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max distance between players before becoming a split group

One square length is the max distance you can be before you count as a group for patrols, 65 to 75 meters.

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For those unaware, patrols spawn on a timer, and the amount of patrols that spawn on that timer is based on a few factors, one of which being the number of groups (or formations, as I've been referring to them) of Helldivers active on the map. These formations are defined by any groups of players that are within 75m of another player. You don't have to all be within the same 75m radius, but as long as there's fewer than 75m between any two players, they're considered one formation.

There's a LOT more detail in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp8xuf_dLDw

jballs

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I don't know if it was this video or one very similar, but it greatly improved my squad's ability to do harder missions. Knowing what causes more enemies to spawn is super helpful. Key points that suck with me:

Completing the main objectives are the biggest drivers to increased enemies. After the last main objective is completed, you get something like 4x the amount of enemy patrols spawning.
Being close to objectives, bug holes, bot factories, and the extact point spawn in enemy patrols. Completing the objective or destroying the hole/factory makes it stop spawning patrols.
Closing holes/factories and completing side objectives gradually ramps up the number of enemy patrols, which is totally counter intuitive to me. You can destroy like half the holes/factories before it starts making a difference though and even then it's a subtle difference compared to completing the main objective.
Finally, what this post mentions, is that each "group" of Helldivers increases enemy patrols. So if you split up into 2 groups of 2, you'll get 2x the number of patrols.

A_Union_of_Kobolds

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So does it count a solo player >75m from everyone else as not a group? Like, a 3+1 split around the map would have the same patrols as a 4-man?

jballs

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A solo player >75m from everyone is a separate group. So if the other 3 were within 75m of each other, that is 2 groups with 2x the spawns of 4 people closer together.

Sylvartas

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Thanks for the heads up. I knew about that mechanic but had a hard time guessing the distances on the map

Rentlar

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TIL the detailed mechanics of the game but it checks out. I try to solo the artillery loading when I see it but I know I inevitably get a patrol coming towards me if I take too long, and I'll find enemies will pop in on my location if I'm traveling alone.

The main thing that's frustraing when playing with randoms many players don't know when not to take a fight. Which makes me want to go off on my own or in pairs. Often it seems enemies despawn or at the very least become manageable when putting distance between yourself and the enemy. In a squad it's much easier to coordinate when to sneak by a patrol and when to engage.

Chozo

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I try to solo the artillery loading when I see it but I know I inevitably get a patrol coming towards me if I take too long, and I'll find enemies will pop in on my location if I'm traveling alone.

If you wanna solo the SEAF artillery, hunt down all the shells and bring them to the loading area BEFORE interacting with the terminal. Some people say that the terminal doesn't impact spawns, but I'm not sure I believe that based on my own personal observations. I feel like artillery terminals act similarly to geological survey terminals, in that they're a scripted enemy spawn event.