A new update to Helldivers 2 has introduced a new mechanic to the Galactic War map, Supply Lines. This guide will tell you all you need to know about Supply Lines in Helldivers 2.
What are Supply Lines in Helldivers 2?
Supply Lines are actually not a new mechanic, as they’ve technically been in the game since launch. However, they were only made visible in the game with the launch of Patch 01.000.400. Thankfully, they’re quite simple to understand: they simply mark the routes between planets.
You may have noticed sometimes that planets targeted by Major Orders may not be available to fight until a route through nearby planets is cleared, and this is because a faction can only attack a planet connected to one they control via a Supply Line.
How to Use Supply Lines in Helldivers 2
As stated before, supply lines won’t matter immediately to players with boots on the ground, but they will inform the wider Galactic War system. If a faction takes hold of a planet with a lot of supply lines, it may open up yet more planets for attack, while a planet or string of planets with only a few Supply lines may act as a chokepoint that the community can focus on defending. There is one other way Supply lines can be used however, and that is to cut off planets from a faction entirely.
This was utilized by the Helldivers community for “The Martale Gambit,” where players mobilized to capture the planet of Martale, which cut off another planet from the supply network of the Automaton faction. This meant there was no longer any supply route for the Automatons to attack through, so the planet was counted as successfully defended. This actually required some input from the much-mythicized Helldivers 2 campaign master, Joel, though the system is apparently intended to work that way anyway.
So that’s how Supply Lines work in Helldivers 2. Make sure to check out Siliconera’s other guides on how to deal with Hunters and the Retrieve Essential Personnel mission.
Helldivers 2 is immediately available on PC and PS5.