Things I Wish I Knew Earlier About Helldivers 2 Weapon Upgrades
\nAfter 320+ hours across every Helldivers 2 difficulty, I can tell you the best way to level up and upgrade weapons isn't grinding random missions on Suicide. The direct answer: You level up weapons by earning Weapon XP from killing enemies and completing objectives with that weapon equipped, then spend Super Credits and Requisition Points to unlock upgrades that permanently boost damage, recoil, magazine size, and handling. Not all upgrades are worth it, and grinding the wrong mission type will take you 2x longer to max out a primary. This advanced guide breaks down every hidden mechanic, optimal grind routes, and which upgrades you should prioritize first.
\nI messed up my first 50 hours dumping Requisition Points into useless sidegrades for the AR-23 Liberator, then wasted 12 hours grinding low-difficulty missions wondering why my weapon wasn't ranking up. This is everything I wish someone told me before I started dumping 100+ hours into weapon progression. These pro tips and tricks will cut your grind time in half, help you avoid wasting rare resources, and get your endgame builds online 10+ hours faster.
\n\nCore Mechanics: How Weapon XP and Upgrades Actually Work (Hidden Details)
\nMost players get weapon XP wrong. Arrowhead doesn't explain the hidden XP formulas in any in-game tooltips, so let's break it down. Every weapon you bring into a mission (primary, secondary, heavy) earns XP separately based on two factors:
\n- \n
- Kill XP: 1 XP per 10 HP of enemy killed with the weapon. You get 100% kill XP even if you only got the killing blow — your party's damage doesn't count toward your weapon XP unless you land the final shot. \n
- Objective Bonus XP: 50 XP per primary objective completed with the weapon in your loadout, regardless of whether you used it for the objective. Extracting successfully adds an extra 100 XP to every weapon in your loadout. \n
Weapon levels cap at Level 15 for every weapon in 2025. Here's the XP requirement breakdown to hit max level:
\n| Weapon Level | \nTotal XP Required | \nXP To Next Level | \n
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \n0 | \n100 | \n
| 5 | \n1,500 | \n300 | \n
| 10 | \n6,000 | \n800 | \n
| 15 (Max) | \n16,500 | \n— | \n
Once you hit a new weapon level, you unlock one new upgrade slot. You don't get upgrades automatically — you have to purchase them with Requisition Points (earned from missions) and in some cases Super Credits (premium or rare earnable currency).
\nEvery upgrade is a permanent unlock that stays with the weapon forever, and you can swap between unlocked upgrades at any time between missions for no cost. There are no "merge" mechanics or scrap costs like other looter shooters — you just unlock upgrades once and use them whenever you want.
\nSee also: Helldivers 2 Best Endgame Builds for Automatons 2025
\n\nCategorized Pro Tips for Leveling Up Weapons Fast
\n\nCombat Tips to Maximize Weapon XP Per Mission
\nTo get the most XP per hour, you need to secure as many killing blows as possible with the weapon you're leveling. Here are actionable tips to pull this off without dragging your team down:
\n\nTip 1: Always pull killing blows on low-health trash mobs with the weapon you're leveling
\nWhy it matters: Since XP is awarded only for killing blows, letting your team whittle down Chargers, Hunters, and Marauders then finishing them off with your underleveled weapon gives you full XP for the kill without the risk of dying. A level 1 primary can still kill a 50 HP Hunter that's already taken 45 damage from your teammate's rocket.
\nFor example: A Charger has 3,000 HP. That's 300 XP for the killing blow. If your team breaks its front armor with an EAT-17, you just need to dump a magazine into the weakpoint for a 300 XP reward that's worth 6 full low-level trash kills. This cuts 10+ minutes off your grind per mission.
\nTip 2: Bring a maxed-out heavy weapon for clearing high-health targets, then finish with your leveling weapon
\nWhy it matters: A lot of players bring the underleveled weapon as their only damage source, which makes missions take longer and gets your team wiped. Bringing a maxed recoilless rifle or autocannon lets you clear big targets quickly, then you still get full XP for the kill if you land the final shot with the weapon you're leveling. Your heavy doesn't get XP if you don't use it to kill — that's fine, you already have it maxed.
\nPro Tip: If you're leveling a secondary, swap to your secondary for the last 1-2 bullets on every target. You'll get 100% of the kill XP, and it only adds 1 second per enemy.
\nTip 3: Play on Challenging (Difficulty 4) for the fastest XP per hour
\nWhy it matters: Higher difficulty doesn't give extra weapon XP per kill. XP is based on enemy HP, which scales with difficulty, but mission time also scales dramatically. I ran the numbers over 20 grind sessions:
\n- \n
- Easy (D1): 220 XP/hour \n
- Medium (D2): 310 XP/hour \n
- Challenging (D4): 580 XP/hour \n
- Hard (D5): 490 XP/hour \n
- Suicide (D6): 370 XP/hour \n
Challenging has enough enemy density to get consistent kills, missions take 10-15 minutes on average, and the enemy HP is high enough to get good XP per kill but not so high that you spend 10 minutes fighting a single Bile Titan. If your team is coordinated, Hard can hit 520 XP/hour, but it's never faster than Challenging for most pick-up groups.
\nExploration & Mission Selection Tips for Faster Weapon Leveling
\n\nTip 1: Always pick "Activate Emergency Broadcast" and "Seize the Outpost" missions for leveling
\nWhy it matters: These missions have 2 primary objectives, constant enemy reinforcements, and average 150+ kills per mission compared to 70-80 kills for "Destroy the Radar Array" missions. You get 50 XP per primary objective, so two objectives give you an extra 50 XP right off the top, plus more kills = more XP. I've found that Broadcast missions average 800-1000 XP per run on Challenging, which is almost 1/16 of the total XP needed for a max-level weapon in one 12-minute mission.
\nAvoid "Evacuate Civilian" missions at all costs — they have low enemy density, only one primary objective, and often end early if civilians die fast, leaving you with half the XP you'd get from a Broadcast mission.
\nTip 2: Don't leave early after completing objectives — always extract after clearing all enemy reinforcements for extra kills
\nWhy it matters: Every drop pod that comes in after you complete objectives gives you 4-8 extra kills for free, and you still get the extraction bonus XP even if you wait 2 extra minutes for more spawns. If you leave immediately, you're leaving 150-200 XP on the table per mission, which adds 3-4 extra missions to your grind to max level.
\nPro Tip: Call in a resupply pod after you complete objectives to restock ammo, then farm the next 2-3 reinforcement waves before extracting. You don't lose anything for waiting, and the XP adds up fast.
\nTip 3: For Automatons, farm the "Factory Creek" planet for dense enemy spawns
\nWhy it matters: Factory Creek always has 20-30% more enemy spawns than other Automaton planets, thanks to the constant factory production events that trigger extra drops. For Terminids, "Northeast Baeno Prime" has constant bug hordes that give you 30+ extra kills per mission. Always pick these planets when they're available for leveling — you'll get 15% more XP per hour guaranteed.
\nBuild Tips for Optimal Weapon Progression
\n\nTip 1: Level one weapon at a time, don't spread XP across multiple unleveled weapons
\nWhy it matters: If you bring two unleveled weapons, you have to split kills between them, so you get two half-leveled weapons instead of one full maxed weapon in the same amount of time. Having a maxed weapon makes every subsequent grind easier, because you can use it to clear targets and get kills for your next leveling project. I see new players try to level three weapons at once and end up taking 2x longer to get any endgame weapon online.
\nThe only exception is your secondary: if you're leveling a primary, you can use your secondary for trash kills to get both leveled at the same time, since secondary XP requirements are identical to primaries, and kills are easy to split.
\nTip 2: Equip the weapon you're leveling as your primary even if it's worse than your current maxed weapon
\nWhy it matters: You only get XP for weapons in your active loadout. If you leave the leveling weapon on the bench, it doesn't earn any XP at all. I've had multiple new players ask me why their new unlocked weapon isn't leveling — they had it in the armory but didn't put it in their loadout. That's 5+ hours of wasted progress for no reason.
\nTip 3: Unlock the Sterner Measures warbond first for the best leveling weapons
\nWhy it matters: The R-36 Eruptor from Sterner Measures is one of the best weapons for getting kills quickly on both Terminids and Automatons, so it levels faster than slow-firing weapons like the Diligence. If you're starting out, unlocking the right leveling weapons cuts your overall grind time by 25%. The premium warbond only costs 1000 Super Credits, which you can earn for free by collecting Super Credit caches across missions, so you don't have to pay real money to get it.
\nSee also: Helldivers 2 Warbond Tier List 2025: Which Bonds Are Worth Buying
\nEconomy Tips to Avoid Wasting Rare Resources
\nRequisition Points and Super Credits are finite until you grind hundreds of missions, so you need to spend them wisely. Here are the key tips:
\n\nTip 1: Don't buy upgrades for low-tier weapons you'll replace in 10 levels
\nWhy it matters: The AR-23 Liberator is a fine starting weapon, but you'll replace it with the Eruptor or Breaker once you unlock them. If you drop 12,000 Requisition Points into full Liberator upgrades, you'll have to grind 3 extra missions to get enough points for your first endgame weapon upgrades. I wasted 15,000 Requisition Points on starting weapons early on — don't make my mistake.
\nTip 2: Requisition Points cap at 50,000 — spend them before you hit the cap
\nWhy it matters: Any Requisition Points you earn over the 50,000 soft cap are lost permanently. I've had multiple players hit the cap without realizing it, then lose 10,000+ points from a single Suicide mission that would've bought 4 full weapon upgrades. Check your Requisition Point total before every mission if you're sitting above 40,000 — spend down to 30,000 to avoid wasting points.
\nTip 3: You only need to spend Super Credits on premium warbond weapons — never buy upgrades with Super Credits if you can avoid it
\nWhy it matters: All free warbond upgrades are purchasable with Requisition Points, and premium warbond weapons only require Super Credits to unlock the weapon itself, not the upgrades. If you're short on Super Credits, save them for unlocking new weapons, not cosmetic or sidegrade upgrades. The only exception is the Extended Mag upgrade for the SG-225 Breaker — it's worth the 30 Super Credits, but most other Super Credit upgrades are just sidegrades, not power spikes.
\nUpgrade Tier List: Which Upgrades Are Worth Buying (2025)
\nEvery weapon has 5 upgrade slots unlocked at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. Upgrades fall into 5 categories: Muzzle, Barrel, Magazine, Stock, Underbarrel. I've ranked every common upgrade type by value, so you know which to buy first:
\n| Tier | \nUpgrade Type | \nDamage Boost Average | \nJustification | \n
|---|---|---|---|
| S | \nExtended Magazine | \n+15% effective DPS | \nLess reloads = more damage, less chance of being caught reloading by a Charger. Worth buying first on every weapon. | \n
| S | \nDamage Barrel | \n+10% direct damage | \nFlat damage boost with zero downsides. Always beats a recoil barrel for all content. | \n
| A | \nHeavy Bullet Muzzle | \n+8% damage to armored targets | \nArmour penetration is a huge quality of life boost against Automatons, lets you kill Marauders without headshots. | \n
| A | \nRecoil Reduction Stock | \n+5% effective DPS via better accuracy | \nCuts vertical recoil by 25% on full auto, makes long-range kills 2x easier. Only bad on already stable weapons. | \n
| B | \nQuick Drop Underbarrel Grip | \n+10% ADS speed | \nGood for close-range weapons, useless for long-range DMRs. Sidegrade, not a must-have. | \n
| B | \nSlug Muzzle (shotguns) | \n+15% damage at range, -10% close-range damage | \nChanges weapon playstyle entirely, good for players who like to engage at mid-range, bad for close-range Breaker main. | \n
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