The original Helldivers is best played with friends, and Helldivers 2 isn’t about to break that trend. Teammates are a big part of smashing bugs in the name of democracy, so here’s how to join public games in Helldivers 2.
How to join a public match in Helldivers 2
Before you try to join a public game, you need to check a couple of settings. Bring up the options menu and open the Gameplay tab. In here, ensure Matchmaking Privacy is set to Public. I also recommend turning Crossplay on. I appreciate Crossplay is a sticking point for some players, but a larger player pool should yield faster matchmaking.
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Now, head to the Galactic War table, where you have a few options. If you want to join a quick match in your chosen difficulty, press the Quickplay button (pictured above). Quickplay searches for active SoS beacons across the system and should find you a squad to play with.
How to start a public game in Helldivers 2
If you want to pick the mission instead of being assigned one at random, you can start a normal game yourself. Open the Strategem menu when you land and call in an SOS Beacon.
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Once activated, Helldivers using the Quickplay function should be hailed to your location, but you may have to wait a few minutes.
At the time of writing, Helldivers 2 is experiencing matchmaking issues on all platforms. The developers have addressed the problem on social media, but we will have to sit tight and wait for a fix.
Do I have to play with other players in Helldivers 2?
While you can play alone, it’s abundantly clear that Helldivers is meant for team play. As a solo player, you’ll struggle with any difficulty setting beyond Easy, and many situations force you to fill the roles of multiple people.Â
For better or for worse, Helldivers 2 doesn’t scale difficulty based on team size. Even if you’re shy or uneasy online, I still recommend trying it out.
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If talking is a real sticking point, you can even disable Voice Chat entirely in the Audio tab of the options menu (pictured above). If you do this, I suggest closely following your team so you don’t need to communicate game plans.
The default guns in Helldivers 2 will only get you so far. Check out our guide on how to unlock more, with a few recommendations on what to go for first.
Published: Feb 9, 2024 12:40 pm