Helldivers 2 Difficulty Levels, Explained

Helldivers 2 lends itself well to a pick-up-and-play style of enjoyment, but choosing a mission that’s too difficult can upend this fast. That’s why we’re here to explain all of the Helldivers 2 difficulty levels, how they impact gameplay, and which you should choose.

All Helldivers 2 Difficulty Levels and What They Do, Explained

To start, let’s be clear about something: Helldivers 2 difficulty settings work in much the same way they do in almost any other game.

If you play the game on a lower difficulty setting, then the game provides less of a challenge in terms of how tough enemies are, how much damage they deal, and so forth. Playing the game on higher difficulty settings, meanwhile, makes the game harder via enemies that are tougher to kill. It also adds a higher number of enemies to deal with, and additional tasks and factors to be aware of during your mission.

Where Helldivers 2 sets itself apart, though, is that it doesn’t allow you to dive headfirst into a difficulty setting you aren’t ready for. Instead, you first need to complete a mission on a lower difficulty setting to unlock the next tier of difficulty.

Case in point: Your first mission is one with Trivial difficulty. Once you complete it, you can play Easy level missions. After you complete an Easy level mission, you can take on Medium level missions, and so on.

To give you an idea of how many difficulty tiers you can unlock, we’ve listed them all above for your convenience. Please note that we’re still making our way through the game. We’ll be updating each difficulty level’s section with info on what it offers as we unlock them.

Which Helldivers 2 Difficulty Level Should You Play on? Explained

With all of that in mind, you’ve probably got another question on your mind: what difficulty level should you play Helldivers 2 on?

The answer to that question largely depends on where you’re at in the game. If you’re just starting out, it’s perfectly fine to play on lower difficulty settings. Doing so earns you basic resources and XP. It also allows you to get a good feel for how the game’s mechanics work.

Once you’re at a higher level though, it’s important to take on missions that are at a higher difficulty tier. This is the only way to get rare samples and resources needed to unlock and upgrade high-level gear, and nets you more basic resources and experience.

Keep this in mind, and try to work your way up to more difficult missions at a steady pace. If they prove too difficult, you can always grind some lower-level missions for a bit and try them again; preferably with a full team of friends to help you out.

And that’s everything we have to share on the Helldivers 2 difficulty levels and how they work. For more on the game, check out any of our other guides and articles down below.

We’ve got tips on the best Stratagems to use, plus how to ping a location in the game. We’ve also got a guide on how to customize character in Helldivers 2.