As you spend more time in the galactic war, you'll realize that your success often hinges on where you choose to fight and what you're asked to do there. This guide breaks down the planet selection system and mission objectives based on how most experienced players approach them.

How Does Planet Selection and Difficulty Work?

You choose your mission from a galactic map. First, you pick which enemy faction you want to fight. Then, you select a specific planet from a chain representing different difficulty levels. In general, each planet in this chain corresponds to a specific difficulty, from "Very Easy" up to the extreme challenges like "The Inner Circle of Hell."

The higher the difficulty, the tougher and more numerous the enemies become. However, it's not just about enemy strength. Higher difficulties also introduce more complex mission parameters, like having three objectives instead of two. The planet reward you see listed—usually a specific Stratagem—is tied to the difficulty tier, not the individual planet. So, any planet labeled "Hard" will offer the same pool of possible rewards.

Sometimes, you'll see special planets outside the main chain. A boss planet, marked as "Enemy Master," appears below. If a sector capital is under attack, a special defense planet will appear above the chain. These are for unique, time-limited events.

What Are the Different Planet Environments and Hazards?

Each planet has a biome that directly affects gameplay. You can't choose the biome; it's fixed to the planet. Here’s what to expect in practice:

Desert: These offer wide-open spaces. This is good for using vehicles and seeing enemies from far away, but it also means ranged enemies can see you. The main instant-kill hazards are preset minefields and bottomless pits.

Snow: Your movement is significantly slowed when walking through deep snow, which makes evading enemies harder. Stick to frozen lakes or paths for normal speed. The primary hazard is falling into open arctic water.

Forest/Swamp: This biome has dense cover but also constricted paths, which can lead to more frequent enemy contacts. Some areas have swamps that slow your movement. There are no instant-kill environmental hazards here, but the close quarters can get dangerous quickly.

Volcanic: Added in a post-launch update, these planets are deceptively deadly. While your movement isn't hindered, you must constantly watch for instant-kill magma pools and eruptions, which can occur near objectives.

City/Ruined City: Found almost exclusively during special Defense events, these maps feature tight urban corridors. The main hazard in ruined cities is bottomless pits in the roads. Standard city maps on Super Earth are clean and hazard-free.

Most players develop preferences for certain biomes based on their loadout. For example, long-range weapons work well on Desert planets, while area-denial Stratagems can be very effective in the tight corridors of Forest maps.

What Kinds of Missions and Objectives Will I Get?

A standard mission planet will have 2 or 3 separate operations to complete. Each mission map is randomly generated and features two key enemy types: fast "hunter" patrols that chase you, and "scout" patrols that will call endless reinforcements if they spot you. Quietly eliminating scouts is a core tactic for experienced Helldivers.

Objectives are chosen randomly from a pool. You can complete them in any order, but all must be done before your team can extract. The objectives fall into a few categories:

Destroy: Target enemy structures like Bug Nests or Illuminate Beacons. These are usually straightforward assault tasks.

Activate/Deploy: This includes setting up equipment like SAM sites or Artillery. You typically have to defend the area for a short time during or after activation.

Retrieve: Carry an item (like a Black Box) to an extraction point. This limits your combat effectiveness as you can only use one hand.

Escort: Protect NPC survivors or a convoy to a safe zone. These are often considered the most challenging, as the AI you protect can be fragile.

Exterminate: Kill a set number of enemies in a zone.

Assassinate: Find and eliminate a powerful, tanky enemy commander.

Defuse: Disarm bombs scattered around the area.

It's important to know that some objectives, like Escort or Retrieve, can be failed (e.g., if all survivors die) while still allowing you to complete the overall mission, though this will reduce your experience and reward points.

How Do Special Missions and Events Work?

Beyond standard missions, there are special operations that drive the galactic campaign:

Retaliatory Strikes: These replace a standard mission. Your team is dropped into a small arena and must survive against waves of enemies until a kill count is met. There are no samples to collect here, and the maps are not random. Most players bring defensive loadouts focused on area control.

Planetary Assault (Homeworld Siege): This is the final attack on an enemy's home planet. It's a 48-hour event where the community works together to fill a global influence bar by completing missions. These missions always give double XP.

Capital Defense: When an enemy counter-attacks reaches a sector capital, this event triggers. You have a limited time to complete missions on unique City maps to defend it. Failing can cause the sector to fall. These also give double XP.

Homeworld Defense: If the enemy pushes all the way to Super Earth, this ultimate 48-hour defense event begins. Failing this ends the entire galactic campaign.

Enemy Master (Boss): These are high-value target missions unlocked by spending community influence. They are very difficult but offer the highest XP and influence rewards. The first team to successfully complete it during its unlock period conquers the planet for everyone.

In general, veteran players prioritize participating in these events, especially Defense missions, as they are critical to the shared war effort and offer better rewards.

What Should I Consider When Choosing a Planet?

Most players make their choice based on a few key factors:

Reward: Are you trying to unlock a specific Stratagem from that difficulty tier?

Sample Collection: Higher difficulties have more rare "Samples" for upgrading your ship. Teams focusing on collection will often run higher difficulties but may avoid objectives like Escort that are riskier.

Event Participation: If a Defense or Assault event is active, many players will flock there for the double XP and to support the campaign.

Personal Comfort: The biome and difficulty should match what you and your team are equipped to handle. There's no benefit to repeatedly failing a Helldive mission if a challenging one offers consistent success and progression.

The system is designed to offer clear choices. Start at a comfortable difficulty to learn objectives and biomes, then gradually move up as your gear and strategies improve.

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