet liberation meter, bringing it that tiny bit closer to coming under Super Earth control.

Every planet has what is essentially a health bar, showing how close it is to becoming liberated. At 100% liberation, the threat has been wiped out, now fully under Super Earth control. Each planet has a 'replenishment' rate, which signifies how hard the enemy is fighting back to retain control of the planet. For example, with a replenishment rate of 2%, in five hours time, the enemy will decrease the liberation progress by 10%, not accounting for Helldiver's pushing the bar in the opposite direction. It's essentially a tug of war. The rate of Helldiver contribution is variable depending on how many are currently active.


A planet that is roughly 69% of the way to becoming liberated.


A planet currently undergoing liberation.
Helldivers will be on the offensive, attempting to reclaim a world that is rightfully ours.




A planet currently being attacked, and is currently defending from invading enemy forces.

This is not explained in-game and is completely invisible. - Patched into the game, no longer do you need to use third-party tools to see this!

All planets are connected by hyper-lanes via supply lines, to reach a planet later in the supply line, you must first take the planet it is linked to.
This also applies to the enemy factions, they cannot start an invasion on a planet if it is not connected to their supply lines.



An example of supply lines, note how planets are inaccessible until their prerequisite planet is taken first. I will leave links to resources at the end of the guide so you may view this information in real-time.

TL;DR? If you just want the numbers, skip to the bottom of this section and check out the linked guide by Exhillious.




When selecting primary and secondary weapons, you'll be shown how effective that gun is against armour by the weapons description, 'Light armour penetrating' or Medium armour penetrating'. This is misleading. Despite this, two guns with the same tag in the description may have two different levels of armour penetration.

In truth, armour AND armour penetration work on an invisible scale, from a scale of 0-10.
0 being the lowest armour, and 10, being the highest armour possible.
Some enemy body parts have varying armour values.
Armour penetration works the same way; AP0 being the lowest, and AP10 being the highest.




You'll receive feedback upon shooting an enemy.

If you receive the shield icon you are dealing no damage. Your armour penetration is lower than the enemy armour OR you are shooting at an extreme angle, causing a ricochet.

If you receive a white 'x' your armour penetration matches the enemy armour value. You are dealing partial damage, resulting in 65% damage.

If you receive a red 'x' your armour penetration exceeds the enemy armour value, you are dealing 100% damage.


Enemy body parts have a hidden stat named 'Durability' or 'Durable' parts, which ranges on a scale from 0 to 100, the higher this value is, the less standard damage the enemy will take when damaged in this region.

0 Durability is the lowest, which means the enemy takes damage normally, your weapons regular 'damage' stat matters most here.

100 Durability is the highest, meaning the enemy part will only take damage from the 'durable' damage that your weapon has.

If the rating is in-between, the enemy will take both durable and standard damage.

Generally speaking, 'punchier' weapons will provide more durable damage, and explosive weapons have some of the highest numbers.
In short: If shooting for a durable enemy part, use a weapon with high durability damage!

An example of a part with high durability would be the 'squishy' abdomen on a Charger or Bile Spewer, while these parts lack armour, they have very high durability, explaining why it can take so long for some weapons to destroy these parts, try firing at these zones with weapons that possess high durability damage.




The spreadsheets that used to fill this section have since been retired. Instead, I highly recommend checking out the high quality guide made by Exhillious, which has detailed information on weapons and enemy units. Go check it out and drop a positive rating if their guide helped you out!

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3221849493

Just to be clear, I had nothing to do with this guide and I take no credit for it. It's a fantastic resource, so take advantage of it! I'll leave another link to it in the Helpful Resources section of the guide.

Scavenger



The lowliest Terminid, the tiny Scavenger crawls along the ground like the pathetic insect it is. While extremely fragile, a large horde of them can still kill a Helldiver if underestimated or caught not paying attention.
Upon spotting a threat it will attempt to release pheromones to alert its hive, triggering a bug breach.
Has virtually no armour to speak of, dispatching it should be trivial even with light arms. Its main threat is that it may call for backup.

Pouncer



A small Terminid resembling a juvenile Hunter, they will use their small wings to leap at Helldivers, attempting to slash and bite while in range. They are nimble and will try to avoid incoming fire by leaping to the side. They may call a bug breach by releasing pheromones.
While they are weak alone they can quickly become a problem if left alone due to their high mobility and ability to chase, take them out quickly before they become an issue.

Bile Spitter



A tiny Terminid. These juvenile Bile Spewers attack at range, spitting bile projectiles; if hit by bile spit the afflicted Helldiver will be slowed significantly and suffer a small amount of damage over time.
On their own they are feeble, but if bile hits you while you're surrounded by a horde of stronger bugs they can easily spell your doom, do not underestimate their ability to slow you down.
Able to call in a bug breach.


Warrior/Bile Warrior



A lightly armoured medium-sized Terminid.
They will approach Helldivers slowly and attempt to swipe and slash with their claws. The quickest way to take them out is by destroying the head; be wary however that they will not instantly perish from a decapitation and will become enraged, rushing towards their killer with increased speed and ferocity in attempt to bring them down with them. In this state, you can either distance yourself and let them bleed out or keep firing to drop them quicker.

The Bile Warrior variant is identical besides the green-hued colouring of its flesh, and the deadly bile it releases upon catastrophic damage to its body. Be mindful not to be close to these when they expire.

And we have the special Alpha Warrior variant, which may only be summoned by a Alpha Commander and cannot spawn naturally. These are much more aggressive than a standard warrior, and can quickly swarm and kill an unsuspecting Helldiver.


Hive Guard



A medium-sized Terminid with tough armour around its head and frontal legs, when threatened, it will hunker down and immobilize itself, curling up to protect its weaker flesh, it is easily flanked in this protective state. With careful aim it is possible to hit their weaker zones even when they're hunkered down. If you have the flank of one while a teammate does not, dispatch it.
Weapons with medium armour penetration can ignore this and plough through its defences.

Hunter



A medium-sized nimble Terminid and the fully grown version of a Pouncer. Despite their fragility, these assassins will sneak around behind cover and attempt to quickly close the gap with long leaps, slashing their target multiple times. They will leap sideways to try and dodge incoming fire.
Their melee attacks will also slow down Helldivers, making them an easy target if the Hunter's barrage of attacks doesn't kill them outright. Hitting them with a melee attack can be enough to get enough breathing room to take them out.
They can also call reinforcements via a bug breach.


Brood Commander



A medium-sized Terminid with a similar appearance to a Warrior.
They are able to summon Warriors to assist them, and are capable of a charging attack, able to bowl over Helldivers and knock them down.
Shoot the head to take them down quickly.
Similar to the Warrior, it will not die immediately upon decapitation, instead entering a berserker rage and rushing at their prey.
Able to call in a bug breach.

The Alpha Commander is a tougher variant, featuring higher durability and health. They are the same otherwise, just deadlier.

Stalker



A highly dangerous enemy that only emerges when a Stalker Lair is present somewhere on the map. They will cloak themselves, becoming nearly fully invisible and attempt to sneak up on an unsuspecting Helldiver and take them out. Their attacks cause heavy knockback and high damage.
If they fail to assassinate their target, they will attempt to leap away and camouflage yet again.
Take them out quickly by shooting their head while backing up. Any stunning effects are powerful to immobilize these mobile Terminids, such as shots from the SMG-72 Pummeler.
They will emit a sort of clicking or chittering noise when present, warning when an attack is imminent.

They are easier to see when set aflame via incendiary weapons.
If found on mission, locate the nest and destroy it ASAP.

Shrieker



A medium-sized Terminid capable of flight, it appears when there is a nearby Shrieker Nest
They will engage in hit and run tactics by swooping in to deal damage and flying away.
Laser weaponry such as the LAS-5 Scythe and the LAS-98 Laser Cannon are a good way to take these fast fliers out, due to their infinite range and accurate beam fire. Weak to incendiary.
Take out their nest from afar with anti-tank weaponry to prevent them from spawning.

Nursing Spewer



Medium-sized Terminids with light armour, these bloated abominations will attempt to neutralise threats by vomiting acidic bile from range. The very definition of a glass cannon, they can be easily taken out by shooting/throwing an explosive at their large abdomen, or by shooting them in their fragile head with ballistic weaponry. Dangerous, take them out quickly.
Nursing Spewers will also produce a sort of miniature fog or mist in the area around them when they are present, reducing visibility.

Bile Spewer



A medium-sized Terminid much like the Nursing Spewer. However this creature has a hardened carapace compared to its squishier cousin, making weapons without medium armour penetration an unviable means of taking them out.

They inherit the bile spewing attack of their cousin, which can also cause a slow.
On higher difficulties, these enemies fire green bile into the air, acting as an organic mortar.
If equipped with weapons capable of piercing their head, focus fire into their face. Firing at their abdomen with explosives and high durability damage weapons also works well. Weapons with lesser penetration are capable of hurting their abdomen, but are not recommended due to the length of time it takes to kill just one.

They have a tiny mouth/jaw that can penetrated with light arms fire, but this is a very tough target to hit; shotguns such as the SG-225 Breaker or SG-8 Punisher may have an easier time with this.
Highly dangerous, kill on sight.
Can be killed by a single grenade, impact grenades in particular are very useful against these.

Charger



A large heavily armoured Terminid. As their name might suggest they charge directly at their target, attempting to trample and crush them under their enormous weight.
Most easily evaded by moving diagonally towards it, or moving around the side as it charges towards you.

The most effective way to deal with a charger is to blow it's head off with an anti-tank weapon such as the EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank or LAS-99 Quasar Cannon. Aim high on the head and hit its crest. Thermite grenades are very useful as well.

It can also be dealt with by damaging its abdomen; bullets won't do much against it, but weapons with good durability damage such as the PLAS-1 Scorcher and GL-21 Grenade Launcher will; with its abdomen destroyed the Charger will bleed out shortly after.

If a headshot is not possible, firing an anti-tank weapon at one of its front legs and lighting it up with weaker weapons will drop it as well.
It is possible to destroy armour on its body with anti-tank weapons, making it possible for weapons with less penetration to take it down afterwards.

Another variant exists, the Charger Behemoth. These tougher variants possess tougher armour, but many damage breakpoints are still the same. One rocket to the head is still enough to fell one in a single shot.

And of course we have the newer Spore Charger variant, identified by the large green pustules growing all over its carapace and the large fog cloud it produces in an area while alive.
It will also detonate in a bile explosion upon death, so keep your distance. Otherwise identical to the standard Charger. Stratagems like the Orbital Railcannon Strike and Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods will automatically seek out the Spore Charger, providing there are no other targets in the way.


Bile Titan



A massive Terminid with heavy armour, the Bile Titan refuses to be ignored.
It is capable of a powerful bile spewing attack, slowing anyone unfortunate enough to be in the area and dealing large amounts of damage. It has a high movement speed, making it difficult to outrun. Be careful that it doesn't catch up and stomp on you.

The most effective way to deal with a Bile Titan is to hit it in the head with anti-tank weapons.
It is possible to bait the Titan by letting it attempt to stomp on you by moving close and quickly moving out of the way when it goes to strike, leaving it a prime target for powerful stratagems such as the 500KG Bomb.
Destroying both of its bile sacs renders it unable to spew bile, eliminating its ranged attack.

Impaler



The Impaler is a large, heavily armoured Terminid that can burrow its tentacles underground to attack Helldivers, although this exposes its squishy head. Many anti-tank or medium pen weapons can make short work of it by firing at it while it attempts to attack with its three tentacles. While the face is open, you may shoot the tentacles on its face to temporarily force it to stop attacking.

If you are the chosen target of its tentacle attack, keep moving! You may also shoot the tentacles to force them to retreat.

Trooper



Your standard mass-produced soulless husk. The Automaton Trooper comes in many variants.

• Trooper - Normal Automaton infantry equipped with a rifle.
  
• Brawler - Automaton infantry equipped with dual energy blades and limited to melee combat, unless it mans mounted machine gun emplacements.
  
• Raider - Automaton infantry wielding a rocket launcher.
  
• Marauder - Automaton infantry equipped with a cannon.
  
• Assault - Automaton infantry equipped with a jetpack, pistol and energy blade.
  
• MG - Automaton infantry equipped with a machine gun and energy pack.

While they are fragile and can be taken down in a single shot some of these variants can be quite dangerous, particularly the Raider and Assault class.

All Troopers are capable of calling in a bot drop by shooting a flare. They will raise their arm and prepare to fire it into the sky; try to kill them before this happens to deny the enemy reinforcements.

Marauder variants can be identified by the red heat sinks on their shoulders, these will detonate if shot.
The Raider can be deadly, one rocket could prove fatal.
Watch out for Assault Troopers, they will jump right in the face of Helldivers. While they are not too deadly with their weapons, they will explode upon death! Stay clear and dive backwards while shooting or take them out with melee strikes to prevent them from blowing up.
On higher difficulties there may be a variant of troopers with a darker head, these have more durability and health.

Commissar



An 'elite' officer that is as fragile as it is cowardly, the Commissar prioritizes firing a flare to call for reinforcements over all else, kill them quickly before it calls for dropships.
Can also charge up its flare gun and fire it at Helldivers on higher difficulties, setting the target on fire. Can attack with its handgun or melee weapon.

Scout Strider



An Automaton Trooper piloting a crude pair of mechanical legs armed with a mounted machine gun.

The Scout Strider will approach its target, firing rounds from its machine gun, deflecting shots from weaker weaponry, the best way to take them out vary depending on your weapon; the cockpit can be penetrated when wielding a gun with sufficient armour pen, the Strider can also be toppled over by shooting out the legs. Taking out the fragile pilot is the easiest way of all, in close quarters, it can be flanked, exposing the pilot to a lethal shot in the side or back.
If you're in trouble a well-thrown grenade should be enough to take these out.
Work together with your teammates to deal with them and if you have a shot on the back of one while a fellow Helldiver does not; take the shot.

An upgraded variant exists, the Reinforced Scout Strider. It features armour protecting the pilot and comes with four deadly rockets to fire at unfortunate Helldivers. It remains vulnerable to medium armour pen. Three shots to the waist will destroy it with the Diligence Counter Sniper. It is also possible to shoot the mounted rockets and destroy the strider in this manner.

Berserker



A medium-sized Automaton with chainsaws for arms and covered in spikes. Undeniable proof of the sheer barbarous, savage nature of these disgusting machines.

The Berserker has no ranged capabilities, instead marching straight towards its target and attempting to maim them with its chainsaws, often in groups.

For a quick killaim for the head or aim right for their waist; with enough rounds they'll be split right in half.
Maintain distance and keep laying into them.

Devastator



A medium-sized Automaton that comes in three different variants:

• Devastator
  
• Heavy Devastator
  
• Rocket Devastator

The standard Devastator is equipped with a double-barrelled arm cannon, firing in bursts of two shots.

The Heavy Devastator is equipped with a large shield and a deadly, accurate laser machine gun. They also carry a battery backpack that is vulnerable from behind.

The Rocket Devastator is equipped with shoulder-mounted rocket pods as well as the cannon from the standard model, they will hunch forward slightly when preparing to fire their rockets.
They have a limited amount of rockets before they run out of ammo.

Aim for the head! While they have thick torso armour, their head remains their largest weakness. Pop it off with precision weaponry, all three variants are weak to this method of elimination.
Heavy and Rocket Devastators in particular are very dangerous. The Heavy will fire a barrage into a target, constantly flinching them while dealing heavy damage and making it hard to hit the head while under fire. The Rocket Devastator will launch rockets across the battlefield, knocking Helldivers around or even killing them outright. Take them out with a shot to the head or destroy their rocket pods, negating their ability to fire rockets.


Gunship



An Automaton aerial vehicle equipped with laser machine guns and rockets. They are also equipped with a scanner much like a detector tower, they will call for a bot drop if they spot a Helldiver.

Aim for the thrusters to bring it down, and keep on the move to avoid its rocket volley.
It can be destroyed with anti-tank weaponry if required. However, the AC-8 Autocannon and LAS-98 Laser Cannon are some of the best tools for the job, able to take multiple out in quick succession.
They have a finite amount of rockets.

Hulk



A large, heavily armoured Automaton, the Hulk comes in three variants:

• Bruiser
  
• Scorcher
  
• Obliterator

The Bruiser is equipped with a rocket launcher on its left arm and a laser machine gun on its right. It will make chase while firing both.
The Scorcher is equipped with a flamethrower on its left arm and a buzzsaw on its right. It will rush down Helldivers and try to roast them with deadly flames, or cut them in half with melee.
The Obliterator is the least common variant equipped with dual rocket launchers, firing a deadly barrage of rockets.

All variants will move towards the target while firing their weapons.
While they boast heavy armour, they have two glaring weaknesses, their fragile eye slit, or visor; and the heat vent on their back.
Destroying the visor will cause instant death to a Hulk. It can be a difficult target to hit, meanwhile the heat vent can be blown up with weaker weapons from behind. The Hulk will live for a short time before dying through this method.
The arms can be destroyed, rendering the weapon that was attached to that particular arm useless. The legs can be destroyed in the same manner, one damaged leg will cripple its mobility, and two will kill the Hulk.


Tank



A shameless, inferior imitation of Super Earth's tank designs, proving once again that the socialist Automaton lack both sapience and ingenuity.

Three variants:

• Annihilator - Equipped with a standard heavy cannon and hull-mounted machine gun.
  
• Shredder - Equipped with quad heavy machine guns.
  
• Barrager - Equipped with rocket artillery.

Approaching a Annihilator or Shredder tank from the front is not advised. Either variant will make quick work of an exposed Helldiver, either through being shot at via cannon or machine gun fire. Instead, attempt to shoot the heat vent at the back of the turret; or hit it in the tracks.
Be warned that the Annihilator will open fire with a machine gun when facing its front, further dissuading frontal assaults.
Many Orbitals and Eagles can deal with a tank in just one use, consider spending a stratagem to deal with them in a quick fashion. Rockets and anti-tank weaponry are your best friends here.

The Shredder features a turret that rotates much quicker when compared to the Annihilator, keep this in mind if attempting to flank. Reaching the heat vent as a lone Helldiver proves to be extremely difficult if it keeps its sights on you.
Tanks can be immobilized by dealing damage to their tracks.

The Barrager can fire rockets directly at Helldivers at shorter ranges. At long range it will rotate its launcher upwards and act as artillery. Anti-tank weapons may take it out easily by aiming for the ammunition. Weapons with medium penetration may hit the rear and tracks. Stratagems work as usual.

Factory Strider




The Factory Strider is armed with two laser guns below the cockpit and a huge cannon atop its body, even a single laser turret is capable of easily felling a heroic Helldiver. Avoid engaging head-on.
The frontal turrets can be destroyed if they take enough damage, take them out to weaken the Strider. The large cannon on top can also be destroyed in a similar manner.

Fire should be directed at the visor; the glowing red eye on the right side of its 'face' for a quick kill. Also aim to cripple its frontal guns and mounted cannon.
The Factory Strider will deploy troops periodically from the vent underneath it, this is also a vulnerable weak spot, should a Helldiver get the chance to fire into its undercarriage.

With enough fire, it is possible to peel off its armour and weaken it, keep firing and employ the use of stratagems.

Dropship



A flying Automaton vehicle, unarmed; its sole purpose is to deliver troops and reinforcements.

Shooting out one of the four Thrusters will bring it crashing down, possibly killing the passengers it was transporting.
Weapons such as the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle & FAF-14 Spear can hit centre mass and split the dropship in two, likely killing everything in transport.
It is possible to shoot the troops it is carrying before they drop.

Cannon Turret



A tall, stationary turret that will snipe Helldivers with long range cannon shots. It will remain dormant until it notices a Helldiver or until it is attacked, take care that it can fire hundreds of metres away even through thick fog.

When about to fire, there will be a brief red flash, get behind cover!
It can be baited into firing by stepping out of cover, waiting for the flash and taking cover once again, allowing a Helldiver a brief window of opportunity to move while its charging another shot.
It should be attacked from behind, shooting directly at the heat vent. It is possible to take it out head-on with anti-tank weapons. Orbitals and Eagles can also take it out.

The Illuminate were defeated in the First Galactic War, any so-called reported sightings are to be disregarded. Please report anyone spreading these dangerous lies to your local Democracy Officer.

But in all seriousness, they will be in the game at some point in the future. Until then, enjoy your time not being murdered by cloaked assassins, snipers and having your controls scrambled and reversed.

Nothing here yet, stay tuned.
No plans to continue the guide currently.

I am not affiliated with any of the websites or guides linked here nor the individual(s) that contributed to them.

Helldivers Wiki.gg - A helpful wiki filled with various info, check it out here: https://helldivers.wiki.gg/wiki/Helldivers_Wiki

Helldivers.io - Advanced data on stratagem & weapon damage, also has enemy health and armour data. Check it out here:

https://helldivers.io/Stratagems
https://helldivers.io/Weapons
https://helldivers.io/Enemies

Invadersfromplanetspace - Advanced weapon data:

https://invadersfromplanet.space/helldivers-2/

Live Galactic War Maps: - Useful maps to check on the major order and Galactic War with various other features:

https://helldivers.io/
https://helldiverscompanion.com/
https://hd2galaxy.com/

Guides by others:

Again, to be clear; these are not my guides and I had no part in creating them, I take no credit.
If the creators helped you out, then leave them a positive rating!

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3183960900
While patrols were mentioned briefly in my guide, this guide goes into in-depth detail on how patrols and their mechanics work under the hood. If that interests you, go and check out this guide by Gergin.


https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3221849493
Mentioned already earlier in the guide, but for good measure I'm placing it here as well.
An excellent source of information made by Exhillious, featuring in-depth info and details on weaponry, enemy stats, armour penetration, etc.

Any notable changes or updates to the guide will be listed here, minor changes won't be listed.
Listed from newest to oldest.



To do:
Add missing Automaton Poor Intel planet modifier.
Replace images for newer secondary objectives.




10/11/2024 - The entire guide has been grammar checked, rewritten and edited where necessary.

Multiple sections have been revised and rewritten for the Escalation of Freedom update and the following patches to bring the guide up-to-date.

Many stratagems and weapons have had their descriptions changed to better reflect their current state.

Guide avatar changed for a fresh look after the rework.

Some sections have been rearranged.

New stratagems added.

New weapons added.

New grenade added.

New Armour passives added.

New Boosters added.

Booster images changed.

New Ship Modules added.

New side objectives added.

Atmospheric Interference Planet modifier removed.

Acid Rain rework mentioned.

Damage, AP & AV spreadsheets retired. Now links to Exhillious' guide.

New enemies and variants added.



16/06/2024 - Updated for game version 1.4: Revised Stratagem descriptions. Changed various weapon stats to be accurate to the new patch.

Included information on the EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit.

Included information on Charger 'Behemoth' variant (These existed before the patch, but seemed to only spawn as a 'guard' in certain locations on specific missions. They also seemed to function identically at the time, hence why I didn't think they were even worth mentioning).

Changed Charger image to the standard Charger, instead of the Behemoth variant.

Supply Lines change noted. Mentioned that the AA Defenses planetary modifier has been removed.

Automaton Tank armour values edited, the glacis plate no longer has higher armour than the rest of the tank.

Added Viper Commandos warbond content.

Edited text regarding Pelican-1, the aircraft can no longer be damaged.

The Quasar Cannon is no longer immune to extreme hot & cold weather effects, removed text that said otherwise.

Added details of the new (bugged) unnamed operation modifier.



11/06/2024 - Table for Support Weapon details added.



04/06/2024 - Table for Secondary Weapon details added.



01/06/2024 - Included details of the Nursing Spewer's fog ability. Added explanation regarding Durability. Table for Primary Weapon details added, may require slight edits.



31/05/2024 - WIP Table added for Primary Weapon details.



29/05/2024 - Automaton armour values revised and updated.



28/05/2024 - Terminid armour values revised and updated.



25/05/2024 - Guide Created.

Bonus: Press ESC to skip mission results and use movement keys to slide around during your victory pose animation. - Arrowhead killed it. Sad day.



Phew, took a while to set all of this up, I hope you enjoyed reading and learnt something new.
As this is a long guide written by just one person, there's bound to be a few mistakes somewhere. If you notice anything that seems incorrect or needs clarification, just let me know! Thanks.


Most screenshots and gifs were taken by myself but I also used some online resources that helped me put this guide together, so it's time to give credit where credit is due.

Big thanks to...

The Helldivers Wiki and its contributors (Wiki.gg) - For the images of samples, currencies, enemies, SEAF artillery shells and optional objectives!

The Helldivers Wiki and its contributors (Fandom) - For the stratagem and booster icons, illuminate banner and optional objective images!

Scurvybill - For the image regarding red & white hit markers, ricochets too!

Reydriar_ - For the image about headshot damage reduction!

Helldivers Companion App - For the screenshot on supply lines!

Invadersfromplanetspace - For Primary Weapon details!

Helldivers.io & Dataminers - For detailed armour penetration and enemy armour details!
Benj & (Unknown) - For the like/favourite gifs!

Commenters on this guide - Feedback is greatly appreciated. You're helping to make this guide even better, thank you!

And again, thank you all for your helpful comments below. While I may not reply to all of them, I do read all of them.

If you enjoyed the guide and learnt something, please consider giving the guide a positive rating, leaving a favourite or share the guide with players that could make use of it.
Though if you don't that's cool too, you're not obligated.



Thanks for reading to the very end. Good luck and enjoy your time diving.