I’m a Helldivers 2 newbie. Here are 5 basics I’ve learned to master my game

Giant bugs and steel plated robots are…just existing. They’ve created their own civilisations and technologies. Some live in harmony, others pursue the arts. They are advanced, peace loving beings who live harmoniously with one another. That is, until humans are involved.

That’s essentially the plot to Helldivers 2, a beautiful bonkers multiplayer that’s become one of the most popular games of the year. But if you’re tempted to join the legion, there are a few things you should know before dropping right in. Believe me, you’ll be thankful for a few starter tips when beginning to defend Super Earth.

Stratagem

Play

In Helldivers 2, you’ll live and die by the stratagems you roll out with. Stratagems are player boosts and special weaponry you can tailor to each mission, and they’re absolutely vital. Stratagems can range from orbital strikes and resupply backpacks, to rocket launchers, laser cannons and heavy machine guns. Fail to pick the right stratagem, and you’ll have a hard time defeating the robotic bug hordes.

Before every game, make sure you see what stratagems the other players are packing. If there’s someone overloaded with orbital strikes, be the sentry guy. If you’re team is looking too offensive, pick a few defensive stratagems that’ll save your bacon when the time comes.

Friendly fire

There’s a steep learning curve to Helldivers 2, and that’s no more apparent than in its friendly fire feature. It’s painfully easy to get blown to bits by a 500kg bomb dropped by a teammate. In Helldivers 2, you always need to be looking over your shoulder, so make sure you’re using that chat feature to coordinate attacks with your crew. It’s important to remember that if you’re intentionally blowing up your teammates, you will be booted from the game. So don’t do that.

Tailor to your enemies

There are two primary enemy factions in Helldivers 2. That’ll be the Terminids and the Automatons. The Terminids are bug-like creatures who spit poisonous bile and dismember with their sharp talons. The Automatons are Terminator-like robots who rain laser bullets and bombs on you from futuristic forces. And there are individual ways to deal with each enemy.

Bugs hate fire, so make sure to pack a flamethrower and incendiary weaponry. The Automatons hate armour piercing and energy-based weaponry and big explosions, as do I. For that, you can’t beat the sickle gun. When it comes to stratagems, I’ve found the stratagem eagle cluster bomb, the auto-cannon and the armour piercing RS-422 Railgun work incredibly well.

Learn the ropes (quickly)

Within each mission of Helldivers 2 are a number of mini-tasks you’ll need to complete. It mostly involves turning things, picking up a different, moving an item from A to B or, simply, destroying everything in sight. But it can be a tricky. The game’s environment simply hates you. At every turn there’s something that wants to blow you up, gun you down, or just crush you. So, learn the basics on the easiest mode you can.

Don’t worry, you won’t be in the trenches for too long. But starting out at the easiest setting will really set you up nicely for the much harder missions later on.

Run

Helldivers 2 is beautiful anarchy, but there’s little skill to it. I mean that in the best way possible. Unlike games such as COD or Battlefield, where you can slide around corners or pick off enemies with a sniper, Helldivers 2 is a far more chaotic beast. Skill goes out the window in this game. Within minutes of your first game, you’ll find yourself blindly shooting into crowds of bugs wondering when it will ever end. You might think you’re a pro, until you’re humbled by a rocket that sends you hundreds of metres in the air. In that, comes my most important tip. Run.

There’s no shame in it. Just running away in Helldivers 2 is one of the best things you can do. There’s no real world implications of running away on the battlefield. You won’t be tried for desertion, you’ll just be saving your skin to die another day. Just, run.