Helldivers 2: How to Spread Democracy and Survive Extreme Difficulty

So you've decided to cast off the shackles of civilian life, become more equal than your fellow citizens, and enlist as a Helldiver. Congratulations, soldier. Unfortunately, after that five-minute "training" course, you might still be wondering where to shoot, what to call down, and why your squad keeps mysteriously exploding.

Before you get cryogenically frozen and fired into the galaxy in a Hellpod to spread the good word of democracy, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to progress, survive, and thrive in Helldivers 2—from core mechanics and loadouts to advanced tips for extreme difficulty missions.

At the end, I'll also share some high-level strategies to help you become a truly effective "negotiator" on the battlefield.

What Helldivers 2 Is All About

Helldivers 2 is a third-person, mostly cooperative shooter where teamwork isn't optional—it's mandatory. Friendly fire is always on, and the game's mechanics are built around coordination. If your arsenal isn't killing the enemy, there's a good chance it's killing your teammates instead.

It's also a live-service war. The combined efforts of players across the world shape the galactic war map. When a sector is liberated, everyone benefits. When it falls, everyone feels the consequences. You choose missions from contested planets, deploy, and do your part for Super Earth.

Missions are grouped into operations, and completing them unlocks higher difficulties and better rewards. There are nine difficulty levels, ranging from Trivial all the way to Helldive. From difficulty 5 onward, the game truly becomes Helldivers: together you win, divided you fall.

As difficulty increases, you'll also face more modifiers—like longer cooldowns, scrambled stratagems, or experimental weapons being tested in the field. Always check mission conditions before deploying, or you might call in "ammo" and receive an orbital barrage on your own position instead.

Stratagems: The Core of Your Power

Stratagems are the backbone of Helldivers 2. These are the tools you call down from orbit: weapons, airstrikes, turrets, drones, and support gear. In each mission, you pick a limited set, so planning and team coordination are crucial.

Calling them in requires entering specific button combinations while holding the deploy button—basically "Street Fighter combos" under fire. It's hectic, stressful, and uniquely Helldivers.

You unlock new stratagems in the Ship Management section of your Super Destroyer using Requisition Slips, which you earn from missions, objectives, and points of interest. Early on, the machine gun and precision orbital strike are more than enough. By level 20, you'll have access to the full arsenal.

Pro Tip: Early and Mid-Game MVPs

Autocannon: Amazing for early to mid-game. It shreds objectives, clears outposts, and can even fire directly into bug holes, saving you tons of grenades and ammo.

Disposable Anti-Tank Launcher: Have at least one squadmate bring this. It's perfect for mid-tier armored enemies and can be called in frequently, letting everyone help strip armor and finish big targets.

Ship Modules and Samples: Long-Term Power

In the Ship Management menu, you'll also find Ship Modules—permanent passive upgrades that affect all your stratagems. These are incredibly important and should be a priority early on.

To unlock them, you need Helldivers 2 Samples, which come in three types:

Common: Difficulties 1–3

Rare: Difficulties 4–6

Super Samples: Difficulties 7+

Super Samples only spawn in one location per map, always around a very distinctive rock formation, and you'll get three per drop. This system gently pushes you to climb the difficulty ladder over time.

Warbonds, Super Credits, and Gear Progression

Pressing R on your Destroyer opens the Acquisitions Center. Here you'll find:

Warbonds: Think of these like a battle pass. You spend HD2 Medals (earned from missions and found in-game) to unlock weapons, armor, and cosmetics.

Premium Warbond (Super Citizen Edition): Gives access to extra gear, including some very strong options like the Incendiary Breaker, which is fantastic against Terminids.

Superstore: Rotating shop that uses Helldivers 2 Super Credits (premium currency). You can buy these with real money, but you can also earn them in-game through Warbonds and points of interest.

In the Armory, you equip your primary, secondary, grenades, armor, and cape. Keep in mind: armor matters (stats and perks), but helmets and capes are currently cosmetic only—so prioritize body armor upgrades first.

Boosters and Mission Effects

Before deploying, you'll notice a Booster slot. Boosters apply team-wide modifiers, and up to four can be active per mission. These can improve stamina, survivability, radar range, and more. For greater difficulties, they're essential.

Highly recommended early pick: Stamina Booster—it makes running, kiting, and surviving chaos much easier.

You'll also see planetary effects and global modifiers. Some are helpful, some are harmful, and some are double-edged. Ice planets might help lasers overheat more slowly, while hot planets reduce your stamina. Always check these before dropping in.

Orders and Playing with Others

Orders are ongoing community or personal objectives—anything from kill counts to liberating entire sectors. They reinforce the idea that Helldivers 2 is a truly cooperative war effort.

If you're playing with randoms, you have three options:

1.Join ongoing missions via SOS Beacons on the galaxy map

2.Use Quickplay to drop into a random squad

3.Start a public mission and let others join you

Advanced Tips for Higher Difficulties

Here's where things get serious.

1. You Don't Have to Fight Everything

Patrols give no XP and no resources. Fighting them usually just wastes time and ammo. Avoid them whenever possible unless you can wipe them out quickly.

If enemies call reinforcements (bug spores or automaton flares), things can spiral fast. On higher difficulties, either move immediately or hit them with overwhelming force to stop the reinforcement loop.

Bonus tip: You can shoot down automaton dropships before they deploy troops.

2. Stay Mobile and Go Light

Light armor builds shine in high-level play. Extra mobility keeps you alive. One of the best perks is +30% throwing range, letting you lob airstrikes from safer distances—perfect if you love cluster bombs.

3. The Rover Guard Dog Drone

If you often get separated from your team, the Rover drone is a lifesaver. It clears small enemies, boosts your DPS, and even warns you when enemies spawn behind you (which happens a lot). Just… try not to walk into its line of fire.

Since it takes your backpack slot, pair it with a Railgun—great armor-piercing power without needing an ammo pack.

4. Sentries Are (Almost) Mandatory

Gatling Sentry: Best for mowing down light to mid enemies and creating suppression.

Autocannon / Rocket Sentry: Great for big targets.

Mortars: Devastating if your team has good positioning and communication (and doesn't stand in the blast zone).

5. Bring Real Anti-Tank

On higher difficulties, heavily armored enemies become common. Railguns are great, but they don't replace Spears or Recoilless Rifles. At least one Helldiver should specialize in heavy weapons and airstrikes.

And yes—there is nothing more beautiful than a perfectly placed 500kg bomb one-shotting a Bile Titan as you salute the power of democracy.

Final Thoughts

Helldivers 2 is at its best when you treat it like what it is: a chaotic, team-focused war simulator where planning, coordination, and smart loadouts matter just as much as aim.

Learn when to fight, when to run, and when to drop the biggest bomb you have—and you'll not only survive longer than the average 22-second Helldiver lifespan, you'll actually start winning on the hardest difficulties. If you need rare Helldivers 2 Items, secure Helldivers 2 Accounts, Boosting, and other services, MMOexp can help you.

Now get in that Hellpod, soldier. Democracy isn't going to spread itself.

MMOexp Helldivers 2 Team