How to unlock Helldivers 2 Exosuits and how to use them

There are two Helldivers 2 Exosuits to unlock as Stratagems and deploy during missions of great importance, bringing heavy armor and firepower to the enemies of Super Earth. The original EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit has a missile launcher and heavy machine gun, while the EXO-49 Emancipator is equipped with dual autocannons – perfect for blasting bigger bugs and bots in Helldivers 2. Unlocking these mechanized Exosuits isn't easy and neither is using them in missions at times, so I've laid out how you unlock these Helldivers 2 Mechs and how they work so you can get the most out of them.

How to get Helldivers 2 Exosuits

Both Helldivers 2 Exosuits are Stratagems, so they can be unlocked at your Ship Management console, so long as you are at least Level 25 and have 20,000 Requisition Slips to spend on each Exosuit Stratagem. If you're just starting out, you'll want to know how to level up fast in Helldivers 2 to unlock the two Exosuit types in the game:

• EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit: Equipped with a heavy machine gun and rocket launcher, this Exosuit has a general-purpose loadout capable of taking down the smallest and largest foes and even certain structures from either Helldivers 2 Faction.
• EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit: The Emancipator trades versatility for firepower, packing dual autocannons on each arm, which are great against large and heavily armored targets, which means it's good against the Helldivers 2 Automatons.

If you've got any Exosuit Stratagems unlocked, you can choose just one to add to your selection of Helldivers 2 Stratagems during the pre-mission loadout screen. These Exosuit Stratagems are also limited to two uses per mission, and there's a 10-minute cooldown between uses. Factor in that Exosuit ammo is very limited and that there's no way to resupply like a regular soldier, and you'll need to make each one count.

Importantly, you can't deploy Stratagems while inside an Exosuit, so if you need to call in a dead teammate or a new weapon, you need to hop out your mech first. Additionally, Exosuits also don't benefit from any Helldivers 2 Ship Modules.

Helldivers 2 Exosuit tips

Now that you know the basics of Helldivers 2 Exosuits, here are some additional tips and features to be aware of when stomping around in one during a mission:

• The Exosuit dropship also provides some fire support. When you call in your Mech, it gets dropped off by a ship instead of plummeting like a Hellpod. This ship even fires its guns to help clear the area.
• If you're out of ammo, you can resort to the Exosuit's stomp attack. With the regular melee button, you can crush smaller bugs and bots underfoot, though you can squash basic Terminid Scavengers just by walking on them.
• Movement is a major weakness of the Exosuits. Mechs can't sprint and move slower than normal on-foot Helldivers, so you may have to consider ditching your Mech if time is of the essence during your mission.
• Watch for signs of damage and be prepared to bail out. The Exosuits unfortunately don't give you much warning that its time has come, violently exploding with you inside. But try to keep an eye out for black smoke coming out of the mech, and you'll know it's reaching its last legs.
• Use abandoned Exosuits as cover. If your Mech hasn't exploded yet but you feel like bailing out, try to position it to either provide cover or block a path to make things harder for the enemy before you hop out. Obviously, don't stand close it in case it does blow up in your face.

Will more mechs be added to Helldivers 2?

While nothing has been confirmed in the Helldivers 2 roadmap beyond the Emancipator Exosuit, it is likely that more Exosuit Stratagems will be added to the game in the future. The Patriot and Emancipator Exosuits use loadouts from the Stomper and Obsidian Exosuits from the first Helldivers game, so it's possible that an equivalent to the original's "Lumberer" is added to Helldivers 2. This Mech came equipped with a powerful 90mm cannon and a flamethrower, which sounds like it would be great against the Helldivers 2 Terminids.

Previous leaks and datamines that showed off both Mech types also revealed that Helldivers 2 vehicles could arrive in a future update too, and we're still awaiting on those. Given that they were a major part of the first game, this seems likely as well, but nothing has been confirmed or even hinted at just yet. However, you should expect to unlock any new Mechs and vehicles as part of a Helldivers 2 Major Order, so be ready to contribute to the war effort.

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