Frequent disconnects

Here's some good to know information about disconnects in Helldivers:

Is it the Helldivers server causing disconnects?

From our end our servers have been running fine. We know this because our diagnostic tools show us details about any down time. Furthermore, PSN players also share the same servers as the PC players and we have seen that PC players do not have the same severe disconnect problems which the PSN players experience.

Two important things to note are:

1. Our servers only handle keeping track of the status of the Galactic Campaign. There is no communication with them at all going on during a mission.

2. Helldivers uses P2P servers (no dedicated servers), meaning users connect directly to each other over PSN. Our own servers don’t handle anything regarding user to user connections.

But I’m not having problems with other games!

Connections between players and over PSN is more complex than people imagine.
Even if there are issues, it can have varied effects for different people. Some players in some regions might face the risk of disconnecting while others don’t. Some games might be affected while others are not at all.

Some parts of PSN services would be handled by certain areas and servers, and other parts by completely different ones. That’s why you for example could have online playing problems in one game, while the Store is still working fine (or other similar contradictory scenarios).

All games don’t use all of the available PSN services, and might use them in different ways too. So a problem could have really varied effects on those games even if all of them are online or multiplayer games. We have noted that in other games’ forums there are similar disconnect issues as well.

Details about some disconnect scenarios:

• If you disconnect in the middle of a session and return to the main menu, it usually means that you have lost connection to PSN for a certain amount of time. This usually reconnects within a very short time.
• Host Migrating means that the hosting player has disconnected and the host position is being moved to the next player.
• If you get kicked from the middle of a mission with a message about being kicked, it usually means that another player has kicked you.

What has Arrowhead done about it?

We have extended the amount of time players can be disconnected from the PSN network without it affecting your current game.

What can I do?

1. Trying to avoid rooms with just a single slot open (3/4) has given a higher success rate. You may also hide games from other regions to see if you get a better direct connection to other players.
   
   
2. Make sure your internet connection is stable and that your connection to PSN is otherwise smooth. Check PSN information to see if there's any maintenance running, or if your ISP is having issues.
   
   
3. Check your firewall and ports. Your firewall may be blocking Helldivers from connecting to the Campaign backend. Make sure that any firewall in use is allowing Helldivers to perform outbound connections on port 443. You might also have to make sure that the firewall is not rejecting self-signed SSL certificates, as this is what the Campaign backend uses.
   
   
4. If you are using wifi, try changing to a wired connection instead. Users with unreliable wifi that cannot use a wired connection should do a scan of the wireless channels and choose the one with the least interference/ least busy channel.
   
   (One player's suggestion after troubleshooting on PS3 says: users with a PS3 that cannot use Ethernet should strongly consider getting a good WiFi-N or WiFi-AC to Ethernet wireless bridge, both for the higher speeds and better interference cancellation.)