How to change difficulty in Helldivers 2

The level of difficulty in Helldivers 2 you choose will determine not just how you play, but your entire loadout as well. It will determine where to drop on the map, which objectives to tackle first, and the type of enemies and modifiers you will encounter, and of course, the payout, which includes Medals, Requisition Slips, XP, and even Samples, to an extent.

Understanding how difficulty in Helldivers 2 works is not rocket science (although Helldivers are capable of launching ICBMs), but it can be a bit tricky to fathom at first. That being said, here's what you need to know about difficulty in Helldivers 2 and how it affects your gameplay.

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How to change difficulty in Helldivers 2

The Galactic War carries on! (Image via Sony | Sportskeeda Gaming)

Yes, you can change the difficulty, but there is a small catch. Once you start a mission, there's no going back. You'll have to quit the mission and go back to your Super Destroyer (which is something only a traitor would do) to change the difficulty setting.

As for how to change, this has to be done from the "Galactic War" table. You'll need to interact with it and select the difficulty before starting your next mission. For those on PC, you can do this using the "Q" and "E" keys. On PlayStation, L1/R1 has to be used to change the difficulty in Helldivers 2.

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How to unlock different difficulties in Helldivers 2

Before changing the difficulty in Helldivers 2, you'll have to unlock them one by one. This is very simple, as all you need to do is play from the lowest difficulty and work your way up. It will take a while, but you can streamline the process by taking on Operations and Missions that have short durations.

You could also ask a more experienced player to show you the ropes, which will not only help you learn on the go, but also provide access to more Weapons and Strategems. On that note, here's what to expect from each difficulty in Helldivers 2, alongside the types of Samples you will find on Missions.

Common Samples can be obtained on these difficulties (Image via Sony | Sportskeeda Gaming)

• Trivial: Primary Objectives and Enemy Patrols.
• Easy: Allied Tactical Objectives and Light Outposts.
• Medium: Secondary Objectives, Medium Outposts, and Heavily Armored Enemies.

Rare Samples can be obtained on these difficulties (Image via Sony | Sporskeeda Gaming)

• Challenging: Enemy Tactical Objectives, Heavy Outposts, and Heavily Armored Enemies.
• Hard: Operation Modifiers, Massive Enemies, and Heavily Armored Enemies.

Super Samples can be obtained on these difficulties (Image via Sony | Sportskeeda Gaming)

• Extreme: Tactical Objectives Increase, Massive Enemies, and Heavily Armored Enemies.
• Suicide Mission: Tactical Objectives Increase, Massive Enemies, and Heavily Armored Enemies.
• Impossible: Increased Enemy Presence, Multiple Operations Modifiers, and Heavily Armored Enemies.
• Helldive: Increased Enemy Presence, Multiple Operations Modifiers, and Heavily Armored Enemies.
• Super Helldive: Increased Enemy Presence, Multiple Operations Modifiers, and Heavily Armored Enemies.

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That's all you need to know about difficulty in Helldivers 2, how to change it, and how it affects Operations and Missions. From personal experience, difficulty 6 to 8 is the sweet spot if you're looking for challenging yet fair gameplay. Of course, many Helldivers will be KIA as you learn to adapt, but that's the price of spreading Managed Democracy.

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