Helldivers 2: All difficulty settings & how to unlock them
Arrowhead Game StudiosWith Helldivers 2‘s arrival, players are greeted with various difficulty options, allowing for a customized gameplay experience, from easygoing to highly demanding. Learn about the available settings and how to unlock them in this eagerly anticipated sequel.
The long-awaited sequel to Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers introduces players to a new third-person perspective. It expands the universe with exciting planets, adversaries, and gear upgrades, all enhancing the cooperative gaming experience.
Prior to jumping headfirst into missions either alone or with friends, however, you’ll have the chance to choose how difficult you want it to be, and while there’s initially only one available option you’ll soon unlock more as you play.
So, here’s a rundown of all the difficulty settings in Helldivers 2 and how you can unlock them.
Arrowhead Game StudiosHelldivers 2 difficulty settings
There are a total of 9 difficulty settings in the game. These are:
- Trivial
- Easy
- Medium
- Challenging
- Hard
- Extreme
- Suicide Mission
- Impossible
- Helldive
The higher the difficulty in Helldivers 2, the better rewards you’ll earn but you’ll also have to defeat stronger enemies and there’ll be more enemy outposts to conquer. If you’re looking for a more relaxing experience you can stick to the easier options but for those who want to push themselves climbing through the higher difficulties is the way to go.
How to unlock and change difficulty
As the default option, Trivial will be the only available difficulty when you first boot up Helldivers 2 but you can unlock more by simply completing missions. You can find out how to unlock each one below:
- Trivial – available immediately
- Easy – Complete a mission on Trivial
- Medium – Complete a mission on Easy
- Challenging – Complete a mission on Medium
- Hard – Complete a mission on Challenging
- Extreme – Complete a mission on Hard
- Suicide Mission – Complete a mission on Extreme
- Impossible – Complete a mission on Suicide Mission
- Helldive – Complete a mission on Impossible
To change the difficulty in Helldivers 2 access the Galatic War screen from your ship and all the available options can be found at the bottom of the screen – simply navigate through them to select the one you want for your next mission. It’s important to keep in mind that the difficulty cannot be changed after a mission has started.
For more Helldivers 2 content, check out our guides below:
Are there classes in Helldivers 2? | How to fix Helldivers 2 quickplay error | How to change your ship name in Helldivers 2 | Does Helldivers 2 have vehicles & mechs? | How to fix Helldivers 2 failed to join error | Is Helldivers 2 on Steam Deck? | Can you play Helldivers 2 offline? | Helldivers 2: Trophies and Achievements | Is Helldivers 2 on Xbox Game Pass?
