How can players efficiently farm samples and requisition slips in Helldivers 2?

Understanding the Core Loop

To efficiently farm samples and requisition slips in Helldivers 2, you need to master a simple but powerful principle: prioritize difficulty over speed. While running quick, easy missions might seem tempting, the real payoff comes from tackling higher difficulty levels, specifically Helldive (Difficulty 9), where reward multipliers are highest and the density of rare samples skyrockets. Efficiency isn’t about how fast you complete one mission, but about how many high-value resources you extract per hour of play. This means building a coordinated squad, selecting the right mission types, and using strategic loadouts designed for survival and exploration, not just swift extermination.

The Currency Breakdown: What You’re Farming For

Before diving into strategies, let’s be clear about what these resources are and why they matter. They are the lifeblood of your progression.

Requisition Slips (Req Slips): This is the common currency used to unlock new Stratagems, weapons, and boosters from your Ship Management terminal. You earn a base amount for completing primary and secondary objectives, with a massive multiplier applied based on the mission’s difficulty. A failed mission grants you nothing, so extraction is non-negotiable.

Samples: These are physical items scattered across the map that you must pick up and successfully extract with. They are not shared; if you pick up a sample, only you get it. There are three types:

• Common Samples (Green): Used for early ship module upgrades. They appear on all difficulties but in greater numbers as you go higher.
• Rare Samples (Orange): Crucial for advanced ship modules. They begin appearing more frequently from Challenging (Difficulty 3) onward.
• Super Samples (Pink): Required for the final, most powerful ship upgrades. These are exclusively found on Difficulty 7 (Suicide Mission) and above, often in specific locations like enemy bases or meteorite impacts.

The following table shows how the difficulty level dramatically impacts your potential earnings. The data is based on community-wide observation and gameplay experience.

Optimal Mission Selection and Strategy

Not all missions are created equal when your goal is resource gathering. You want missions that encourage, or at least allow for, extensive map exploration without being overwhelmed by endless, timed objectives.

Best Mission Types for Farming:

• Retrieve Essential Data (EDF Bunkers): This is arguably the top mission for sample farming. The map is typically dotted with 3-6 bunkers, each containing a console to destroy. More importantly, these bunkers and the areas surrounding them are hotspots for sample spawns, especially the rare and super varieties. You can methodically clear each bunker and scour the area without a punishing time limit.
• Exterminate Missions (Bug Nests / Bot Factories): While these are more combat-focused, they are excellent for Req Slip farming due to their relatively short completion time. The key is efficiency: use area-of-effect Stratagems like the Eagle 500kg Bomb or Orbital Laser to destroy multiple nests/factories simultaneously. A well-coordinated team can blast through a Helldive exterminate mission in under 5 minutes, earning a massive Req Slip payout thanks to the difficulty multiplier.
• ICBM Launch Missions: These offer a good balance. After you launch the ICBM, you have a fixed 2-minute defense period. Once that’s over, you often have several minutes left on the mission clock to fan out and search the previously unexplored sections of the map for samples before calling the Pelican for extraction.

Missions to Avoid for Pure Farming: Avoid “Blitz: Retrieve Personnel” or “Blitz: Destroy Transmission Towers” if your primary goal is samples. These missions have very short timers that pressure you to rush to the objective, leaving little to no time for exploration. They are poor for sample collection, though the quick Req Slip payout can be okay if you’re only after that currency.

The Essential Farming Loadout

Your choice of Stratagems and weapons can make or break a farming run. You need tools for mobility, survival, and area denial, not just raw damage.

Recommended Stratagems:

• Reinforce: Non-negotiable. Wiping without a reinforce available can end a run and lose all collected samples.
• Eagle Smoke Strike or Orbital Smoke: An absolute game-changer for sample collection. If you’re being overwhelmed, popping smoke on your position breaks enemy targeting, allowing you to revive teammates, pick up samples, or simply run away. It’s a defensive tool that provides crucial breathing room.
• Eagle 500kg Bomb / Orbital Railcannon Strike: Your “oh crap” button for dealing with heavy enemies like Bile Titans and Chargers, or for quickly destroying objectives. Essential for surviving high difficulties.
• Autocannon Sentry / Gatling Sentry: These provide autonomous defense, holding off patrols and smaller enemies while your team focuses on searching buildings or fighting larger threats. This is more valuable than another offensive Stratagem when you’re trying to scour a map.
• Jump Pack: Incredible mobility for traversing rough terrain quickly, escaping tight situations, and reaching high vantage points to spot points of interest. It drastically reduces travel time across the map.

Weapons and Armor: Prioritize medium or light armor for the increased stamina and sprint speed, which is vital for evasion and map traversal. Weapons like the Breaker shotgun or the Dominator rifle offer great stopping power against all enemy types. Always equip a Backpack like the Supply Pack or the Guard Dog Rover for additional support.

Advanced Squad Composition and Tactics

Farming at Helldive efficiency is a team sport. A coordinated squad of four, using voice chat, will outperform a group of randoms every time. Here’s a sample of a specialized farming squad composition:

• Scout (Light Armor + Jump Pack): This player’s sole job is to quickly traverse the map, spot samples, points of interest, and enemy patrols. They mark everything for the team and avoid unnecessary fights.
• Demolitions (Heavy Armor + Recoilless Rifle/EAT-17): Focused on quickly eliminating heavy armor targets that can slow the team down. They protect the scout and clear the path.
• Support (Medium Armor + Supply Pack / EMS Mortar): Keeps the team stocked with ammo and uses area-denial Stratagems to control the battlefield. The EMS Mortar that slows enemies is incredibly powerful for controlling breaches.
• Flex (Medium Armor + Versatile Loadout): Adapts to the situation, bringing another sentry or a powerful Eagle Stratagem to handle swarms or objectives.

Tactical Movement: The golden rule is avoid patrols whenever possible. Engaging every single patrol you see will lead to constant reinforcements and eventual overwhelm. Crouch, use terrain, and go around patrols. If you must engage, do it quickly and silently with melee or suppressed weapons if you have them, then move away from the area before a breach is called.

Solo Farming Considerations

While significantly harder, solo farming is possible, especially on difficulties 5-6 (Hard/Extreme). Your loadout must be entirely self-sufficient. The Jump Pack is almost mandatory for mobility and escape. The Guard Dog Rover provides excellent passive defense against small enemies. Stealth becomes your primary tool: avoid fights, use the terrain, and focus on objectives and sample collection with extreme caution. For solo play, “Retrieve Essential Data” missions are still your best bet, as you can control the pace of engagement more easily than in defense-style missions.