Helldivers 2 uses a Constellations system that determines what enemies spawn in specific operations. This ambiguous feature dictates how hard a mission is and how many enemies you’ll face. Knowing how Constellations work can help players decide what loadout to use before they jump into the operation.
How do Constellations Work
Constellations have four categories: Standard, Alternate, Defense, and Special. These variants decide the number of hostile patrols, reinforcements, and spawn points. The decision on which mission to use depends on the operation and faction you’re fighting. Here is how constellations are decided:
- Launch ICBM = Always Special Constellation
- Retrieve Valuable Data = 2 Constellations Depending on What Front
- Generic 40-Minute Missions = Standard or Alternate Constellations
- Faction Unique 40-Minute Missions = Standard or Defense
- Other Mission Types = Any Constellation
- Defense Campaigns = Often Randomized Selection
- Missions with Below 7 Difficulties = Randomized
Here’s a deeper analysis of potential Constellations depending on missions:
- Launch ICBM: Bile Bugs and Rushdown
- Retrieved Valuable Data: Bile Bugs, Big Bugs, Rushdown, and Bullet Hell
- Emergency Evacuation, Conduct Geological Survey, and Spread Democracy: Bug Nursery, Big Bug, Footsoldiers, and Big Bots
- Purge Hatcheries, Enable E-710 Extraction, and Nule Nursery: Jumping and Big Bugs
- Sabotage Air Base, Destroy Command Bunkers, and Neutralize Orbital Defenses: Bullet Hell and Big Bots
- Blitz, Eradicate, and Evacuate High-Value Assets: Any
Constellation Lists and What They Mean
Terminids (Bugs)
Standard (Big Bugs)
- Spawns More: Warrior, Hive Guards, Brood Commander, Charger, and Impaler
- Spawns Less: Scavenger
- Unique Spawns: None
Alternate (Big Nursery)
- Spawns More: Scavenger and Charger
- Spawns Less: Warrior, Hive Guard, Brood Commander, and Bile Titan
- Unique Spawns: Nursing Spewer
Defense (Jumping Bugs)
- Spawns More: Hunters and Bile Titans
- Spawns Less: Warrior, Hive Guard, and Charger
- Unique Spawns: Pouncer
Special (Bile Bugs)
- Spawns More: Bile Titan and Spore Charger
- Spawns Less: Hive Guard and Brood Commander
- Unique Spawns: Bile Spewer, Bile Warrior, and Spitter
Automaton (Bots)
Standard (Big Bots)
- Spawns More: Scout Strider, Tanks, and Factory Strider
- Spawns Less: Infantry
- Unique Spawns: None
Alternate (Footsoldiers)
- Spawns More: Rocket Devastator. Infantry, Heavy Devastator, and Hulk Bruiser
- Spawns Less: Scout Strider, Tanks, and Factory Strider
- Unique Spawns: None
Defense (Bullet Hell)
- Spawns More: MG Raider, Heavy Devastator, Annihilator Tank, Shredder Tank, Rocket Devastator, and Hulk Bruiser
- Spawns Less: Brawler, Berserker, and Hulk Scorcher
- Unique Spawns: None
Special (Rushdown)
- Spawns More: Berserker, Hulk Scorcher, and Brawler
- Spawns Less: Devastators, Scout Strider, Hulk Bruisers, and Tanks
- Unique Spawns: Assault Raider
Illuminate (Squids)
Note: The Illuminates are a newer faction, so it’s hard to identify their Constellations.
- More Elevated Overseers
- More Overseers and Elevated Overseers
- More Harvesters
- Balanced Spawn of Everything
Enemies on Difficulty
Some enemies will replace specific units depending on the difficulty. Some units might get swapped if you’re running a particular Constellation on a specific difficulty. Here are the variations depending on difficulty:
- Difficulty 3: Troopers replaced with Raiders
- Difficulty 4: Bug Warriors gain more HP
- Difficulty 5: Raiders are replaced with Marauders
- Difficulty 6: Raiders are replaced with Marauders. Bile Spewers have been replaced with a more durable and mortar-attacking variant.
- Difficulty 8: Brood Commanders are replaced with Alpha Commanders, and scout striders are replaced with Reinforced Scout Striders
Tips:
- You won’t be able to determine all Constellations fully for most operations, so you should base your loadout on the potential types. Ideally, use ones that potential enemies won’t hard counter.
