• Guide

How to use Boosters & what they do - Helldivers 2

Learn all about Boosters in Helldivers 2 from whether they're single-use items to what ones you should definitely be using.

Sam Chandler

February 27, 2024 9:15 PM

Arrowhead Game Studios

3

When you first start your career as a Helldiver, it might not be clear how the Boosters work. Firstly, you might not know how to unlock them, and when you do get one, you might wonder whether it’s a single-use item. The good news is that once unlocked, you’ll keep them forever, you just need to decide which ones to use more often!

How Boosters work

Boosters improve a specific aspect of every single player in your squad in Helldivers 2. Once you unlock a Booster, you can use it as many times as you want – it is not a single use item. Boosters are activated in the pre-mission planning screen, once you step inside your Hellpod.

Each player can only activate one Booster and players cannot have the same one. For this reason, it’s a good idea to talk with your team to decide who will take which one. This allows you to have four unique Boosters with all of them providing benefits for every single player.

This means you could have the benefits of increased stamina capacity and the ability to move easily on difficult terrain. This should make it much easier to handle those tougher difficulties. Take a look at our guide on all Boosters & effects for a great overview of each one.

How to use a Booster

As you are preparing for a mission, there will be a hexagon beside your Stratagems, this is the Booster slot. Select it and then choose which Booster you want to activate. Remember, this does not consume it. You can use it again on your next mission.

Once you launch into the mission, the Boosters will be automatically activated. You may not see any on-screen indication of this other than perhaps more reinforcements or a shorter cooldown time for more respawns once the initial supply is depleted.

With four players in a squad, it is imperative you discuss who has what Boosters and who can take some in. For example, if a fairly new player only has one Booster, let them use it so you can use another one.

When your leave a mission and load into the next one, you will need to reselect your Booster much like you do Stratagems.

Why you can't use some Boosters

Sometimes when you load into a mission you cannot apply or equip Boosters. When this happens, it's often because there is either a mission-specific restriction or you are joining a mission mid-match. The only time you can apply a Booster is in the pre-mission Hellpod lobby.

Boosters are an extremely important part of Helldivers 2. If you can do so, unlock Boosters and start using them as soon as possible. You’ll find that their benefits will help you dramatically. Drop down to our Helldivers 2 page for more information, tables, and other tips.

Sam Chandler

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler