Helldivers 2: How to zoom in/zero your sights for distance?

One of the reasons why Helldivers 2 has proven to be such a smash hit is all the depth and complexity that the game’s got tucked away for its more advanced players. For example, did you know that the game lets you zero your sights for long-distance combat?

We find this feature to be incredibly useful while playing Helldivers 2 solo, in particular. By using the game’s weapon context/customization menu, you can tweak certain weapons’ aiming field-of-vision, which both zooms in your first-person view and makes it way easier to engage targets at extreme ranges. So, tweaking your gun’s zero just right will allow you to dismantle the enemies of Super Earth while keeping you out of harm’s way! What’s not to like?

How to use your guns’ zoom in Helldivers 2?

It’s a bit strange how Helldivers 2 leaves so many of its most interesting features and options out of the tutorial section. For example, clicking in R3/middle mouse button lets you aim your gun in first-person view, and this is where zeroing comes into action. By holding your reload button, you’ll open up a dedicated weapon context menu which will, depending on your equipped weapon, allow you to toggle your flashlight, change the firing mode, and alter the zeroing.

Usually, your weapons will be set to the lowest zero available, and this is dependent on the weapon you’ve got equipped. By changing from, say, a zero of 25m to 100m, your weapon will zoom in way more than it does by default, making it way easier to snipe targets from afar. This is a must-have for any marksman weapon we find. Since the lowest zero option is basically equivalent to the over-the-shoulder aiming, you can easily change this option to something higher. That way, your over-the-shoulder view will work wonders for close-quarters combat, and you’ll be just one click away from engaging long-range targets, should you need to.

How to use Helldivers 2’s weapon context menu?

Now, Helldivers 2’s weapon context menu works wonders on controllers: as soon as you pull it up, it’s easy to figure out which button does what. Hitting ‘up’ sets your zero, ‘down’ tweaks your flashlight and aiming module, and ‘right’ changes your firing mode.

On PC, however, it’s a tad unintuitive by default. You’re going to want to hold ‘R’ to pull up the menu and then do the following:

• Mouse scroll up sets your zero (acts as the ‘up’ key on a gamepad)
• Mouse scroll down changes your flashlight module (acts as the ‘down’ key on a gamepad)
• Right-click changes your firing mode (acts as the ‘right’ key on a gamepad)

It’s not immediately obvious how the menu works, but it’s easy enough to modify your weapon’s functionality on the fly once you’ve got these controls down pat.