Our Helldivers 2 beginner's guide is the perfect starting point to teach players how to play HD2, as well as introducing those who aren't familiar with the game and might be considering getting into the galactic war. Helldivers 2 has been one of the biggest games of the year, and regular updates and changes mean that the game is constantly developing, with new enemies and weapons coming in all the time.
Still, the fundamentals remain the same throughout. Whether you're fighting the Automaton Bots or the Terminid Bugs, we'll help explain to you the basics of Helldivers 2 with our beginner's guide here.
What do you do in Helldivers 2?
Helldivers 2 is a multiplayer co-op game in which you work either alone, with friends or random players to fight various alien enemies across the galaxy. Here's how it works, very simply:
- The game's developers decide which enemies attack which planets on the galactic map in your ship, setting up the current crop of missions and planets to win back.
- You choose what world to go to via the same map and which enemies you fight.
- When you get there, you complete "Operations" - chains of 1-4 missions.
- Every Operation completed goes a little way to taking back that planet, represented as a percentage.
- The Helldivers 2 community therefore works collectively to win wars and achieve victories over the enemies of Super Earth.
- As the players fail or succeed in taking worlds, the galactic war changes and develops over time.
It sounds simple, but there's a lot of nuance to it - in part because actually beating those operations isn't an easy thing to do in the least, and also because the battles are constantly in flux, with new threats, enemies, and more to keep things interesting. Make sure you do the tutorial before starting to play the game, which will take you through the basics of combat!
Otherwise, we've laid out the rest of this guide for all the basic questions that new players will have when picking up Helldivers 2, as well as linking to all the useful guides we have when it's beneficial and if you want further info.
Where do I go?
Wondering where to start the war, what planets you should be fighting? Well - any of them! Any sector of the galaxy that's bright red or orange has enemy worlds where war is raging, and any of them are viable battlefields that the Helldivers are trying to take back. The orange sectors are controlled by the Helldivers 2 Terminids - aka, the Bugs, giant insects that swarm and overwhelm you with numbers. The red sectors are controlled by the Helldivers 2 Automatons, armies of advanced robots that use laser guns and armor plating.
You can fight whichever faction you want - or bounce between them - as you choose, but if you're getting started, I will say that generally people find the bugs easier to fight than the bots. Those getting used to galactic warfare can cut their teeth on the Terminids. Alternatively, check to see if there's any Major Orders (community wide goals) or Personal Orders (daily challenges just for you) that'll help give you some direction or a target to aim for!
More guides that might help:
How do I play Helldivers 2?
Helldivers 2 missions are very objective focused - you're dropped into a mission and told to complete objectives (marked in orange on your map). Literally nothing else matters besides the objective - not the amount of kills you get, not the amount of people who die, nothing.
Now yes, there are optional objectives and collectibles you can find while you explore the mission, all of which will get you more XP and rewards at the end, but that's all optional. Even if you don't extract from the mission safely at the end, as long as the main task has been completed, it'll get chalked up as a win.
Otherwise, here's some basic info that might help:
- All progress, collectibles and lives are shared. Work together for the best result!
- Friendly fire is always on, and applies in all directions - you can hurt your friends, and your enemies can hurt each other.
- Accidents will happen and Helldivers kill each other all the time. Try not to do it, but don't worry about it if it does!
- Communicate with and help each other for the best performance.
- The more side objectives, enemy bases and similar that you do, the more XP and Requisition Slips you'll get at the end.
- Dive, dive, dive! Your dive ability is incredibly useful for dodging attacks and protecting you from explosions - you actually take reduced damage from blasts when lying prone. Use it often and learn how it works!
More guides that might help:
- Helldivers 2 crossplay
- Helldivers 2 progression system
- Can you play Helldivers 2 Solo?
- Helldivers 2 extraction
- Helldivers 2 Secondary Objectives
- Helldivers 2 fast levelling
- How to farm Samples in Helldivers 2
What weapons should I get first?
Helldivers 2 has all manner of weapons, armor and equipment for players to get, with a great deal of difference in how good they actually are. We put together a Helldivers 2 best weapons tier list for players to compare everything in terms of armaments, but ultimately you want to get the Breaker shotgun on the free battle pass as early as possible. If you're willing to spend money, the first page of the Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge Warbond has the Sickle, a deadly laser machine gun that's one of the best guns in the game, and you can have in the first couple of hours.
More guides that might help:
- How to unlock weapons in Helldivers 2
- Helldivers 2 meta
- Helldivers 2 armor piercing
- Helldivers 2 Steeled Veterans Warbond
What armor should I get first?
Armor in Helldivers 2 is meant to provide options between balancing weight - how slow and cumbersome you are - over protection, namely how much damage reduction you get. Not only that, but armor has a variety of unique buffs and perks - but as a rule, we're confident saying two things: firstly, that the best Helldivers 2 armor is light, not medium or heavy, as heavy armor doesn't protect enough to be worth losing that extra agility and speed.
Secondly, all the various armor sets tied to being a Medic that give extra Stims and increase their effect are almost certainly the best perks overall. Check the Superstore every day for Medical-themed armor, and target the battle passes to earn Super Credits and relevant armor accordingly, but don't expect to get them soon.
More guides that might help:
What Stratagems should I get first?
Stratagems in Helldivers 2 are the special airstrikes and equipment drops you can call in. It goes without saying that we have a guide to the Helldivers 2 best stratagems overall, but as a rule you want to get a wide variety of Stratagems early on, as different stratagems are good for different kinds of missions, such as Sentry turrets being good for defense and certain support weapons being good for specific enemy types. Still, early on start with the Machine Gun Sentry, Eagle Airstrike, Eagle Cluster Bomb and Anti-Materiel Rifle - that'll give you firm grounding in the basics to move on from.
More guides that might help:
© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission
As Helldivers 2's new Democracy Space Station guns down the divers who helped build it, one dev says Arrowhead need to "own that and adapt" but warns that "things are rarely crap or fantastic" at first
Helldivers 2's new Democracy Space Station is killing so many Helldivers that the devs are giving out free shields and extra lives in a "temporary" emergency fix
