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You may have noticed that playing on higher-level difficulties might bring more Samples than playing on a lower level. Have you ever wondered why? Honestly, we have, and so have many other players, apparently. The Helldivers 2 community offered possible solutions for varying Sample density that would go with the lore of the game.
Players Share the Probable Reasons Behind the Sample Density
Most of the players seem to connect the Sample density with the number of enemies. One-sad-warlock said: “I like to believe it has to do with how much enemy activity there is, for lower missions there’s far less activity and as such far fewer Samples that can be recovered”.
Another player, JCDentoncz, offered an opposing idea. According to them, the Sample density is the same on all difficulties, but more players on lower difficulties simply means fewer Samples. They noted: “Lower difficulty deployment has more frequent Helldiver activity so there are simply fewer Samples to grab”.
ShinCuCai offered yet another possibility. They explained: “Lower difficulty – Fewer enemies because they took all the Samples and left – Or the Bugs ate all the Samples and left already. Higher difficulty – Enemies guard the Samples waiting to be extracted and we just scoop in and yoink them”.
Finally, according to SublimeBear, it’s just possible that higher difficulties get to explore areas with more value. This player explained: “Higher difficulties attack more valuable areas. That’s it. They are more heavily guarded and offer more resources”.
A Deep-Dive Into the Helldivers 2 Lore
One extremely dedicated player, DuncanConnell took it upon themselves to share the best way to explain all the oddities in the lore. They said: “Helldive (Level 9 Difficulty) is what Helldivers actually face, with the enemies and Sample density matching that scale. All of the other missions we have in-game are just propaganda or misconceptions of dissidents of what Helldivers face”.
This player went on to explain that dissidents would find a mission to be trivial. Regular citizens would find the mission to be extreme but manageable. But, the reality of a player going on a Helldive is a bit different, no matter the availability of Samples. Most Helldivers never make it home after a Helldive.
They stated: “With only 1 Helldiver making it out, covered in gore and gunpowder, barely any Samples to show for the absolute hell they went through, and as soon as they return to the Super Destroyer they stagger down the hall, ram a stim into their neck, and start scrolling for the next mission in the Operation”.
We salute all the fallen soldiers who didn’t make it through a Helldive. Maybe the idea behind the bigger Sample density when playing Helldivers 2 on higher levels doesn’t lie in the lore. Maybe it was simply the devs’ calculation that fewer Helldivers would finish the mission, meaning some wouldn’t contribute any Samples.
We can’t say for sure. The important thing to add is you should pick up the Samples even if you are maxed out, some of your team members will be grateful. Enjoy the Major Order and see you out there on the bug front. Let’s spread some democracy.