What Should You Unlock First? Advanced Levelling Guide

Dom
Feb 25, 2024
4 min read

Updated: May 16

by Dom's Roundtable

So, you’ve fought through the first few hours of Helldivers 2, learned the ropes, and now find yourself in the mid-game void—not quite a fresh recruit, but still far from an elite. The problem? There’s plenty of guidance for beginners and tons of advice for endgame veterans, but very little help for those in between.

If you want to avoid wasting your hard-earned requisition on subpar gear, using the wrong stratagems for hours, or missing out on essential ship modules and war bond upgrades, this guide will optimize your loadout and prepare you for the endgame.

Let's break down the best stratagems, ship modules, weapons, and armour to unlock as you level up, ensuring every credit spent brings you closer to Helldiver mastery.

Stratagems: What to Unlock First

Top 3 Mid-Game Weapons from the Patriotic Administration Centre

Recoilless Rifle (Unlock ASAP – Level 5)

Pros: Devastating anti-armour weapon, can shred Chargers, Hulks, and Titans.
Cons: Painfully slow reload unless a teammate carries an ammo pack to assist.
Best Use: Only worth using if your squad has ammo support—otherwise, you’ll spend half the mission reloading.

Auto Cannon (Great Alternative – Level 10)

Pros: Fast-firing, high-damage, and reloads in chunks of five rounds, making it much faster than the Recoilless Rifle.
Cons: Lacks the raw penetration to instantly kill heavily armoured enemies.
Best Use: Shreds weaker enemies and mid-tier bots, but struggles against the toughest foes.

Rail Gun (The Ultimate Upgrade – Level 20)

Pros: Best handheld anti-armour weapon in the game. Can strip a Charger’s armour in two shots and one-shot a Hulk or Bile Titan with a well-placed hit.
Cons: High level requirement.
Best Use: If you only unlock one late-game anti-armour weapon, make it the Rail Gun—it’s superior to everything else in this category.

💡 Bonus Tip: The Spear (Anti-Tank) may sound good on paper, but it’s too slow, too limited, and cannot lock onto small targets—skip it and go for the Rail Gun instead.

Best Orbital Stratagems

Airburst Strike (Unlock at Level 5 – Great Starter Orbital)

Launches three consecutive explosions, ensuring at least one hits enemy weak points.
Can one-shot Chargers if the blasts hit their back.
Cheap and effective for clearing out swarms.

Orbital Laser (Level 15 – Most Efficient Damage Output)

Lasts a long time, making it far more cost-effective than the Rail Cannon.
Can easily take down multiple Chargers or a Bile Titan in one use.
Team-wide shared charges (3 per mission)—coordinate usage so it’s not wasted.

Rail Cannon Strike (Level 20 – Absolute Power)

One-shots nearly every enemy in the game, including Hulks and Bile Titans.
Can be used multiple times if the team coordinates strikes.
Best choice for eliminating high-value armoured enemies at range.

💡 Bonus Tip: Avoid the 120mm & 380mm Barrage—they sound great on paper but are wildly inconsistent. If an orbital misses its target, it’s wasted.

Best Hanger Stratagems

Eagle Airstrike (Unlock at Level 2 – Early Game MVP)

Armor-piercing rockets can kill Chargers and Devastators.
One of the few early-game stratagems that scales well into the late-game.

Rocket Pods (Mid-Game Alternative – Unlock at Level 15)

Targets large enemies first—great for stripping armor off bots.
Reliable against both small and large threats.

500kg Bomb (Best for Spawn Denial – Unlock at Level 20)

Can one-shot a Bile Titan if placed perfectly.
Best Use: Drop it on bug nests or bot landing zones to wipe out incoming reinforcements before they spawn.

💡 Bonus Tip: The Cluster Bomb & Napalm Strike are decent, but they pale in comparison to Eagle Airstrike and Rocket Pods—prioritize those instead.

Best Ship Modules to Unlock First

First Priority: Unlock Level 1 in Every Module

Most level 1 upgrades are cheap and provide game-changing effects.
Since they mostly require Common Samples, this is an easy early-game goal.

Top 3 Ship Module Upgrades

Sentry Upgrades (Best for Defence Missions)

Shock Absorption Gel – 50% more ammo for sentries.
High-Quality Lubricant – Sentries turn faster, dramatically improving their effectiveness.

Eagle Hangar Upgrades (Game-Changer for Airstrikes)

Expanded Weapons Bay – Doubles the 500kg Bomb count.
Pit Crew Hazard Pay – Reduces Eagle rearm time (only 2-minute cooldown instead of 4+ minutes).

Orbital Gas Strike (Best for Damage Over Time)

More effective than Napalm, especially against Bots and heavily armored enemies.
Super short cooldown—can be spammed multiple times in a mission.

💡 Bonus Tip: Eagle upgrades should be a top priority—you’ll use Eagles more frequently than Orbitals, and their cooldown is significantly shorter.

Best War Bond Weapons & Armor

Top 3 Mid-Game Primary Weapons (All in the Free War Bond)

SMG-37 Defender

Best damage output for a sidearm
Great for carrying mission items while still maintaining firepower.

SG-225 Breaker

One of the best primary weapons in the game.
Full-auto, devastating at close range, great against fast-moving enemies.

SG-8S Slugger

More ammo-efficient than the Breaker.
Can penetrate Medium Armor, making it viable against Devastators & Hive Guards.

Best Armor for the Mid-Game

Legionnaire Set

Light armour = faster movement, lower aggro radius.
“Servo-Assisted” perk increases throwing distance—great for precision grenades or bomb throws.

💡 Bonus Tip: Armour rating doesn’t work, so prioritize perks over defence stats until patched.

Final Thoughts – Your Path to the Endgame

Once you’ve unlocked the best stratagems, ship modules, and weapons, you’ll be fully prepared for endgame difficulties. Instead of wasting resources on subpar gear, this guide helps you spend wisely and get the most powerful loadout possible.

Prioritize damage-dealing stratagems like Rail Gun & Orbital Laser.
Unlock key ship modules for sentries & Eagles.
Use free War Bond weapons that outperform most premium options.

Now you know exactly what to invest in—so get out there, spread democracy, and annihilate the enemy forces of tyranny! 🇺🇸🚀