Measure of a Helldiver

Part One: Become a Helldiver

Good morning, cadets! Welcome to the Helldivers. For those who don't know me, I'm WandererInGray of the ship Harbinger of Benevolence. I've been playing since May 2024 and have 2,700-plus hours of in-mission time. I've met and made friends with so many people and I love this game so much. I'll always be endlessly grateful to Arrowhead for sitting down and going "what's the worst parts of online multiplayer games and how can we do it differently?"

In my spare time I write science fiction as K.B. Wagers and I love writing character heavy novels that often deal with team dynamics and bring groups of disparate people together. It’s in part because of the skills I’ve honed there but also because of how my brain works that I'm forever breaking down the game and gameplay in my head. Over the last month or so I've had a few people ask me questions that got me thinking more about the leadership aspect and how to be a good team player.

I'll preface this all with the disclaimer that I am not the best gamer out there, These are my observations and the things that my brain latches onto, how it operates in mission, and other assorted thoughts on playing as a team in a game I believe was designed specifically to foster that kind of atmosphere. This is not an all-encompassing list either, I’m sure I’m missing things. This and the following articles are just a blitz mission. 

With all that out of the way, let’s dive into this. Starting with the basics:

Now one of the things Arrowhead did for Helldivers 2 is give us the bare minimum in training. It's brutal for new recruits, it works really well in the world building, but it also forces both new players and veterans to work together. Which is a genius move. The community that's been created because the initial step into the universe is so without context cannot be understated. It's incumbent upon veteran players to drop into lower level missions and show new players the ropes and it's up to the new players to listen when veteran players demonstrate the culture of Helldivers 2.

In my mind there are three major factors you want to start learning right away as you navigate the game: where to find supplies, where to find your teammates, and what mission objectives to tackle first. 

I NEED STIMS!
Listen, I know how unnerving it is to start off. You’re a newbie, there’s shit exploding everywhere, you don’t know what you’re doing, and you only have a limited amount of resources. It always seemed like I was low on everything and that was a Problem™. It’s hard to overcome that panic. But you need to collect yourself and realize two things. One, that there are always supplies on the field, it’s just a question of remembering where. And two, that you can call supplies down every two minutes but those are shared throughout the group. So don’t be an asshole and call down supplies if you’re all the way across the map from everyone else without asking first. Don’t take more than one box from the drop without asking. Try to pay attention to what your teammates need—it’s not hard, it’s right there on your screen most of the time. But most of all, remember that dying isn’t optional in Helldivers, it’s something that happens. (And realistically, it’s often more efficient since you usually come back full up on supplies! *grins*)

One of the best ways to circumvent supply panic is to stick with the group, not only because it makes it easier to get your stuff back when you die, but it’s easier to drop supplies for everyone. That brings us to our next point.

SO LONESOME I COULD DIE
Where are your teammates? There are three ways to find your squad - tags (if you haven’t turned them off), the compass at the top of your screen, and the map. Pay attention to where folks are when you’re throwing stratagems. Things happen, I know, but dropping an Orbital Napalm Barrage right on the main objective while people are in it trying to finish the job is a dick move. 

Same goes with calling people back in. If the team has split into two and someone on the other side of the map dies, wait a beat to see if their teammate who was with them can call them in. Get on the comms and ask. (Look, I know not everyone likes using them but they’re there and they make things easier 99% of the time.)

If you’re aware of where your teammates are, it makes it easier to finish objectives or knock out secondary objectives in the vicinity. It also makes it easier to get people back on their weapons or throw them out of danger to keep from wasting reinforcements. There’s a time and a place for striking off on your own, but by and large, especially when you’re just starting out, there’s nothing wrong with picking a higher level player and just shadowing them. Most of us will happily show you the ropes and help you out. That’s the awesome thing about this community. 

WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Helldivers 2 gives you zero intel about doing missions when you start. We all learned how to do it by fumbling around on the field, or if we were lucky, because we had someone who showed us how to handle terminals, unlock nuke sites, find Stalker nests, etc. You learn in the fires of the fight and you’re going to be dreadfully confused more than once. There’s so many things to learn, so many tips and tricks that aren’t found anywhere but in the community - passed on from Helldiver to Helldiver like a cold in the barracks. It’s awesome but can also be overwhelming, so don't worry about remembering it all. 

Here’s the key piece of advice: Mission First. When you’re picking a drop point, pay attention to the briefing map. So many missions have sub-objectives that must be done before you can do the main. Make sure you drop there and not all the way across the map from them. The mission should always be the top priority when you're starting out, especially on higher levels. Secondaries and spawners like outposts, bug nests and factories are things to do after. And for the love of Democracy, don’t get bogged down fighting battles you don’t need to fight! Only rarely do we get rewards for killing the enemies of Freedom. The rest of the time, they’re not worth the trouble. Ping them, don't engage, and move on.

Side note: You’ll learn the most efficient way to clear a map the more you play with others. The major reason I say you should target the main mission first is that I’ve dropped into far too many SOS beacons where there are no reinforcements left and nothing has been done because a new diver got sidetracked and spent time trying to take out enemies to the detriment of the mission. The mission is all that matters. Do that first, especially if you’re solo. Then, even if you run out of reinforcements, you’ve still accomplished the mission, you just won’t extract. 

The longer you play the more you’ll get a sense for the flow of things, as well as additional important bits like prioritizing secondaries. If you find a Stalker on the field, it means you’ve tripped the nest and you’d better find that sucker and close it or you’re going to be fighting those invisible bastards for an annoying amount of time. I’ll talk more in Part Three about how to read the maps and find secondaries without a lidar (though that always makes things a hell of a lot easier). 

There are a ton of other little etiquette things that crop up on the battlefield and I promise you’ll learn them as you go. Team killing happens, it’s not a huge deal unless you’re deliberately being a jerk. Don’t be afraid to kick someone off your ship or mission for being undemocratic (just click their name in the game page and just hold down the kick option).

You want to leave other people's secondary weapons the fuck alone unless they are offered to you, don’t run off with that stuff. (Or give it back when you get to them) And you always, ALWAYS, want to wait at extract to board the Pelican until everyone is there. I get that it’s tempting to jump right on, but if there are players across the map getting samples for you, it’s in your best interest to stick around!

Now, these are guidelines that evolve and change. There are as many "except in" cases as there are Helldivers with boots on the ground at any point during a major order, and the longer you play with the same people the more those rules get bent. Sometimes on the higher levels your buddy has to pillage your dead body for weapons to deliver the sweet taste of Liberty to the enemy. It's fine, they'll give it back when they're done. (Sometimes there's even ammo left!) And if you’re the one still alive with the samples and there’s no reinforcements left, it’s a good bet everyone is yelling at you to get on the ship. 

Those are your basics though, just pay attention, try to be a good teammate, communicate when you can, and above all have fun for Liberty’s sake.

So welcome to the galactic war (2.0), cadets! Get out there and spread some managed democracy. Drop an SOS beacon, drop in on some missions, and don’t be afraid to die. Go make General Brasch proud. *salutes*

Website: www.kbwagers.com

Part Two: Find Your Battle Buddy (coming soon)
Part Three: You’re Holding the Map Upside Down (coming soon)