HELLDIVERS Dive Harder Edition (2015): Complete Guide

A guide to the original top-down HELLDIVERS on PC: stratagems, the three enemy factions, difficulty, the Galactic Campaign, Proving Grounds, and how to survive friendly fire. This is the 2015 twin-stick shooter, not HELLDIVERS 2.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the Dive Harder Edition with the A New Hell update (Liberty Day 2018) and the April 2021 Proving Grounds leaderboard bugfix, the last listed patch. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status (September 2026): HELLDIVERS (Arrowhead Game Studios, published by PlayStation Publishing) released on Steam on 7 December 2015. The Dive Harder Edition was a free upgrade that bundles every expansion (A New Hell, Masters of the Galaxy, Turning Up The Heat, Democracy Strikes Back) and adds the Proving Grounds mode. The last Steam update listed is a Proving Grounds leaderboard fix on 21 April 2021; since then Arrowhead's focus has been HELLDIVERS 2 (February 2024), which is set about a century later. The original is still sold and playable, but it gets no new content. Online co-op and the community Galactic Campaign depend on Arrowhead's servers, so if matchmaking is quiet, invite friends or play local co-op.

Quick Start

• Friendly fire is always on. Bullets, airstrikes, turrets, and falling Hellpods all kill teammates. Most early deaths are from your own squad.
• Stratagems are called by typing a directional code. Hold the stratagem key, enter the arrow sequence, then throw the beacon. Learn your loadout's codes before you dive.
• Reinforce is your lifeline. Dead Helldivers come back through the Reinforce stratagem, but someone has to be alive to call it, so don't let the whole squad go down at once.
• Resupply is a stratagem too. Call it before you are dry, not after.
• Start on low-difficulty planets. Planet difficulty goes from 1 up to 15 (with A New Hell). Low levels give you room to learn weapons and codes.
• Match your loadout to the faction. Bugs swarm, Cyborgs are armored and use ranged weapons, Illuminate use shields and teleport. The same loadout rarely works for all three.
• Collect samples. They fund upgrades to your weapons and stratagems.
• Extraction is its own fight. Once you call the shuttle, hold a defensive position and expect waves.
• Don't stand where a stratagem lands. Hellpods crush whatever they hit, including you.

Controls and Stratagem Input

HELLDIVERS supports keyboard and mouse or a controller. With keyboard and mouse you move with WASD and aim with the mouse. To call a stratagem you hold the stratagem modifier and type the code (default is a directional sequence on the movement keys or arrows), then throw.

Tip | Why

Practice codes in low-stakes missions | Fumbling a code while being chased is how squads wipe

Throw beacons away from teammates | Hellpods and airstrikes land where the beacon lands

Watch for jammers | Some enemy structures and effects can block or disrupt stratagems

Communicate "calling air" | Everyone should know an airstrike is coming

Check the in-game controls menu for your exact defaults; you can rebind if you prefer arrow keys for codes.

Core Systems

The squad

• Up to 4 players, local (couch) or online on Steam.
• Dead Helldivers come back when a living teammate calls the Reinforce stratagem. If the whole squad dies with nobody left to call it, the mission fails.
• Teammates can also heal each other and share ammo, so stick close enough to help.

Stratagems

Stratagems are the game's real arsenal. They are grouped roughly like this:

Category | Examples of what they do

Mission essentials | Reinforce, Resupply

Support weapons | Heavy weapons dropped by Hellpod, such as anti-tank launchers and machine guns

Backpacks | Utility packs like supply and jump packs

Vehicles | Mechs and armored vehicles such as the EXO-44 Walker and the APC

Offensive strikes | Orbital and air strikes, including the Railcannon Strike

Defensive | Turrets, mines, and static defenses such as the Tesla Tower

Stratagems unlock as you rank up, and most can be upgraded with research paid for by samples you pick up on missions.

Weapons and perks

• Each Helldiver chooses a primary weapon, a perk, and a set of stratagems.
• Primary weapons unlock by rank and include assault rifles, shotguns, SMGs, laser weapons, and more exotic options. Each can be upgraded with research.
• Perks are passive bonuses (e.g., carrying more ammo, faster reload, better stratagem handling). Pick them to cover a weakness in your team.
• The Dive Harder Edition added a loadout system with random and favorite loadout options, so you can save builds.

Missions

Each planet has an operation made of several missions. Mission types include objectives like retrieving data, launching an ICBM, escorting or rescuing, defending areas, and eliminating targets. Completing all missions on a planet liberates it and contributes to the Galactic Campaign.

• Side objectives and samples are optional but pay out in progress.
• The extraction phase (roughly a 90-second wait once called) requires calling the shuttle, defending the landing zone, and boarding before the timer or enemies overwhelm you.

Difficulty

Planet difficulty levels originally went up to 12. A New Hell (Liberty Day 2018) added three more:

Level | Name (from the update)

13 | An Exercise in Futility

14 | The Definition of Insanity

15 | Inner Circle of Hell

Higher difficulty means more and tougher enemies, heavier patrols, and harder objectives. Rewards scale accordingly.

Enemy Factions

Faction | Style | Counters

Bugs | Huge swarms, fast melee, large armored bugs | Crowd-control, turrets, area strikes, mines; keep moving

Cyborgs | Armored infantry, ranged weapons, heavy units | Anti-armor weapons, flanking, orbital strikes on bases

Illuminate | Shields, cloaking, teleporting, psychic attacks | Energy weapons, spread out, prioritize shield-bearers

A New Hell added new elite variants:

• Shadow (Bugs): an evolved Stalker/Hunter with stronger regeneration and camouflage, which can release spores that lure other bugs. Kill it fast; its armor is weak.
• Obsidian Observer (Illuminate): a weaponized Watcher that uses nanotechnology.
• Legionnaire (Cyborgs): an up-armored squad leader with a heavy shield. Flank or use explosives.

The Galactic Campaign

• The whole community fights a shared war across the galaxy against the three factions.
• Each liberated planet pushes the front line toward an enemy homeworld; capture a homeworld to defeat a faction.
• Enemies can counterattack. If they reach Super Earth, a defense event begins.
• A campaign ends when all factions are defeated or Super Earth falls; then a new campaign starts.
• Your mission completions contribute directly. Low-difficulty dives still count.

Because this is a shared server-side system, it depends on the game's online services being up. If it is ever unavailable, missions and local co-op are still where the fun is.

Proving Grounds (Dive Harder Edition)

Proving Grounds adds challenge missions with unique modifiers and leaderboards (the last patch on Steam, in April 2021, fixed those leaderboards). It is a good way to test loadouts under pressure and earn rewards.

Team Roles

A four-player squad works best when everyone has a job:

Role | Loadout focus | Job

Anti-armor | Heavy anti-tank support weapon | Delete tanks, heavy bugs, and shielded units

Crowd control | Machine gun or shotgun, turrets, mines | Hold chokepoints and cover objectives

Support | Supply pack, resupply, defensive stratagems | Keep ammo flowing and the team alive

Striker | Orbital and air strikes | Destroy bases and big clusters

Mission Checklist

A simple routine that keeps squads alive from drop to extraction:

Phase | What to do

Loadout screen | Check the faction and planet difficulty; make sure the squad has anti-armor, crowd control, and at least one resupply option between you

Drop | Pick a drop point away from enemy bases and patrol routes; you can't fight well before your support weapons land

First minute | Call support weapons and backpacks in a safe spot, away from teammates' feet

Moving | Travel as a group, sweep for samples on the way, and avoid patrols that would trigger alarms and reinforcement waves

Objectives | One or two players do the objective input while the rest watch the approaches

Before extraction | Clear the landing zone, place turrets and mines, then call the shuttle

Extraction wait | Hold one direction each, reinforce anyone who falls, and board together

Solo diving: stick to lower difficulties while you learn, bring defensive stratagems (turrets, mines) that fight for you, and lean on stealth. Alarms are far more dangerous alone because there is no teammate to cover you or call Reinforce.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Throwing airstrikes into your own team. Always check where teammates are before you commit.
• Dropping Hellpods on friends. Reinforce and support drops kill whoever they land on.
• Running the same loadout for every faction. Bugs and Cyborgs demand different tools.
• Dying in chains. Every death costs time, gear, and firepower; losing people repeatedly on objective one leaves the squad weak for extraction.
• Fighting every patrol. Avoidance is often cheaper than a fight you do not need.
• Skipping samples. They fund the upgrades that make high difficulties survivable.
• Calling extraction too early. Clear the landing area first or you will defend a hot zone for the whole timer.

Advanced Tips

• Pre-call your defenses at extraction. Turrets and mines around the landing zone before you call the shuttle make the wait much easier.
• Use terrain as a funnel. Canyons and chokepoints concentrate swarms for area strikes.
• Split into pairs on large maps. Two pairs can clear objectives faster while still covering each other.
• Vehicles are force multipliers but fragile. Mechs and APCs are strong but need escorts against anti-armor enemies.
• Watch the Galactic map. Diving where the community is pushing makes your contribution matter more for the campaign outcome.
• Treat friendly fire as a tactic, not a joke. Tight movement and staggered firing lines make higher difficulties manageable.

HELLDIVERS vs HELLDIVERS 2

HELLDIVERS (2015) | HELLDIVERS 2 (2024)

Perspective | Top-down twin-stick | Third-person shooter

Factions at launch | Bugs, Cyborgs, Illuminate | Terminids and Automatons (Illuminate returned later)

Co-op | 4 players, local and online | 4 players, online with crossplay

Story timing | The first war | About 100 years later

If you loved the sequel, the original is a great prequel with the same stratagem input system and the same friendly-fire chaos.

FAQ

Is HELLDIVERS 1 still online in 2026? The game is still sold on Steam and its last patch was in April 2021. Online services have not been reported as shut down in the official Steam news, but it receives no new content. Local co-op works if matchmaking is quiet.

Do I need the DLC? The Dive Harder Edition already includes the expansions. Some cosmetic and weapon packs were sold separately.

Is this the same as HELLDIVERS 2? No. HELLDIVERS 2 is a separate game released in February 2024. This is the original 2015 top-down game.

Can I play solo? Yes, but it is hard at higher difficulties. Use more defensive stratagems and avoid unnecessary fights.

What is the hardest difficulty? Level 15, Inner Circle of Hell, added in the A New Hell update.

How do I stop killing my teammates? Communicate stratagem calls, stagger your firing lines, and never throw a beacon near a friend.

Sources

• Steam store page: HELLDIVERS Dive Harder Edition
• HELLDIVERS: A New Hell Liberty Day Update (Steam news, Oct 2018)
• Bugfix April 21, 2021 (Steam news)
• HELLDIVERS 2: The Story So Far (Steam news, Feb 2024)
• Wikipedia: Helldivers