Biomes

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In Helldivers 2, Planets have a predetermined biome that determines how a mission's map may generate. Some biomes may generate higher volumes of trees while others may generate rougher terrain with taller mountains, sharp ridges and other hazards. In this article, we have compiled information on the game's biomes, as well as information on certain types of alien plant life that is shared between them and other geographical peculiarities you might come across while battling the enemies of Democracy.

Overview

There are 23 biomes in Helldivers 2 spread across 261 planets. Biomes determine many factors about operations for a Helldiver, such as what kind of armor to wear, what type of hazards to expect, and what type of strategy they should approach with. The biomes have been given conjectural names below, as the game itself does not give a particular name to any biome. While datamined information may list some Biomes with names such as "Moor" or "Primordial", these 2 names are repeated for several biomes and are not a solid, distinctive naming foundation.

Additionally, the descriptions given for the biomes below can not be found in-game following the Galactic War Map changes implemented during the Heart of Democracy update. They only existed up until May 2025 as part of a planet's description and have yet to re-appear, if they ever will. The descriptions for biomes still exist in the game, however the only way it can be seen is through the Helldiverscompanion App, which automatically includes it as part of a planet's description.

Contrary to popular belief, a planet's biome DOES NOT determine the planets that may appear in its skybox, both during a mission and while on orbit inside of the Super Destroyer. The planets that can be seen in the sky of any planet are physical objects that dynamically move depending on each planet's time of day and clock speed. Solar Eclipses and Night Time can occur dynamically.

Operational Experience Recommendation

Writers in this wiki have procurred to include an Operational Experience Recommendation rating for every biome listed below. This is not an official, developer-supported guideline for the relative difficulty posed by each individual biome. Rather, this is a community-determined rating based on what challenges players might be faced with in each biome.

Biomes rated as BEGINNER are friendly for new players who are beginning to grasp the game's mechanics and either have no effects to take into account or the effects of the biome are of so little influence that they can safely be ignored.

Biomes rated as INTERMEDIATE are biomes that, while not difficult in their own right, may prove challenging for new players or players unfamiliar with the game's mechanics. The effects and geographical features in these levels are something to take into consideration when building a loadout, choosing stratagems and selecting a drop zone when first dropping into a planet.

Biomes rated as EXPERIENCED are biomes that have proven themselves to pose a marked challenge for the majority of players, either because of their biome effects, the geographical features of the biome or because of a combination of factors between the biome's geographical features and its inherent biome effects. Planning ahead, keeping the biome's effects in mind and taking the way its geography is generated into consideration are recommendable before dropping into a mission

Biomes rated as OPERATIONAL PRIORITY and LIBCON 1 - MAXIMUM PRIORITY are biomes that play or have played a pivotal role in the game's Major Orders. These biomes are often only able to be played for limited periods of time and feature unique modifiers separate from the rest of the other biomes, often times forgoing a listing of these effects altogether. It is best to have experienced friends before trying to deploy into one of these planets.

Biomes rated as SAFE are zones in the map that players can travel to but can not conduct any missions on. So far, all of these biomes have been created in the aftermath of a Major Order. The best example of this is the Black Hole of Meridia, created after Operation Enduring Peace and the destruction of the Meridian Supercolony.

Lastly, Biomes rated as UNKNOWN are biomes that, while implemented in the game, can not be accessed during normal gameplay and are usually restricted to the developers only. The best and only example of this is Cyberstan, which has its own unique biome but is currently inaccessible.

Biomes

Below, the Biomes have been categorized by their internal names, which appears to serve as an archetype that roughly defines a biome but doesn't provide a detailed description of it.

"Swamp" Biomes

A Helldiver encounters a field of Flamer Stumps on . — A Helldiver encounters a field of Flamer Stumps on Tarsh.

Flamer Stumps growing near an **Automaton** Outpost in Tarsh.

Swamp Biomes, as the name implies, are planets where most, if not all, of the surface is covered in dense marshlands, mangroves and mud. Trees are the main feature of these biomes, as they extend high enough into the air that they will often intercept misplaced Eagle payloads and orbital strikes. In these biomes, a certain type of xenoflora can spawn which will be colloquially referred to as "Flamer Stumps".

Flamer Stumps are, as the name suggests, stumps of dead trees that are oozing out a vibrant green sap that, when disturbed by gunfire or explosions, explode and ignite their immediate vicinity. Helldivers should tread carefully around these plants, as the explosion of the stump can knock them to the ground and, if they were close enough, leave them ablaze for long enough to kill them.

Additionally, lakes and rivers in these biomes appear frequently and will often appear deceptively shallow. Vehicles are ill-advised in these biomes, as not only does the vegetation make navigation difficult, but the terrain itself generates with lots of bumps, hills and ridges, which makes it hard to maneuver a vehicle away from a misplaced landmine or a poorly located lake.

Points of Interest spawn less frequently in these biomes than on other planets, as the trees and lakes that spawn on the surface leave little room for these to generate. However, the Points of Interest that do appear often generate in close proximity to one another.

Swamp

Operational Experience Recommendation: INTERMEDIATE

This is the default variation of the Swamp Biome. During certain intervals, heavy rainfall will occur on planets with this variant of the Swamp Biome, which will reduce visibility and make it harder for Helldivers to detect targets at range. These biomes will often have small blue shrubberies and endemic fireflies that are visible during the night.

Because of the rainfall and the general features of the swamp biome, planets with this biome are best for Helldivers who have dominated the essentials of the game and who wish to improve their understanding of Stratagems and how the positioning interacts with the environment to alter the results, a lesson that is always best learned by watching a nearby mangrove tree intercept a 500Kg Bomb called during a moment of need.

The Swamp Biome would be added alongside the Viper Commandos Warbond on June 13th, 2024, making it the first biome to be added into the game after launch. Upon its addition, multiple planets changed biomes into this new one, complete with new aspects on the Galactic War Map.

Foggy Swamp

Operational Experience Recommendation: EXPERIENCED

Foggy Swamps, as indicated by the name, are the only other variant of the Swamp biome. Structurally, they are very similar, however they feature a permanent thick fog which reduces visibility, though not to the same extent as the periodic rainstorms of the base Swamp Biome. Besides this, Foggy Swamps are often dark even during daytime, making the already poor visibility even worse.

Besides the changes in lighting and environmental effects, Foggy Swamps do not differ from the default Swamp Biome that much. With the right lighting, both biomes often look similar to one another and both Urban Colonies and Mega Cities that generate in planets with these biomes will often generate with the same overall aspect and, in the case of Mega Cities, base ground color and decorative tree type.

While, at first glance, it may seem that the Thick Fog may make the Foggy Swamp easier to combat in, the perpetual visibility reduction brought upon by the Thick Fog in combination with the planet's darker lighting and hostile flora can pose a formidable challenge to those Helldivers who often neglect taking their surroundings into account when deploying stratagems.

The Foggy Swamp Biome was added with the Escalation of Freedom Update on August 6th, 2024. It became the second biome to be added into the game after launch. Upon its addition, multiple planets switched biomes into this new variant of the Swamp biome, complete with new aspects on the Galactic War Map. This biome would also be launched with a corresponding Major Order, logged in this wiki as Operation Benevolent Sanitation.

"Sandy" Biomes

Sandy Biomes are, as the name indicates, desert planets with many dunes and little vegetation. The terrain in these planets varies but so far there are 2 sub-archetypes of the Sandy Biomes, which will be listed below. These 2 sub-archetypes have been named conjecturally and are not official, but rather have been created by the writers of this article for the sake of clarity.

Plateau Desert

Plateau Deserts, which can also be referred to as Canyons, are deserts which are often interrupted by clusters of tall, mushroom-shaped plateaus. Much like the trees in the Swamp Biome, these plateaus can intercept the payload of a poorly placed stratagem beacon, be it support weapons, Eagle airstrikes or Orbital Barrages. Additionally, certain factions can have their reinforcements deploy on top of these plateaus, which can give them an unusual height advantage.

So far, there are 2 variants of the Plateau Desert:

Acidic Desert

Operational Experience Recommendation: INTERMEDIATE

Acidic Deserts are, as the name would indicate, desert planets full of green dune seas dotted by tall, imposing brown plateaus. The key distinguishing element of these deserts are its regular periods of acid rain.

The Acid Rain on this planets temporarily wears down the armor protection of Helldivers, making them receive higher damage than normal for the duration of the acid rainstorm. However, the acid rain also wears down the armor of the enemy, lowering the armor protection level of all enemies by 1 for the duration of the acid rainstorm. For example, an enemy that normally has "Heavy" Armor (AP4) will take full damage from weapons that deal Medium Armor Penetration (AP3) while there's acid rain.

Particular types of xenoflora that can be found in this biome include a certain bush with green bioluminiscent flowers. Additionally, an unlisted effect is that these planets will often have a random level of volumetric fog, product of the fumes that routinely pour out of the surrounding plateaus. However, this fog is often so minimal it does not hinder visibility.

Hot springs and other small ponds can be found in abundance throughout the surface of planets with this specific biome. However, the apparition of these water bodies leaves less room for Points of Interest to appear.

Despite its otherwise non-threatening nature, the periods of Acid Rain in this biome can leave Helldivers more exposed than they would normally be on other planets, a factor that may catch fresher Helldiver cadets off-guard and that will certainly lead to their untimely demise.

Copper Desert

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Copper Deserts consist of reddish brown dunes dotted by similarly red plateaus. Faint cyan traces can often be seen on the sand, indicating high mineral content. Unlike the Acidic Desert however, this planet is less prone to having water formations and does not feature any volumetric fog.

A notable effect of these biomes are their frequent Tremors, probably product of higher tectonic movement than usual. These tremors will considerably bog down Helldivers, as they instantly drain all stamina when they start and slow down Helldivers considerably, as if they were walking on mud or snow. However, the Tremors often paralyze all enemies on the ground (Except for Elites such as the Bile Titan and Factory Strider or Bosses like the Hive Lord) for a considerable amount of time, which can often save a Helldiver on a pinch by creating opportunities for either a critical strike or an improvised repositioning.

Due to the lower chance of ponds and springs appearing on these biomes, they will often have more Points of Interest than the Acidic Desert. However, the points of interest on these biomes generate farther apart than they do in the Acidic Desert.

Despite the Tremors, Copper Deserts are perfect for players to learn how to adequately navigate a rough landscape and to adequately consider their surroundings whenever calling in ordnance from the Super Destroyer.

Desert Mesa

Desert Mesa biomes are variants of the "Sandy" biome that generate a higher percentage of dunes and sandy terrain than the Plateau Desert. Additionally, unlike the Plateau Desert, the Mesa Biomes don't generate any particularly shaped mountains, instead only generating diagonal ridges that can sometimes reach high enough to be untraversable. Both variants of the Mesa Biome feature the Intense Heat effect, which increases the stamina drain of sprinting and the heat gain rate of all weapons that rely on heat sinks, such as the LAS-16 Sickle.

While Mars had its own exclusive biome variant of the Desert Mesa, it never became accessible since Mars was the tutorial planet up until its razing by the Illuminate during the battle of Super Earth. Despite this, the biome data for Mars persists in game, as it can still be seen by clicking on Mars in the Helldiverscompanion app.

So far, there are 3 variants of the Desert Mesa Biome:

Quake Desert

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Quake Deserts are biomes that consist mostly of orange dunes and cliffs, with a terrain that generates a significant amount of dunes and with some elevation shifts that occur infrequently. A unique feature to this biome are the intermittent periods of Intense Heat. Unlike other biomes with this effect, the Intense Heat effect is only applied during daytime and does not apply during night-time, which makes weapons reliant on heat sinks more viable during the periods of night time or eclipses that may occur during a mission.

Besides the rotating heat, Helldivers undertaking operations on these Biomes will want to be on the lookout for frequent Tremors that occur on these planets. Similar to the Copper Desert, these Tremors will slow down Helldivers considerably, staggering them even if they are flying or wearing armors with the Unflinching or Rock Solid passives. However, these Tremors will also stun most enemy ground units for a considerable amount of time.

An unlisted effect that sometimes occurs on these planets is a form of "sandy drizzle" that creates a slight orange volumetric fog. However, this fog doesn't affect visibility for enemy units and is so minor that it does not obstruct visibility at any considerable distance.

While rare, ponds and shallow springs can spawn in portions of the map in these biomes. Despite this, Quake Deserts often spawn more Points of Interest than other planets. However, the Points of Interest on this biome often spawn farther apart than in other planets.

Sandy Mesa

Operational Experience Recommendation: INTERMEDIATE

Sandy Mesas are biomes that consist mostly on dunes of varying height and a relatively gentle terrain, though it sometimes can generate steep hills that can prove difficult to climb up. A feature unique to the Sandy Mesa biome is its rotating temperature.

During daytime, the Intense Heat effect is applied onto players as it normally would be on planets with this particular environmental effect. However, during the night, the Intense Heat effect is instead replaced by the Extreme Cold effect, which instead reduces the firerate of weapons but also delays the heat buildup rate of all weapons that rely on heat sinks, making them cool down faster and heat up slower.

Besides the rotating environmental effects, Helldivers undertaking operations in these biomes will want to keep an eye out for regular sandstorms that can occur during their mission. During the 2 minutes a Sandstorm lasts, both friendlies and enemies have their visibility reduced considerably.

For Helldivers, anything beyond 25 meters is not visible, while enemy units or companions such as the AX/LAS-5 "Guard Dog" Rover have their detection radius considerably reduced. Besides the reduced visibility, the strong winds of the sandstorm slow down Helldivers considerably. These Sandstorms often create opportunities for stealthy strikes on enemy outposts and for covert repositioning towards objectives.

Some plant life does exist on these biomes, as dusty bushes can be found around most objectives and point of interest.

While it is rare, Sandy Mesas can sometimes spawn shallow springs of water in some portions of the map. Despite this, the relatively low chance for water bodies to spawn makes the Sandy Mesa Biome spawn more Points of Interest than other planets. However, these points of interest will often spawn farther apart.

Barren Moon

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Barren moons are biomes that bear a heavy resemblance to Super Earth's own natural satellite. As the name might indicate, the planets with these biomes are cold, desolate moons that contain extremely valuable mineral deposits underneath. Despite its starkly opposite appearance to the rest of the Sandy Biomes, the Barren Moon's terrain generation and water bodies follow the same general rules applied by both versions of the Desert Mesa Sub-Archetype.

Unlike the Sandy Mesa and Quake Desert however, the Barren Moon instead features an Extreme Cold environmental effect, which reduces the rate of fire of all weapons, but also lowers the heat buildup rate on weapons that rely on internal cooling elements such as the LAS-98 Laser Cannon, making them both overheat slower and cool down faster.

The greatest threat on this otherwise non-threatening environment are the meteor storms. Meteor Storms can occur at random intervals throughout the match, up to 4 times in a single mission, and last for 5 minutes. During these storms, small meteors fall from the sky and onto random spots on the map, with a purple light appearing on its place of impact seconds beforehand, telegraphing nearby players what they should avoid, as these meteors can and will kill anything on impact, from Helldivers to Factory Striders.

Despite its lonesome appearance, small white, dry shrubberies and bushes can be seen on the surface of this planet. Additionally, ponds and shallow springs can sometimes generate in certain portions of the map. But even with these oddities, the Barren Moon often generates more points of interest than usual, although spread over larger distances.

Despite the Meteor Storms, Barren Moons are perfect beginner planets for Helldivers fresh out of Training. The Meteor Storms, while dangerous, are infrequent and the Extreme Cold will often be non-influential if not benefitial to most Helldivers.

Arctic

A cluster of Polar Bulbs in . — A cluster of Polar Bulbs in New Stockholm.

Arctic Biomes are, as the name indicates, extremely frigid planets that orbit a very distant start or receive barely enough light and heat from their star to be inhabitable. Arctic Biomes usually generate smoother terrain, albeit markedly having vastly more hills and elevation shifts than Sandy Biomes. However, these hilly terrains are also often interrupted by deep chasms, sinkholes, fjords, cliffs and rivers that will often be several meters below the floor level or will be too deep to be traversed on foot besides a few select crossing points that will appear on the map.

A Polar Bulb on . — A Polar Bulb on Heeth.

Besides these geographical features and the occasional ridge or mountain, the terrain itself is also dotted in ice stalagmites both big and small that will sometimes have undetonated Hellbombs encrusted into them far more frequently than on other planets. These Hellbombs will detonate shortly after being hit by gunfire, and will explode instantly if hit with explosives. While dangerous, these stray hellbombs can also be used during emergencies to take out pursuing enemy forces or even to destroy enemy ordnance and facilities should they be close enough.

A form of xenoflora present in both Arctic Biomes are plants that will be colloquially referred to as Space Artichokes. Alternatively referred to as Frost Flowers, Polar Bulbs or Ice Plants; Space Artichokes are, as the name might imply, plants with a striking resemblance to terrestrial artichokes that glow with a bright cyan hue and, when touched or disturbed in any way, violently explode. This explosion only delivers a minor amount of damage (15 points of Explosive Damage, to be precise) but will apply a 3-second stun effect similar to that of an AR-32 Pacifier gunshot. Additionally, the explosion will leave behind a cloud of residue that will apply this stun effect onto any entity that comes into contact with it. This cloud of residue vanishes after approximately 15 seconds, though it may last longer if multiple space artichokes explode close to one another.

So far there are 3 variants of the Arctic Biome:

Glacial Fjords

Operational Experience Recommendation: INTERMEDIATE

Glacial Fjords, as the name would suggest, consist of several icebergs and fjords scattered through the surface of gelid ocean planets. It is often the case that the map in these planets will be severed into different sections by big rivers unable to be traversed by swimming, with only a handful of small crossings allowing for safe passage between isles. Atop the ice, Helldivers will find valleys of snow, dotted with the occasional tall iceberg, rock or small body of water.

A seemingly shared feature on every planet with this biome, regardless of which region of the galaxy it is located in, is the presence of a large red ring system around the planet, similar to the Saturn Rings.

The terrain in this map will consist of mostly vast stretches of snow-covered valleys and hills, which will slow down the Helldiver but won't really affect the stamina drain from sprinting through the snow. Besides the snow, Helldivers will also encounter areas with slippery ice that will make them drift some meters in the direction they were moving towards after they themselves stop. This effect is not stopped by any armors and is similarly applied to exosuits and vehicles.

This is the only biome in the game, as of time of writing, where Helldivers can make snowballs. These can serve as unlimited stun grenades with a shorter stun effect, as Helldivers can throw snowballs at enemies to disorient them for a couple seconds. To make a snowball, Helldivers simply have to stand still for a couple seconds on a patch of snow before a prompt appears on their screen for them to make a snowball. Beware that Helldivers making snowballs will put down their currently equipped weapon, so this is best saved for casual, team-building occasions during events such as the Festival of Reckoning.

Operations undertaken during sunrise and sunset are slightly more difficult due to the increased light intensity from the sun on the horizon, making visibility when looking in said directions quite low.

Frozen Boneyard

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Frozen Boneyards consist of sparsely snow-covered valleys and hills filled with moss-covered rocks and the occasional tall, unclimbable mound. Occasionally, Helldivers may come across gigantic fossils, mostly in the form of tall, giant ribs from an unknown, evidently deceased super organism. It is often the case that the map in these planets will be severed into different sections by big rivers unable to be traversed by swimming, with only a handful of small crossings allowing for safe passage between isles. Despite their look, the fossils generated throughout the map can be easily destroyed using explosives or by a passing vehicle or exosuit.

Beyond the Extreme Cold and the visually stunning abundance of giant superorganism fossils spread throughout the otherwise barren, desolate landscape of these planets, not many other features worthy of note can be witnessed. Despite the cold, red and green shrubberies can be seen wherever the snow has cleared and wherever there aren't any patches of mud to slow down a Helldiver.

Because this planet doesn't generate as many obstacles as the Glacial Fjords has to, due to the absence of icebergs and snow, the Frozen Boneyard biome will often generate more Points of Interest than the Glacial Fjords Biome. However, these Points of Interest will be spread farther apart. Even so, the difference in quantity of points of interest between both biomes is relatively minor and non-influential.

Frozen Moon

Operational Experience Recommendation: INTERMEDIATE

A sub-variant of the Frozen Boneyard Biome that existed in-game was the Frozen Moon Biome. Tien Kwan is the only known planet with this biome. This biome is the same as the Frozen Boneyard, however it has a slight cyan volumetric fog added to the landscape. Additionally, the Frozen Moon Biome is the only other biome in the game to use the Meteor Storms effect from the Barren Moon, but is otherwise the exact same as the Frozen Boneyard Biome, generating the same type of terrain and geographical features, as well as having a similar geographical appearance when viewed in the Galactic War Map.

This biome only existed in-game during Operation Patriot on March 2024. Following the liberation of Tien Kwan, this biome would be removed at some point between March 2024 and April 2025, since players that attempted to deploy into Tien Kwan during the Illuminate Invasion that occurred during Operation Omens Undone would experience immediate crashes due to the biome files seemingly not existing in the game. Because of this issue, the Illuminate Invasion of Tien Kwan had to be immediately aborted by the Game Master. However, despite the abortion of this invasion, Operation Omens Undone would end in failure.

This is the only biome in the game to have ever been time-limited, as well as the only biome to have been removed from the game entirely. It is unknown whether or not this biome supports the generation of Urban Colonies and Mega Cities.

"Primordial" Biomes

Primordial Biomes are, as their name indicates, biomes teeming with various forms of plant life and other exotic forms of xenoflora and, in certain cases, xenofauna. While they all share a similar basic tree type and terrain generation parameters, all the four types of Primordial Biomes listed below feature very unique, distinct effects and can play very differently despite being similar to one another.

A form of xenoflora present in all four Primordial Biomes are plants that will be conjecturally referred to as Shrapnel Bushes. These bushes consist of one central stem from which multiple spiky fruits sprout. Should these plants be disturbed by any kind of munitions or a violent impact such as a vehicular collision or an exosuit stepping too close, they will violently release the thorns contained within the fruits, such release being as violent as the explosion of a Frag Grenade and being capable of immediately disabling vehicles and injuring Helldivers inside these.

The four variants of the Primordial Biome are the following:

Ashland

Operational Experience Recommendation: INTERMEDIATE

Ashland planets, as the name suggests, consist of vast expanses of lifeless gray plains and hills and sparse pockets of dried up, possibly dead, coral-looking flora, with certain violet growths of a possibly parasitic nature growing on them. Besides the dead flora and coral, these planets generate a higher volume of rocks than usual. Additionally, the Thick Fog present on these planets can make ranged engagements difficult, as the fog can completely hide anything past 50 meters. Additionally, the Thick Fog can become even more troublesome during sunrise and sunset, as the fog on the planet will start glowing brightly red and further reduce visibility. This problem is particularly prevalent when fighting the Automatons on planets with this biome such as Mort or Aesir Pass.

These planets don't feature any geographical accidents worthy of note but can contain lots of geysers, which can boil anything that inside of it, dead or alive. These geysers can also be used as improvised explosives by tossing a grenade inside of them. The Ashland Biome is one of the two biomes that can contain Geysers, the other being the Volcanic Jungle.

Besides the Shrapnel Bushes and Geysers, Ashland biomes can generate undetonated hellbombs in any difficulty at a higher rate than normal. However, unlike in biomes such as the Glacial Fjords, these Hellbombs will often be strewn throughout the floor level instead of embedded on rocks or mountains, making them vastly more dangerous to operate vehicles or sentries around, as these Hellbombs will detonate shortly after being hit by gunfire, and will explode instantly if hit with explosives. Despite the obvious dangers posed by the unexploded ordnance, these stray hellbombs can also be used during emergencies to take out pursuing enemies or even destroy enemy equipment should they be close enough.

Ethereal Jungle

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Ethereal Jungles are, as the name might indicate, planets of idyllic beauty covered in lavender trees, crimson bushes and lilac grass, with a gentle rose hue abounding in the air. In perfect contrast with its violet lands, the water in these planets is often a sharp, vibrant blue.

The crimson bushes that exist between the abounding trees in these planets slow Helldivers down but also help conceal them from enemy patrols, making it less likely for Helldivers hiding inside these bushes to be spotted from a distance like they would otherwise be when crouching or running out in the open.

This is the only Primordial Biome to have no environmental effects, as well as being one of the only two biomes currently accessible in the game to have no environmental effects, making it a perfect introductory planet for any Helldivers looking to safely hone their skills after completing their training before moving on to more challenging planets.

Shadowed Jungle

Operational Experience Recommendation: EXPERIENCED

Shadowed Jungles, as their name indicates unambiguously, are dark blue planets covered in almost perpetual night-like darkness. A feature on this biome that, so far, is only present in one other biome, the Foggy Swamp, is the lighting, which can appear night-like even during daytime. The almost constant darkness reduces visibility for Helldivers while leaving enemy units unaffected and is only ever broken should the planet's sun be placed particularly close and have a certain brightness.

Similarly, this is one of the two primordial biomes to feature a form of alien xenofauna, as clouds of fireflies can sometimes be spotted among the trees. However, the infamy gained by this biome stems from its most impactful environmental effect: Ion Storms, which disable ALL stratagems (except the SEAF Artillery) for their 45-second duration. During Ion Storms, no Reinforcements can be called by Helldivers on the ground either and the mini-map itself is partially disabled, as it will hide all map markers for players, objectives and points of interest, though it will still track the player's position when zoomed in.

Alongside the Ethereal Jungle, this is one of the only two Primordial Biomes not to have Geysers.

Shadowed Jungles are among some of the most challenging environments a Helldiver can deploy to. The waving terrain, combined with the abundant trees, bushes and xenoflora and the intermittent lack of Super Destroyer Support are difficulties that only Helldivers with enough combat experience and adequate preparation can overcome, a lesson learned in blood by the Martyrs of Malevelon Creek.

Sparse Jungle

Operational Experience Recommendation: INTERMEDIATE

Sparse Jungles are instead closer to low-density jungles such as those found on the Last Rainforests once present on Super Earth. These consist of scattered clusters of green jungle trees, bushes and shrubberies dispersed in between the waving hills and the occasional Geysers. Besides the Ashland Biome, the Sparse Jungle is the only other biome in the game to have Geysers.

This is one of the only two Primordial biomes to have a form of xenofauna present in the game, as packs of unidenfitied avian wildlife can often be spotted flying in the sky. These avian wildlife is impervious to gunfire, stratagems and environmental effects.

A feature unique to this variant of the Jungle are the volcanoes. Located over the horizon, players can spot certain arrangements of 1 or more active volcanoes. These volcanoes can, in certain occasions, erupt and send flaming rocks flying into the sky, which then fall back down onto the playable area. These flaming rocks behave much like the Meteor Storm from the Barren Moons, as a circle of light will appear on the ground to indicate where the rock will impact. Said circle of light will slowly shrink as the flaming rock comes closer to its impact location. However, these flaming rocks don't just explode on impact but they also leave an area of fire around the impact zone while also setting ablaze any enemies and/or Helldivers around, making the Volcanic Eruption vastly more dangerous than the Meteor Storms.

On top of the chance for volcanic eruptions, Helldivers might want to be on the lookout for intermittent Rainstorms, which can occur intermittently during their missions and can reduce visibility, making it more difficult to spot targets at range.

Despite the dangers posed by the periods of Volcanic Activity and the intermittent rainfall, these planets are relatively standard. Not quite easy to fight in but not as difficult as other biomes.

"Moor" Biomes

Moor Biomes are planets consisting of tall cliffsides and jagged, mountainous terrain. With one exception, Moor Biomes lack any temperature modifiers and instead have their relative difficulty mostly determined by the roughness of their geography, as these planets will often contain steep cliffs and hills that will take considerable time to climb, if they can even be surpassed. Despite all variants but one lacking trees, these biomes all share a common type of coniferous tree, as well as having similar types of bushes on their surface.

A form of xenoflora found throughout all the variants of the Moor Biome are plants that will be colloquially referred to as Spore Clusters. Alternatively known as Moor Mushrooms or Smokescreen Fungi, Spore Clusters are, as their name indicate, clusters of fungal growths commonly found besides rocks, trees and bushes. These plants can be found frequently and can be used for temporary cover since, when disturbed, they release a cloud of spores that can be used as a smokescreen. However, trigger discipline when shooting around these is greatly advised, since they will knock any nearby Helldivers to the ground with a violent spore release if they are hit by gunfire.

These biomes all generate an average number of Point of Interest scattered throughout relatively normal distances, compared to other biomes such as the Primordial Biomes. However, the aggressive geography can often make it more challenging to access these points of interest.

Tundra

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Tundra biomes are what the name indicates. Hills, rocks, valleys and, occasionally, mountains covered with colorful red, orange, green and yellow shrubs and bushes, dotted with tall, imposing coniferous trees and the occasionaly rock or mound.

The only notable terrain feature that can appear in these biomes are the patches of mud that are sometimes scattered among the otherwise lush grasslands. While the mud may slow down Helldivers, it does not have an impact on stamina drain. Additionally, the Tundra Biome is the only biome in the game where Auroras can be consistently seen in the night sky.

This is the only one of the four Moor Biomes to feature trees as part of the map generation. Although an uncommon sight, coniferous trees can sometimes be found spread throughout the Tundra Biome planets. These trees make for excellent cover from gunfire and low-power projectiles such as Devastator Missiles.

These biomes are perfect for new Helldivers to dip their toes in the essentials of the Galactic War, as they feature no weather anomalies or any effects that they require any adjustment for. It is just a Helldiver and the might of nature, with a whole parade of Freedom's enemies for them to cleanse off Liberty's canvas.

Grassland

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Grasslands, like the name points out, are comprised of vast expanses of lush, green fields of short grass, dotted by occasional tall, unclimbable rocks and mountains, all of it scattered throughout a descending slope ending on some seaside cliffs. These mountains can block stratagems, so be mindful of them when calling them in. While rare, these biomes can generate beaches instead of cliffs whenever the map generates a coastline.

Deep, but short, chasms/ravines can be occasionally littered across the landscape in which forces to the Helldiver to detour around it, as falling in will result in immediate death and the loss of all equipment and samples. Periods of rainfall can occasionally reduce visibility for Helldivers and enemies alike. During these rainstorms, thunder and lightning can be seen in the distance, but they do not impact the area of operations in any way.

A particular form of xenofauna often seen these planets are small, glowing blue dragonfly-like insects that often inhabit the many lush green bushes scattered throughout the fields.

Despite the periods of rainfall, the Grassland biome is an ideal place for novice Helldivers to learn the essential dynamics of combat in the Galactic War, as the rain's effect on visibility can often be overcome with proper aim and positioning.

Ionized Grassland

Operational Experience Recommendation: BEGINNER

Ionized Grasslands, much like the Grassland Biome, are lush fields of crimson algae grass spread through the vast expanse of white, rocky mountain terrain. Much like the Grassland Biome, this planet will often generate deep chasms and steep cliffs that can pose a great danger, as falling from the edge and into these pits will result in death and the loss of any and all equipment and samples carried by the victim.

An unlisted effect that can sometimes be seen in these planets is a light drizzle that can occur during certain times of day in these planets. However, this drizzle carries no notable effects and is only really a visual effect. Besides this drizzle, the light on these planets can often become excessively bright and hamper visibility, though this doesn't occur often.

However, instead of rainfall, the Ionized Grassland is instead beset by intermittent Ion Storms, which disable ALL stratagems (except the SEAF Artillery) for their 45-second duration. During Ion Storms, no Reinforcements can be called by Helldivers on the ground either and the mini-map itself is disabled, as it is interrupted with static.

Despite the Ion Storms, the terrain on the Ionized Grasslands provides vastly more cover and is devoid of the excess vegetation of the Shadowed Jungle, making it a perfect biome for Helldivers to train their combat abilities and independence from their Super Destroyer.

Scorched Wasteland

Operational Experience Recommendation: EXPERIENCED

Scorched Wastelands are arguably some the most brutal landscapes a Helldiver may find themselves liberating or defending. The landscape is rough, filled with ridges, mountains and narrow passages that can, at times, force Helldivers to turn around and take longer, more dangerous routes or even block certain stratagems, such as 500KG bombs or Orbital strikes, from being deployed correctly. As such, awareness is to be at its highest at all times when fighting in this type of environment, as any mistake may end up in the Helldiver being stuck between a literal rock and a fiery foe, be it natural or otherwise.

A feature common on planets with this biome is the presence of a nearby volcanic planet with a ring system, which might explain these biome's hostile conditions.

Combined with the cruel topography, the intense heat of this biome will make all weapons reliant on heat sinks, such as the LAS-16 Sickle, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the LAS-98 Laser Cannon cool down 33% slower and heat up 33% faster, making them inadvisable to bring to the fight unless no other option is available. Additionally, the intense heat will cut the Helldivers' stamina in half, making it harder for Helldivers to traverse the geographical obstacles in the map as well as to move around as they would like.

At random intervals, Helldivers will also have to contend with hordes of Fire Tornadoes that may form in their operational vicinity. These devastating infernos, as one would assume, ignite everything in their path, be it the ground, structures, innocent civilians, fascist bugs, murderous robots or righteous Helldivers. Combined with their erratic, unpredictable paths and the extra smoke produced by the resulting fires that stay in place for upwards of 15 seconds, Fire Tornadoes pose a formidable challenge for any and all Helldivers without enough experience.

The combination of the hostile geography and even more violent environmental effects makes Scorched Wastelands a biome markedly hostile to inexperienced Helldivers. Spatial awareness is to be at its best at all times, while good stim management is necessary so as to be able to stay in good shape and brave through the firestorms brought upon by the Fire Tornadoes, a lesson learned in embers by the Martyrs of Hellmire.

Volcanic Planet

Operational Experience Recommendation: EXPERIENCED

Grey Cacti and Orange Flowers found on . — Grey Cacti and Orange Flowers found on Mox.

Volcanic planets are, as the name would suggest, planets with extreme levels of volcanic activity. Expectedly, these planets are littered with scorched basalt and lava lakes everywhere. These lava lakes will set any who touch them on fire, so extreme caution is to be exercised around them. Besides the inherent danger of the flowing magma and constantly erupting volcanoes, Helldivers have to be on the lookout for smaller geysers, fumaroles and mud volcanoes and mudpots which periodically burst. The initial eruption from these smaller volcanoes is as aggressive as any explosion and will knock nearby Helldivers to the ground while setting them ablaze immediately. Armors that provide any form of Fire Resistance are advised for any Helldivers conducting missions on these planets.

On top of the present fiery dangers, these planets feature geography as aggressive as that of the Moor Biomes but now with the interruptions of lava lakes and rivers that harkens back to the constant lakes and rivers of the Glacial Fjords with a complete opposite twist. Pits and cliffs are near constant and mountains are always nearby and present, with narrow treks and passages sometimes allowing for cunning Helldivers to climb through and use as a shortcut.

A particular form of xenoflora found in Volcanic Planets are grey cacti. While normally inoffensive and unable to cause harm, contact with their thorns can rapidly drain stamina and lightly injure Helldivers. Besides these cacti, some green shrubberies and orange, tulip-like flowers can be rarely seen scattered throughout the ashen black soil.

Combined with the cruel topography, the intense heat of this biome will make all weapons reliant on heat sinks, such as the LAS-16 Sickle, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the LAS-98 Laser Cannon cool down 33% slower and heat up 33% faster, making them inadvisable to bring to the fight unless no other option is available. Additionally, the intense heat will cut the Helldivers' stamina considerably more than in other biomes, even those that already have the Intense Heat effect, making it harder for Helldivers to traverse the geographical obstacles in the map as well as to move around as they would like.

The dangers posed by the geography and environmental factors of this biome alone make it extremely challenging as is. Combined with the augmented Intense Heat effect, Missions on Volcanic planets present some of the greatest challenges a Helldiver can take on. Extreme preparation and great experience and crucial to success.

The Volcanic Biome is the third biome to have been added into the game after launch, being added on December 4th, 2025, alongside three new planets: Fury, Mox and K. Unlike the Swamp and Foggy Swamp before it, the Volcanic Biome did not change any previously existing planets, instead having three new planets appear that already contained it. As of December 31st, 2025, this biome is exclusive to the Automatons, as the only three planets that have this biome are all located on the Automaton Front of the Galactic War.

Special Biomes

Certain Biomes in the game have appeared and formed part of crucial moments in the Second Galactic War. These biomes generally are their own type of biome and feature unique effects and events, as well as being accessible only during limited periods of time, if ever. These have been listed as follows

Supercolony

Operational Experience Recommendation: OPERATIONAL PRIORITY

Supercolonies, as the name might imply, are planets which the Terminids have managed to brutishly terraform into planet-wide hives due to continuous, unrestrained reproduction at an abnormally high rate. Its landscape usually mirrors the one that the planet's previous biome had, with the best example being how the Meridian Supercolony preserved many geographical features despite its terraformation, such as volcanoes.

General features of this "biome" include a mostly flat, if sometimes hilly landspace, with the occasional ridge or sky-high spike, most likely a Terminid burrow. These spikes can block Eagle airstrikes and other stratagems, so caution is to be exercised.

Supercolonies had no environmental effects despite preserving features from their previous biome, best demonstrated by how the Meridian Supercolony had no rainstorms or volcanic eruptions after its terraformation.

Supercolonies don't exist naturally, with the only recorded one being that of Meridia, which was destroyed on June 2nd, 2184. Supercolonies are seemingly one of the many stages through which the Terminids pass while terraforming a planet. It is not known whether or not the Supercolony Biome persists in the game files, as no other Supercolonies have appeared in the Galactic Map ever since the destruction of Meridia.

Hive World

Operational Experience Recommendation: OPERATIONAL PRIORITY

Hive Worlds, as the name implies, are

Terminid planets that lay deep inside of The Gloom. Formed after extended periods of surface and subsurface terraformation, Hive Worlds are generally desertic planets covered in dunes of sickly yellow sand littered with bones both big and small, pools of foul, pungent yellowish-water, spires of Terminid rock matter that reach high into the spore-choked sky and, most notably, cave systems.

Unique to the Hive Worlds are cave systems dug out by the Terminid Hive Lords, which house the Terminids' hatcheries and nests in which they fester and concoct their nefarious fascist plans. Inside of these cave systems, Super Destroyer Support is impossible and, as such, no stratagems can be called while inside of them. The only way to deploy stratagems while inside of a cave system is by calling for stratagems in areas that have no roof over them.

Helldivers that call for reinforcements will find their new teammates deploying on the closest available opening to the sky, be it outside of the nearest available entrance to the caves or at one of the many portions of the caves without a ceiling. The cave systems are treacherous, as they feature flooded portions as well as portions of pretty-much complete and total darkness, requiring the use of flashlights.

Because of the lack of proper Super Destroyer support, Helldivers should manage their ammunition and stims carefully, and make sure to always be in relative proximity to teammates or, should a Helldiver proceed alone, have a path available towards them should they need to regroup.

Certain forms of Terminid xenoflora found on the Hive Worlds include mysterious coral-like growths, as well as barnacle-like growths that are often seen in clusters on the walls. Additionally, certain portions of the caves are often blocked by fossil-like rocks that can be demolished using explosives.

An unlisted effect of the Hive Worlds are their passive Roving Shrieker patrols, which routinely spawn at the edge of the map. Additionally, Hive Worlds are the only map where players can utilize the Portable Hellbomb stratagem without having to own the Servants of Freedom warbond, though this stratagem is only available in the Destroy Spore Lung missions.

Hive Worlds have two exclusive secondary objectives, which are the Mobile Radar and the SSSD/Sample Case Extraction. Additionally, Stalker Lairs will always generate within the caves while most, if not all, of the secondary objectives that generate on the exterior of the Hive Worlds are guaranteed to be Shrieker Nests.

Hive Worlds are the planets where players can most commonly encounter and kill Hive Lords, as well as Dragonroaches.

Black Hole

Operational Experience Recommendation: SAFE

A Black Hole is an astronomical body so compact and dense in mass that its gravity prevents any particles and energy, including light, from escaping. While Black Holes have been known to Humanity for many centuries, none are listed in the galactic map due to the obvious dangers posed by these astronomical anomalies.

The only Black Hole present in the game, as of the time of writing, is the Meridian Singularity. This singularity was created through the injection of Dark Fluid into the crust of the Meridian Supercolony by the Helldivers during Operation Enduring Peace, which resulted in the destruction of the Supercolony and the creation of this gravitational oddity.

While it was initially believed to be a Black Hole, further research later revealed it to instead be a wormhole. It would be this very singularity which later tragically destroyed Angel's Venture on February 13th, 2185, alongside with Moradesh on March 14th, 2185 and Ivis on April 4th, 2185. These tragedies would occur at the hands of the Illuminate Cult, who harvested Dark Energy to move the Singularity towards Super Earth in an attempt to destroy it, before it was thwarted thanks to the activation of the Repulsive Gravity Field Generator at Pilen V on April 29th, 2185.

Despite this apparent victory, the Illuminate would later use the Meridian Singularity to send their invasion fleet, The Great Host, directly towards Super Earth, culminating on the Battle of Super Earth from May 20th to May 30th of 2185.

Ever since the Illuminate defeat at Super Earth, the Meridian Singularity has remained seemingly dormant, with Super Destroyers now able to warp towards its vicinity to observe it once again.

Despite being a "biome", Helldivers can not deploy into any missions for obvious reasons. Instead, the Meridian Black Hole exists as a temporary refuge for Helldivers to reflect on the price paid for allowing Tyranny to fester, the lives lost as a consequence and the importance of their service to Managed Democracy, so that a similar tragedy may not be repeated.

Fractured Planet

Operational Experience Recommendation: SAFE

Fractured Planets are celestial bodies that, due to many possible factors, have been irreversibly damaged if not entirely destroyed. Expectedly, no lifeforms on the surface of a planet survive the planet's fracturing, much like all cities, facilities and structures are all completely destroyed without a trace. Once a planet is fractured, the core is ripped open and the core's magma content is left to float adrift in space. However, this broken planetary core can still generate enough gravity to hold the scattered pieces of its torn mantle in relative proximity, forming an asteroid field.

In the context of Helldivers 2, Fractured Planets appeared once the Meridian Singularity passed too close to a planet during the time it was being moved by the Illuminate towards Super Earth. For self-evident reasons, Fractured Planets can not host any missions and only serve as a point for players to travel towards to contemplate the tragedy brought upon the Federation by its enemies.

During the Illuminate Campaign to propel the Meridian Singularity towards Super Earth, three planets would meet this grizzly fate. The first planet was Angel's Venture, being tragically destroyed on February 13th, 2185. The second planet was Moradesh, being destroyed on March 14th, 2185. The third and last planet would the vestal planet of Ivis, destroyed on April 4th, 2185 without having ever been reached by any enemy factions.

Interestingly, while the Fractured Planet is listed here as a Biome, portions of the game's data designate the Fractured Planet as a Galactic Point of Interest that simply overwrites a planet's appearance in the galactic map and blocks the ability to deploy into the planet while leaving said planet's biome untouched.

Mega City

Operational Experience Recommendation: LIBCON 1 - MAXIMUM PRIORITY

^{This portion of the article will cover the Mega City Biome used by Planet Super Earth. For the Mega Cities seen throughout the rest of the planets, please refer to the corresponding article HERE}

Cities are, by dictionary definition, high concentrations of artificial structures, manmade or otherwise. They are often the result of multiple years, if not decades, of dedicated human development and economic activity. First introduced within the Heart of Democracy update as Super Earth's Biome, the Mega City Biome features unique modifiers alongside a standard Rainstorm effect, similar to that of the Sparse Jungle or the Grassland biomes.

Mega Cities are packed with the most elegant and refined skyscrapers, as far as one's eyes can witness the fullest display of Prosperity. However, in the midst of combat, these imposing structures can serve as an obstacle for Orbital and Eagle strikes alike, so always keep them in mind. Additionally, these buildings can provide much needed cover against enemy units such as the Mortar Emplacements and Leviathans.

Additionally, the streets of the Mega Cities are covered in abandoned cars, barricades, emplacements and all types of obstacles that will provide needed cover during firefights but that will also pose a significant threat, as nearby exploding vehicles can knock down or even kill Helldivers. Besides the streets, the majestic alleyways, usually basking in the neon glow of nearby businesses and advertisements, can be packed full of Voteless hordes and Terminid swarms, making them into deadly traps

Mega Cities are the home of Super Earth's Class A+ Citizenry. As such, Helldivers will come across civilians trying to find shelter during the fight. Their lives are in your hands. Watch your targets.

Given the paramount importance of Humanity's sacred homeworld, Helldivers will come across S.E.A.F. personnel who have also been deployed to fight. Use your voice commands to rally them around you for support in your missions.

Following the Battle of Super Earth, Mega Cities would be implemented on other planets all throughout the galaxy. However, these Mega Cities are instead spawned as structures that cover the entire map and share the planet biome's effect on top of being able to generate both SEAF Soldiers and Civilians during Defense Campaigns or just SEAF Soldiers during Liberation Campaigns.

A crucial difference between the Mega City Biome and the Mega City structures is that the Mega City structures can be liberated/defended from the enemy entirely and lost, while the Mega Cities in the Super Earth Biome could only really be defended indefinitely but would become inaccessible once lost.

Frozen Wasteland

Operational Experience Recommendation: UNKNOWN

This section of content deals with speculation and should not be taken as fact.

Cyberstan, the homeworld of the Cyborgs and main base of operations for the Automatons has a unique, still unknown biome. The only known effect of this biome is the Extreme Cold environment effect. However, besides this, no more information is known about the Cyborg Homeworld.

Many players speculate that Cyberstan's biome might feature a similar system to the one used on Super Earth's Mega City biome, using instead Automaton Mega City tilesets and featuring new dynamics in regards to the battle that would take place in this crucial planet.

While this wiki uses the name of "Frozen Wasteland" to refer to this biome, this biome does not have an assigned name in the game files and is not connected to any of the other biomes featured throughout the Galactic War beyond the Extreme Cold effect.

Mega Structures

Mega Structures are types of maps that can be generated on a planet, replacing parts of the map or their entirety. Mega Structures follow different rules for their terrain generation and will feature unique points of interest, objective locations and even different mission types that will often be exclusive to only maps with these types of structures.

So far, 2 Mega Structures exist in the game. While Cave Systems in Hive World count as a Mega-Structure, they will not be listed below as they are exclusively generated in Terminid Hive Worlds. Additionally, these Mega Structures are not officially labelled as such in the game. Rather, these are distinct types of structures deemed as such by the community contributors of this wiki project.

Colonies

Colonies, also referred to sometimes as Urban Settlements, are small frontier towns that concentrate a significant portion of Super Earth's frontiersmen and rural populace in the planets they're built on. They are small urban areas with relatively small buildings and individual houses separated by a variety of streets and public parks and all encased by a surrounding protective wall that, besides select abandoned checkpoints and the odd breach, is often untraversable and unclimbable.

Colonies are generated at a fixed uniform elevation and will only ever occupy no more than half of the map, while the rest of the map is generated as it would normally be in a normal mission. This can often result in discrepancies in the terrain, such as abnormally tall slopes sitting right outside of a city or portions of the city that generate without a section of protective wall or that are even interrupted by outside points of interest such as enemy outposts. Despite this, Colonies are not flat, instead featuring various shifts in elevation in the form of elevated platforms, ramps and public stairways or lowered courtyards. Additionally, Colonies are often littered with cars and barricades all over the streets.

Unlike normal maps, Colonies contain scattered ammo and supplies all over the town and not just at select points of interest. Additionally, the Colonies are the only mega structure that is still capable of generating the SEAF Artillery and SEAF SAM Site but will not generate certain other objectives, such as the LIDAR Station, which does not appear on Colony Missions for the Illuminate.

Mega Cities

Mega Cities, outside of Super Earth, are Mega Structures that can only be found in their designated planet's Regions. Since Mega Cities are structures, they don't count as a separate biome but rather exist as a single mega-structure that replaces the entirety of the map and contains unique tilesets for points of interest and objective locations. Mega Cities feature no elevation shifts outside of a few select points of interest and objective locations, instead being mostly flat. Mega Cities have two different variations, one for defense campaigns and one for liberation campaigns.

Mega Cities generate a significant number of skyscrapers that will require your Super Destroyer to reposition if your stratagem beacon is deployed in such a way that a stratagem can not be deployed without it being intercepted by a building. This repositioning time only applies to Orbital strike stratagems, like artillery barrages or specific strikes, and does not affect other stratagems. Repositioning time depends on how much the Super Destroyer has to shift its position relative to the angle its strikes have to take to reach the intended target and can be any time between 2 to 25 seconds. However, the Repositioning time replaces the deployment time in cases where it exceeds it.

Additionally, the skyscrapers will often force Eagle airstrikes to change their approach vector in order to carry out their attack, which affect direction-sensitive stratagems like the Eagle Strafing Run, Eagle Airstrike and its variants and the Eagle 500kg Bomb. It will also make the delivery of vehicles take longer due to Pelican shuttles having to find suitable open areas where they can safely drop the requested cargo.

Mega Cities inherit their planet's environmental effects and retain some characteristics of its parent planet's biome such as trees (even in Biomes that don't have trees normally), ground textures and lighting effects. Mega Cities on planets with a Sandy Mesa Biome will experience sandstorms and will have their park areas feature sand instead of grass, for example. However, an effect that in shared for all Mega cities regardless of their biome is the presence of S.E.A.F. Soldiers fighting in the area. Additionally, Civilians can spawn on Mega cities but only during defense campaigns, since they only appear on defense campaign Mega City tilesets.

Mega Cities can only generate specific objectives while generally avoiding others altogether. For example, Mega Cities can generate Lidar Stations but can not generate SEAF Artillery or SEAF SAM Sites. Additionally, Fortresses can not appear on Mega Cities^[1].

Mega City Campaign Progress

Mega Cities have their own separate health pool and enemy resistance rate apart from their home planet, but otherwise function as a microcosm of the Galactic War.

As an illustrative example, imagine a liberation campaign in some planet that has 1,000,000 health points and 1% Enemy Resistance rate with 50,000 players. Out of those 50,000 players, 25,000 are working on liberating an available mega city while the other 25,000 are fighting on the planet normally.

Despite our sample planet having 50,000 players, it would only progress at half the speed it would progress on another planet that had the same amount of health and enemy resistance since, out of the 50,000 players currently fighting on our planet, only one half is chipping away at the planet's health pool while the other half is instead dealing damage at the mega city's health pool.

However, while the player impact on our sample planet is calculated while accounting for the number of total online players all throughout the game, the player impact on mega cities is instead calculated with only the number of players on the planet being taken into account.

As such, Mega city liberations will progress significantly faster than planet liberations but will slow down planetary campaign progress until the mega city/mega cities are liberated. This can also be applied to progress in defense campaigns.

Once a Mega City is liberated or defended, it will become inaccessible until the planet changes states. Should a Mega City be defended on a planet during a defense campaign that is subsequently lost, the Mega City will become available again but will utilize the Liberation Campaign Mega City Tilesets instead. If a Mega City is liberated during a planetary liberation, it will not be able to be liberated again until the planet is successfully liberated or the planet is locked away due to all connected planets being lost. This will cause situations where a planet has no progress towards its liberation despite all Mega Cities on it being liberated.

Mega City Campaign Boosts

When liberated during planetary liberation campaigns, or defended during planetary defense campaigns, a Mega City will grant a boost to the planet's campaign progress. This amount varies wildly, being mostly determined by the tier of the Mega City and the planet's health pool.

Mega Cities have four tiers. The higher the Mega City's tier, the more health it will have but also the higher the campaign progression boost. The four tiers of Mega Cities are:

Tier 1, which is called Settlement
- Settlements have low health (100,000 HP) but, in return, often yield a very minor campaign progression boost. While it may vary between planets and campaigns, this boost rarely exceeds the 20% threshold.
Tier 2, which is called Town
- Towns have slightly more health than settlements (200,000 HP) but will yield a noticeably larger campaign progression boost. While it varies between planets and campaigns, this boost rarely exceeds the 30% threshold.
Tier 3, which is called City
- Cities have just as much health as a low level planetary defense (400,000 HP), but yield a substantial campaign progression boost. While it varies between planets and campaigns, this boost rarely goes below the 20% thresholds and rarely exceeds the 40% threshold
Tier 4, which is called Mega City
- Mega Cities have as much health as a standard planetary defense (600,000 HP) but yield the largest campaign progression boost on their respective planets. While it varies between planets and campaigns, this boost rarely goes below the 25% threshold, but appears to be uncapped and can reach beyond 100%, should a planet's health pool be low enough.

List of Settlements, Towns, Cities, and Mega Cities

Below, community contributors of this wiki project have compiled a list of all cities and their respective tiers and home planets and sector. While some cities are accessible in this list, this might vary depending on how the galactic war progresses. While cities can only be seen on accessible planets, the region data of all planets in the game is visible through the Helldiverscompanion app regardless of the planet's status in-game.

Sector	Planet	Type	Name	Notes
Akira Sector	Andar	Mega City	New Tokyo
Andromeda Sector	Martale	Settlement	Songguo Cun
	Martale	City	Xin Fuzhou	Named after the city of Fuzhou, China.
	Matar Bay	Town	Isegoria	Greek term for Isocracy, the "Government of the Equals". The name given by the Athenians to their government system.
	Matar Bay	City	Parrhesia	Greek term for free, candid speech. It describes not only the freedom of speech, but also the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, regardless of personal risks.
Borgus Sector	Achernar Secundus	Town	Currency
		City	New Newtonville
		City	Ol' Oldham
	Achird III	Town	Timely
		City	Approval City
		City	Old Branch
	Darius II	City	Buju	Possibly named after Jamaican singer Buju Banton. Buju is a Jamaican nickname that means "Bread trees".
	Ursica XI	Town	New Kathmandu	Named after the capital of Nepal
	Ursica XI	City	Po's Ravenna
Cancri Sector	Fort Sanctuary	Mega City	New Yearning	One of 3 Maximum Security Cities. Impregnable to Tyranny; the future of the Federation.
	Seyshel Beach	Settlement	Beachview
		Town	Accountant Graeber
		City	The Villas
		Mega City	New Alexandria	Named in reference to the city of the same name from Halo: Reach.
Draco Sector	Crimsica	Settlement	Lil'Ome
Draco Sector	Crimsica	City	Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerych-wyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch II	Longest City Name in Europe.
Farsight Sector	Polaris Prime	Town	Mogo Plains	A small heritage town in the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The name "Mogo" itself originates from the Aboriginal word "Mogo", which refers to a stone hatchet or axe.
		City	Kalasatama Port	District on Helsinki, Finland
		City	Vilhelmina Dorothea Fredrika	The name of Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as consort to King Gustav IV Adolf.
	Prasa	Town	Handakas
	Prasa	City	Haku City	Wrestling name for Tongan sumo wrester Tonga ʻUliʻuli Fifita
Ferris Sector	Herthon Secundus	Town	Eagle's Likeness
		Town	Penscewt
		City	Consensus
	Zea Rugosia	Settlement	Gene
		Town	New Cob
		City	Starpass
Gallux Sector	Adhara	Settlement	Traitor's End
Gallux Sector	Adhara	City	Strength
Gellert Sector	Mintoria	Settlement	Seoraksan	Named after the mountain of the same name in South Korea
Gellert Sector	Mintoria	Town	Gyeongseong	Old name for the city of Seoul, South Korea
Hanzo Sector	Alairt III	Town	Greater Storouse
		Town	New Storouse
		Town	Shed
		Mega City	Free Trade
	Alamak VII	Settlement	No Compound
		Town	Kesuma	The Malay and Indonesian word for flower or blossom.
		City	Ungu	The Indonesian word for purple.
		Mega City	Filibuster	The English word for a prolonged speech.
	Heze Bay	City	Unanimity
	Heze Bay	City	Unison
Hydra Sector	Vernen Wells	Settlement	Blackvein Mine
		Town	Anne's Vigil
		Town	Benevolence
Jin Xi Sector	Acamar IV	Settlement	Democracy Always
	Acamar IV	City	Eridani	Named in reference to the Eridanus constellation.
	Gatria	Settlement	Altonburg
	Gatria	City	Ersatz
	Phact Bay	Town	Old Dove
		City	Brno	Brno is a city located in southern moravian region of Czech Republic.
		Mega City	New Eagle
Kelvin Sector	Emeria	Mega City	New Aspiration	One of 3 Maximum Security Cities. Impregnable to Tyranny; the future of the Federation.
Korpus Sector	Alta V	Settlement	Undervatten	That which is below the water calls to travelers and residents alike with alluring song.
	Alta V	Town	Porte Liberté	A city of gardens, culture, and comfortable life. An amenity-rich location for residents.
	Caramoor	City	Base Camp 8
		City	Lemuria Rising	A hypothetical continent proposed by zoologist Philip Sclater in 1864, which supposedly sank into the Indian Ocean. Lemuria is also one of the many fictional places created by Robert E. Howard, alongside with places like Thule, Hyperborea or Atlantis.
		City	Pioneer's Dream
	Crucible	Settlement	Kurri Kurri	The beginning, where minerals lay bare.
		Town	Annwn	The otherworld, full of abundant delights and youth.
		Mega City	Agartha	A legendary kingdom at the center of the world.
		Mega City	Kshira Sagara	The primeval ocean, where Amrita is found.
	Volterra	Town	Edward's Grave	Presumably the grave of Edward.
		Town	Scarlett Haven
		Mega City	Light-of-Liberty
Lacaille Sector	Lesath	Town	Morske Oko	Largest and fourth-deepest lake in the Tatra Mountains, in southern Poland.
		Town	Serenity Summit
		City	Crystal Slopes
		Mega City	Bucu's Rest
Marspira Sector	Fenmire	Town	Brawfermland
		Mega City	New Aberdeen
		Mega City	Saorsa Glen
	Tarsh	Settlement	Fearless Hollow
		Settlement	Fortitude
		Settlement	Freedom's Torch
Meridian Sector	Emorath	Settlement	Fort Bounty
		Town	Farmhandstown
		Mega City	Futuria
	Liberty Ridge	Settlement	Vanquishment
	Liberty Ridge	City	Freecrest
Morgon Sector	Myrium	Town	Plethora
		City	Antboot
		City	Pilot's Berth
	Regnus	Town	People's Hand
		Town	Topsoil
		City	Human Will
Nanos Sector	Bekvam III	Town	Convenience
	Bekvam III	City	Firefly Meadows
	Julheim	Mega City	Frostown
Omega Sector	Hydrobius	City	Generatorsville
	Karlia	City	Adnan	A masculine name common in Europe and the Middle East. It is associated with Adnan, a legendary ancestor of the North Arabian tribes and a figure revered in both pre-Islamic and Islamic traditions as an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad.
	Senge 23	Settlement	Eaglestar Eternal
	Senge 23	Town	Exalt
Orion Sector	Fort Union	Town	Munition City
		Town	Otaru's Pledge
		City	Xiamen Anew	Named after the city of Xiamen, China.
		Mega City	New Hope	The flagship Maximum Security City. Impregnable to Tyranny; the future of the Federation. Formerly known as Greatfort.
	Veld	Town	Cle Elum Rediviva	Cle Elum is a town located in Washington state, with Rediviva meaning to revive.
	Veld	Mega City	Laelia	A small genus of 25 species in the orchid family, which are found in areas of subtropical or temperate climate in Central and South America, but mostly in Mexico.
Rictus Sector	Genesis Prime	Town	Mallstrip Nodes
	Genesis Prime	City	Birth	One of the meanings of the term "Genesis"
	Grafmere	Settlement	Grafswallit
		City	Grafsart
		Mega City	Grafsead
	Kerth Secundus	Town	Blestrail
		Town	Scholar's Moor
		Mega City	Hildoara Central	Named after Hildoara, Visigoth Queen Consort of Gundemar, King of Hispania, Germania and Galicia from 610-612.
	Oasis	City	Respite	Synonym for "Rest"
	Parsh	City	Porugu	Named in reference to Irugu Porugu, a 1963 Indian Comedy/Drama Film.
	Parsh	Mega City	Padosan	A 1968 Indian Comedy/Drama Musical.
	Valmox	Settlement	Rebelsgrave
		City	Obedience
		City	Reformed-By-Truth
Rigel Sector	Hort	City	Clockstop
		City	Magnitude
		City	On-Earsahou
	Rirga Bay	Town	Blightsmurk
Saleria Sector	Irulta	Settlement	Recon Hights
		Town	Silo A
		City	Voter's Fallow
Severin Sector	Malevelon Creek	Settlement	Lifeblood
		Settlement	Requiem	A Catholic ceremony offered for the repose of the souls of the recently deceased. Latin word for "Rest"
		Town	Diver's Rest
	Ubanea	Town	Freedom Eternal
	Ubanea	City	Nuova Roma
Sol System	Super Earth	Mega City	Port Mercy (Sector 1)	Since sheltering millions of loyal refugees in the Last Great War, Port Mercy has been a safe haven for any class-A citizen in need.
		Mega City	Equality-on-Sea (Sector 2)	Named for the historic conference where Humanity was found to be the most Equal species in the Galaxy.
		Mega City	Prosperity City (Sector 3)	Home to the Democratic Council, our proud Capital is a beacon of Progress, Productivity, and Patriotism.
		Mega City	Administrative Center O2 (Sector 4)	Each form and application that passes through the hallowed halls of AdminCen is emblazoned with the Stamp of Ages, and should be given a place of honor in the home.
		Mega City	Eagleopolis (Sector 5)	The Great Heart of Commerce is renowned galaxy-wide for its Grand Shopping Malls and Splendorous Entertainment Centres.
		Mega City	Gun [Formerly "Remembrance"] (Sector 6)	Risen from the ashes of an ancient city, Remembrance is a monument to the perseverance of Humankind. Formerly known as Remembrance.
		Mega City	York Supreme (Sector 7)	Following the Great York Conundrum, one City rose above the rest, pledging to hold its hand over all other Yorks, so that no more blood be spilt between them.
Sten Sector	Peacock	Settlement	Quasar	An expulsion of massive amounts of energy caused by the accretion of matter around a supermassive black hole. Only repeated Mega City name
	Peacock	Town	Syzygy	A roughly straight-line configuration of three or more celestial bodies in a gravitational system.
	Trandor	Settlement	Ödeshögre	Named after the city of Ödeshög in Östergötland County, Sweden
		City	Gothenburg III	Named after the city of the same name in Sweden
		City	Nya Skelleftea	"New Skelleftea" in Swedish. Named after Skellefteå, Sweden
Tanis Sector	Claorell	City	Majosyri
		City	Quasar	An expulsion of massive amounts of energy caused by the accretion of matter around a supermassive black hole
		Mega City	Zenith	A point directly above the top of a sphere
	Clasa	Settlement	Sycamore Gardens
		Town	Kodiak Falls
		City	Voting District F-012357
	Vog-Sojoth	Town	Haerstvik	Reference to Harsvika, a village in the Åfjord Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway
Talus Sector	Gaellivare	Settlement	Váhtjer	Lule Sami pronunciation for Gällivare, Pilested's hometown.
Talus Sector	Gaellivare	Mega City	Malmberget	Mining Town in the Gällivare municipality, Sweden
Theseus Sector	Caph	City	Downpour
		City	Eastcleft
		City	Kinabatangan	A river in Malaysia
	Tien Kwan	Mega City	Foundry
	Tien Kwan	Mega City	Steel Resolve
Trigon Sector	Choepessa IV	Town	Hiljaisuus	The Finnish word for silence.
		City	Kalasatama	Kalasatama is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland.
		Mega City	Ydinkeskusta	The Finnish word for city center.
	Varylia 5	City	Sequim	City found in Clallam County, Washington State
Umlaut Sector	Erata Prime	Settlement	Pham's Site
		Town	New Da Nang
		Town	Old Chemland
	Fenrir III	Town	Lokaheim
		Town	Pseudotopia
		Mega City	Famewolf Peak
	Turing	Town	Carbondale
		City	Chatoyant
		City	Periwinkle Mills
Valdis Sector	Aurora Bay	Town	Eaglemount
Valdis Sector	Aurora Bay	City	Batu Belig	A beach in Dalung, Kula Utara, Indonesia
Xzar Sector	Draupnir	City	Broker's Wealth
	Draupnir	City	Eightrings
	Ingmar	Settlement	Fort Sanguine
		Settlement	Knight's Honor
		Mega City	Sevenseal
	Mort	City	Sapphire Lake
	Pöpli IX	Town	Resilience
	Pöpli IX	City	Hot Gates
Ymir Sector	Vega Bay	Settlement	Onsen	Japanese Hot Springs and Bathhouses
		Town	Giri	Japanese for "Duty" or "Obligation"
		Town	Sapporo	Capital of the Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan. From the Ainuic word for "Dry, Great River"
	Wasat	City	Mirage
	Wasat	Mega City	Drywell

References and Notes

↑ Fortresses would only appear in Mega Cities between patches 4.1.0 and 5.0.0, having been unable to generate since alongside the Defense Variant of Mega City tilesets having disappeared altogether.

[1] Fortresses would only appear in Mega Cities between patches 4.1.0 and 5.0.0, having been unable to generate since alongside the Defense Variant of Mega City tilesets having disappeared altogether.

[1]