When fighting against the anti-democratic tyranny from Terminids and Automatons, it’s important to know how difficulties work in Helldivers 2. The early missions ease you into the game as you learn how to face your foes. But things can get hairy the higher you go.
There are nine difficulties in Helldivers 2. You begin at Difficulty 1 – Trivial when you graduate the tutorial with your first cape. Trivial missions are often straightforward, teaching you the basics and pitting you against only small groups of foes. It’s a stark contrast to Difficulty 9, in which most divers learn the true meaning of “Helldive.”
Helldivers 2 – How to advance difficulty levels
Helldivers 2 matches are called Missions, which fall under Operations. During the early stages, an Operation will consist of only one or two missions. Successfully completing said missions results in rewards and eventually a finished Operation. Once the job is done, you can start another Operation.
You advance in difficulty tiers by completing Operations. Finishing an Operation at Difficulty 3, for example, unlocks Difficulty 4. You must complete an Operation at a certain difficulty to advance difficulty tiers. Finishing off a couple of missions won’t cut it.
Here is the list of difficulties, from one to nine:
- Difficulty 1: Trivial
- Difficulty 2: Easy
- Difficulty 3: Medium
- Difficulty 4: Challenging
- Difficulty 5: Hard
- Difficulty 6: Extreme
- Difficulty 7: Suicide Mission
- Difficulty 8: Impossible
- Difficulty 9: Helldive
A mission is considered successful if you and your team can complete the Major Objective: The primary goal. You do not need to survive for a mission to be successful; so long as the order is complete, you’ve done your job as a hero of Super Earth.
How rewards work
Rewards for successful missions can vary. Finishing the Main Objective rewards in Warbond Medals, which are used to unlock armor, weapons, and more.
You also earn experience points and Requisition Slips (the in-game currency) even if you don’t survive, though you don’t get as much as you would if you lived. The amount of experience points and Slips increase when you complete Major and Secondary Objectives, but decrease if you ignore the latter or don’t extract with a full team.
Samples used to purchase new Stratagems need to make it to extraction to be claimed. Any Samples left behind, stay behind. Safeguard those Samples!
Difficulty levels broken down
The higher you go in difficulty, the more challenging your experience becomes. At the lowest tiers, you only need to complete one mission for a successful Operation. The number of missions increases per Operation up to a maximum of three. Enemies also grow in number, and you’ll face more Elites such as Chargers and Hulks. Eventually, these heavy foes go from something akin to bosses to appearing as regular enemies.
Rewards to at least increase alongside difficulty. You’ll earn more experience points, Requisition Slips, and Warbond Medals as you advance in tiers. You will also be able to recover rarer Samples, allowing you to unlock even more Stratagems.
Below are the details of each difficulty, along with how many Medals you can earn with each subsequent mission along with Sample types.
Difficulty 1: Trivial
Trivial difficulty tasks players with completing one Major Objective for mission completion. Often, these include ‘Terminate Illegal Broadcast’ or defeating a medium-level foe such as a Devastator.
- Warbond Medals: 1
- Samples: Common
Difficulty 2: Easy
Easy Objectives also include one mission, but begin introducing tougher Objectives such as destroying bases and hunting down a Heavy enemy like the Hulk.
- Warbond Medals:
- Samples: Common
Difficulty 3: Medium
Medium begins turning up the heat by challenging you to complete two Missions per Operation. You’ll also need to finish objectives such as sabotaging air bases or launching the ICBM. Secondary Missions become more common.
- Warbond Medals:
- Samples: Common
Difficulty 4: Challenging
Difficulty 4 – Challenging is the next stage up and is the first to introduce Major Objectives that have you hunt down and destroy Heavy elites like the Factory Strider. This is also where you will begin earning Rare Samples.
- Warbond Medals:
- Samples: Common, Rare
Difficulty 5: Hard
Hard difficulty is where most players will begin to really feel the heat. From here on, you’ll have to complete three Missions per Operation. Missions run the gamut of destroying Heavy elites, defending against horde rushes, wiping out enemy spawn camps under a strict time limit, and more.
- Warbond Medals:
- 1st – 4
- 2nd – 6
- 3rd – 8
- Samples: Common, Rare
Difficulty 6: Extreme
Now things are getting fun. Difficulty 6 – Extreme is where the prior Heavy elites you’ve faced off for Major Objectives begin showing up alongside regular forces. These guys aren’t bosses anymore. Many of the Objectives are roughly the same, but you’ll start tackling denser enemy waves and patrols with short spawn timers.
- Warbond Medals:
- 1st – 5
- 2nd – 7
- 3rd – 9
- Samples: Common, Rare
Difficulty 7: Suicide Mission
Difficulty 7 is the wall that many Helldivers crash into. It’s the first level in the final set, where enemies are numerous and belligerent, and Super Samples enter the field.
- Warbond Medals:
- 1st – 6
- 2nd – 8
- 3rd – 10
- Samples: Common, Rare, Super
Difficulty 8: Impossible
Many veteran Helldivers swear that Difficulty 8 – Impossible is the one that feels the best, straddling the line between fun and challenging. Most Objectives are the same, but you’ll face more Secondary Objectives and Operation Modifiers such as one that obscures the map.
- Warbond Medals:
- 1st – 7
- 2nd – 10
- 3rd – 12
- Samples: Common, Rare, Super
Difficulty 9: Helldive
Difficulty 9 – Helldive is the final difficulty, and the most challenging. Spreading democracy has never been harder than it is with this challenge. I suggest players be level 40 or higher before taking it on, as the amount of patrols and Heavy elites you face off against can be overwhelming. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it provides the most rewards — if you make it out alive.
- Warbond Medals:
- 1st – 8
- 2nd – 11
- 3rd – 14
- Samples: Common, Rare, Super
For more on Helldivers 2, check out our guides on how to use the MLS-4X Commando and Mortar Sentry.
