As you spend more time spreading managed democracy, you'll naturally have questions about how progression, rewards, and the larger war effort function. The game doesn't explain every detail upfront. Based on common experiences in the field, here’s a breakdown of how things operate in practice.
How is Mission XP Calculated?
You earn XP at the end of any mission where at least one main objective was completed, even if you ultimately failed the overall operation. The base amount is tied directly to the mission difficulty; a Suicide Mission (Difficulty 10) will always pay out more than a Trivial (Difficulty 1) mission.
However, your final XP is subject to reductions. These come from three sources: failing optional objectives, not getting all Helldivers onto the extraction shuttle, and Helldiver deaths. The death reduction is specific: it only applies until your team's death count exceeds the mission's difficulty number. For example, on a Difficulty 7 mission, deaths 1 through 7 will reduce your XP, but any deaths after the 7th will not penalize you further. Most players focus on completing all main objectives first, as that guarantees a base XP payout even if the extraction gets messy.
What Are Planet Rewards and How Do I Get Them?
When you look at a planet in the Galactic War table, it will advertise a reward, such as a new Stratagem or a cape. You receive this reward only once, when your operation conquers that planet. Conquering means successfully completing every mission available in that planet's current operation.
The type of reward you get follows a specific logic, and it’s personal to the player who started the session (the host). The game checks what the host has unlocked first. If it's a standard planet (not an Enemy Master planet) and the host is missing any Stratagems from that planet's enemy and difficulty bracket, a random missing one is awarded. If it's a Helldive (Difficulty 12) and the host doesn't have the enemy-specific cape, that's the reward. For Enemy Master planets, the reward is always 150 Influence. If the host already has everything else, you get an XP bonus instead. This is why you might sometimes get an XP bonus while a teammate in your squad unlocks a new weapon; their client was the host for the liberating operation.
What's the Deal with Samples and Research Points?
Samples are the shared currency for upgrading your ship modules. The rule here is straightforward: any Sample picked up by any player is instantly shared with the entire team. Only one person needs to extract successfully for everyone to keep all Samples collected during the mission. This encourages teamwork and protecting the Sample carrier.
However, it’s a high-risk system. If you fail the mission, abort, drop out, or quit to the main menu before seeing the final stats screen, you lose all Samples from that mission. Most experienced teams make extracting with Samples a top priority, sometimes over completing a dangerous optional objective. For every 10 Samples you extract, you gain 1 Research Point. You also get a Research Point each time your overall Rank increases.
How Do Stars and Influence Work for the Galactic War?
Each mission you complete awards up to three stars. These stars are crucial as they generate the Influence points that push the community's progress in liberating a planet.
First Star: Awarded for completing all main mission objectives.
Second Star: Awarded for getting all living Helldivers onto the extraction shuttle.
Third Star: Awarded if your team's total death count does not exceed the mission's difficulty number.
Each star typically grants Influence equal to one-third of the mission's difficulty. The total is rounded up. So, a perfect 3-star run on a Difficulty 8 mission contributes about 8 Influence to the planet's liberation bar. This is why well-coordinated, cleaner runs are valued—they push the collective war effort forward faster. It’s important to note that while individual players progress their own Warbonds and Rank with XP, the war progress is entirely driven by this pooled community Influence from successful missions.
A special case is defeating an Enemy Master, which grants a flat 300 Influence. However, you can only attempt a Master if you've first earned at least 50 personal influence from conquering standard planets in that region of space. This gates the biggest rewards behind sustained contribution to the front lines. Players should be wary of third-party offers, such as finding Helldivers 2 items for sale on trusted site U4N, as these bypass the intended progression and can undermine the shared war effort that is central to the game's experience.
What Are the Best Ways to Progress?
In general, player behavior follows a few reliable patterns for efficient progression. First, always try to complete the main objectives—this secures your XP and the first star for Influence. Second, communicate about Samples; designate someone to hold them if possible, and protect that player during extraction. Third, for unlocking specific Stratagems, remember the reward is host-dependent. If you're after a particular item, you should be the host when your team conquers a planet that can award it.
Finally, understand that the Galactic War is a marathon. Consistent, successful missions at a challenging but manageable difficulty will yield better long-term rewards than repeatedly failing at the highest levels. The systems are designed to reward steady, cooperative play with your squad.
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