Research



During combat on enemy territory it is possible to find and retrieve samples, which are randomly scattered around the map and appear more frequently during missions of higher difficulty. These samples are of scientific value to Helldiver Command and players are rewarded for their retrieval—every ten samples collected will grant a single Research Point which players can then spend in the armoury to upgrade their weapons or Stratagems.

The fully-upgraded Humblebee UAV drone can detect samples and will pinpoint them on the player's mini-map. Investing in this Stratagem early on is therefore recommended to boost the speed at which gear can be upgraded.

Difficulty
The number of samples in a mission is roughly dependent on the difficulty of the selected mission. Retaliation strikes and enemy masters have no samples.

Event Difficulty
Attack/defend events give 1, 2 or even 3 extra samples per mission.

Points Limit
Research Points cannot be spent after upgrading everything in the armoury, but will still accumulate, up to a maximum of 318 points.

Trivia
After gaining an additional Research Point, the amount drops back to 316. It is possible to temporarily have 319 Research Points, but only through receiving one as a level-up reward when you currently have 318 points and it will still revert to 316 the next time you get one.

All Samples gathered during a mission are lost if it is failed or aborted, if the player drops out or if they exit to the main menu before the post-mission results screen appears.