What Are Medals and How Do They Work?
Medals in Helldivers 2 are a form of in-game currency tied to performance. You earn them by completing missions, surviving tough fights, and fulfilling specific objectives during operations. Unlike experience points, which gradually level up your character, medals are more versatile. They can be spent directly on upgrades, equipment, and new abilities.
In practice, players often focus on missions where they can maximize medal gain. Not all missions give the same amount of medals, so it helps to plan ahead. For example, missions that include optional objectives—like rescuing civilians or disabling enemy equipment—often reward extra medals. Completing these objectives efficiently can sometimes double the rewards compared to just finishing the main mission.
How Can I Earn Medals Faster?
If your goal is to collect medals quickly, there are a few practical strategies to consider:
Replay Missions with High Rewards Some missions are more “medal-efficient” than others. Experienced players often identify a few key missions that consistently provide more medals than the average. Replay these missions regularly while refining your approach to complete optional objectives.
Play in a Coordinated Team Medals are often awarded based on both individual and team performance. A coordinated squad will survive longer, complete objectives faster, and avoid mission failures, which means more medals overall. Solo players may need to focus on survival and prioritizing high-value objectives.
Focus on Objectives, Not Just Kills While eliminating enemies contributes to your medal total, the bigger rewards usually come from completing mission objectives. Prioritize completing tasks like activating terminals, defending locations, or collecting supplies before hunting every enemy.
Take Advantage of Difficulty Levels Higher difficulty missions provide more medals, but they are also riskier. For quick medal farming, players often choose missions that are challenging but manageable with their current gear and team composition. Overextending in extremely hard missions can result in losses that offset any potential medal gain.
What Should I Spend Medals On First?
Once you’ve earned a stack of medals, the next question is where to spend them for the most impact. Here are the main categories most experienced players consider:
Weapon Upgrades: Upgrading your primary and secondary weapons improves damage and efficiency. This is especially useful if you’re aiming for faster mission completion.
Armor and Gear: Increasing survivability allows you to attempt harder missions safely, which in turn yields more medals.
Perks and Abilities: Spending medals on new abilities can change how you approach missions entirely. Some abilities provide crowd control, others improve mobility or provide better support to teammates.
Consumables: Medals can also buy items that are not permanent upgrades but provide temporary advantages in missions, such as healing packs, ammo boosts, or deployable turrets.
A common strategy is to balance upgrades across weapons, armor, and abilities rather than spending everything in one category. This creates a more versatile character capable of handling a wider range of missions efficiently.
How Do I Prioritize Helldivers 2 Items to Purchase?
When it comes to spending medals, there’s a difference between what looks appealing and what is actually effective. Here’s how most players make decisions about Helldivers 2 items to purchase:
Focus on Mission Efficiency Buy items that help you complete missions faster and safer. Weapons with higher damage-per-second or area-of-effect abilities often have more practical value than cosmetic items or those that provide minor buffs.
Consider Your Playstyle If you’re often playing solo, defensive or self-sustaining gear is more valuable. If you stick to squads, you can prioritize team-support items that help the entire team survive longer and complete objectives faster.
Balance Short-Term and Long-Term Gains Some items offer immediate help but don’t scale well with difficulty. Others may seem weaker early on but are essential for tackling higher-tier missions. Experienced players often mix both types to maintain steady progress.
Check Synergy With Current Loadouts Upgrades are most effective when they complement your existing gear. For example, pairing a heavy weapon upgrade with abilities that enhance mobility allows you to deal damage quickly and reposition safely.
Are There Any Common Mistakes to Avoid?
Even experienced players sometimes make errors with medals that slow progression. The most common mistakes include:
Spending Medals on Low-Impact Items Early Buying items that look fun or flashy but don’t help in missions can stall your progress. Stick to mission-focused upgrades first.
Ignoring Optional Objectives Skipping optional objectives to finish missions faster might save a few minutes but often reduces medal gains significantly.
Focusing Only on Difficulty Jumping to the hardest missions without the right equipment or team coordination can lead to repeated failures, wasting time and potential medals.
Neglecting Synergy Upgrading one weapon or ability without considering how it interacts with other gear can limit overall efficiency.
How Do Medals Affect Long-Term Progression?
Medals are not just for immediate upgrades—they influence long-term growth. By prioritizing efficient spending and targeting high-value missions, you gradually build a more capable Helldiver. Over time, this opens access to higher-tier equipment and more challenging missions that provide even more medals, creating a positive feedback loop for progression.
In practice, players who track their medal earnings and plan spending tend to progress faster and more consistently than those who spend randomly. It’s not about hoarding medals indefinitely, but about spending wisely to unlock items that let you earn even more medals in future missions.
Using medals efficiently in Helldivers 2 is a matter of understanding how they’re earned, what they’re best used for, and how they fit into your overall progression strategy. Focus on high-reward missions, coordinate with teammates, complete objectives, and spend medals on upgrades that improve mission efficiency and survivability. By keeping these practical strategies in mind, you can accelerate your upgrades and make each medal count toward becoming a more effective Helldiver.
