How to Level Up Weapons Fast in Helldivers 2

To level up weapons fast in Helldivers 2, bring the weapon as your primary and earn as much mission XP as you can. Weapon XP is simply the XP you earn at the end of each mission, so higher difficulty and full map clears raise the XP each completed mission pays. The cap is level 25, which takes 47,600 XP in total.

Weapon levels arrived with patch 01.003.000 on May 13, 2025, and they unlock attachments and paint patterns for primary weapons. You need to be a Sergeant, player level 10, to use the system. Below: the level cap and the XP table, what each level unlocks, how to earn weapon XP faster, and how many missions a full level 1 to 25 run takes.

How weapon XP works in Helldivers 2

Arrowhead’s May 13, 2025 update post says most primary weapons “now have levels that are achievable by completing missions”, and that those levels unlock attachments you then buy with Requisition Slips. Levels also unlock cosmetic patterns.

The details below come from the community-run Helldivers Wiki and from player reports, not from Arrowhead. The wiki’s Attachments page says weapon XP is the regular mission XP you earn while the weapon is in your loadout. It also says you can swap to any other weapon during the dive and the full XP still goes to the loadout primary.

• Only the primary levels. The wiki describes weapon levels for primary weapons. Sidearms, throwables and support weapons have no level track.
• Kills do not matter. Players on the Steam forums report that the equipped primary gains the same XP you do at mission end, even if you never fire it.
• One weapon per mission. XP goes to the primary you dropped with, not to every primary you own.
• Some primaries have no attachments. The wiki notes the StA-52 Assault Rifle and the R-2124 Constitution among weapons without attachment options.

Because weapon XP and player XP are the same number, everything that levels your Helldiver also levels your gun. Our guide to how long max level takes breaks down where mission XP comes from in more detail.

Helldivers 2 weapon level cap and XP table

The weapon level cap is 25. The wiki’s XP table is the same for every primary weapon. The first levels come fast, but the last five levels cost 5,400 XP each.

By our arithmetic from that table, levels 20 to 25 alone cost 27,000 XP, which is 57% of the whole track. That matches what players complain about on the Steam forums: the first 15 levels feel reasonable, then the grind gets much slower.

From level 5, a rank icon shows next to the weapon’s name. Each icon covers five levels, and level 25 has its own icon. A maxed weapon’s name also turns gold in the weaponry list and the customization screen.

How many missions it takes to max a weapon in Helldivers 2

Arrowhead has not published a time estimate. The per-mission XP figures below come from players on the Steam forums, and the mission counts are our own arithmetic from the 47,600 XP total, rounded up.

One reply in the June 2025 thread claimed a weapon gets only about half of the mission XP. The other replies there, and the wiki, say it gets the full amount. We go with the full amount, but the claim is on record. If you would rather not run roughly 20 to 48 missions per gun, a service can take a weapon to the cap for you.

1 Selected Weapon to Level 25If you'd rather not grind it yourself: one primary weapon of your choice taken to level 25, the weapon level cap.From $5.65View offer

What each weapon level unlocks in Helldivers 2

Every level adds something, but the exact order depends on the weapon. Attachments fall into four slots: optics, muzzle, magazine and underbarrel. Each unlock is then bought with Requisition Slips.

Here is the SG-225 Breaker as an example, from its wiki page. The level-1 parts are free; the rest cost Requisition Slips.

Adding up the wiki’s costs, every Breaker attachment together costs 109,000 Requisition Slips. So leveling is only half the job; you also need the slips to buy what you unlock.

Patterns unlock the same way. Arrowhead’s own launch screenshot of the AR-61 Tenderizer shows Arctic patterns at level 5, Desert at 10, Forest at 15, Urban at 20 and Night at 25. The same screenshot shows three saved configuration slots, and the patch notes say you can switch between configurations during the mission loadout.

How to level up weapons faster in Helldivers 2

No source we found compares XP per hour across difficulties, so we cannot name one fastest setup. What the documented rules do show is where extra XP comes from.

1. Play the highest difficulty you can clear. The wiki’s Difficulty page says XP bonuses run from +25% on Medium to +300% on Super Helldive. Higher difficulties also spawn more optional objectives and enemy outposts.
2. Clear the map, not just the main objective. Optional objectives and enemy bases add XP before the difficulty bonus is applied.
3. Extract as a full squad. Each Helldiver who reaches the shuttle adds a little XP.
4. Pick short missions if speed matters. The players quoted above got their highest figures from full-clear Blitz missions, which one player reports takes about 14 minutes including extraction.
5. Level the weapon you are not using. Since the full XP goes to the loadout primary, you can drop with a low-level gun and pick up another weapon on the map.

Higher difficulties pay more Medals too, so a weapon grind doubles as a Medal grind. Our guide on how to farm Medals covers that side. Most primaries come from Warbonds, and our Warbonds ranked list can help you choose which guns are worth the grind.

Helldivers 2 weapon leveling services

If you only want the attachments, these options on our Helldivers 2 items page and Helldivers 2 boosting page skip the XP grind.

3 Selected Weapons to Level 25Three primary weapons of your choice taken to level 25, the weapon level cap.From $16.85View offer All 45 Weapons to Level 25Every weapon in the pack taken to level 25, the weapon level cap.From $141.50View offer

Frequently asked questions

What is the max weapon level in Helldivers 2?

Level 25. According to the Helldivers Wiki, it takes 47,600 XP in total, and the table is the same for every primary weapon.

Do you have to use the weapon to level it up?

No. Weapon XP is the mission XP you earn with the weapon in your loadout, and it still counts if you switch to another weapon during the mission.

Can you level secondary or support weapons?

No. Weapon levels and attachments are for primary weapons only.

What player level do you need for weapon customization?

Level 10, the Sergeant rank. From there, you unlock attachments with weapon XP and buy them with Requisition Slips.

How many missions does it take to max a weapon?

There is no official figure. Using XP numbers players report, it works out to roughly 20 to 48 missions: 20 or fewer at 2,500 XP or more per mission, and 48 at 1,000 XP.

Sources and update history

• Arrowhead, RED ALERT: Illuminate emerge from the Meridian Singularity!, Steam, May 13, 2025
• Arrowhead, Patch 01.003.000, Steam, May 13, 2025
• Helldivers Wiki (community), Attachments (weapon XP table and level icons), checked September 30, 2026
• Helldivers Wiki (community), SG-225 Breaker (attachment unlock levels and costs), checked September 30, 2026
• Helldivers Wiki (community), Weapons and Stores and Unlocks (Sergeant requirement, primary weapons only), checked September 30, 2026
• Helldivers Wiki (community), Difficulty (XP bonus by difficulty), checked September 30, 2026
• Steam Community discussions (player reports), Weapon Customization Question, June 2025
• Steam Community discussions (player reports), Not a fan of the way Weapon XP is done, May 2025
• Steam Community discussions (player reports), The XP to level to 150 has to be insane, April 2024
• Steam Community discussions (player reports), How many hours did it take for y’all to become level 150?, September 2025
• Helldivers Wiki (community), Missions (optional objective, outpost and extraction XP), checked September 30, 2026

Update history: Published September 30, 2026. Facts last checked September 30, 2026 against the sources above.