Helldivers 2 is by no means an easy game, especially if you intend to play solo, as one wrong step and the bug menace will detect and swarm you posthaste. And to think, it gets worse the higher up the difficulty ladder you climb. Here are all of the Helldivers 2 difficulty levels explained, along with how to unlock new, more challenging difficulty tiers!
All Helldivers 2 Difficulty Settings
Despite being a game about enacting super freedom upon a bug menace with no understanding of the concept (i.e., a super goofy game), Helldivers 2 is challenging. To make it even harder, there are nine difficulty settings to explore:
- Trivial
- Easy
- Medium
- Challenging
- Hard
- Extreme
- Suicide Mission
- Impossible
- Helldive
As you progress further down the list, you will earn significantly greater rewards upon completing your objectives, but all enemies will become more challenging, hit harder, and come at you in more significant numbers. You’ll note that additional objectives are needed to complete each drop, with less time to finish the job. It’s just tough overall.
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How to Unlock Additional Difficulties in Helldivers 2
As you begin your tenure as a Helldiver, the only difficulty level available is Trivial. It’s a cakewalk, with small groups of bugs that fall by the wayside with a single shot or two from your starter weapons. But even Easy, the second difficulty level you unlock, becomes noticeably more difficult.
But hey, you like a challenge, right? You will unlock additional difficulty tiers in Helldivers 2 by completing a mission using the previous setting. For example, to unlock Hard, you must complete a mission on Challenging. For Helldive, beat a mission on Impossible. And so on.
You’ll note that some planets in the system offer different difficulty levels. You can jump around on the Galactic War map to find a planet that suits your level and playstyle, then hit ‘Q’ or ‘E‘ on the keyboard or ‘RB‘ and ‘LB‘ on a controller to swap difficulty levels.
Eventually, you’ll find one that suits your playstyle and desired challenge level in Helldivers 2!
For more from Insider Gaming, check out How to Earn Super Credits For Free in Helldivers 2
