SEAF Support turns the Super Earth Armed Forces from background scenery into a real battlefield asset. It is a planet modifier, not a Support Stratagem, so you do not equip it before a drop. Instead, it changes what shows up on the ground once you land, giving you AI-controlled soldiers who follow you, shoot at enemies, and can even chip away at objectives.
Quick answer: Drop onto a planet carrying the “Heavy SEAF Presence” Operation Modifier, walk up to any SEAF soldier (green dot on the map), then hold your ping button and select Follow Me to recruit up to eight of them. Use Wait to make them hold position.
Where to find SEAF Support (Heavy SEAF Presence tag)
SEAF Support only appears on planets flagged with the “Heavy SEAF Presence” tag and Operation Modifier. When the 7.0.0 update went live, that planet was Rirga Bay. You can confirm which planets carry the modifier by highlighting them on the Galactic War map or by pressing Z on PC or L2 on controller to open the Dispatches.
Once you launch the mission and open your map, SEAF troops appear as green dots. They also drop in from Pelicans at random points during the fight, so you will keep getting fresh allies for as long as the modifier is active. Just remember that these soldiers are not on the level of a Helldiver. They handle themselves for a while, but they are ultimately cannon fodder and are not great at clearing objectives or heavy enemies on their own.
How to recruit and command SEAF soldiers
If a soldier keeps running out of range before you can recruit them, use the Casual Salute or Lockstep emote nearby while they are idle. That pins them in place and they salute back, achieving the same result as the Follow Me command. Each Helldiver can lead up to eight SEAF soldiers at once, and troops already following one player can still be picked up by another for coordinated squad play.
Note: SEAF soldiers do not understand advanced Stratagems. Position them well away from a Hellbomb or any dangerous equipment before you set it off, since they will happily stand inside the blast radius.
What SEAF soldiers do in combat and on objectives
Recruited SEAF units follow you and pitch in on objectives. They come with loadouts built to destroy enemy spawners and thin out waves, and a full group can take down bigger targets and disable Cognitive Disruptors on their own. That makes them genuinely useful when you are playing solo or drifting away from your squad. Point them at an objective and they will automatically fire on parked ships and generators once they are in range.
The trade-off is durability. They are not trained to the same standard as a Helldiver, so they die often, walk into fire, and sometimes lag behind or get stuck on terrain. Do not expect miracles from a small group. Their value goes up sharply when you have several of them together holding a line.
One soldier type is worth spotting on sight. If you see a SEAF unit with a red backpack, approach them and they will use a Stim to heal you. They can also heal other SEAF troops. You cannot loot ammo from any fallen SEAF soldier, so treat them as support rather than a resupply source.
SEAF unit roles and loadouts
Not every SEAF soldier fills the same role. Knowing who is carrying what helps you decide which ones to keep close.
| Unit | Role and loadout |
|---|---|
| Squad Leader | Leads the SEAF and issues tactical orders to the group. |
| Rifleman | Standard soldier armed with the Liberator assault rifle. |
| Specialist | Heavy support unit carrying a Machine Gun and an Anti-Tank Rifle. |
| Medic | Uses the Defender SMG and heals you or other SEAF with a Stim Pistol and Stims. |
Requisition penalties for killing SEAF soldiers
Friendly fire has a cost here. Each SEAF soldier you kill through your own actions removes 25 Requisition Slips from the mission total, and that includes kills from automated Stratagems like the Guard Dog and Gatling Sentry. Any SEAF or civilians killed by troops following you are also charged to you.
Push it too far and the game responds. Get caught recklessly killing SEAF soldiers or civilians nine times and you are branded a traitor, at which point your own Super Destroyer opens up with 380mm HE Shells until you die. Watch your crossfire, since SEAF units will happily wander into your line of fire.
There is one purely cosmetic perk worth trying. Aim at a SEAF soldier and use the hug emote, and the trooper you are looking at gets flustered before hugging you back. It does nothing for your mission, but it is a small reminder that you can support the soldiers who are out there supporting you.
