Every mission you complete contributes to the Galactic War effort and rewards you with Medals, Samples, Experience, Requisitions, and, if you’re lucky, Super Credits. As you progress through the different difficulties, from Trivial up to Helldive, it can be daunting to see how missions are usually done. Fear not, for this guide will provide details on missions that new players might miss in the first couple of hours.
Faction Neutral Objectives
These missions are not specific to any faction in Helldivers 2 and will always have the same objectives regardless. These missions are:
- Launch ICBMs
- Conduct Geological Survey
- Upload Escape Pod Data
- Blitz: Search and Destroy
- Spread Democracy
- Terminate Illegal Broadcast
- Destroy Rogue Research Station
- Align Radar Station
- Retrieve Valuable Data
Launch ICBMs
This is a multi-step mission with different phases in execution. First, you must find the launch codes for the missile, which can be found on the ground in a Super Earth outpost. Another objective is added to higher difficulties, which is to activate the generators for the launch facility. Input the activation code, then adjust the frequency sliders for the generators. Once that’s done, flip the breaker switch nearby to complete the sub-objective.
For the missile launch itself, bring some sentry guns to defend the terminal user. First, do the directional input as instructed, then input the numerical activation code which is displayed on your objectives list (top right corner of the screen). Before you can activate the launch sequence, you and your team must remove the bulkhead locks around the missile silo. Once that’s done, confirm the launch. Finally, place the marker on the grid based on the coordinates displayed on the terminal and wait for a bit and confirm the launch sequence. Sit back and enjoy the fireworks.
Conduct Geological Survey
First, find the sub-objective site to verify the location of the geological site. This requires you to call in the mission-specific Seismic Probe Stratagem. Log in with the directional inputs and follow the grid coordinates on the terminal. Wait a few seconds then activate the seismic scan. This is the easy part.
Go to the actual geological site and call down the Prospecting Drill Stratagem. This sequence will attract enemies to your position, so bring down some sentries and have a teammate cover the terminal user. The terminal itself will be a sequence of multiple grids aligning, confirming the sample collection, and then waiting until you reach the last stage, which is to have the drill collect the samples.
Upload Escape Pod Data
Reach the escape pod, input the Data Upload Stratagem, then protect the uploader until it is done. It’s a fast and easy mission as long as you don't fight a patrol and start a Bug Breach or Bot Drop.
Blitz: Search and Destroy
This mission is difficult, given the number of enemies on the map and the short timer you have. As the name implies, your team must rush through the map and destroy as many Bug Tunnels or Bot Fabricators as you can. Only fight when it is necessary, and do not stick around for optional objectives unless you have enough time to do them. Bring an explosive weapon with you, like an Autocannon or a Grenade Launcher in case you run out of grenades to throw, which will happen often for this mission. Eagle Airstrikes and Orbital Precision Strikes will be your best friend for this mission as it helps you save on grenades while taking out multiple tunnels or fabricators at the same time.
Spread Democracy
An easy mission to execute. Simply raise the flag of Super Earth and wait for the anthem to end. Fighting may occur, but this step is usually quiet.
Terminate Illegal Broadcast
If this optional objective is on the map, bring an explosive weapon or Stratagem. All you need to do is destroy the broadcasting tower to complete the objective. If there are none, then you’ll have to use the terminal underneath the tower and do the usual terminal inputs.
Destroy Rogue Research Station
This mission will provide you with a Hellbomb Stratagem to call down and destroy the surrounding buildings in one fell swoop. When the bomb is down, make the necessary directional inputs to arm the bomb. Stay clear of the area since the blast radius will be massive. If you’re short on time or have enemies on your tail, you may use your own explosive Stratagems, such as the Eagle 500kg Bomb or any Orbital Stratagem.
Align Radar Station
This objective can be done solo, but having a partner makes this easier to execute. First, activate the terminal and log in. You will need to align the radar dish to the direction indicated on the terminal. If you have a partner, have them align the dish while you instruct them to stop turning once the dish is in position. Confirm on the terminal to complete the objective.
Retrieve Valuable Data
This is a slightly more difficult version of the Radar objective. You will need to call down an SSD using the appropriate Stratagem. Activate the terminal and follow the instructions on screen. When the terminal tells you to deposit the SSD, find a yellow chute that’s glowing within the immediate vicinity. Once the SSD is in the chute, have someone turn the radar dish while you interact with the terminal to instruct where the radar dish should face.
Terminid Mission Types
Some of the Terminid exclusive mission types are:
- Purge Hatcheries
- Eliminate The Brood Commander/ Charger / Bile Titan
- Eliminate Terminid Swarm
- Activate E-710 Pumps
Purge Hatcheries
The objective is simple: destroy all the Terminid eggs within the objective area. What makes this mission challenging are the bugs that constantly spawn in to protect the hive. Surrounding the hatchery are Bug Tunnels that will spawn lesser enemies to harass you while you shoot the eggs. Destroy these first to ease the pressure off your team. If you can, bring a Jetpack and land on high terrain so that the bugs won’t reach you while you destroy the eggs.
Eliminate Brood Commander / Charger / Bile Titan
The target depends on the difficulty you set prior to finding this mission. On Trivial to Easy difficulty, it will be a Brood Commander. On Medium difficulty, it will be a Chargers, and on Challenging and beyond, the target will always be a Bile Titan. Always prepare an anti-armor weapon like the Recoilless Rifle, Disposable Anti-Tank Launcher, or Railgun for these types of missions. Alternatively, you can use offensive Stratagems like the Eagle Rocket Pods or the Orbital Precision Strike to deal massive damage. For the Chargers and Bile Titans, have one teammate serve as the bait while the rest of the team shoots at their weakspots.
For Chargers, shoot their forelegs with an anti-tank weapon to expose the fleshy underside. Once the armor on their leg is gone, shoot the leg with small arms fire to put it down for good.
With the Bile Titan, its face is a possible weakspot for anti-tank weapons as well as the green fleshy bits under it.
Eliminate Terminid Swarm
Bring as many sentry guns as you can since this mission is essentially a wave defense mission. Your goal is to kill a set number of bugs before the time limit. This mission will have you defend a small, landing pad, which is chock full of Samples to collect. AoE offensive Stratagems such as the Eagle Cluster Bomb, Orbital Airburst, Eagle Strafing Run or any area denial Stratagems will be very effective for these missions since Bug Breaches will always occur here.
Activate E-710 Pumps
This mission functions like a mini ICBM mission with a terminal and some valves that you need to turn. First, activate the terminal. There will be a pipe alignment minigame on the terminal, which requires you to redirect the flow from the leftmost pump to the assigned pump, highlighted in yellow on the right. This is a puzzle that will take a few seconds to complete, so call down some sentry guns or have your teammates cover you if a Bug Breach has been triggered. When that’s done, you must turn the valves at different pipes nearby, which are covered by Terminid gunk that you need to shoot first before you can interact with them. When all valves are turned, hit confirm in the terminal to complete the objective.
Automaton Mission Types
- Sabotage Base Supplies
- Destroy Transmission Tower
- Sabotage Air Base
- Eliminate Automaton Hulk / Tank
Sabotage Base Supplies
This mission has two different objectives. Destroy the fuel silos and sabotage their ammunition stockpiles. The ammo objective can be easily destroyed with a well-placed grenade or by shooting the surrounding explosive containers near them. The fuel silos are harder to destroy, requiring the use of a Hellbomb to destroy. Be mindful of the Bot Fabricators near them since these objectives are heavily guarded.
Eliminate Automaton Hulk / Tank
Hulks and Tanks are a little more straightforward in dealing with them compared to the Charger and Bile Titan. Both Automaton enemies have a massive weakspot at the back, which is indicated by a bright, red vent. While a few Recoilless Rifle shots on the rest of their frames can still destroy them, it is far easier to shoot those weakspots. Tanks are more susceptible to offensive Stratagems due to their massive frames, so use those if you can.
Destroy Transmission Tower
Completing this objective does not require explosive weaponry as all you need to do when you reach the objective is to shoot the panels on the transmission towers with small arms fire. Like other Automaton-exclusive missions, there will be fabricators and other defenses nearby, so deal with those whenever you can.
Sabotage Air Base
This objective functions like the Retrieve Valuable Data mission but also requires you to destroy stationary Automaton. To destroy the control tower, you need to deposit an SSD in the hatch while using the terminal to make it self-destruct, which you should stay away from after using the terminal. The dropships can be destroyed with your offensive Stratagems and explosive support weapons. Be aware that there will be Bot Fabricators around the base, so use your artillery Stratagems to clear them out before pushing for the objective.
