This guide details the difficulty level differences in Helldivers 2 and explains what changes at higher difficulties.
If you’ve recently gotten started in Helldivers 2, there’s a good chance you’re curious about the game’s numerous difficulty levels.
After all, much of the chatter on social media has focused on Helldivers 2‘s punishing difficulty. As such, you may be surprised to find that the game is actually quite easy when you first dive into the action.
As you progress through missions, you’ll gradually begin to unlock new difficulty levels. It’s tempting to try them out, as they are far more engaging and exciting than the easier modes.
But before we explain exactly what changes in the higher difficulty modes, it’s worth running through how many levels there are and what they’re called.
All difficulty levels in Helldivers 2
There are nine different difficulty levels in Helldivers 2. They are as follows:
- Trivial
- Easy
- Medium
- Challenging
- Hard
- Extreme
- Suicide Mission
- Impossible
- Helldive
When you first start in Helldivers 2, you must play at the Trivial difficulty level. This is the game’s easiest mode. It’s there to help you get used to playing.
How to unlock new difficulty levels
To unlock new difficulty levels, you must complete a full operation on the highest difficulty level you have available.
For example, if you can play Challenging missions, you need to complete an entire operation on the Challenging difficulty in order to unlock Hard mode.
You will receive a notification in the post-game screen letting you know when a new difficulty level has been unlocked.
Difficulty level differences in Helldivers 2
So, that brings us to the most important question. In what ways are the difficulty levels different in Helldivers 2?
It is not as simple as just saying that things get harder as you progress. For example, enemies do not deal any additional damage at the higher difficulties.
However, there are numerous key differences that define the increased difficulty modes. Below is a list of the main things that change between the levels:
- Increased enemy spawns
- Increased intensity of enemy spawns
- Better rewards (more Medals)
- Increased experience and Renown
- Higher-grade samples become available
- More missions in operations (up to a maximum of three)
- Additional mission modifiers
- More powerful enemies (plus increased spawn rates for them)
For us, however, the most notable change is enjoyability. Things can get rather tiresome at the lower difficulties, with low-intensity fights lacking excitement.
This changes at higher difficulties. As things ramp up, you will find the missions and battles far more brutal, intense, and rewarding.
Therefore, we recommend that every player should endeavour to play on higher difficulties as it makes for a far more fun experience overall.
Which is your favourite difficulty level in Helldivers 2 and what are your thoughts on the differences between them? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles.
