How to Farm Weapon XP in Helldivers 2: The Ultimate Guide to Level Up Fast and Dominate
In the intense and chaotic battlefield of Helldivers 2, mastering your weapons is essential for survival and success. Weapon XP is the key to unlocking advanced gear, increasing your firepower, and making your squad a formidable force against relentless alien hordes. Whether you’re playing solo or in a tight-knit squad, knowing the best ways to farm weapon XP efficiently can save time and boost your effectiveness in the field.
This comprehensive guide reveals everything you need to know to maximize your weapon experience gain in Helldivers 2 — from mission selection and difficulty scaling to stratagem use and teamwork strategies. Prepare to dive deeper into the world of Helldiving and elevate your gameplay.
1. Prioritize Eradicate Missions for Maximum Weapon Kills
Eradicate missions are the bread and butter of weapon XP farming in Helldivers 2. These missions require you to eliminate a set quota of enemy forces, which perfectly aligns with the goal of leveling your weapons through consistent kills.
Why Eradicate Missions Are Ideal:
- High kill count: The focus is on wiping out large numbers of enemies.
- Predictable enemy spawns: You can plan routes and loadouts around the expected enemy types.
- Efficient use of weapons: Allows you to fully utilize your weapon’s damage potential.
Pro Tips for Eradicate Missions:
- Choose higher difficulty levels: Difficulties like “Hard” (75% XP bonus), “Extreme” (100%), and the infamous “Helldive” mode (250%) provide exponential XP boosts. While tougher, the extra challenge pays off in weapon experience.
- Equip area-of-effect stratagems: Items such as the Orbital Laser, Mortar Sentry, or Eagle Cluster Bomb can decimate enemy clusters, allowing you to clear groups quickly and then focus your weapons on tougher enemies.
- Squad coordination: If playing with friends or teammates, split into teams to cover more ground. This reduces mission completion time and increases XP per minute.
- Target high-value enemies: Focus on stronger enemies to maximize XP gain per kill. Weaker foes can be cleared with stratagems, letting your weapons target more rewarding threats.
Example Loadout for Eradicate Missions:
- Primary Weapon: SG-225 Breaker Shotgun (high damage, good for crowd control)
- Secondary Weapon: GL-21 Grenade Launcher (splash damage for groups)
- Stratagems: Orbital Laser, HMG Emplacement, Eagle 500KG Bomb
By continuously cycling through Eradicate missions on higher difficulties, you’ll build weapon XP quickly and efficiently.
2. Exploit Defense Missions for Steady Weapon XP Gains
Defense missions, especially those where you hold ground against waves of Automatons or Terminids, are another excellent method to build weapon XP. These encounters test your endurance and strategic placement but reward consistency.
Why Defense Missions Work:
- Waves provide continuous targets: Constant enemy spawns ensure your weapons remain active.
- Tactical depth: Use the environment and stratagems to create kill zones.
- Experience from mission duration: Longer missions mean more kills and more XP.
Winning at Defense Missions:
- Deploy strategic defenses: Place Rocket Sentries and Autocannons at chokepoints to thin out enemy waves before they reach you.
- Secure high ground: Elevated positions reduce incoming enemy pressure and increase your safety, allowing you to pick enemies off with precision.
- Rotate weapon usage: Use your main weapon on tough enemies and your secondary or stratagems to clear mobs.
Speed Matters:
Efficiency is key. Aim to complete Defense missions quickly to earn around 1,000 XP per run, along with medals and credits. This pace helps maintain momentum and XP flow without unnecessary downtime.
3. Don’t Overlook Side Objectives — They Pack a Punch
Side objectives, though optional, offer valuable bonus XP and often involve tactical destruction or activation tasks such as destroying Bug Nests, Automaton Factories, or activating Radar Towers.
Benefits of Side Objectives:
- Bonus XP rewards: Completing these tasks nets extra experience beyond the main mission.
- Mission variety: Keeps gameplay fresh and challenges different skill sets.
- Squad coordination potential: Great opportunity for team members to divide and conquer.
Tips for Efficient Side Objective Completion:
- Map awareness: Use your mission map to identify side objectives, usually marked with blue icons.
- Divide and conquer: Assign squad members to handle different objectives simultaneously, speeding up mission completion.
- Time management: Prioritize side objectives early so you have time to extract safely with all earned XP intact.
Completing side objectives consistently can add significant chunks of weapon XP over time and improve overall mission rewards.
4. Focus on Bug Elimination Missions for Quick XP Bursts
Bug Elimination missions task you with hunting down and defeating a specific high-value enemy like the Brood Commander or a powerful Terminid leader.
Why Bug Elimination is Great for XP Farming:
- Fast mission completion: Lower difficulty missions can be run quickly for repeated XP gains.
- Targeted weapon use: Allows you to focus weapon firepower on a single, tough target.
- Strategic respawns: Easy to reset and retry for efficient farming.
How to Maximize Bug Elimination:
- Play on Trivial difficulty: Run these missions on the easiest setting for fast clears.
- Equip high-damage stratagems: Use the Eagle Cluster Bomb or MG-43 Machine Gun to quickly eliminate targets.
- Mission refresh technique: If the target mission is unavailable, start a different operation and return to your ship to refresh the mission list.
Repeatedly running Bug Elimination missions on low difficulty offers a high XP-to-time ratio.
5. Play on Higher Difficulties for Exponential XP Rewards
While riskier, higher difficulty missions significantly multiply your weapon XP gains. Understanding the XP multipliers and preparing accordingly can help you reap massive rewards.
Difficulty XP Multipliers:
- Medium: +25%
- Challenging: +50%
- Hard: +75%
- Extreme: +100%
- Suicide Mission: +150%
- Impossible: +200%
- Helldive: +250%
Tips for Tackling Higher Difficulties:
- Gear up thoroughly: Stock up on ammo, medkits, and defensive stratagems.
- Team synergy: Play with a squad that communicates and coordinates roles efficiently.
- Focus fire: Prioritize high-threat targets to reduce mission hazards quickly.
Mastering high-difficulty runs offers the best return on investment for your time spent farming weapon XP.
6. Leverage Squad Play to Multiply XP Gains
Weapon XP farming becomes exponentially easier and faster when playing in a coordinated squad. Teamwork not only improves survivability but also increases mission completion speed and XP distribution.
How to Maximize Squad Efficiency:
- Assign roles: Have squad members specialize in crowd control, heavy weapons, or support.
- Resource sharing: Pass ammo and health packs to teammates who need them most.
- Quick revives: Keep your team alive to maximize XP gains, as fallen members reduce total experience earned.
- Communication is key: Call out enemy positions, side objectives, and stratagem deployment for smooth operations.
Strong teamwork accelerates weapon XP farming and improves overall mission success.
7. Optimize Stratagem Use to Amplify Weapon XP Farming
Stratagems are powerful tools that can turn the tide of battle. Selecting and using them wisely increases your kill rate, leading to faster weapon XP growth.
Best Stratagems for Weapon XP Farming:
- Offensive Stratagems: Orbital Laser, Eagle Airstrike, and Cluster Bombs clear large enemy groups quickly, freeing your weapons for tougher foes.
- Defensive Stratagems: Rocket Sentries and Mortars protect choke points, giving you safe firing zones.
- Support Stratagems: Ammo Drops and Reinforcements keep your squad in the fight longer, maintaining weapon use and XP flow.
Tailor Stratagems to Missions:
Different missions require different approaches. Adapt your stratagem loadout based on mission type and enemy composition to maximize your weapon XP gains.
8. Exploit Mission Bonuses for Extra Weapon XP
Helldivers 2 rewards players who complete missions efficiently and with full squad success. Leveraging these bonuses can add up to significant XP over time.
Key Mission Bonuses:
- Time-Based Bonus: Faster mission completions yield bonus XP.
- Full Squad Extraction: Ensure all team members extract alive to get a collective XP bonus.
- Operation Completion: Completing entire operations rather than just individual missions grants cumulative XP boosts.
Strategies for Bonuses:
- Plan your route: Know the mission layout to minimize downtime.
- Communicate extraction plans: Avoid last-minute scrambles that could cost teammates’ lives.
- Keep morale high: Successful teamwork leads to better mission performance and more XP.
Final Thoughts: Consistency is King in Weapon XP Farming
The journey to mastering your arsenal in Helldivers 2 is a marathon, not a sprint. By focusing on high-kill missions like Eradicate and Defense, completing side objectives, playing with a coordinated squad, and tackling higher difficulties, you will steadily build weapon XP and unlock powerful gear that changes the tide of battle.
Remember to balance risk and reward, adapt your strategies based on mission types, and always be ready to modify your loadout for optimal performance. With patience, skill, and these proven tips, you’ll become a legendary Helldiver, wielding fully leveled weapons that make you an unstoppable force.
Ready to farm weapon XP like a pro? Gear up, dive in, and conquer Helldivers 2!
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