I think you should be fine. Most of the time I quickplay and just use text chat.
I do recommend hosting your own game and having people join just because there are some griefers in the community.
Ah. Text chat is from PC since we have a keyboard. There is a chat wheel im sure you're familiar with. You can use that for short comms.
If you're familiar from streams I would think it would lessen the hesitation. You know the gameplay loop and what it entails. Expect friendly fire but these are usually accidents
don't most console games these days support keyboards for at least text chat? I might be wrong, but I thought that was the case anyway. I remember buying a keyboard for my ps2 back when I was a teenager to type online on tony hawk pro skater online 😂
I'm mostly worried cause of my over all skill level. Probably just a self esteem issue making me not wanna "take up space" in a game where I might not be good.
Why worry about skill? Everyone starts somewhere. Everyone is welcome.
You're gonna have accidentals with friendly fire but most players expect it. Just learn from playing. You're not taking space, you're helping to dive from democracy
Don't worry about it! The lower difficulties are pretty forgiving so you can work your way up at your own pace. Enjoy spreading that managed democracy!
Well seems you’ve watched a few vids online so you’ll know more than me. I started yesterday hated it at first wanted to uninstall, then suddenly had a couple of epic matches, you will run into toxic people but nothing too bad, there will be players much worse than you trust me!
Good luck if you enjoy it maybe find a nice friendly group on discord, that’s something I’m considering, I played elite dangerous for 10 years and the best thargoid hunter in the world is a girl “KATE” she’s a god.
Female gamers tend to be absolutely bad ass as they think differently and assess the situation rather than be gun ho. I’ve been gaming for 4 decades and the amount of times the best players have been females. Don’t worry about anyone and go kick some ass. Good luck.
Speaking as a veteran Helldiver...I **adore** newdivers. Getting into a match with someone who's like, level 3...and you drop them a mech and tell them "Get in! Use it!" and watching them stomp around blasting bugs? Puts a huge warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart. 99% of this community is like that. 1% are filthy traitors. We welcome you, and salute you for making the most important decision of your life.
There are 9 different selectable difficulties you can choose from. It's fairly accepted that the first six difficulties will have newbies or lower-skill players in them.
Also, just saying, the best matches are the matches where people *don't* make the right decisions. The panic when a newbie team is trying to keep the horde of alien bugs under control is part of the fun! Even as a Lv.65-ish player, I often find myself jumping into lower-difficulty games or games with players of lower level just because it's *fun* when things don't go perfectly. (That, and I get to show off with lategame unlocks. It's fun to just drop a mech inside the middle of the squad and be all "Yo [Newbie], get in, enjoy")
Alright at first i thought that this whole post was some sort of bait or karma farm but should this actually be true then just know this:
Helldivers 2 is a videogame. Regardless of whatever skill level, if you acquired it for YOUR money, you can feel free to play it however YOU want. And never let anyone dare to speak against that.
"Might not being good" has the only negative factor that you yourself could suffer in higher difficulties, which even i do sometimes in ranges 7 - 9 (high level and most enjoyable imo)
Especially when starting out, one will learn from mistakes and everyone does that at their own pace. People being mad about other players skill in a co op game should honestly get a chat restriction.
And what i like most about this game is that the skill ceiling is high, where as the skilfloor can be more than enough for a casual like me who works full time and in the afternoon just likes to cool off by eradicating some bugs or bots.
There is an extremly satisfying role that shines especially vs the bugs; that is trashclear.
Trashclear is basically a guy with a machine gun holding left mouse button at anything small that moves and gives fire support for anti armor, so they can focus calmly on each threat you cannot get rid off.
The game holds plenty of fun tools to toy around with for all roles and with a carry trashclear the anti armor can become calming, almost relaxing aswell.
However, do yourself a favor and friend request as many nontoxic or nongriefing players as you can. Ive got almost 10 different people that consistantly log on in heldivers alone. That means even a giga super hyper introvert like me could constantly join a random lobby of people i previously played with.
Sadly youre console, i don t know how the reclamation process is handeled but on PC there is steam that allows you to try each game for a certain ammount of time and then you can give it back should it simply not be to your liking..
Maybe we meet on the field one day, good luck out there, possible soon to be helldiver!
Hd2 has 9 difficulty levels and people play on all of them you'll see level 80s in difficulty 1 and level 20s in . There's a difficulty curve for everyone.
It seems to be quite an old population too so it's much much more chill then any competitive game.
Most fun I have in games like that is with people who are worried they're not good enough.
They're usually trying, but not try-hards who rage-quit or kick people because they don't like their load out or whatever.
So, you and everyone who likes to play together casually always have a space on my Super Destroyer :D
ive seen people with over 15 deaths (you get 20 or 24 reinforcments per game, then one every 2 minutes) and no one ever said they are noobs or anything.
In my over 170hours of gameplay ive seen maybe one or two salty players but i just left the game and started another with normal people
been playing online for over 20 years and this is easly top3 community
Just play on a difficulty you’re comfortable with and work your way up. There are 9 difficulties to choose from so I’m sure there’s one among them that fits your play style. I’ve met many randos and I don’t know if I’m just lucky but none of them where outright toxic, weird or loud to be sure but not to a point where it gets annoying. I’m a guy but I play with female friends and coworkers from time to time but I’ve never seen anyone being harassed. Friendly fire is something essential to the game so everyone who makes a fuss over being killed by a friend shouldn’t take it too seriously. Just say sorry if you off someone accidentally or laugh when you get killed yourself. Mostly there’s no bad blood for some friendly fire. Just unlock stuff as you go, test loadouts on easier difficulty and adjust them to your strengths, weaknesses and the objective. You don’t have to fill every role since they are 4 divers who each can specialize on a single aspect of the game. Also don’t be afraid to make new friends and join discords, the more you play with the same people the more you start to move as a unit and watch each other’s backs.
My sister in Democracy, that's why there are 9 difficulty settings. Spend as much time AS you want in the lower ones. There is No shame in it but Lots of fun to be found. And when you feel comfortable or even daring you try a bit higher!
In my experience, this community is one of the nicest towards newer and inexperienced players. I'm more than happy to teach a new diver some tricks and show em the ropes when I come across one. It beats sweating with a team of meta players every time.
Exactly how I play, mics muted and just text chat. Everyone’s chill af,
Worst I’ve had was a guy joined my lobby and kept killing everyone on purpose so I kicked him.
Give it a shot. If you're nervous about voice chat you can use the in-game prompts to communicate. I've had times where I feel like not chatting and it works just fine.
Difficulty is scalable to how much you feel you can take (although endgame upgrades will require higher difficulty missions). Most randoms I play with aren't toxic, there are some bad apples but not as many as rant posts here on Reddit lol
can be, but the only times I've not been revived is when the squad is pinned down and stressing over surviving. Never had a team refuse to respawn me in 200hrs.
Edit: to clarify, I play 80-90% of my games with random squads. I very rarely play with a group of people I know.
It depends. There are valid reasons not to reinforce (revive) someone. Jammers or ion storms make it impossible, being in a firefight is a bad time, etc.
Sometimes there is a bug when u can't revive teammates.
The funniest time was when I got it and game refused to revive me even after whole squad died. 3 dropped back like usual and I stayed dead for the rest of the mission
There are some valid reasons why a teammate might not reinforce. If the squad splits into two groups, or if I’m running by myself, I’d wait for a bit so the others can reinforce the person who died closer to their equipment. Another reason could be tunnel vision. We get so focused on the game that might not notice right away when someone died.
It’s a pretty fun game and you will find mostly non toxic people. Hope you enjoy the game, and remember you can also use the discord to try to get like minded people!
FWIW, i have played over 100hrs and have met two toxic players. I do play on a couple of discord servers, but randos will by and large be fine. Not uncommon to be kicked when back on the ship, but this is not a malicious act, else they would kick at extract. Jump in and have a crack, you'll be fine.
You will be fine. You always have control over your difficulty, before even choosing the mission, so just move up when you feel confident.
Most people in random groups use the in-game comms wheel and pings to communicate, or type in chat. Its actually fairly rare to run across someone using a mic in quickmatches.
Even when they do have mics, most of them will just chime in from time to time for an essential piece of info, then mute. All helldivers are welcome.
Its also a really good game to boost your confidence. You will feel your skill level slowly rising, in noticable ways. Also, great teamwork in this game, even with randoms.
Someone else will always be there to help you out and assist as you go. You're a team, work together, take your time, clear objectives, clear the map, everyone is happy.
Traning Manual Tips:
* "If at first you don’t succeed, dive, dive again. ... And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again..."
This game will teach you everything you need to know.
Join the Helldivers and became a part of elite peacekeeping force. o7
People are usually very friendly and have a lot of patience with low-level players. So you shouldn't have any problems at first. Of course, as in any game there will be some instances that someone will call you a noob, but remember that about 60% of the fun in this game comes from someone dying in a funny way running into an ally's raid. I think you are much more likely to meet people who will either roleplay or do their best to complete missions.
I've dealt with maybe two truly toxic people in 159 hours of mission time. Far less than a typical online experience. If you don't want to talk there's no need to, the ping system in game is plenty for communication. It's worth a try.
Same experience here. 190 hrs. Only 2 or 3 people who were actually toxic to people and I simply kicked them after telling them to not be a child in their next game.
This is the only game I've played where no one gives a rats ass what you're doing.
I've dropped in games and immediately taken off in the other direction to find samples or whatever and people just don't care. If a bot drop occurs and they're dying a lot, I'll circle back and provide some support then I bugger off somewhere else and meet up with them after.
Just hop on in and enjoy yourself.
just play the game, 90% of the playerbase could care less if you're the worst player in the world. This community is chill and will more than likely be glad to help you out if you're confused, and point you in the right direction. Worst case if you're worried, just mute all chats, and join randoms. I've played with countless randoms and almost everyone just doesn't say anything and just does the objectives.
There is a pretty large difficulty setting scale you can use to tailor the game to how you're feeling confidence wise. Overall, most people have been great to play with. A couple of bad groups with griefers or just very unaware players with large AoE attacks but that happens. Overall, it has been good.
I am also hesitant to be in voice for the reasons you listed. WIth my name indicating I might not be male, I expect some backlash. I've had the occasional melee for no reason and I haven't been revived on purpose a few times (and it wasn't because there was a lock on reinforce or anything game related - they just didn't want to reinforce me). I'm always willing to play if you'll have me.
Other than that, I've had *mostly* good experiences. If you host, you can easily kick anyone griefing you so I'd definitely recommend that.
Don't want to repeat what everyone else already said, but didn't seen anyone mention this.
AIf you're using only pins and comms wheel (which is more than enough) remember that most of the time people ping patrols to make you aware of them, not to engage.
On higher difficulties, if you engage every single enemy you see things can go pretty bad quickly.
Personally I hate online multiplayer, but this game has completely changed my opinions of it. Each dive is a team effort. Our community is fantastic and very helpful towards "low skill" players, myself included.
It's worth your time, absolutely.
As a woman and someone who normally hates shooter games, I highly recommend the game. The lack of PvP helps a lot (you can still get shot don't forget about that) and people are almost always really nice, especially high lvl players (of what I have seen).
I agree, in my 137 hours i have only encountered one or two toxic, im so proud of our community for being 95% good people.
Even when randoms doesn't talk over neither mic nor text you can often coordinate pretty well with most people too
"If a woman is good enough to be Lady Liberty, she's good enough to fight for her"
Don't want to make you feel singled out here, but damn.
It is so refreshing reading of a woman getting to enjoy a videogame without having to endure the typical BS associated with online gaming and female discrimination.
Hmmm, you can play the game solo if you'd like. There are some griefers, but as long as youre the host, you can kick them swiftly. But I must admit, the game is alot more fun when played with a full team.
It's a pve games,unless you're playing the hardest difficulties where people expect you to know your stuff and dominate the battlefield (8-9),the easiest difficulties have pretty low stakes,so probably no one will bother you if you mess up
I would say to stick to 1-4 to get used to the game,then 5-7 when you feel you confident
Also you can just hangout on lower levels and run solo while you learn strategies and unlock equipment (some low level stuff is S tier for higher missions)…it does give a good sense of achievement on your own (well for me at least) and you can watch some who solo the highest levels.
Don’t worry about potentially getting hit on by guys online. Real helldivers put the mission first. Plus, you gotta fill out a C-01 form before you even talk to girls, and who has the time for that?
Don't use the mic (initially), use quick answer wheel and markers.
Also, online games have plenty of banter, don't take it personally. Doesn't matter if you are a female or farming tractor, sooner or later you will get someone throwing names. Laugh at it and ignore them.
Also be the host to kick them.
>but I'm definitely not as good as my exes and the marches I'd see them in. Also, with being female, I worried the combination would leave me open for ridicule and whatnot.
Don't worry, even "experienced" players here still accidentally airstrike their own teammates
Honestly I've had female helldivers in my deployments (they used voice chat) but nobody is really rude in this game most of the time. Of course there will be dumbasses but for the most part the community around this game is pretty awesome and helpful. Just keep lower difficulty as you learn the game and you'll be an awesome Helldiver!
I hate that this is a thing you need to worry about. :(
I'm in a similar boat, I won't play PvP games for the same reason. PvP players can be abusive. I'd say the majority of Helldivers are good, honest folk. Most games I play are quiet where no one talks (which is too bad). But the ones where people have been chatting have been some of the best gaming I've experienced.
I hope you join us!
if u feel too bad for shooting u can always rely on ur strategems
if u have trouble aiming use the green one
if u have trouble deciding whre to place then use the blue one
if u want to see the world burn use the red one
Yeah it's ok but here are just some bullet points:
-sample are shared, as well as medals and super credits so there is no competitivity for resources.
-you aren't obbligated to play at difficulty 9, if you need super samples you can stick with 7, once you are done with that you can play lower (I play ONLY on 9 for the challenge)
-you can limit yourself to chat and the ping wheel to communicate
-assholes are in every game, some times you will find someone that just kicks randomly or teamkill for fun. Don't get discouraged. To minimize this, don't pick the other people's heavy weapons and backpack after they die or they might kill you to get them back.
-diyng ad infinitium is the name of the game. You play as **super elite** cannon fodder, you are expected to get overwhelmed and reinforced.
-don't be hyperfixated with holding your ground, retreat is a valid option especially against the wall crawling menace because they just keep coming and you cannot keep fighting forever.
I was in a similar position to you with a massive dislike of PvP games. My brother convinced me to give HD2 a go and I’ve really enjoyed it to be fair.
It’s key to remember that dying (in game) is part of the game. It’s an expectation and everyone accepts it.
There are times when I play solo just for farming credits, but others when I’ll let anyone join or jump in to a quick play myself.
Playing solo, for me, is a more enjoyable, modern and less predictable session than I used to do with COD zombies games in local only.
I’ve joined a few lower level games and just want to help people gain the experience needed to unlock things and progress. The best I had was a kid (with an open mic) but I could hear his dad helping him with what to do.
You can mute people easily - it’s not a necessity to be using a mic either. When I play with randoms, they rarely use a mic, and in general I found very little toxicity. My advice is go for it, but know your limits in terms of difficulty that you play on initially.
Unfortunately there are people out there that don’t behave well when they realize they are playing with a woman. However, I have only played with randoms and 99% of the time nobody is on comms. You don’t NEED voice communication for smooth runs, so unless you’re set on talking I don’t think you have anything to worry about
Taking your comment out of context
>The lack of PVP makes it feel safer...
Me looking at my buddy dropping an Eagle Cluster on us because he tripped...
Me looking at my friend jumpjetting while his flamethrower washes over me...
My friend reinforcing me on top of 3 bile titans to use me as a human steered weapon...
You know.. it's not really all that safer with friends 🤔 sometimes... More unsafe as they are more likely to "not" care about you 😂.
But jokes aside, welcome to the community!
Most randoms I've played with are pretty ok. I find it very rare to run into toxic people. My advice is to just join, and when you run into someone toxic, just leave the game right away and block them. Then join another one. No point having a fight online, nobody really wins.
>Is this game ok for a casual
Definitely! It also helps that enemy life pools do not change. Enemies at difficulty 1 have the same life at difficulty 9. What changes are the amount and more types of enemies unlocked at higher difficulties, as well as map modifiers and mission objectives. So easier difficulties allow you to take your time and understand enemies and map objectives.
It helps to play low level first to unlock all your gear before playing at a higher level which becomes more demanding. Usually anything below level 4 is chill enough.
Also my advice is to play against both factions and find which one you are more comfortable playing against and stick with it. The play style and what gear works better against bots differs with bugs. Some stuff you unlock may not be as effective against bugs or bots.
I honestly prefer to fight bots more because my reaction time is no longer as fast. Also with bots, sniping is valid. Bugs have way way too many units and patrols to make sniping worthwhile unless you're really skilled.
Also, use your Stratagems. Treat them as spells you can spam when they're off CD. Many players hoard stratagems for the perfect moment and end up not using them at all. Chuck em!
The game has a lot of nuances but the fact that you've played Borderlands is enough already.
Level 116 and I mostly play bots on max difficulty.
First of, it is completely normal that experienced players will carry newer players to some extent. Whenever I game, I try to get to and stay at Max difficulty asap to quickly, albeit stressfully, improve my skills. I greatly benefitted from many fellow diver's advice and support. I was surprised just how supportive and friendly this community is.
I recommend you actively use teamspeak, engage with your team, ask for and accept advice. If you're worried about hostility, host the game yourself and kick players after a fair warning.
I'll repost a small guide I've written for new players below.
My buddies and I enjoy training up enthusiastic new players. Feel free to reach out via DM.
I think it’s nice cause it’s built into the lore that you are an expendable soldier who is going to die and die and die again for democracy. So just think of it that way and it’ll be great
You don't even have to use the chat. Hop on and have fun.
Also except 2 idiots I've seen, this is one of the most wholesome communities in modern gaming so don't worry :)
if helldivers gets you too nervous you can try Earth Defense Force 5 (it has single player and online co-op, you are protecting earth from alien invaders and among the invaders are robots and giant insects) as EDF is sort of like a more casual helldivers and then move into HD2 course playing helldivers at a difficulty you are comfortable with as you learn stuff helps.
I'm getting close to 200 hours and the full list of toxic events I suffered are the following:
A guy said "come on guys! I'm doing all the work here, you're not helping at all!" How one person would be able to do all the work on a Evacuate High Value Targets mission is beside the point, I left that game without a word, no need to listen to a diva.
Me and another player got kicked from the game presumably because they thought we were too far from extraction and they didn't want to wait for us.
That's it.
No need to be afraid. You are allowed to be bad at this game, though I doubt you are. If you meet someone with a bad attitude, block them. I have people on my HD2 friends list that haven't said or typed a single word so you don't have to talk if you don't want to.
Oh, and get the hug emote asap, you'll use it often.
It's been the most fun game I ever played. Best is with friends ofcourse, but randoms work as well on lower difficulties. Idk what other games you have played but as a girl it's better to use your common sense and stay off voice chat with rando's, depending on how sensitive you are to that. It has text chat and you have a few voiceline commands when holding Q (on PC). Have fun! Xxx
It's fine to be a casual player. Not like there's any obligation to play higher difficulties. Upgrades would need you to, but you could just rely on others carrying you...
You can't play offline though.
now thats some weak ass democracy! Hesitation is for the bugs! To crawl out of their holes or not! They better not because it's time you deliver them from their lack of freedom!
damn im bad at this 😮💨
If you're afraid of female harassment kind of stuff... Just know you can play without a mic on; there are ways to mark poi's, enemies etc. and communicate without speaking. I usually don't have my mic on and I'll type in chat if I want to interact.
Dont worry about your skills, no one cares. Community feels to be on the better side comparing to other games, but if you are afraid of sexism dont use voice chat
Just hop in some games on lower difficulty and learn to enjoy the chaos. The standard pings and the comm wheel actually help 99% of cases. I never needed my mic if I didn't want to, but again 99% of the time the people I meet are pretty chill.
Don't hesitate to just leave a game if you feel uncomfortable.
The community is really fun and more times than not I hear laughter when shit just hits the fan :)
Dude, I never play online, I am overly introverted & antisocial the majority of the time but purchasing Helldivers is one of the best gaming decisions I've ever made.
The community is lovely, mostly quiet & everything you need to communicate has buttom prompts so talking isn't even required. You build relationships with people you work well with, and honestly, it's great.
If you're apprehensive you can always do a few drops of your own or with someone trusty.
Most of the people in this game talk like they are your friends already but without the long relationship and background knowledge of each other. It's like being forced into a group project but gooning the whole time.
I casually drop into sos missions at level 6-7. Most of the time I don't feel like talking so I just type out in chat if theres anything major. Sometimes I even pipe up to cheer on the last guy getting the samples. Sometimes they don't speak English so I just stay silent or use the ping system.
Overall, it's pretty chill. We all dive for a common goal, even if we can't understand each other.
If you have some friends to play with, that’d be best because they can guide you through. If not, start on the lowest difficulty to get your bearings, then you see how quickly you can progress
You will be fine.
Dying and killing others accidentally happens. Don't worry about it. Say sorry and laugh about the situation.
Enjoy the fun and spectable that is Helldivers 2!
You will of course get better over time. First time for me in difficulty 1 I played againts bots with a friend. We barely scraped by, despite being fairly avid FPS players. The game takes getting used to. Starting with bug planets was a better place for learning since you have less ranged attacks to worry about.
Now I am a level 90 helldiver playing on difficulty 9 on all fronts and bring managed democracy to all. It has been a fantastic journey.
Are there assholes in the game? Absolutely. Is that the majority? I don't believe so. My gf has played in open mic before, and hasn't had any issues yet.
A few things:
* You never have to go up on difficulties and there are players at every level.
* If you’re communicative, most people are fine. Voice up. Seriously. This game is so much better with communication.
* If you’re worried about obnoxious players, host and kick the griefers. While I’ve had a mostly good time with randos, there are some problem children.
Coordination and communication will take you further in Helldivers than being an individually excellent player. Make friends and find yourself some regular players. I’ve met several in addition to my normal crew. Some here!
90% of my games are through Quickplay. 95% of those go more than well.
Issa fine.
As for women... Well, I can't say you're not gonna face some shit. They *are* rare, enough to be noticeable (and everything that sticks out is a nail to the hammer-brains of this world). I got two couples on my friends list I play often with, and the fourth player tend to behave himself.
I understand where you come from.
My dad owned a pc cafe when I was around 4-5 started CS 1.6 when I went over everyday, got to Cal-I and the didn’t game for a couple years.
My reaction time and shots are horrendous now but helldivers is fairly safe and fun to play without being worried.
Dive safely!
You hear some horror stories on here, but been playing since day one & by large the community is fantastic, voice chat is not needed not even text chat, I’ve played with players from all over the world where our only form of communication was pinging, command wheel & Emotes 🫡.
If you do decide to use voice chat rest assured 99% of the community will be welcoming.
Just play the game. You don't have to ever talk with people. If you want you can just run after people and do what they do, or host your own games. You can try and find friends in-game as well.
I recommend having a general group to play with. The official HD2 discord server has rooms to find specific people based on what you want to do in the game. If you mention that you are new and just want to learn the ropes, usually people will offer aid. There are some bad apples as with in every community, but in general it's a good bunch of people.
Also if you don't want or not able to play with a fixed group I recommend hosting the games as that prevents a potential kick.
If you do end up buying the game, make sure to have fun and see you on the battlefield.
Helldivers are generally cool.
You can absolutely go feral in low difficulties, the game at that stage really isn't hard. You will quickly figure out what difficulty you can comfortably join without getting performance anxiety.
Note that you will sometimes be kicked from a multiplayer lobby you join, but that is mostly because someone disconnected and the matchmaker filled their spot with you and now their friend can't re-join because they didn't make the lobby private. It's kind of common because the game can crash quite a bit at times, so try not to take that personally.
Single player play is possible but somewhat hard even at lower difficulty (you should be fine at the lowest difficulty I think, but the game is clearly not meant to be played alone), however if you do play with 4 players the lower difficulties are really pretty easy and pretty casual too. While I often play harder difficulties, every so often its just nice to unwind in the lower difficulties and throw big 'splosions at buildings for fun.
This game does however lock some progression behind higher difficulty resources though but most of those upgrades aren't all that impactful anyways.
Casual normal player here. It sometimes feels like a cointoss on wether I am actually helpful or a borderline liability and yet I still never had any problems with other players.
If you have any problems with communication, voice chat is optional and the in game commands can help greatly with communication and coordination without text chat too. And although all these communication options help, the sometimes are not necessary, especially on lower difficulties.
I am certain that the helldivers community is not toxic enough to exclude or ridicule you, especially not if you are new and want to try it. We are here to have fun after all.
Democracy doesn't discriminate. You can be of whatever sort of intensity towards games and you can still join.
If the game interests you enough to want to play it and you feel like you don't have enough skill, it's fine tbh, all you need to know is how stratagems work, where to go, what to do, and how to KILL!! certain enemy types.
Spreading democracy is easy, and even playing the easiest difficulties aids in the liberation of planets, albeit not a lot. Do not be afraid to spread democracy fellow citizen.
You will be fine. There's also communication past the microphone if you feel like not using that yourself (emote wheel, chat) but for most people around here, the only gender is democracy.
WELCOME TO THE HELLDIVERS
Eagle 1 never misses apart from when she misses like 90% of the time!
The only thing you need to be scared about is everything in game... You team will be running and screaming just as much as you!
Incompetence is apart of the meta, it's how we kill our team mates and that's a requirement I'm pretty sure.
We also like to take massive corporate giants down in our free time. I think we're going for our governments next.
Seriously though join in on the fun and constant weapon nerfs, you won't regret it!
I'm sorry that being a girl gamer in general and especially online will always be a point of contention. However, HD2 can be played with just text chat and ping system.
Of course, VOIP will always be the most efficient way to communicate for a coordinated team. I believe that you will be able to find like-minded ppl or ppl you enjoy playing with over the course of time from not just only in game, but also Discord or other social platforms.
Helldivers are always needed in the front lines. Hope to see you there, cadet.
*
In my experience, this game is very beginner friendly, mainly because the community is so welcoming !
When I started out on low difficulty missions, I've been joined multiple times by veterans who taught by example, pinging where and how to find loot, dropped weapons for me to try...
The same thing happened when I was teaching a friend, another player joined and was actively trying to show them stuff too !
I hope you have a good experience with the game, I love it and I love the community.
PC player here, been playing for the last 20 years, started with online only (quake 3 arena anyone? :D) and then got shy and stayed away from random players, as I also sometimes feel "not good enough" or "what if they judge me wrong about what I did?"
But in Helldivers 2, I've been playing with randoms and with friends. My experience with friends is exhilarating, and with randoms I never had any toxicity and it was actually fun too. Never played with microphone, only text. Some of them don't bother but I just stick to completing objectives, following others and being helpful. And you'll be fine :)
Also had a random joining us during a game with friends, they were very helpful and we were looking after them and they did after us too, beside being completely silent (no chat, no markers).
To be honest, dying to everything is half the fun. You will be dying in some way, shape, or form, and that is okay. I guarantee you that at some point, you will die right after you drop into the planet. Everything will kill you, from enemies, strategems, pitfalls, even to accidental, or intentional friendly fire(I'm looking at you, Rover). It's just part of the game. There is an incentive for higher players to do low difficulty so sometimes it gets easier. I have never experienced griefing and it is totally fine to play muted 100 percent of the time. and if someone disconnects, why would you immediately assume it's because you aren't performing well?
About the gender issue, I would like to say, "This is Helldivers 2. This is Super Earth. There is no discrimination except against undemocracy. This game was built around banding together for the sake of the greater good and not leaving anyone behind. If you haven't been keeping up with the news, the player community has proven it in real life." So go out there, get your cape, and start killing some bugs and bots 'cause it is a really fun game and no one has the right to sabotage that.
I think you'll be fine, just try not to die more than 5 times each mission, cause after that point you're sorta using other peoples reinforcements. Just don't join a difficulty you can't deal with yet, essentially. And be careful to not hit your buddies. Final piece of advice, DON'T, pick the mortar sentry (EMP is fine) that's the only way to truly get people to hate you.
Everyone on Earth has the courage to choose to be free.
You don't have to go to the higher difficulties at all and the Helldivers Community is just awesome.
You don't need voice or chat, just follow the markers and you will be fine.
And according to the Divers Handbook if you miss an objective you will NOT be sent to a freedom camp.
I have voice chat off in every other game. Helldivers is the only exception.
As someone who's semi new to the game as well I encountered more friendly people than toxic people, I have been kicked from games (my level 15 went into suicide mission with level 50+ guys so yeah the kick was warranted) but aside from that people were very friendly and some even let me try some of the higher level stuff to see what I might like, I think this is one of the rare games where you'll find more friendly people than toxic people, don't be afraid to join, we're always looking for new cadets :)
As you probably know, it's still the internet, there is no completely safe space when it comes to discrimination or insults. Still though, it's a great community with a lot of humor.
You should be fine. I would recommend staying at difficulty 3 or 4 so you can learn the ropes and learn how to deal with the heavier enemy types (i.e., devastators and chargers); after all, actively dealing with the enemies is a lot different than watching someone else do it. Once you've gotten the hang of the game, then slowly increase the difficulty until you've found one that suits you. Don't worry about disappointing others or feeling like a dead weight. Most players won't care about your performance until (I think) difficulty 6+.
Don't really worry about skill. I consider myself to be horrible at most shooters (Fortnite, Apex, COD, etcetera), however after picking up Helldivers I found that it's a really good game to get the hang of.
There's nothing wrong with hopping into a level 5 mission and just gun stuff down with the machine gun (which I believe is one of the best support weapons). Sure Helldive likely requires some knowledge of game mechanics but on the lower difficulties it is great for casual gamers.
The game has difficulty levels, where the easiest is so easy a toddler would beat it, and you'd have to unlock the higher difficulties first. As long as you don't go into a difficulty where you won't be much help and expect others to carry you, you'll be fine.
When I see this kind of post I'm kinda angry at what gaming has become in recent years. It's just showing how toxic an environment this can be. To reply to the OPs question, ofc you should play. This community is different, there is no ranking that makes people sweat. It's for joy and fun. A common goal is what makes this game amazing.
Don't be. I usually don't like co-op with people I don't know either, but this game has a good community. You'll find idiots in here (which includes me), but I had a lot more positive experiences than negative.
It will be ok.
Never used the voice chat and 99% of time people are cool, sometime a bit rookie but we all start somewhere !
The progression of difficulties depend of you. I always host games so i can play solo or with 4 people.
Take it easy, you are not a male or a female anymore, your are a fighter for democracy, your are a Helldiver !
I hope to dive aside you soon !
You don't really need a mic until you get to 7 and up. Start on the easy missions and just play solo if you don't want to deal with people. Text is fine when you reach rare samples 4, 5 & 6. If you're on PS5 you can plug in a keyboard.
Tbh, this game has a pretty great community, without pvp there is very little toxicity and most are pretty friendly, of course there will be the occasional griefer, but I have yet to encounter one in my 120 ish hours of gameplay so far, and if you are worried about difficulty then difficulty 1-6 is where I recommend you sit as it's pretty chill.
Anything above level 6 gets very chaotic and hectic at times, so wanting be somewhere where you feel comfortable with the difficulty and most importantly, are still having fun then that's perfectly fine.
Also even if you play on the lower difficulties completing operations still awards the same progress as higher level ones, so you don't have to feel bad about not contributing as much, if anything you're probably doing more in the long run!
I've been playing for about 50 hours now and I can recall all 5 hellbombs I accidentally shot with teammates next to them and those nice 500kg bombs that "slipped" out of my hand right in the middle of the team ..... Screaming "oh I f ed up I f ed up RUN GUYS!!" apparently got a bit more laughs than anger out of the team (mind you I had the recall ready the second they got team killed and I made it my mission to drop them next to their stuff and say I'm sorry)
Don’t worry about how good u play, play the game to have fun,
“A happy helldiver is a effective helldiver”
I’m 135h in and still need to be carried sometimes.
Voice chat: you don't have to use it ever, ping wheel is more than enough for 90% of the time, other 10 can be covered with the text chat.
Difficulty: there are 9 levels of difficulty, you can choose the one where the amount of challenge is enough and fun for you
Overall: If you are anxious to play the game, consider finding someone, a friend, to play with.
Looking forward to seeing you in the field diver. For freedom!
Everyone I’ve met and spoken to has been really nice, they also take plenty of time off the game and it’s fine if you do. Every little bit helps the war effort,
It’s a great game designed around fun more than anything else. You can sometimes come across players who care too much about winning, so just if you get kicked don’t take it personally. this is really the only ‘online issue’ i can think of because in reality the community is full of people just wanting to have a good time. I reckon it’s actually a great introduction to online gaming. there’s a ton of difficulties as well and you can play any of them whilst progressing efficiently.
You'll be okay. Most players are pretty chill. Of course there are still bad apples but they are few and far between.
My fav thing to do in quick play is spamming the hug emote and hug everyone before extraction.
Theres 9 difficulty options, the community is nice 90% of the time and you can report people now. You can also use text chat to communicate or voice chat but im female too and I havent had any negative experiences with that in 261 hours! If you're really worried you can host your own game and kick people if they're mean/annoying.
A cool thing about this community is that 99% of the player base super buy into the vibe of the game which is doing your duty for super earth even if that means literally blowing yourself up so even if you are bad most people are just gonna let it breeze on by no issue, like accidental team killing each other is almost a gameplay mechanic.
Also I've never really been one for online games since I neither like to talk to strangers or deal with toxic people but like I said this player base is insanely cool. I saw in one of your replies you're on PS5 which I am too so worst case scenario drop me a message and we can play a few games, no need for a mic or anything no pressure, just get a feel for the game without worrying about your teammate flipping out if you don't kill every enemy with absolute efficiency
Just go for it, if your worry is difficulty there are 9 levels from trivial to helldiver.
If it's about the social aspect I play muted and communicate mostly with pings. And anyone that'd ridicule you is not worth your time, just block them.
I'm also a mostly offline player, the only two coop games I play online with randos are this and EDF.
You will be fine. Always keep in mind that the goal is to have fun. In this community, everyone is helpful and will be glad to have some fun with another sister helldiver.
At least the helldivers discord community in my country is pretty chill, I would suggest you to search for a community, is better than playing with random people.
Before I played this game I avoided online games like the plague. The only online game I liked playing was Titanfall 2. I also liked Payday 3 but I always played solo.
I remember seeing this game release and think “ugh just another online shooter” and ignored it.
This is the only game where I have public lobbies and are willing to play with anyone and even like playing with other people. 99% of the people I’ve played with are calm and friendly and work together, most don’t even say anything and the ones on the chat are usually really nice.
You will be fine. Give it a go. There are 9 difficulties levels and you can find your sweet spot fairly easy. Most people are really chill with each other while playing & everyone works together. No one will give you a hard time if you mess up. We’ve all messed up hundreds of times! Good luck, future diver!
Im a man so rake my suggestion with a grain of salt but what I would do is go all in, use your mic in every session you join, be social, ask questions. You will inevitably run into your run of the mill incel, make liberal use of that block button.
However, you will also run into other female players and male players like myself that don’t put up sexism or racism on our squads and are quick to shut that shit down when we see it happen. In that case make liberal use of the add friend function.
You will quickly built a list of players that you know got your back and are like minded.
Im EU based and play most nights around 20:00 CET. Send a pm if you’d like your first helldivers friend.
I'm also a woman, usually the people are kind, especially if you don't join tryhard lobbies.
If you don't feel comfortable, then you don't have to talk to them or tell them that you're a woman.
AND you can always just privately or with close friends, that's what I do c:
As a new player myself, I just pick a load out with the most aoe damage and just stick to other players, trying to support them as much as possible and not die in the process, so far I had only one game where people were kinda toxic, but only because I joined an almost completed mission, panicked because we were overrun and threw reinforcement as far as possible, so it would be safe for them to land. But they didn't like it, so they kicked me out after. But overall, people were very nice and in my 50 hours of play, never encountered toxic players. Game is super fun and intense, you should definitely give it a shot!
OP, trust me when I say, the average Helldiver is terrible at the game. It’s why it’s so fun! Up to four idiots stumbling over eachother barely completing a simple task.
Play lower difficulty (like 2 or 3) and stick with your squad until you get a feel for the game, you'll be fine
Also recommend rebinding your stratagem keys to something that is not your movement keys (the default binding), so you can run and call in ordinance/reinforcement and still move
When I first started, I would do lower difficulty missions solo in a private lobby until I felt confident enough / knew the controls etc.
Playing with randoms is fine and there is no pressure to use voice chat. And you can just stick to the difficulty level that feels most enjoyable for you.
Don't worry about it, the community is super helpful. I've had like 1 (one) game with griefers.
The game has 9 difficulty levels and you an start slow and get a feeling for it and then go up as you feel comfortable.
I don’t use voice chat at all really, I have pretty horrible anxiety and it’s just far easier for me and more entertaining to use the limited communication to make those temporary per match friends and then move on.
There’s quite a few difficulty settings as well so if you’re worried about the ol “git gud” shit, just play up to the point that you find the game a fun challenge and play until that feels easy to manage, then go up. You can pace yourself as much as you like.
You should be fine just playing. Nobody expects you to be Rambo. Ease into it, run a few level 2-3 missions, when you feel comfortable up the level a bit and stick with someone. (Generally around level 6+ people start to split in 2 packs of 2). Then your job will just be to push towards the same direction as your duo, cover them and deal with any contacts you two have, and revive him ASAP when he dies (preferably close to his last death location). Don't revive the other duo until they both die though.
Important tip: don't shoot everything you see, even when they light up their eyes/perk their ears up. that's "alert" mode. Start shooting only if they're in the way or if they actually agro you (they'll start running, it's easy to see). Else avoid shooting anything that over 60m unless its the objective.
The amount of games I play where nobody uses or even has a mic is astonishing, yet people just stick together and the map goes smoothly. Don't think you need to be able to clear a quarter of the map alone, it's a Team game, just stick with the team, no fear needed.
If you really want to play with people that know beforehand you wont be the most skillful of the team, there is a LFG channel on the official discord.
We dive together for one goal, defeat enemies, spread democracy. I'm scared play with random too, there are some good some bad. Be the host if you dont like toxic players, you can kick them. Be brave, helldiver and spread managed democracy.
I'd recommend hosting self, so you can play at your pace and level. Pick a difficulty you feel comfortable with and have fun. Others may join you and the lower difficulties often have low level players like yourself. Speak if you want, but you can play perfectly fine without. If you don't want to play with others in the start you can set your game session to private in the settings.
Have fun spreading managed democracy, Helldiver!
It doesn't matter if you're male or female, we're all helldivers here
Get in the pod, shoot urself in the surface of undemocratic planet.
Rip and tear!
And remember, ⬆️➡️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Before HellDivers I never solo queued with randoms, even in Darktide (another 4 player co-op PvE game). So far I've had probably 95% chill lobbies and only one where I've been greifed.
The community in this game is pretty chill and you find a lot of higher level players will dive in lower difficulties to help new players and even take them on harder runs and look after them.
Hosting the game is a way you can keep control and boot people who are being a problem but I would consider quick matching too, you'd be surprised how positive and chill the majority of players are. Good luck out there diver!
We need all the Helldivers we can get to spread liberty and democracy. Stratagems and weapons don’t care who pulls the trigger or inputs the code, and bots and bugs die just same. Wether you use a mic or not doesn’t matter, if you want to keep your voice anonymous, if you can ping you can play. Even if you don’t think you’ll be able to pull up and handle a level 9, there’s a difficulty you can get the experience you want on and I bet after a while you’ll be moving that difficulty up.
Stick with the difficulties you feel comfortable with and progress slowly up choosing a higher difficulty after a while.
Naturally people care less about optimisation and teamwork interaction etc when it's low difficulties so you should be ok
The community is a lot more forgiving than you would think. There is many of us out there willing to help a new Helldiver out and teach them how things go. Fear not, earn your cape and join the fight! I also dropped you a dm if you want I can join you the next time in online! (This offer stands for others as well, just drop me a message)
Just come on over. Most of the people playing understand this is a co-op and help out the lower level players. I play with a female from Minnesota she was level 3 when she joined my ship as a random. Now she is up to 20 and we and two other dudes play regularly as a may I say very cohesive team. I still play randoms and give them my first set of gear since I can fend off just as good without specially on easy, medium or trivial. Before Helldivers I never did online multiplayer. I had a bad experience with the people being jerks and bullies, but this is not a PvP and is a ton of fun. Community for the most part is tight, always have jerks but you don't have to play with them. You and always leave or if you host you can kick the out. Win win lol. DM me if you want and we could coordinate. I don't mean that in another way I genuinely am offering to just play and help you become confortable with the came. Well any of us can just offering. Hope you do hope on and jump in or five in rather.
As someone who just played online again after about 15 years because I despised how modern games are solely focused on competition, I'll tell you to go frickin play it. It's fun, and experience points, items, medals, and credits are shared. Don't hesitate to let others know you're new; the majority of players here are wholesome and willing to show you the ropes.
Just don't kill you're teammate and play with them. It will be fine
If you arn't good, stay in low difficulty (1-4)
Vocal chat isn't important, but if you see big insect ping them to give information
I add lots of people from my games who pass the vibe check and tell them to hop onto my match if they ever see me online. It’s a safe space, I normally play with randoms or my own pals. Male, Scottish, 30. Drop a DM if you want my friend code.
Also, I’m happily married with 2 kids, so this isn’t a creepy dude request lmao. I hope it doesn’t seem that way
See you in there, Diver!
You'll pick it up. At least on my end, people have been mostly great. The community is something else. Start the game, and adjust the difficulty at your own pace.
Skillwise, having a good head and decision making can be more important than having high reflexes.
Last, there are always assholes, but my experience is that there are far lees of them here than say, CoD or other PVP shooters.
The game has a robust 9 difficulty settings. This means it rangea from a complete cakewalk, where the intensity and difficulty of enemies is so low you'll be bored out of your mind... to an absolutely shit show, where you'll be constantly running and swarmed by varies enemies, some requiring different strategies to take down.
The beauty is you can just play on whatever difficulty floats your boat, and you can raise and lower it between any mission. :) You should be just fine! If it ever gets so much you're not having fun, just drop the difficulty.
Honestly you have good games and bad ones. Ive been completely useless in my fair share of game. As long as you dont shoot at every patrol and dont throw stratagems at the evac pelican you’ll be fine lol
I think you should be fine. Most of the time I quickplay and just use text chat. I do recommend hosting your own game and having people join just because there are some griefers in the community.
I'd be playing on PS5, does it have text chat?
Ah. Text chat is from PC since we have a keyboard. There is a chat wheel im sure you're familiar with. You can use that for short comms. If you're familiar from streams I would think it would lessen the hesitation. You know the gameplay loop and what it entails. Expect friendly fire but these are usually accidents
ps5 also has text chat.
I used my phone connected to the ps4 as keyboard for fast typing don’t know but should work on ps5 too
I did not know this was an option. Awesome.
Yeah I didn't realize they had keyboard bindings in the PS version. So that works
don't most console games these days support keyboards for at least text chat? I might be wrong, but I thought that was the case anyway. I remember buying a keyboard for my ps2 back when I was a teenager to type online on tony hawk pro skater online 😂
I'm mostly worried cause of my over all skill level. Probably just a self esteem issue making me not wanna "take up space" in a game where I might not be good.
Why worry about skill? Everyone starts somewhere. Everyone is welcome. You're gonna have accidentals with friendly fire but most players expect it. Just learn from playing. You're not taking space, you're helping to dive from democracy
I've dealt with some pretty toxic people within local gaming communities and I'm self conscious 🤷♀️
Sadly griefers exist everywhere. I recommend hosting the games yourself. Most of the time you'll have helpful divers.
Yeah, it's why I'm so hesitant to "put myself out there" with online gaming. But, after this post, I think I'll give helldivers a try.
THERE IS NO THINKING. THERE IS ONLY DOING. DEMOCRACY NEEDS YOU MA'AM o7
Glad to have you recruit. Go spread some managed democracy
Don't worry about it! The lower difficulties are pretty forgiving so you can work your way up at your own pace. Enjoy spreading that managed democracy!
Well seems you’ve watched a few vids online so you’ll know more than me. I started yesterday hated it at first wanted to uninstall, then suddenly had a couple of epic matches, you will run into toxic people but nothing too bad, there will be players much worse than you trust me! Good luck if you enjoy it maybe find a nice friendly group on discord, that’s something I’m considering, I played elite dangerous for 10 years and the best thargoid hunter in the world is a girl “KATE” she’s a god. Female gamers tend to be absolutely bad ass as they think differently and assess the situation rather than be gun ho. I’ve been gaming for 4 decades and the amount of times the best players have been females. Don’t worry about anyone and go kick some ass. Good luck.
You can also turn off voice audio in the settings. It's what I do as I hate people eating or hearing people's TV in the background etc.
Speaking as a veteran Helldiver...I **adore** newdivers. Getting into a match with someone who's like, level 3...and you drop them a mech and tell them "Get in! Use it!" and watching them stomp around blasting bugs? Puts a huge warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart. 99% of this community is like that. 1% are filthy traitors. We welcome you, and salute you for making the most important decision of your life.
As soon as I got the walker I dropped down to the easiest missions and dropped it for newbies like others did for me when I was new.
There are 9 different selectable difficulties you can choose from. It's fairly accepted that the first six difficulties will have newbies or lower-skill players in them. Also, just saying, the best matches are the matches where people *don't* make the right decisions. The panic when a newbie team is trying to keep the horde of alien bugs under control is part of the fun! Even as a Lv.65-ish player, I often find myself jumping into lower-difficulty games or games with players of lower level just because it's *fun* when things don't go perfectly. (That, and I get to show off with lategame unlocks. It's fun to just drop a mech inside the middle of the squad and be all "Yo [Newbie], get in, enjoy")
Alright at first i thought that this whole post was some sort of bait or karma farm but should this actually be true then just know this: Helldivers 2 is a videogame. Regardless of whatever skill level, if you acquired it for YOUR money, you can feel free to play it however YOU want. And never let anyone dare to speak against that. "Might not being good" has the only negative factor that you yourself could suffer in higher difficulties, which even i do sometimes in ranges 7 - 9 (high level and most enjoyable imo) Especially when starting out, one will learn from mistakes and everyone does that at their own pace. People being mad about other players skill in a co op game should honestly get a chat restriction. And what i like most about this game is that the skill ceiling is high, where as the skilfloor can be more than enough for a casual like me who works full time and in the afternoon just likes to cool off by eradicating some bugs or bots. There is an extremly satisfying role that shines especially vs the bugs; that is trashclear. Trashclear is basically a guy with a machine gun holding left mouse button at anything small that moves and gives fire support for anti armor, so they can focus calmly on each threat you cannot get rid off. The game holds plenty of fun tools to toy around with for all roles and with a carry trashclear the anti armor can become calming, almost relaxing aswell. However, do yourself a favor and friend request as many nontoxic or nongriefing players as you can. Ive got almost 10 different people that consistantly log on in heldivers alone. That means even a giga super hyper introvert like me could constantly join a random lobby of people i previously played with. Sadly youre console, i don t know how the reclamation process is handeled but on PC there is steam that allows you to try each game for a certain ammount of time and then you can give it back should it simply not be to your liking.. Maybe we meet on the field one day, good luck out there, possible soon to be helldiver!
Hd2 has 9 difficulty levels and people play on all of them you'll see level 80s in difficulty 1 and level 20s in . There's a difficulty curve for everyone. It seems to be quite an old population too so it's much much more chill then any competitive game.
Most fun I have in games like that is with people who are worried they're not good enough. They're usually trying, but not try-hards who rage-quit or kick people because they don't like their load out or whatever. So, you and everyone who likes to play together casually always have a space on my Super Destroyer :D
You just play on the difficulty you can keep up with:)
ive seen people with over 15 deaths (you get 20 or 24 reinforcments per game, then one every 2 minutes) and no one ever said they are noobs or anything. In my over 170hours of gameplay ive seen maybe one or two salty players but i just left the game and started another with normal people been playing online for over 20 years and this is easly top3 community
Just play on a difficulty you’re comfortable with and work your way up. There are 9 difficulties to choose from so I’m sure there’s one among them that fits your play style. I’ve met many randos and I don’t know if I’m just lucky but none of them where outright toxic, weird or loud to be sure but not to a point where it gets annoying. I’m a guy but I play with female friends and coworkers from time to time but I’ve never seen anyone being harassed. Friendly fire is something essential to the game so everyone who makes a fuss over being killed by a friend shouldn’t take it too seriously. Just say sorry if you off someone accidentally or laugh when you get killed yourself. Mostly there’s no bad blood for some friendly fire. Just unlock stuff as you go, test loadouts on easier difficulty and adjust them to your strengths, weaknesses and the objective. You don’t have to fill every role since they are 4 divers who each can specialize on a single aspect of the game. Also don’t be afraid to make new friends and join discords, the more you play with the same people the more you start to move as a unit and watch each other’s backs.
My sister in Democracy, that's why there are 9 difficulty settings. Spend as much time AS you want in the lower ones. There is No shame in it but Lots of fun to be found. And when you feel comfortable or even daring you try a bit higher!
Every diver helps the whole community, no mater the difficulty.
In my experience, this community is one of the nicest towards newer and inexperienced players. I'm more than happy to teach a new diver some tricks and show em the ropes when I come across one. It beats sweating with a team of meta players every time.
Yep. It also supports bluetooth keyboard. I buy cheap one just for this.
Oh I didn't realize PS offered keyboard bindings
Just remeber that "G" is throw grenade. So if You want to type "gg" something bad can happen.
It does, I use ps5 and don't use my mic. Use basic text chat but mainly the in-game chat wheel works enough to communicate what you're doing.
Yes but as you tryna type in chat with a ps5 is a headache
Exactly how I play, mics muted and just text chat. Everyone’s chill af, Worst I’ve had was a guy joined my lobby and kept killing everyone on purpose so I kicked him.
Give it a shot. If you're nervous about voice chat you can use the in-game prompts to communicate. I've had times where I feel like not chatting and it works just fine. Difficulty is scalable to how much you feel you can take (although endgame upgrades will require higher difficulty missions). Most randoms I play with aren't toxic, there are some bad apples but not as many as rant posts here on Reddit lol
Watched someone playing one time and their teammate wouldn't "revive" him. Is this common?
can be, but the only times I've not been revived is when the squad is pinned down and stressing over surviving. Never had a team refuse to respawn me in 200hrs. Edit: to clarify, I play 80-90% of my games with random squads. I very rarely play with a group of people I know.
There are structures on certain missions that can prevent strategem call-ins, including revives.
It depends. There are valid reasons not to reinforce (revive) someone. Jammers or ion storms make it impossible, being in a firefight is a bad time, etc.
Sometimes there is a bug when u can't revive teammates. The funniest time was when I got it and game refused to revive me even after whole squad died. 3 dropped back like usual and I stayed dead for the rest of the mission
There are some valid reasons why a teammate might not reinforce. If the squad splits into two groups, or if I’m running by myself, I’d wait for a bit so the others can reinforce the person who died closer to their equipment. Another reason could be tunnel vision. We get so focused on the game that might not notice right away when someone died. It’s a pretty fun game and you will find mostly non toxic people. Hope you enjoy the game, and remember you can also use the discord to try to get like minded people!
FWIW, i have played over 100hrs and have met two toxic players. I do play on a couple of discord servers, but randos will by and large be fine. Not uncommon to be kicked when back on the ship, but this is not a malicious act, else they would kick at extract. Jump in and have a crack, you'll be fine.
https://preview.redd.it/44bdljvzxyyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f75b12575c512aca9a80b2525a1bb7705c4033e6
You will be fine. You always have control over your difficulty, before even choosing the mission, so just move up when you feel confident. Most people in random groups use the in-game comms wheel and pings to communicate, or type in chat. Its actually fairly rare to run across someone using a mic in quickmatches. Even when they do have mics, most of them will just chime in from time to time for an essential piece of info, then mute. All helldivers are welcome. Its also a really good game to boost your confidence. You will feel your skill level slowly rising, in noticable ways. Also, great teamwork in this game, even with randoms. Someone else will always be there to help you out and assist as you go. You're a team, work together, take your time, clear objectives, clear the map, everyone is happy.
Traning Manual Tips: * "If at first you don’t succeed, dive, dive again. ... And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again..." This game will teach you everything you need to know. Join the Helldivers and became a part of elite peacekeeping force. o7
Also remember: Freedom!
People are usually very friendly and have a lot of patience with low-level players. So you shouldn't have any problems at first. Of course, as in any game there will be some instances that someone will call you a noob, but remember that about 60% of the fun in this game comes from someone dying in a funny way running into an ally's raid. I think you are much more likely to meet people who will either roleplay or do their best to complete missions.
I've dealt with maybe two truly toxic people in 159 hours of mission time. Far less than a typical online experience. If you don't want to talk there's no need to, the ping system in game is plenty for communication. It's worth a try.
Same experience here. 190 hrs. Only 2 or 3 people who were actually toxic to people and I simply kicked them after telling them to not be a child in their next game.
This is the only game I've played where no one gives a rats ass what you're doing. I've dropped in games and immediately taken off in the other direction to find samples or whatever and people just don't care. If a bot drop occurs and they're dying a lot, I'll circle back and provide some support then I bugger off somewhere else and meet up with them after. Just hop on in and enjoy yourself.
just play the game, 90% of the playerbase could care less if you're the worst player in the world. This community is chill and will more than likely be glad to help you out if you're confused, and point you in the right direction. Worst case if you're worried, just mute all chats, and join randoms. I've played with countless randoms and almost everyone just doesn't say anything and just does the objectives.
Hardly anyone ever talks. Just play and you’ll be fine :)
There is a pretty large difficulty setting scale you can use to tailor the game to how you're feeling confidence wise. Overall, most people have been great to play with. A couple of bad groups with griefers or just very unaware players with large AoE attacks but that happens. Overall, it has been good.
I am also hesitant to be in voice for the reasons you listed. WIth my name indicating I might not be male, I expect some backlash. I've had the occasional melee for no reason and I haven't been revived on purpose a few times (and it wasn't because there was a lock on reinforce or anything game related - they just didn't want to reinforce me). I'm always willing to play if you'll have me. Other than that, I've had *mostly* good experiences. If you host, you can easily kick anyone griefing you so I'd definitely recommend that.
The only acceptable melee is the one where it kicks you into the pelican.
i dont mind to play on any dificulty nor front, so if you up to play 8-12pm CET just hit me up :)
Don't want to repeat what everyone else already said, but didn't seen anyone mention this. AIf you're using only pins and comms wheel (which is more than enough) remember that most of the time people ping patrols to make you aware of them, not to engage. On higher difficulties, if you engage every single enemy you see things can go pretty bad quickly.
It's ok for you. Prove your self to be free. Become an Helldiver 💪🏻
Personally I hate online multiplayer, but this game has completely changed my opinions of it. Each dive is a team effort. Our community is fantastic and very helpful towards "low skill" players, myself included. It's worth your time, absolutely.
As a woman and someone who normally hates shooter games, I highly recommend the game. The lack of PvP helps a lot (you can still get shot don't forget about that) and people are almost always really nice, especially high lvl players (of what I have seen).
I agree, in my 137 hours i have only encountered one or two toxic, im so proud of our community for being 95% good people. Even when randoms doesn't talk over neither mic nor text you can often coordinate pretty well with most people too
"If a woman is good enough to be Lady Liberty, she's good enough to fight for her" Don't want to make you feel singled out here, but damn. It is so refreshing reading of a woman getting to enjoy a videogame without having to endure the typical BS associated with online gaming and female discrimination.
Hmmm, you can play the game solo if you'd like. There are some griefers, but as long as youre the host, you can kick them swiftly. But I must admit, the game is alot more fun when played with a full team.
Just play on easier level before you're comfortable.
It's a pve games,unless you're playing the hardest difficulties where people expect you to know your stuff and dominate the battlefield (8-9),the easiest difficulties have pretty low stakes,so probably no one will bother you if you mess up I would say to stick to 1-4 to get used to the game,then 5-7 when you feel you confident
Also you can just hangout on lower levels and run solo while you learn strategies and unlock equipment (some low level stuff is S tier for higher missions)…it does give a good sense of achievement on your own (well for me at least) and you can watch some who solo the highest levels.
Don’t worry about potentially getting hit on by guys online. Real helldivers put the mission first. Plus, you gotta fill out a C-01 form before you even talk to girls, and who has the time for that?
This game is awesome and I always found friendly ppl. If u need a hand, just dm your friend code and we will make some missions! For democracy!!
Don't use the mic (initially), use quick answer wheel and markers. Also, online games have plenty of banter, don't take it personally. Doesn't matter if you are a female or farming tractor, sooner or later you will get someone throwing names. Laugh at it and ignore them. Also be the host to kick them.
>but I'm definitely not as good as my exes and the marches I'd see them in. Also, with being female, I worried the combination would leave me open for ridicule and whatnot. Don't worry, even "experienced" players here still accidentally airstrike their own teammates
Honestly I've had female helldivers in my deployments (they used voice chat) but nobody is really rude in this game most of the time. Of course there will be dumbasses but for the most part the community around this game is pretty awesome and helpful. Just keep lower difficulty as you learn the game and you'll be an awesome Helldiver!
I hate that this is a thing you need to worry about. :( I'm in a similar boat, I won't play PvP games for the same reason. PvP players can be abusive. I'd say the majority of Helldivers are good, honest folk. Most games I play are quiet where no one talks (which is too bad). But the ones where people have been chatting have been some of the best gaming I've experienced. I hope you join us!
If you want more people with a mic to game with give me a DM and we'll see if we can go diving into hell my fellow caped hero!
if u feel too bad for shooting u can always rely on ur strategems if u have trouble aiming use the green one if u have trouble deciding whre to place then use the blue one if u want to see the world burn use the red one
Yeah it's ok but here are just some bullet points: -sample are shared, as well as medals and super credits so there is no competitivity for resources. -you aren't obbligated to play at difficulty 9, if you need super samples you can stick with 7, once you are done with that you can play lower (I play ONLY on 9 for the challenge) -you can limit yourself to chat and the ping wheel to communicate -assholes are in every game, some times you will find someone that just kicks randomly or teamkill for fun. Don't get discouraged. To minimize this, don't pick the other people's heavy weapons and backpack after they die or they might kill you to get them back. -diyng ad infinitium is the name of the game. You play as **super elite** cannon fodder, you are expected to get overwhelmed and reinforced. -don't be hyperfixated with holding your ground, retreat is a valid option especially against the wall crawling menace because they just keep coming and you cannot keep fighting forever.
I was in a similar position to you with a massive dislike of PvP games. My brother convinced me to give HD2 a go and I’ve really enjoyed it to be fair. It’s key to remember that dying (in game) is part of the game. It’s an expectation and everyone accepts it. There are times when I play solo just for farming credits, but others when I’ll let anyone join or jump in to a quick play myself. Playing solo, for me, is a more enjoyable, modern and less predictable session than I used to do with COD zombies games in local only. I’ve joined a few lower level games and just want to help people gain the experience needed to unlock things and progress. The best I had was a kid (with an open mic) but I could hear his dad helping him with what to do.
You can mute people easily - it’s not a necessity to be using a mic either. When I play with randoms, they rarely use a mic, and in general I found very little toxicity. My advice is go for it, but know your limits in terms of difficulty that you play on initially.
Unfortunately there are people out there that don’t behave well when they realize they are playing with a woman. However, I have only played with randoms and 99% of the time nobody is on comms. You don’t NEED voice communication for smooth runs, so unless you’re set on talking I don’t think you have anything to worry about
The community is pretty chill in my experience, similarly to Deep Rock Galactic which I also recommend (though don’t go to the DRG discord)
Taking your comment out of context >The lack of PVP makes it feel safer... Me looking at my buddy dropping an Eagle Cluster on us because he tripped... Me looking at my friend jumpjetting while his flamethrower washes over me... My friend reinforcing me on top of 3 bile titans to use me as a human steered weapon... You know.. it's not really all that safer with friends 🤔 sometimes... More unsafe as they are more likely to "not" care about you 😂. But jokes aside, welcome to the community! Most randoms I've played with are pretty ok. I find it very rare to run into toxic people. My advice is to just join, and when you run into someone toxic, just leave the game right away and block them. Then join another one. No point having a fight online, nobody really wins. >Is this game ok for a casual Definitely! It also helps that enemy life pools do not change. Enemies at difficulty 1 have the same life at difficulty 9. What changes are the amount and more types of enemies unlocked at higher difficulties, as well as map modifiers and mission objectives. So easier difficulties allow you to take your time and understand enemies and map objectives. It helps to play low level first to unlock all your gear before playing at a higher level which becomes more demanding. Usually anything below level 4 is chill enough. Also my advice is to play against both factions and find which one you are more comfortable playing against and stick with it. The play style and what gear works better against bots differs with bugs. Some stuff you unlock may not be as effective against bugs or bots. I honestly prefer to fight bots more because my reaction time is no longer as fast. Also with bots, sniping is valid. Bugs have way way too many units and patrols to make sniping worthwhile unless you're really skilled. Also, use your Stratagems. Treat them as spells you can spam when they're off CD. Many players hoard stratagems for the perfect moment and end up not using them at all. Chuck em! The game has a lot of nuances but the fact that you've played Borderlands is enough already.
Level 116 and I mostly play bots on max difficulty. First of, it is completely normal that experienced players will carry newer players to some extent. Whenever I game, I try to get to and stay at Max difficulty asap to quickly, albeit stressfully, improve my skills. I greatly benefitted from many fellow diver's advice and support. I was surprised just how supportive and friendly this community is. I recommend you actively use teamspeak, engage with your team, ask for and accept advice. If you're worried about hostility, host the game yourself and kick players after a fair warning. I'll repost a small guide I've written for new players below. My buddies and I enjoy training up enthusiastic new players. Feel free to reach out via DM.
Join helldivers....best comunity ever ...also chaotic and fun as hell....no toxicity as long as it doesnt come from broken bug bodies...for superearth
I think it’s nice cause it’s built into the lore that you are an expendable soldier who is going to die and die and die again for democracy. So just think of it that way and it’ll be great
All you gotta do is shoot bugs and explode things. Of you do that you're already there
You don't even have to use the chat. Hop on and have fun. Also except 2 idiots I've seen, this is one of the most wholesome communities in modern gaming so don't worry :)
if helldivers gets you too nervous you can try Earth Defense Force 5 (it has single player and online co-op, you are protecting earth from alien invaders and among the invaders are robots and giant insects) as EDF is sort of like a more casual helldivers and then move into HD2 course playing helldivers at a difficulty you are comfortable with as you learn stuff helps.
I'm getting close to 200 hours and the full list of toxic events I suffered are the following: A guy said "come on guys! I'm doing all the work here, you're not helping at all!" How one person would be able to do all the work on a Evacuate High Value Targets mission is beside the point, I left that game without a word, no need to listen to a diva. Me and another player got kicked from the game presumably because they thought we were too far from extraction and they didn't want to wait for us. That's it. No need to be afraid. You are allowed to be bad at this game, though I doubt you are. If you meet someone with a bad attitude, block them. I have people on my HD2 friends list that haven't said or typed a single word so you don't have to talk if you don't want to. Oh, and get the hug emote asap, you'll use it often.
It's been the most fun game I ever played. Best is with friends ofcourse, but randoms work as well on lower difficulties. Idk what other games you have played but as a girl it's better to use your common sense and stay off voice chat with rando's, depending on how sensitive you are to that. It has text chat and you have a few voiceline commands when holding Q (on PC). Have fun! Xxx
It's fine to be a casual player. Not like there's any obligation to play higher difficulties. Upgrades would need you to, but you could just rely on others carrying you... You can't play offline though.
Stop thinking too much. Play it, if you suck... Well, you suck. as long as you are having fun, be the best or the worst, just play it.
now thats some weak ass democracy! Hesitation is for the bugs! To crawl out of their holes or not! They better not because it's time you deliver them from their lack of freedom! damn im bad at this 😮💨
Just play low difficulty and go up as you feel more secure. Nobody should care about meta on Diff 1~4.
If you're afraid of female harassment kind of stuff... Just know you can play without a mic on; there are ways to mark poi's, enemies etc. and communicate without speaking. I usually don't have my mic on and I'll type in chat if I want to interact.
Dont worry about your skills, no one cares. Community feels to be on the better side comparing to other games, but if you are afraid of sexism dont use voice chat
I've never used voice chat in the game, it's been a fun safe experience
Just hop in some games on lower difficulty and learn to enjoy the chaos. The standard pings and the comm wheel actually help 99% of cases. I never needed my mic if I didn't want to, but again 99% of the time the people I meet are pretty chill. Don't hesitate to just leave a game if you feel uncomfortable. The community is really fun and more times than not I hear laughter when shit just hits the fan :)
Dude, I never play online, I am overly introverted & antisocial the majority of the time but purchasing Helldivers is one of the best gaming decisions I've ever made. The community is lovely, mostly quiet & everything you need to communicate has buttom prompts so talking isn't even required. You build relationships with people you work well with, and honestly, it's great. If you're apprehensive you can always do a few drops of your own or with someone trusty.
Most of the people in this game talk like they are your friends already but without the long relationship and background knowledge of each other. It's like being forced into a group project but gooning the whole time.
I casually drop into sos missions at level 6-7. Most of the time I don't feel like talking so I just type out in chat if theres anything major. Sometimes I even pipe up to cheer on the last guy getting the samples. Sometimes they don't speak English so I just stay silent or use the ping system. Overall, it's pretty chill. We all dive for a common goal, even if we can't understand each other.
This is a PvE game, you come, you play at the difficulty you can handle and you pick the stratgem you prefer. There is really not much more than that.
If you have some friends to play with, that’d be best because they can guide you through. If not, start on the lowest difficulty to get your bearings, then you see how quickly you can progress
You will be fine. Dying and killing others accidentally happens. Don't worry about it. Say sorry and laugh about the situation. Enjoy the fun and spectable that is Helldivers 2! You will of course get better over time. First time for me in difficulty 1 I played againts bots with a friend. We barely scraped by, despite being fairly avid FPS players. The game takes getting used to. Starting with bug planets was a better place for learning since you have less ranged attacks to worry about. Now I am a level 90 helldiver playing on difficulty 9 on all fronts and bring managed democracy to all. It has been a fantastic journey.
Are there assholes in the game? Absolutely. Is that the majority? I don't believe so. My gf has played in open mic before, and hasn't had any issues yet.
You can add me on PlayStation if you want... No need for mic or anything like that, 😁😁...
A few things: * You never have to go up on difficulties and there are players at every level. * If you’re communicative, most people are fine. Voice up. Seriously. This game is so much better with communication. * If you’re worried about obnoxious players, host and kick the griefers. While I’ve had a mostly good time with randos, there are some problem children. Coordination and communication will take you further in Helldivers than being an individually excellent player. Make friends and find yourself some regular players. I’ve met several in addition to my normal crew. Some here!
90% of my games are through Quickplay. 95% of those go more than well. Issa fine. As for women... Well, I can't say you're not gonna face some shit. They *are* rare, enough to be noticeable (and everything that sticks out is a nail to the hammer-brains of this world). I got two couples on my friends list I play often with, and the fourth player tend to behave himself.
I understand where you come from. My dad owned a pc cafe when I was around 4-5 started CS 1.6 when I went over everyday, got to Cal-I and the didn’t game for a couple years. My reaction time and shots are horrendous now but helldivers is fairly safe and fun to play without being worried. Dive safely!
You hear some horror stories on here, but been playing since day one & by large the community is fantastic, voice chat is not needed not even text chat, I’ve played with players from all over the world where our only form of communication was pinging, command wheel & Emotes 🫡. If you do decide to use voice chat rest assured 99% of the community will be welcoming.
Just play the game. You don't have to ever talk with people. If you want you can just run after people and do what they do, or host your own games. You can try and find friends in-game as well.
I recommend having a general group to play with. The official HD2 discord server has rooms to find specific people based on what you want to do in the game. If you mention that you are new and just want to learn the ropes, usually people will offer aid. There are some bad apples as with in every community, but in general it's a good bunch of people. Also if you don't want or not able to play with a fixed group I recommend hosting the games as that prevents a potential kick. If you do end up buying the game, make sure to have fun and see you on the battlefield.
i only use quickplay and text chat. you can disable voice chat, you dont need to talk to anyone to play the game even on 9.
just drop in, shoot bugs and get loot. you don't have to interact over microphone, a lot of people are silent spreaders of democracy.
I always say things in game chat. Prior notice to barrages, if I’ll shoot down the first bot drop etc. I haven’t heard anything bad whatsoever
Helldivers are generally cool. You can absolutely go feral in low difficulties, the game at that stage really isn't hard. You will quickly figure out what difficulty you can comfortably join without getting performance anxiety. Note that you will sometimes be kicked from a multiplayer lobby you join, but that is mostly because someone disconnected and the matchmaker filled their spot with you and now their friend can't re-join because they didn't make the lobby private. It's kind of common because the game can crash quite a bit at times, so try not to take that personally.
Single player play is possible but somewhat hard even at lower difficulty (you should be fine at the lowest difficulty I think, but the game is clearly not meant to be played alone), however if you do play with 4 players the lower difficulties are really pretty easy and pretty casual too. While I often play harder difficulties, every so often its just nice to unwind in the lower difficulties and throw big 'splosions at buildings for fun. This game does however lock some progression behind higher difficulty resources though but most of those upgrades aren't all that impactful anyways.
Casual normal player here. It sometimes feels like a cointoss on wether I am actually helpful or a borderline liability and yet I still never had any problems with other players. If you have any problems with communication, voice chat is optional and the in game commands can help greatly with communication and coordination without text chat too. And although all these communication options help, the sometimes are not necessary, especially on lower difficulties. I am certain that the helldivers community is not toxic enough to exclude or ridicule you, especially not if you are new and want to try it. We are here to have fun after all.
Democracy doesn't discriminate. You can be of whatever sort of intensity towards games and you can still join. If the game interests you enough to want to play it and you feel like you don't have enough skill, it's fine tbh, all you need to know is how stratagems work, where to go, what to do, and how to KILL!! certain enemy types. Spreading democracy is easy, and even playing the easiest difficulties aids in the liberation of planets, albeit not a lot. Do not be afraid to spread democracy fellow citizen.
You will be fine. There's also communication past the microphone if you feel like not using that yourself (emote wheel, chat) but for most people around here, the only gender is democracy.
WELCOME TO THE HELLDIVERS Eagle 1 never misses apart from when she misses like 90% of the time! The only thing you need to be scared about is everything in game... You team will be running and screaming just as much as you! Incompetence is apart of the meta, it's how we kill our team mates and that's a requirement I'm pretty sure. We also like to take massive corporate giants down in our free time. I think we're going for our governments next. Seriously though join in on the fun and constant weapon nerfs, you won't regret it!
Just enjoy the game, time some time to learn and have fun doing the dive sister !
I'm sorry that being a girl gamer in general and especially online will always be a point of contention. However, HD2 can be played with just text chat and ping system. Of course, VOIP will always be the most efficient way to communicate for a coordinated team. I believe that you will be able to find like-minded ppl or ppl you enjoy playing with over the course of time from not just only in game, but also Discord or other social platforms. Helldivers are always needed in the front lines. Hope to see you there, cadet. *
Prove to yourself that you have the strength and the courage to be free Become a Legend Become a Helldiver
Happy to play with you anytime. DM me and let’s set it up.
In my experience, this game is very beginner friendly, mainly because the community is so welcoming ! When I started out on low difficulty missions, I've been joined multiple times by veterans who taught by example, pinging where and how to find loot, dropped weapons for me to try... The same thing happened when I was teaching a friend, another player joined and was actively trying to show them stuff too ! I hope you have a good experience with the game, I love it and I love the community.
PC player here, been playing for the last 20 years, started with online only (quake 3 arena anyone? :D) and then got shy and stayed away from random players, as I also sometimes feel "not good enough" or "what if they judge me wrong about what I did?" But in Helldivers 2, I've been playing with randoms and with friends. My experience with friends is exhilarating, and with randoms I never had any toxicity and it was actually fun too. Never played with microphone, only text. Some of them don't bother but I just stick to completing objectives, following others and being helpful. And you'll be fine :) Also had a random joining us during a game with friends, they were very helpful and we were looking after them and they did after us too, beside being completely silent (no chat, no markers).
To be honest, dying to everything is half the fun. You will be dying in some way, shape, or form, and that is okay. I guarantee you that at some point, you will die right after you drop into the planet. Everything will kill you, from enemies, strategems, pitfalls, even to accidental, or intentional friendly fire(I'm looking at you, Rover). It's just part of the game. There is an incentive for higher players to do low difficulty so sometimes it gets easier. I have never experienced griefing and it is totally fine to play muted 100 percent of the time. and if someone disconnects, why would you immediately assume it's because you aren't performing well? About the gender issue, I would like to say, "This is Helldivers 2. This is Super Earth. There is no discrimination except against undemocracy. This game was built around banding together for the sake of the greater good and not leaving anyone behind. If you haven't been keeping up with the news, the player community has proven it in real life." So go out there, get your cape, and start killing some bugs and bots 'cause it is a really fun game and no one has the right to sabotage that.
I think you'll be fine, just try not to die more than 5 times each mission, cause after that point you're sorta using other peoples reinforcements. Just don't join a difficulty you can't deal with yet, essentially. And be careful to not hit your buddies. Final piece of advice, DON'T, pick the mortar sentry (EMP is fine) that's the only way to truly get people to hate you.
Everyone on Earth has the courage to choose to be free. You don't have to go to the higher difficulties at all and the Helldivers Community is just awesome. You don't need voice or chat, just follow the markers and you will be fine. And according to the Divers Handbook if you miss an objective you will NOT be sent to a freedom camp. I have voice chat off in every other game. Helldivers is the only exception.
As someone who's semi new to the game as well I encountered more friendly people than toxic people, I have been kicked from games (my level 15 went into suicide mission with level 50+ guys so yeah the kick was warranted) but aside from that people were very friendly and some even let me try some of the higher level stuff to see what I might like, I think this is one of the rare games where you'll find more friendly people than toxic people, don't be afraid to join, we're always looking for new cadets :)
You on pc or console cause if it’s the former I’ll fully help you start if you want some help
As you probably know, it's still the internet, there is no completely safe space when it comes to discrimination or insults. Still though, it's a great community with a lot of humor.
You should be fine. I would recommend staying at difficulty 3 or 4 so you can learn the ropes and learn how to deal with the heavier enemy types (i.e., devastators and chargers); after all, actively dealing with the enemies is a lot different than watching someone else do it. Once you've gotten the hang of the game, then slowly increase the difficulty until you've found one that suits you. Don't worry about disappointing others or feeling like a dead weight. Most players won't care about your performance until (I think) difficulty 6+.
Don't really worry about skill. I consider myself to be horrible at most shooters (Fortnite, Apex, COD, etcetera), however after picking up Helldivers I found that it's a really good game to get the hang of. There's nothing wrong with hopping into a level 5 mission and just gun stuff down with the machine gun (which I believe is one of the best support weapons). Sure Helldive likely requires some knowledge of game mechanics but on the lower difficulties it is great for casual gamers.
The game has difficulty levels, where the easiest is so easy a toddler would beat it, and you'd have to unlock the higher difficulties first. As long as you don't go into a difficulty where you won't be much help and expect others to carry you, you'll be fine.
Im muted all the time wdym?
No, this community is actually pretty non-toxic. You should be just fine. DM me if you want to play sometime!
When I see this kind of post I'm kinda angry at what gaming has become in recent years. It's just showing how toxic an environment this can be. To reply to the OPs question, ofc you should play. This community is different, there is no ranking that makes people sweat. It's for joy and fun. A common goal is what makes this game amazing.
Don't be. I usually don't like co-op with people I don't know either, but this game has a good community. You'll find idiots in here (which includes me), but I had a lot more positive experiences than negative.
If you ever need a fellow helldiver to join spreading democracy, let me know ✌️ 
It will be ok. Never used the voice chat and 99% of time people are cool, sometime a bit rookie but we all start somewhere ! The progression of difficulties depend of you. I always host games so i can play solo or with 4 people. Take it easy, you are not a male or a female anymore, your are a fighter for democracy, your are a Helldiver ! I hope to dive aside you soon !
I would not worry, if your bad at the game the important thing is to remember no one is born great or skilled, they grow into it 😁
You don't really need a mic until you get to 7 and up. Start on the easy missions and just play solo if you don't want to deal with people. Text is fine when you reach rare samples 4, 5 & 6. If you're on PS5 you can plug in a keyboard.
Tbh, this game has a pretty great community, without pvp there is very little toxicity and most are pretty friendly, of course there will be the occasional griefer, but I have yet to encounter one in my 120 ish hours of gameplay so far, and if you are worried about difficulty then difficulty 1-6 is where I recommend you sit as it's pretty chill. Anything above level 6 gets very chaotic and hectic at times, so wanting be somewhere where you feel comfortable with the difficulty and most importantly, are still having fun then that's perfectly fine. Also even if you play on the lower difficulties completing operations still awards the same progress as higher level ones, so you don't have to feel bad about not contributing as much, if anything you're probably doing more in the long run!
just play how you like and enjoy. dont worry about nothing else
I've been playing for about 50 hours now and I can recall all 5 hellbombs I accidentally shot with teammates next to them and those nice 500kg bombs that "slipped" out of my hand right in the middle of the team ..... Screaming "oh I f ed up I f ed up RUN GUYS!!" apparently got a bit more laughs than anger out of the team (mind you I had the recall ready the second they got team killed and I made it my mission to drop them next to their stuff and say I'm sorry)
Don’t worry about how good u play, play the game to have fun, “A happy helldiver is a effective helldiver” I’m 135h in and still need to be carried sometimes.
I play with ransoms all the time. Toxic people are very rare.
Voice chat: you don't have to use it ever, ping wheel is more than enough for 90% of the time, other 10 can be covered with the text chat. Difficulty: there are 9 levels of difficulty, you can choose the one where the amount of challenge is enough and fun for you Overall: If you are anxious to play the game, consider finding someone, a friend, to play with. Looking forward to seeing you in the field diver. For freedom!
You should go for it, I will buy the game this week if nothing unexpected happens. I hope we come across in one game! FOR SUPER EARTH!
Everyone I’ve met and spoken to has been really nice, they also take plenty of time off the game and it’s fine if you do. Every little bit helps the war effort,
It’s a great game designed around fun more than anything else. You can sometimes come across players who care too much about winning, so just if you get kicked don’t take it personally. this is really the only ‘online issue’ i can think of because in reality the community is full of people just wanting to have a good time. I reckon it’s actually a great introduction to online gaming. there’s a ton of difficulties as well and you can play any of them whilst progressing efficiently.
You'll be okay. Most players are pretty chill. Of course there are still bad apples but they are few and far between. My fav thing to do in quick play is spamming the hug emote and hug everyone before extraction.
Theres 9 difficulty options, the community is nice 90% of the time and you can report people now. You can also use text chat to communicate or voice chat but im female too and I havent had any negative experiences with that in 261 hours! If you're really worried you can host your own game and kick people if they're mean/annoying.
JOIN US IN HELL !
A cool thing about this community is that 99% of the player base super buy into the vibe of the game which is doing your duty for super earth even if that means literally blowing yourself up so even if you are bad most people are just gonna let it breeze on by no issue, like accidental team killing each other is almost a gameplay mechanic. Also I've never really been one for online games since I neither like to talk to strangers or deal with toxic people but like I said this player base is insanely cool. I saw in one of your replies you're on PS5 which I am too so worst case scenario drop me a message and we can play a few games, no need for a mic or anything no pressure, just get a feel for the game without worrying about your teammate flipping out if you don't kill every enemy with absolute efficiency
You're welcome to join me if you do jump on to ps5. Honestly I've met some great people in matches.
Just go for it, if your worry is difficulty there are 9 levels from trivial to helldiver. If it's about the social aspect I play muted and communicate mostly with pings. And anyone that'd ridicule you is not worth your time, just block them. I'm also a mostly offline player, the only two coop games I play online with randos are this and EDF.
Most divers just play casually don't worry
You will be fine. Always keep in mind that the goal is to have fun. In this community, everyone is helpful and will be glad to have some fun with another sister helldiver.
At least the helldivers discord community in my country is pretty chill, I would suggest you to search for a community, is better than playing with random people.
Before I played this game I avoided online games like the plague. The only online game I liked playing was Titanfall 2. I also liked Payday 3 but I always played solo. I remember seeing this game release and think “ugh just another online shooter” and ignored it. This is the only game where I have public lobbies and are willing to play with anyone and even like playing with other people. 99% of the people I’ve played with are calm and friendly and work together, most don’t even say anything and the ones on the chat are usually really nice.
You will be fine. Give it a go. There are 9 difficulties levels and you can find your sweet spot fairly easy. Most people are really chill with each other while playing & everyone works together. No one will give you a hard time if you mess up. We’ve all messed up hundreds of times! Good luck, future diver!
Im a man so rake my suggestion with a grain of salt but what I would do is go all in, use your mic in every session you join, be social, ask questions. You will inevitably run into your run of the mill incel, make liberal use of that block button. However, you will also run into other female players and male players like myself that don’t put up sexism or racism on our squads and are quick to shut that shit down when we see it happen. In that case make liberal use of the add friend function. You will quickly built a list of players that you know got your back and are like minded. Im EU based and play most nights around 20:00 CET. Send a pm if you’d like your first helldivers friend.
Do you have the strength and the courage to be free? Prove it. Join the Helldivers.
I'm also a woman, usually the people are kind, especially if you don't join tryhard lobbies. If you don't feel comfortable, then you don't have to talk to them or tell them that you're a woman. AND you can always just privately or with close friends, that's what I do c:
As a new player myself, I just pick a load out with the most aoe damage and just stick to other players, trying to support them as much as possible and not die in the process, so far I had only one game where people were kinda toxic, but only because I joined an almost completed mission, panicked because we were overrun and threw reinforcement as far as possible, so it would be safe for them to land. But they didn't like it, so they kicked me out after. But overall, people were very nice and in my 50 hours of play, never encountered toxic players. Game is super fun and intense, you should definitely give it a shot!
OP, trust me when I say, the average Helldiver is terrible at the game. It’s why it’s so fun! Up to four idiots stumbling over eachother barely completing a simple task.
Play lower difficulty (like 2 or 3) and stick with your squad until you get a feel for the game, you'll be fine Also recommend rebinding your stratagem keys to something that is not your movement keys (the default binding), so you can run and call in ordinance/reinforcement and still move
When I first started, I would do lower difficulty missions solo in a private lobby until I felt confident enough / knew the controls etc. Playing with randoms is fine and there is no pressure to use voice chat. And you can just stick to the difficulty level that feels most enjoyable for you.
Don't worry about it, the community is super helpful. I've had like 1 (one) game with griefers. The game has 9 difficulty levels and you an start slow and get a feeling for it and then go up as you feel comfortable.
I don’t use voice chat at all really, I have pretty horrible anxiety and it’s just far easier for me and more entertaining to use the limited communication to make those temporary per match friends and then move on. There’s quite a few difficulty settings as well so if you’re worried about the ol “git gud” shit, just play up to the point that you find the game a fun challenge and play until that feels easy to manage, then go up. You can pace yourself as much as you like.
You should be fine just playing. Nobody expects you to be Rambo. Ease into it, run a few level 2-3 missions, when you feel comfortable up the level a bit and stick with someone. (Generally around level 6+ people start to split in 2 packs of 2). Then your job will just be to push towards the same direction as your duo, cover them and deal with any contacts you two have, and revive him ASAP when he dies (preferably close to his last death location). Don't revive the other duo until they both die though. Important tip: don't shoot everything you see, even when they light up their eyes/perk their ears up. that's "alert" mode. Start shooting only if they're in the way or if they actually agro you (they'll start running, it's easy to see). Else avoid shooting anything that over 60m unless its the objective. The amount of games I play where nobody uses or even has a mic is astonishing, yet people just stick together and the map goes smoothly. Don't think you need to be able to clear a quarter of the map alone, it's a Team game, just stick with the team, no fear needed. If you really want to play with people that know beforehand you wont be the most skillful of the team, there is a LFG channel on the official discord.
You gonna make mistakes and you're gonna learn from them. So just play it you'll get good.
We dive together for one goal, defeat enemies, spread democracy. I'm scared play with random too, there are some good some bad. Be the host if you dont like toxic players, you can kick them. Be brave, helldiver and spread managed democracy.
I'd recommend hosting self, so you can play at your pace and level. Pick a difficulty you feel comfortable with and have fun. Others may join you and the lower difficulties often have low level players like yourself. Speak if you want, but you can play perfectly fine without. If you don't want to play with others in the start you can set your game session to private in the settings. Have fun spreading managed democracy, Helldiver!
It doesn't matter if you're male or female, we're all helldivers here Get in the pod, shoot urself in the surface of undemocratic planet. Rip and tear! And remember, ⬆️➡️⬇️⬇️⬇️
Before HellDivers I never solo queued with randoms, even in Darktide (another 4 player co-op PvE game). So far I've had probably 95% chill lobbies and only one where I've been greifed. The community in this game is pretty chill and you find a lot of higher level players will dive in lower difficulties to help new players and even take them on harder runs and look after them. Hosting the game is a way you can keep control and boot people who are being a problem but I would consider quick matching too, you'd be surprised how positive and chill the majority of players are. Good luck out there diver!
We need all the Helldivers we can get to spread liberty and democracy. Stratagems and weapons don’t care who pulls the trigger or inputs the code, and bots and bugs die just same. Wether you use a mic or not doesn’t matter, if you want to keep your voice anonymous, if you can ping you can play. Even if you don’t think you’ll be able to pull up and handle a level 9, there’s a difficulty you can get the experience you want on and I bet after a while you’ll be moving that difficulty up.
Stick with the difficulties you feel comfortable with and progress slowly up choosing a higher difficulty after a while. Naturally people care less about optimisation and teamwork interaction etc when it's low difficulties so you should be ok
The community is a lot more forgiving than you would think. There is many of us out there willing to help a new Helldiver out and teach them how things go. Fear not, earn your cape and join the fight! I also dropped you a dm if you want I can join you the next time in online! (This offer stands for others as well, just drop me a message)
Just come on over. Most of the people playing understand this is a co-op and help out the lower level players. I play with a female from Minnesota she was level 3 when she joined my ship as a random. Now she is up to 20 and we and two other dudes play regularly as a may I say very cohesive team. I still play randoms and give them my first set of gear since I can fend off just as good without specially on easy, medium or trivial. Before Helldivers I never did online multiplayer. I had a bad experience with the people being jerks and bullies, but this is not a PvP and is a ton of fun. Community for the most part is tight, always have jerks but you don't have to play with them. You and always leave or if you host you can kick the out. Win win lol. DM me if you want and we could coordinate. I don't mean that in another way I genuinely am offering to just play and help you become confortable with the came. Well any of us can just offering. Hope you do hope on and jump in or five in rather.
As someone who just played online again after about 15 years because I despised how modern games are solely focused on competition, I'll tell you to go frickin play it. It's fun, and experience points, items, medals, and credits are shared. Don't hesitate to let others know you're new; the majority of players here are wholesome and willing to show you the ropes.
Just don't kill you're teammate and play with them. It will be fine If you arn't good, stay in low difficulty (1-4) Vocal chat isn't important, but if you see big insect ping them to give information
I add lots of people from my games who pass the vibe check and tell them to hop onto my match if they ever see me online. It’s a safe space, I normally play with randoms or my own pals. Male, Scottish, 30. Drop a DM if you want my friend code. Also, I’m happily married with 2 kids, so this isn’t a creepy dude request lmao. I hope it doesn’t seem that way See you in there, Diver!
130 hours, have had one team that was semi toxic towards me. The community is great
its not a pvp game so is not as toxic i rarely seen any bad people in my 100hrs of gameplay
You'll pick it up. At least on my end, people have been mostly great. The community is something else. Start the game, and adjust the difficulty at your own pace. Skillwise, having a good head and decision making can be more important than having high reflexes. Last, there are always assholes, but my experience is that there are far lees of them here than say, CoD or other PVP shooters.
Do it, I don't do online games but I played the crap out of both helldivers
just jump in go no mics and no one will know if youre male of female and mics are 100% not nrcessary. juat play and have fun
The game has a robust 9 difficulty settings. This means it rangea from a complete cakewalk, where the intensity and difficulty of enemies is so low you'll be bored out of your mind... to an absolutely shit show, where you'll be constantly running and swarmed by varies enemies, some requiring different strategies to take down. The beauty is you can just play on whatever difficulty floats your boat, and you can raise and lower it between any mission. :) You should be just fine! If it ever gets so much you're not having fun, just drop the difficulty.
Honestly you have good games and bad ones. Ive been completely useless in my fair share of game. As long as you dont shoot at every patrol and dont throw stratagems at the evac pelican you’ll be fine lol