Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Samples are one of the currencies in Helldivers 2 that you will use to improve your character. These are only found in missions and you’ll need to go out of your way to track them down. But just because you pick them up, doesn’t mean you’ve secured them, as you’ll need to successfully extract in order to bank them.
Before we dive into answering all your questions about samples, here is an important notice: Samples are shared across the entire team. There is no need to kill your ally if they are carrying all the samples. Any samples your ally has, you will also receive upon completing the mission.
Samples are used to purchase the various Ship Modules to upgrade your Stratagems. These appear in-game as the colored shapes below the difficulty selection screen and at the top of the screen when in a mission.
Depending on the mission and environment, the sample will appear as a different object. It might be a flower, a rock, or even a strange spore thing near a bug nest. However, the rarity of the sample will always have the same shape: a common sample will always be highlighted by a circle cut in half regardless of whether it’s a flower or spore.
Each mission will have a certain amount of samples. It’s up to you whether you try to find them all or just nab whatever you come across. Sample rarity is also directly tied to mission difficulty:
You must successfully extract the samples in order to collect them. Additionally, if the samples are left on the ground, you will not get them. This means that whoever is carrying the samples must get on the evacuation ship.
In the event someone dies while holding samples, the samples will be highlighted on the mini-map by a test tube and it will make a beeping noise as you get closer. This will help you track them down and pick them back up.
As mentioned above, samples are a shared resource. You will get any samples that are extracted, regardless of if you’re holding them or your teammate. There is no need to kill your teammates to pick up their samples.
One of the best ways to farm samples is on the Blitz: Search and Destroy missions. These are short missions, usually 12 minutes in length, which require you to quickly destroy Terminid nests or Automaton fabricators. Play on a difficulty that makes sense to you and roam around destroying the enemy locations and picking up the samples. You will want to bring some of the best Stratagems with you, including 500KG Bomb.
This method is much the same for the very rare (pink) samples. Load into as high a difficulty as you can manage and then try to track down the large rocks with a skinny base. You will typically find a few Very Rare samples around these.
Outside of Blitz missions, you can also easily find all of the samples in defend missions. Circle the perimeter of the map and keep an eye out for the sample symbol. You’re going to need more common samples than any other sample in the game, so don’t ignore them if you see them.
Collecting a decent supply of samples will happen naturally as you’re playing Helldivers 2. But it’s always worth farming for a few extra if you’re close to affording a new Ship Module upgrade for your ship. Remember: samples are shared in your team, so don’t team-kill, it’s extremely undemocratic. Take a look over our Helldivers 2 page for more help with spreading liberty and freedom.