helldiver looking for common samples in helldivers 2
Screenshot by Destructoid

How to farm Common Samples in Helldivers 2

Get all you need in a single mission.

Common Samples are a fairly easy resource to come by in Helldivers 2, but the trick is farming a lot of them in a single mission to maximize efficiency. Whether they’re for upgrades or a Personal Order, here’s the break down on how to get Common Samples in Helldivers 2.

Recommended Videos

Every mission in Helldivers 2 players into all of its systems in some way. Regardless of whether you succeed or fail that mission, you’re rewarded with Requisition Slips and XP so you can purchase more Stratagems and level up your profile. If you manage to extract from a mission, you’ll escape with everything you had on your Helldiver at the time, including precious Samples. The easiest of these to acquire are Common Samples, and if you know how to farm them well, you’ll never want for them again.

Best places to farm Common Samples in Helldivers 2

common sample in helldivers 2 farming locations
Screenshot by Destructoid

To farm Common Samples in Helldivers 2, you must hop into a mission on a relatively easy difficulty such as Challenging, Hard, or Extreme, though any difficulty will work. The best missions for this are Blitz: Search and Destroy because they’re fast, usually between 12 to 15 minutes long, and force you to visit locations where Common Samples frequently spawn. They show up with an icon that looks like a circle that’s split by a line through the middle, as the image above shows.

Once you’ve dropped into the mission, you’ll need to seek out Common Samples. I always find most of mine at side objective, the blue icons you stumble upon as you explore the map. There are usually at least one or two Common Samples in these areas. You can also find them in nondescript areas with debris and a few enemies.

The best place for farming Common Samples in a mission is around enemy hotspots, the red areas on the map. These are dangerous because you’ll always be fighting the enemy simultaneously. The Common Samples spawn around these areas, especially Terminid Nests, on their perimeter on Terminid worlds. For Automaton worlds, you’ll need to look close to buildings to find the Common Samples you seek.

Head to every side objective in a mission to maximize your chances of picking up Common Samples. Remember that when any player picks them up, you get those at the end of the mission, so there’s no need to kill friends over them. You should also remember to check the map for any dropped Samples, which leave a test tube icon on the map because you must pick them up and extract with them if you want them to be applied to your account.

How to extract with Common Samples in Helldivers 2

blitz search and destory mission for common samples in helldivers 2
Screenshot by Destructoid

To extract Common Samples in Helldivers 2, you must collect them and extract the Pelican from the mission alive with them in your inventory. If you die without picking them up, those Common Samples will be lost. The same goes for fellow players, so pick up each other’s Common Samples if you drop them.

This is why I say Blitz: Search and Destroy missions are best. They are fast and should help you avoid making silly mistakes with multiple side objectives because of that shorter time limit. You haven’t got much room to dillydally, so you’ll optimize your time completing objectives, collecting Common Samples, and getting off world.

What are Common Samples used for in Helldivers 2?

ship modules in helldivers 2
Screenshot by destructoid

Common Samples are used to purchase and upgrade Stratagems in your Ship Management menu. You can unlock a lot of these with Requisition Slips alone, but you’ll need Common Samples to unlock the best of the best. This also applies to Ship Modules that will further benefit you in the field with faster Stratagem refresh rates or more firepower.

Common Samples are also sometimes part of a Personal Order. The most recent one I got was to collect 10, which feels very easy until you drop onto an Automaton planet on a high-difficulty mode.


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp
Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp
Jamie is a Staff Writer on Destructoid who has been playing video games for the better part of the last three decades. He adores indie titles with unique and interesting mechanics and stories, but is also a sucker for big name franchises, especially if they happen to lean into the horror genre.