Spreading democracy across the galaxy isn’t a simple task; space teems with deadly bugs and murderous metals. As a steadfast defender of Super Earth, your goal is to eliminate these threats by tackling increasingly challenging missions in Helldivers 2. However, patience is key. Before venturing into higher difficulty levels, you must hone your skills.
What Are the Available Difficulty Levels in Helldivers 2?
Helldivers 2 offers nine difficulty levels, ranging from the straightforward Trivial to the formidable Helldive. To unlock the next difficulty level, you must complete an Operation at your current level; for instance, clearing Trivial unlocks Easy, and so forth:
- Trivial
- Easy
- Medium
- Challenging
- Hard
- Extreme
- Suicide Mission
- Impossible
- Helldive
Notably, higher difficulty levels don’t simply increase enemy health and damage. Instead, they introduce more enemies and alter their types. You can adjust difficulty levels by pressing the Q and E keys on the keyboard or L1 and R1 on a controller while accessing the War Table. Your current difficulty level is displayed beneath the Quickplay button.
Each difficulty level maintains the same structure for Operations, but tougher difficulties feature more Missions and offer greater rewards and liberation progress. For example, in Hard difficulty, you must clear three Missions to complete an Operation, compared to just one in Easy. Additionally, Mission objectives become more diverse as you climb the difficulty ladder.
Below is a breakdown of the difficulty modifiers and obtainable Samples to upgrade the Destroyer ship available in each difficulty:
| Difficulty | Difficulty Modifiers | Obtainable Samples |
|---|---|---|
| Trivial | Primary Objectives, Enemy Patrols | Green Common Sample |
| Easy | Allied Tactical Objectives, Light Outposts | Green Common Sample |
| Medium | Secondary Objectives, Medium Outposts | Green Common Sample |
| Challenging | Enemy Tactical Objectives, Heavy Outposts | Green Common, Orange Rare |
| Hard | Operation Modifiers, Massive Enemies | Green Common, Orange Rare |
| Extreme | To Be Announced (TBA) | Green Common, Orange Rare |
| Suicide Mission | To Be Announced (TBA) | Green Common, Orange Rare, Purple |
| Impossible | To Be Announced (TBA) | Green Common, Orange Rare, Purple |
| Helldive | To Be Announced (TBA) | Green Common, Orange Rare, Purple |
Regarding faction difficulty, the Terminid is generally considered easier than Automaton. Bugs primarily engage in melee combat and can be dealt with from a distance. Conversely, robots employ long-range attacks and explosives, posing a greater threat. Their rockets have the potential to eliminate you with a single unlucky shot.
Helldivers 2 is playable on PlayStation 5 and PC.
