Leveling up your weapons in Helldivers 2 isn’t just about unlocking new gear—it’s about surviving the toughest missions and becoming a true asset to your squad. Whether you’re a solo operator or part of a coordinated team, maximizing weapon XP requires smart planning, efficient execution, and a bit of creativity. This guide breaks down the most effective ways to farm weapon XP, helping you level up faster and dominate the battlefield.
1. Focus on Eradicate Missions
Eradicate missions are among the most efficient ways to farm weapon XP. These missions task you with eliminating a set number of enemies—perfect for racking up kills with your chosen weapon. To maximize XP:
- Choose Higher Difficulties: While more challenging, higher difficulty levels offer significant XP multipliers. For instance, “Hard” difficulty provides a 75% XP bonus, while “Helldive” offers a 250% bonus.
- Equip Area-Damage Stratagems: Tools like the Orbital Laser or Mortar Sentry can help clear large groups of enemies quickly, allowing you to focus on weapon kills.
- Coordinate with Your Squad: Splitting up to cover more ground can speed up mission completion, leading to more XP in less time.
By repeating Eradicate missions, especially on higher difficulties, you can accumulate substantial weapon XP efficiently.
2. Utilize Defense Missions for Consistent XP
Defense missions, particularly against Automatons, are another excellent avenue for farming weapon XP. These missions involve holding a position against waves of enemies, providing ample opportunities to use your weapons extensively.
- Set Up Defensive Stratagems: Deploy Rocket Sentries, Autocannons, and Mortars strategically to manage enemy waves effectively.
- Maintain High Ground: Positioning yourself and your defenses on elevated terrain can provide a tactical advantage, making it easier to eliminate enemies and protect your assets.
- Aim for Quick Extractions: Completing these missions efficiently can yield around 1,000 XP, 8 medals, and 4,000 credits in approximately five minutes.
Consistently running Defense missions on higher difficulties can lead to steady weapon XP gains.
3. Complete Side Objectives for Bonus XP
Don’t overlook side objectives—they’re a valuable source of additional XP. Tasks like destroying Automaton Factories, Bug Nests, or activating Radar Towers not only contribute to mission success but also provide extra experience points.
- Identify Side Objectives Early: Use your map to locate blue markers indicating side missions.
- Divide and Conquer: If playing with a squad, split up to tackle multiple objectives simultaneously, maximizing efficiency.
- Prioritize Time Management: Complete side objectives promptly to ensure you have enough time to extract safely, securing all earned XP.
Incorporating side objectives into your mission plan can significantly boost your weapon XP accumulation.
4. Engage in Bug Elimination Missions
Bug Elimination missions, especially those targeting the Brood Commander, are quick and effective for farming weapon XP. These missions are straightforward: find and eliminate a specific enemy.
- Opt for Trivial Difficulty: On lower difficulties, these missions can be completed rapidly, allowing for multiple runs in a short period.
- Use High-Damage Stratagems: Equip tools like the Eagle Cluster Bomb or MG-43 Machine Gun to dispatch targets swiftly.
- Refresh Missions as Needed: If the desired mission isn’t available, start a random operation and return to your ship to reset the mission list.
By repeating Bug Elimination missions, you can steadily increase your weapon XP with minimal time investment.
5. Play on Higher Difficulties for Greater Rewards
Higher difficulty levels not only challenge your skills but also offer substantial XP bonuses. Here’s a breakdown of the XP multipliers:
- Medium: +25%
- Challenging: +50%
- Hard: +75%
- Extreme: +100%
- Suicide Mission: +150%
- Impossible: +200%
- Helldive: +250%
While the risks are higher, the rewards in terms of weapon XP make tackling these difficulties worthwhile, especially when well-prepared.
6. Maximize Efficiency with Squad Play
Teaming up with other players can significantly enhance your XP farming efforts. A coordinated squad can complete missions faster and handle higher difficulties more effectively.
- Communicate Roles: Assign specific tasks to each squad member to ensure all objectives are covered efficiently.
- Share Resources: Distribute ammo and stratagems to maintain team effectiveness throughout the mission.
- Revive Teammates Promptly: Keeping your squad alive ensures maximum XP gains for all members.
Effective teamwork not only makes missions smoother but also boosts overall weapon XP accumulation.
7. Optimize Stratagem Usage
Selecting the right stratagems can significantly impact your weapon XP farming efficiency. Consider the following:
- Offensive Stratagems: Use tools like the Orbital Laser or Eagle Airstrike to clear large enemy groups quickly.
- Defensive Stratagems: Deploy Sentries and Mortars to control choke points and protect objectives.
- Support Stratagems: Utilize Ammo Drops and Reinforcements to sustain your squad during prolonged engagements.
Tailoring your stratagem loadout to the mission type and difficulty can enhance your weapon XP farming effectiveness.
8. Take Advantage of Mission Bonuses
Several mission-related bonuses can contribute to your weapon XP gains:
- Time-Based Bonuses: Completing missions quickly can yield additional XP.
- Full Squad Extraction: Ensuring all squad members extract safely provides extra experience points.
- Operation Completion: Finishing entire operations, rather than individual missions, can lead to cumulative XP rewards.
Being mindful of these bonuses and striving to achieve them can further boost your weapon XP accumulation.
