Why is the SOS Beacon Not Working in Helldivers 2?

If you’ve found yourself struggling through a difficult mission in Helldivers 2, the SOS Beacon can be a literal ray of hope for your multiplayer needs — if it’s working properly. Let’s discover why the SOS Beacon may not bring extra Helldivers to your party.

Can You Fix SOS Beacon Stratagems Not Working in Helldivers 2?

Much like the issues with joining a Quickplay Game, some general bugs need to be eliminated by Arrowhead Game Studios before the SOS Beacons start working as intended. It seems that general Quickplay bugs are causing the SOS Beacons to not work as intended, especially if the Helldivers 2 Discord Channel has anything to say about it.

When you attempt to join a mission at the War Table on the ship, many players will encounter a “Failed to join game lobby” message. We are extending a patch to PlayStation today. Meanwhile, using friend codes to play does work for most users. Also, there is a higher likelihood of Quickplay success if you first go to planets with fewer players (such as one in an Automaton sector).

Community Manager Baskinator in Helldivers 2 Discord Channel #known-issues on 2/9/2024 at 8:01 CST

It appears that this is just a general error that comes with growing pains, and SOS Beacons should be working as intended soon. Players believe that this is matchmaking error, something the game has has a problem with since launch. Due to the density and overpopulation of the servers, the game doesn’t know how to naturally mix and match players who sent out SOS Beacons with players of similar skill.

The community managers, alongside social media pages, are keeping fans informed when to expect fixes, so keep your eyes peeled on these sites, as well. The February 20th Server patch fixed a lot of issues, so we can expect this bug to be resolved relatively soon.

What is the SOS Beacon in Helldivers 2?

The SOS Beacon is a default Stratagem that all Helldivers are equipped with, allowing players to call in some extra help when things get dicey during a mission. However, it seems that a fair number of players are currently running into issues getting their SOS Beacons to activate properly, leaving them stranded while being overrun by bugs and knock-off Terminator clones.

Using an SOS Beacon will allow users to search through the Quickplay function to find your game faster than others, similar to games like Monster Hunter: World. It lets other players know you’re in a jam and need some assistance, but it isn’t great if you’re trying to get out there and save the world while they’re not working as intended.

While it would be great to jump into Helldivers with a whole crew of random players, it is completely acceptable to get accustomed to the world while playing Solo. Make sure that you’re keeping your eyes peeled on our Helldivers 2 section below to learn more about the game and become the best soldier you can be.