How to Use the Reinforce Stratagem in Helldivers 2

When a teammate dies, open the Stratagem menu and enter Up, Down, Right, Left, Up for Reinforce. Throw the beacon where the returning player can land and get to cover. Watch the shared reinforcement budget. If it is empty, you may have to wait for a ticket before you can bring someone back.

1. Make room to call the Stratagem

If you are under immediate attack, move behind cover before entering the code. Calling from a position where you can finish the inputs and throw is usually faster than starting twice in the open. Check which direction you want the returning player to approach from. A player landing in the middle of a swarm can die before they are ready to fight.

Look at the squad status to confirm a teammate is dead. A living teammate who needs healing is a separate situation. Reinforce sends a fallen player back down in a Hellpod. It does not act as a revive prompt beside their body.

2. Enter the code and throw the beacon

1. Hold the button that opens the Stratagem menu.
2. Enter Up → Down → Right → Left → Up using the direction controls.
3. Confirm that the selected Stratagem is Reinforce.
4. Aim the beacon at an open place near cover and throw it.
5. Check for the incoming Hellpod and watch for the player to return.

On a controller, use the D-pad directions while the menu is open. If you changed bindings, follow the prompts on your screen. The directional sequence stays the same even when you use different keys to enter it. If you make a mistake, restart the sequence before throwing. Check the name rather than relying on how quickly you entered the inputs.

3. Give the returning player a useful landing point

Throw the beacon where your teammate can reach cover and rejoin the squad. Avoid throwing it directly into an active airstrike, a pack of enemies, or another hazard. Leave room between the landing point and the rest of the group so the pod does not land on a friendly player.

If a teammate wants to retrieve dropped gear, put them on a safer side of that area and tell them where the gear is. You can mark the location after they land. A short walk back is often preferable to dropping them directly into the fight that killed them. If the squad has moved on, decide whether recovering the gear is worth going back before separating again.

4. Check the shared reinforcement budget

The squad shares a reinforcement budget. Check it when several players fall in quick succession. If it runs out, stay alive while the game makes another ticket available, then use it where the returning player has a good chance to survive. Watch the mission display instead of guessing whether the wait has finished.

If the team is fighting in several places, coordinate who should throw. Let the person with a safer landing area handle it when possible. That avoids calling a player to the opposite side of the mission when they were trying to regroup near the objective.

5. Fix a call that will not go through

Check the budget, whether there is a fallen teammate, and whether Stratagems are usable in your current area. Jamming or effects such as an Ion Storm can prevent calls. If the menu shows that Stratagems are unavailable, move away from the source where possible or wait for the restriction to end.

If the call was available but you entered the wrong sequence, reopen the menu and read the prompt before trying again. If you already threw it, check the squad status before spending time entering it again. Watch the landing area and cover the returning player until they can move.

After a successful call, regroup before you push the next objective. The returning player may need to retrieve equipment or know where the squad is heading. Giving them that information while the area is clear can prevent the same death from happening twice.

If you are reinforcing while retreating, tell the returning player which direction the squad is moving. Throw from a position you can hold until the pod lands, then regroup before moving farther.