Helldivers 2 throws you into basic training,
straps you to a rocket, and then sends you to go fight in total war. Along the way there’s
a few things the game forgets to tell you, and they make a world of difference when hoards of
aliens and robots are breathing down your neck. My name is Codiak, this is Legacy Gaming and today
I’m sharing everything I wish I knew sooner about Helldivers 2.
[Trans]
[1st and 3rd person]
A lot of these tips are going to be short, but nonetheless hugely
impactful on your gameplay. Like I said in the intro there’s a lot the game doesn’t tell you.
First and foremost is that you can swap between first person and third person mode with every
gun…who knew? On keyboard and mouse you do this by clicking your middle mouse button, and there’s
an equivalent on the playstation controller you can look up in the keybinds menu.
I personally enjoy both perspectives. I find 3rd person to be great when I’m dealing
with large groups of enemies and need to keep my head on a swivel as I’m surveying the field.
The drawback to 3rd person is the recoil which, in my opinion, is much more pronounced. When I
want accuracy I switch into first person mode, and while you will still have to deal recoil, you have
much more finite control over your aiming.
If you head into the menus you can
further tweak your aim mode settings. There are three options here:
* ‘Off’ means your weapons will always start in third person mode
* ‘Per Weapon’ means that the game will recall the last used aim mode for each individual weapon
* And then ‘Global’ means that all weapons will use the last selected aim mode.
This is something I recommend everyone experiment with because your perspective does
completely change your gameplay experience.
[Changing Shoulders and Fire Modes]
One feature incredibly common in third-person shooters is the ability to change
shoulders. This is especially important when you’re constantly running backwards to find
cover. Well here again the game doesn’t tell you that’s actually something players can
do during combat. Head into the settings, go to your keybinds and then head to combat.
There, towards the button you’ll see ‘switch camera side’ which you can set to whatever your
preferred input is. This will allow you to swap shoulders mid-combat changing your sight lines and
making your combat approach more flexible.
To take this a step further I bet you didn’t know
every weapon also has different firing settings that you can access by holding the reload button.
Each weapon is different and things like firing rate, scope zoom percentage, and even bullet
RPMs can be tweaked. You’ll need to experiment with each gun because they all bring something
different to the table, but the option allows you to really dial in your preferred playstyle.
Holding down this reload button also lets you check exactly how many rounds you have left in
your magazine. This is important for a reason you may not realize. Weapons in Helldivers 2
actually reload faster when ammo is still in the magazine. Normally this is something we’d
advise against, since you waste whatever ammo is in the mag upon a reload. However, if you time
your reload with 1 round still in the magazine, you will actually reload much faster than normal.
I know this is a lot to keep in mind when things get crazy, but this can quite literally save
your life, especially with weapons like the machine gun that forever to reload while
also forcing you to be stationary.
[Map Hacks]
If there’s one thing I wish Helldivers 2 took a bit more time to explain it’s
some of the communication systems in the game. I’m a big fan of dynamic maps and ping systems
and the team hardly covered that during the tutorial…nevertheless we’ve got you covered.
First thing you need to know is that there is a ‘mark’ feature in the game. On PC this defaults
to ‘Q’ and you can quickly press the button to mark something in the game world. If you
hold the designated button, again ‘Q’ on PC, you open up a comms wheel which gives
you more options for communication. As someone that doesn’t always like voice comms I was
relieved that this was built into the game.
This can be a potent tool when it comes to
respawning in drop pods. If your team constantly keeps big threats marked, you’ll be able to
see these when respawning, allowing you to use your drop pod to kill an elite target, turning a
detrimental situation into a positive one.
To expand on this let’s talk about the tactical
map. By tapping ‘TAB’ on PC you will bring this up. If you then hold the right mouse button
you can drag around the map and see the entire battlefield. Better still, when you want to
communicate with your team about a specific point of interest you can left click and drop a
pin. Once again…not something the game ever tells you and hugely important to communicating with
your team. These features are all transferable to Playstation you’ll just have to look up the button
inputs since I don’t play on a Playstation.
[Maximizing Potential]
Helldivers 2 isn’t just about completing main objectives, in fact each mission is ripe with
opportunities that you should always be actively looking to complete. When looking at your map,
notice red zones. These indicate areas of interest and danger. It might seem like you want to avoid
them but the contrary is true. By exploring these zones you’ll discover side objectives like
bug nests or automaton camps that you can destroy for some easy XP and requisition points.
Everything feeds into the overall progression system and the more you do during a mission the
more you stand to gain when you extract.
Don’t forget to also keep an eye out for
samples. These are found around points of interest and act as a secondary currency used to
add new ship modules to your base. These provide blanket improvements to your various different
categories of stratagems and should be something you’re always looking to collect. As your mission
difficulty increases, these not only increase in rarity, but frequency as well, giving you ample
incentive to run missions at higher and higher difficulties. Remember, if you die, go pick up any
dropped samples as they’re not worth losing.
You should also always keep an eye on the
mission timer, 30 minutes might feel like a lot at the start, but the ticking clock
can easily sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention. Try not to get bogged down
between points of interest, and instead, always push towards the next objective. Use those
map tricks I taught you before because quite honestly they make a world of difference.
One of our biggest tips for long-term success has been to identify where any and all side
objectives are, drop near those, and plan a loop that ultimately ends you at the extraction
point. This might take you a minute to map out, but it will save you a ton of time backtracking
between points of interest in the long run, netting you a lot more XP and resources
in often a shorter amount of time.
Between missions don’t forget to check out the
full Strategums list back at your base. I’ve talked to a few people online that didn’t know
you could scroll the list down, which is wild considering how many options there really are.
I fully expect this list to expand in the near future as more content is added so by completing
as many objectives as you can, and unlocking as many Stratagems as possible, you’ll be ready
for whatever the game throws at us next.
Finally, be aware that the various armor sets
in the game actually have bonuses. This is something I didn’t realize until I was actually
in the armory changing my gear, but I believe it’s something you need to know before that,
when considering a purchase in the requisition center. By tapping the info button you’ll see what
bonuses a piece of armor has. At the moment only chest pieces have a bonus, but I fully expect this
to change with the introduction of new gear.
[Field Stratagems]
One of the fundamental principles of Helldivers 2 is making sure your loadout can
handle the pressures of the mission you’re about to embark on, but sometimes the side objectives
within a mission demand something unique. When you reach one of these side objectives make sure
to check your stratagem call-ins. In many cases new field options will be available to you
that will help you complete the objective. There’s one in particular I’m thinking about
that I believe a lot of you might be missing, the Hellbomb. When you reach an objective, and
you’re tasked with destroying key buildings, don't waste your grenades or bombardments, check
your stratagems and see if you have anything new available. In many cases you’ll be able to
call something new down that doesn’t tap into your resources, and while this isn’t a huge
issue on the easier difficulties, it’s wildly impactful the harder the game becomes.
This also applies to other side objectives. In many cases you’ll need to call down a data
probe, upload data, or something similar and while not as fantastic as the hellbomb it’s still
essential to completing the objective.
Long story short, always check your
stratagems at objectives to see if something new is available.
[Macroing Stratagems]
Speaking of Stratagems I’ve got a very special
tip for PC players that are looking to squeak out every possible advantage they can. If you
have access to a keyboard macro program you can load up any number of stratagem call-ins for
near instant-access to your loadout, because all stratagems have a unique button input combination
that never changes. Obviously this requires a bit of pre-work, but man is it effective when in the
heat of combat. Is it entirely legit, nope…but no one said these tips had to be fair.
[Finding Medals & Premium Currency]
If you’re familiar with the game’s progression
system then you know there are two things at play, medals and super credits. Both are
important for unlocking gear and cosmetics and they should always be in the
back of your mind while on a mission.
There are two things I want to point out here.
First is that you should always keep your eyes peeled for small pulsing golden beacons.
These are found randomly throughout the battlefield and they should always be a priority
because they’re actually emergency supply drops that always contain something valuable. If you’re
lucky you’ll get either medals or super currency, but you can also receive stims or other
battlefield essentials. Either way, when you see a beacon, you should stop.
And speaking of things hidden in plain sight, keep your eyes peeled for half-buried cargo containers
found randomly throughout the world. Don’t just jump on top of them, use a grenade or small
explosive to pop them open, revealing the contents inside. If you’re lucky you’ll hit the jackpot and
receive everything from ammo to medals and super currency. Regardless, there’s always *something
valuable inside so don’t pass them by.
[Shooting Down Bot Drops]
One of the most important things to consider when playing Helldivers 2 is your loadout, but
more importantly how your loadout could synergize within a team. One of the most essential weapons
you can bring to a battle is the Recoilless Rifle, which is capable of destroying vehicles with ease.
These things are a gamechanger and if you’re the Helldiver that brings them to the battle
you best know their full capability.
While not always the active front the
Recoilless Rifle is a prime example of a weapon that’s powerful enough to remove one of
the biggest obstacles on the Automaton front, the Bot Drop. This weapon can single handedly
take the drop ship out of the sky, so long as you’re accurate. Not only does this destroy all of
the bots on the ship, but it saves your team from having to deal with a wave of new enemies.
Scout enemies are present in both the Terminids and the Automatons and one thing you’ll want to
do as a Helldiver is constantly scan the enemies in an area and take out any that are calling
in reinforcements. If you manage to kill them fast enough you won’t have to deal with bot
drops and bug breaches, but that’s only if you identify and take them out quickly.
I think most Helldiver veterans will agree heavy weapons weren’t always viewed as the most
valuable assets on the battlefield, but that dynamic has completely changed in Helldivers 2
so consider dropping into a mission with a little extra firepower next time you play.
[Supporting Your Fellow Helldivers]
You know, being a good Helldiver isn’t just
about offense, sometimes you need to support your teammates as well. 2 little known tips that I
wanted to share have to do with Stims. First off, if an ally is close to dying, specifically below
50% health, and out of their own stims you can share your drugs with a buddy. All you need to
do is simply run up to them while they’re low and you’ll be able to interact with them, healing
them, and living to fight another day.
Another huge tip with stims that you might
not be aware of is that they also replenish your stamina and keep you from expending
stamina for a brief period of time after use. If you’re in a particularly hairy
situation and have the stims to spare, being able to sprint for twice the distance can
be the deciding factor between life or death.
If you’re a real Helldiver you might also
opt to call down the ‘supply pack’ stratagem. This allows you to restock your fellow
soldiers ammunition, which is invaluable, but you can also use it on yourself. On PC any
backpack equipment can be used, by default, by tapping the ‘5’ key. You can rebind this
in the menu under the combat section and it’s called ‘use backpack function’. You’re
going to want to know how to utilize this in the future, so best learn the ropes now.
A second little useful tip about this backpack, you can replenish these slots with the kits found
in the resupply pods. If you’re whole squad is topped off, your supply pack has empty slots, and
your resupply drop is off cooldown, absolutely call that in and refill your supply pack. This
helps ensure you can always restock your allies or yourself in a pinch when you just can’t
get off, or even get to, a resupply drop.
[Artillery Objective Cheese]
If you didn’t already know there are multiple side objectives found throughout each
mission. These range from activating radio towers, which reveal all points of interest on
your map once complete, to the artillery emplacement you can activate, load up with
ammunition, and then use via a new strategem throughout the rest of the mission.
First and foremost you need to understand the basics. This emplacement needs to be loaded
up with 5 artillery shells that can be found nearby the actual battery. Each artillery shell
is different and you’ll get a random assortment near each artillery emplacement:
* Red shells are explosive
* Yellow shells are small nukes
* White is smoke
* Green is a tox screen
* And blue is STATIC FIELD
The order with which you load these shells
into the artillery emplacement determines the order that they’re fired so keep that
in mind as you and your team are loading up, because it can make a huge difference
later when calling in this stratagem.
This can also be expedited using the simple
‘spam interact’ trick. By constantly pressing the interact button you’ll continuously pick
up and drop the artillery shell allowing you to move quicker than you normally would if you just
held it. Again, not the most legit way to conduct business, but movement is already dreadfully
slow in Helldivers 2, and every second does make a difference.
[Trans]
So there you have it 10 things I wish I
knew sooner about Helldivers 2. What’s your favorite tip or trick, share it down
below and spread some knowledge with our great community. As always if you like our Wish
I Knew Sooner series and want more videos like this whenever a new game comes out be sure
to hit that thumbs up and subscribe.
My name is Codiak and from everyone here at
Legacy Gaming thanks for watching and play on!
