If you're already over the ongoing problems with the new Democracy Space Station in Helldivers 2, I've got good news: there's other stuff on the horizon, too. The developer Arrowhead Games recently spoke at G-Star, the ongoing Kor??ean gaming conference, discussing crossovers with other IPs, vehicles, and lots more.

This information comes from Redditor Creepy_Ad3991, who was kind enough to provide translated dialogue that's been adapted from the original source. The interview features the Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani and the CCO Johan Pilestedt as they go over some fairly spicy topics. For example, we now know that cross-overs are seemingly being considered (though the extent is very much unclear), with IPs such as Warhammer, Aliens, StarCraft, and Starship Troopers apparently being at the forefront of such discussions. Whether these were thrown out as a tongue-in-cheek reference or something more concrete, it's not yet clear, but I do hope we won't be looking at one-to-one transitions but full-fledged adaptations, as Destiny 2's been doing.

Vehicles are definitely coming to Helldivers 2, cross-overs with other IPs may happen

On to the more concrete answers provided by Pilestedt and Jorjani, the Democracy Space Station isn't done just yet: "As of [November 14], the [DSS] has been activated, and gamers with overflowing resources can now [invest them]. More features will be enabled next week," they said, which may give some hope to those that have been underwhelmed by the station's current performance.

Though the pair did joke around with the concept of vehicles in Helldivers 2, with Pilestedt saying that he wasn't even sure "if Helldivers are old enough to drive," the feature is coming to the game. "On a more serious note," he said, "vehicle updates? are in the plans. [They] will be added soon, but I don't think I can go into more detail than that."

Pilestedt also said that he is "thinking about how to incorporate these 'Chaos Divers' into [Helldivers 2]," which may come as a surprise at first. Yet, it's worth remembering that the Truth Enforcers warbond already kind-of-sort-of responded to the p??roble?m, suggesting that Super Earth already has all the tools it nee??ds to deal with dissenter?s.

Now, the majority of topics that Arrowhead discussed here aren't new in and of itself. Heck, I myself brought up the inevitable introduction of vehicles into Helldivers 2 back when the game came out, but this is the first time Arrowhead referenced the feature directly. The big question is definitely the crossovers/collaborations with other IPs, as this has the po??t??ential of watering down the game's fairly strong design language.

Jorjani said that "[Arrowhead] don't want to do too many crossovers, but we are fully considering appropriate collaboration to suit the game's atmosphere." It's a good take, right? "For example," Jorjani continued, "collaboration with 'Power Rangers' wou?ld be difficult in concept, but wouldn't it be possible to do something like Black Ranger? That's what I want." It's a somewhat worrisome context when he puts it that way.

Regardless, I'd like to highlight that as interesting as this information may be, it does come via an unofficial translation. Arrowhead is probably going to offer similar communications to global users soon enough, and we'll just have to wait ?and see how things pan out in the interim.

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The Democracy Space Station was one of the most exciting new developments in Helldivers 2's ongoing galactic war. A potent semi-mobile enhancement platform that can buff Helldivers wherever t??hey go sure sounds great, but it's a ??bit of a wet noodle in practice. Worse, even, as it's downright punishing.

As the DSS was slowly ramping u?p its engines and the community invested heaps of r?esources into it, the expectation was that it would massively improve our combat efforts on whichever front it was deployed on. Well... the truth is a tad more complicated than that. Not only is using the DSS a heck of an effort in its own right, but the effects are also substantially less useful than we hoped they would be. From the look of things, the DSS doesn't add bonus Stratagem deployments or some manner of passive buffs to the players' stats. Instead, it effectively carpet-bombs the entire map all at once.

The Democracy Space Station is going to need a rework, stat

Now, we'll obviously have to wait and see how the remainder of the Democracy Space Station's Actions work out, but the Orbital Barrage is genuinely problematic in practice. It looks like the effect of the Orbital Barrage is roughly equivalent to?? that of an omnipresent 380MM explosiv??e Stratagem, except it's applied to a whole level, leading to unpredictable ragdolling and, indeed, deaths.

The bit that is wholly predictable is the players' response to this fumble: they are deeply unhappy with what's been d??elivered. The DSS has been the single focal point of every Major Order for weeks now, and to have the feature be downright detrimental to the players' efforts is demoralizing, to say the least.

Also predictable is the fact that Helldivers 2 is coping with this development via some delightfully spicy memes. Certainly, ?Arrowhead Games has managed to successfull??y turn things around and bring the game back to its launch-day glory. Yet, if the DSS doesn't get massively recalibrated to become a potent tool in the Super Ear??th's arsenal, this whole thing will become yet another mar on what could otherwise be a wonderful live-service experience.

For what it's worth, I've got no doubt that Arrowhead will somehow revamp the DSS at some point in the near future. As it currently stands, playing missions with a DSS Action running is almost impossible unless you're really lucky with how the 380MM bombardment is dished out, and that's no way to pla??y the game. We'll just have to stick with the darned thing until appropriate calibrations are made.

And, on that note, I do have to praise Arrowhead for no longer making the same kinds of mistakes the team's been making since the Magicka days. Something like the DSS could never have been shipped in its current form back in the day, not even in the original Helldivers, s??o the effort ?is certainly praiseworthy. It's just going to take a bit more time for it to be anything less than actively detrimental to the playerbase.

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The Democracy Space Station, or DSS for short, is a massive orbiting platform in Helldivers 2 that players can use in the fight for democracy. Players can spend resources to activate a handful of Stratagems that the DSS can deploy, and vote on ??w??here to send the space station next.

The DSS activates every 24 hours on a countdown timer. Once it reaches zero, the station will move to the location voted on by Helldivers 2 players w?here it'll unleash its unlocked Stratag?ems.

How to open and navigate the DSS menu in Helldivers 2

The DSS menu is accessible via the Super Destroyer ship. To enter it, navigate to the bridge and open the Galactic War map. You should see a button prompt to enter the DSS menu at the top of the map. For PlayStation 5 users, press the touchpad button. P??C players can enter the menu using the B key.

The ?menu includes three tabs you can select to view th?e main functions of the DSS:

• Summary

  • Provides you with information detailing the current situation of the DSS, including its location, current action, and Stratagem activation progress.

• Actions

  • The Actions tab shows you a list of DSS Stratagems you can spend resources on to activate.

• Location

  • Allows you to vote on which system to send the DSS next.

How to activate DSS Tactical Action Stratagems

The DSS is capable of supporting divers on the field with a handful of Stratagems, but they must be activated first. To do so, navigate to the Actions tab, where you'll see a short list of Tactical Actions for which you can spend resources. Unlocked Tactical Actions will be deployed during a campaign for one?? planet at a time. Each Stratagem requires a certain amount of resources, which include Common and Rare Samples, and Requisition Slips.

Here are the Tactical Actions you can u??nlock and the resources required:

• Planetary Bombardment

  • Fires periodic Orbital Barrages during missions and accelerates the progression of Liberation Campaigns.
  • Requires: Rare Samples

• Eagle Storm

  • Deploys periodic Eagle Airstrikes during missions and slows enemy progress in Defense Campaigns.
  • Requires: Common Samples

• Orbital Blockade

  • Prevents Defense Campaigns on a planet and automatically activates the Hellpod Space Optimization Booster for all missions.
  • Requires: Requisition Slips

You can only donate resources up to a certain point. Once you reach the maximum amount of don??ated resources, you cannot donate again for another 24 hours. To see?? how many resources you can donate, highlight an Action and check the maximum amount to the left of the Donate button.

How to move the DSS

The DSS can be deployed to any planet in Helldivers 2 with an ongoing campaign. To move the station, navigate to the Location tab and pick from the list of planets. Every?? player gets one vote p?er Location change. You cannot change your vote.

Once the countdown finishes, the DSS will warp to the location with the highest number of votes. The DSS will remain in that system until players vote for it to move elsewhere. As the DSS is a tool, the best places to send it would be planets with challenging campaigns or as a way to cut off critical supply lines.

Should you spend resources on the DSS?

The DSS exists for two reasons: To assist Helldivers liberate or defend a planet during a campaign, and give players a place to dump excess resources. If you haven't spent your cash and samples unlocking every Stratagem and Ship Module, it's best to save your resources on those first. Using the DSS is a community effort, and there are plenty of maxed-out players who will? gladly dump their cash and Samples into the platform.

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With this year's Liberty Day now behind us, it was only a matter of time before Helldivers 2 played host to a fancy new event of some sort. Enter the DSS: the D?emocracy Space Station, which has slowly been getting built up over the past few months.

The Democracy Space Station is, for all intents and purposes, now fully up and running. The kicker is that it's functionally useless for the time being, un??til the community can rack up a significant enough resource pool to unlock new goodies. A highlight is the Planetary Bombardment perk, which is right about halfway done at the time of writing and will give us bonus Orbital Barrage Stratagems on? missions and should improve liberation efforts in the future.

Check out Helldivers 2's Democracy Space Station if you've got Samples to spare

The DSS is functionally a wide-sweeping buff platform that will assist players in various ways, should they be able to field its Tactical Actions. The investments that need to be made for these Actions to work are downright immense, however. Planetary Bombardment calls for Orange Samples, while Eagle Storm necessitates Green Samples. Orbital Blockade, on the other hand, wil??l require a Requisition investment, which isn't too hard to stack up over time.

Regardless, unless you're in a position where you've already got everything unlocked and have your Super Destroyer fully built up, I would advise against spending Samp?les and Requisition on the DSS. Somewhat predictably, the results of the DSS building campaign (which consisted of several large-scale Major Order operations) aren't all that interesting to some? p?layers.

The DSS also allows players to vote on where it should move next. While it has been built in the Gaellivare system, it would seem that the current Majority Vote is to move it to Mastia, whi??ch may well protect it from the ongoing Automaton Jet Brigade onslaught. Fun stuff, that.

Some players have an issue with the Democracy Space Station so far because it seems to be a fairly passive and unengaging bonus UI that might not make a big difference in the pace of Galactic War at large. While Arrowhead Games definitely didn't suggest this would be the case, some were hop?ing that the DSS would also serve as a soci??al hub of some sort.

If you're still intent on spending Samples at the DSS (which I am, too, just to see what comes of it in a practical sense), I'd suggest looking into our various Helldivers 2 farming guides:

• Common Samples
• Super Samples
• Difficulty Overview

However, it hasn't taken the community long to get many of the DSS's starter perks half-way done. To that end, I expect the first batch of Tactical Actions to be?? available soon enough, and then we'll see whether all of our efforts have been?? for naught.

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Arrowhead Games' CCO Johan Pilestedt doesn't want Helldivers 2 to crossover with other ??IPs??, but he sure has a nice list of IPs prepared �just in case.

Replying to a post on X about potential crossovers, Pilestedt wrote that doing one with Helldivers 2 would "dilute the IP" and make i?t a "not hell?divers" experience. In the same breath, he dropped a list of 11 IPs he'd want to crossover with the game.

"Yeah, but these are just musings, if we were to do all of them, it would dilute the IP and make it a 'not helldivers experience'," Pilestedt wrote on X before revealing his secret headcanon ideas.

0 Days have passed since referencing The Predator in a Helldivers 2 post

Some IPs in the list, like Warhammer 40K and Starship Troopers, are obvious picks. A few of his choices are a bit out of left field, but I can see them work. I mean, I'd pay any amount of money to watch Korben Dallas and Leeloo take on a horde of Automatons. Wouldn't anyone?

Helldivers 2 is already rich in references. Its clearest influence is Starship Troopers, but the game also nods to Warhammer 40K and Star Wars with its armor designs. As far as crossovers go, those are a shoo-in. But some have wondered about game crossovers, such as with Deep Rock Galactic. It hasn't been too long since the Helldivers 2 X account dropped a cryptic message that seemed to reference the intergalactic dwarf game. Both communities share a sense of goodwill; it could be a welcome crossover.

Pilestedt's other picks include Terminator, The Predator, Blade Runner, Mutant Chronicles, The Fifth Element, and more. I can certainly see The Predator working since we already have to deal with invisible hunters that stalk divers on Terminid planets �I hate those bastards. A fan already mashed up Helldivers 2 with The Predator in a video, and it all blended quite?? nicely. So long as the crossover gifts us with a minigu??n Stratagem at last, I'll be there.

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Do you know those broadcasts from Super Earth? They're 100% true. I mean, why would the Ministry of Truth lie? The Helldivers 2 - Truth Enforcers Warbond cele?brates these arbiters of accuracy, allowing you to spread the truth far and wide �likely with a flamethrower.

Truth Enforcers is a Premium Warbond for Helldivers 2. You can unlock it by spending 1,000 Super Credits (SC), roughly $10 in real-life money. Super Credits is a premium currency that can be discovered while playing the game, but you can make up for what's lacking by purchasing some in the in-game store if that's what you want. Keep in mind that Premium Warbonds are optional, supplying buyers with new guns, gear?, and more.

Everything in Helldivers 2 - Truth Enforcers Warbond and their cost

Truth Enforcers delivers two new armor sets, a title, an emote, a Booster, weapons, and more. One of the weapons is the first of its kind: A plasma pistol, which hopefully packs the kind of punc??h needed to spill much oil.

Weapons

There is no new grenade in Truth Enforcers.

Armor Sets

Truth Enforcers includes two armor sets comprised of armor, helmets, and capes. The armor is equipped with the Unflinching passive.

Armor Passive: Unflinching

• Helps prevent Helldivers from flinching when hit.

Capes

• Pride of the Whistleblower (Page 2) - 20 Warbond Medals
• Proof of Faultless Virtue (Page 3) - 30 Warbond Medals

Helmets

• UF-50 Bloodhound (Page 2) - 35 Warbond Medals
• UF-16 Inspector (Page 3) - 45 Warbond Medals

Emote

• At Ease (Page 3) - 50 Warbond Medals

Super Credits

• 100 SC (Page 1) - 7 Warbond Medals
• 100 SC (Page 2) -
• 100 SC (Page 3) - 32 Warbond Medals

Booster

• Dead Sprint

  • Allows Helldivers to keep sprinting even when they are out of stamina, draining their health instead.

Player Cards

• Pride of the Whistleblower (Page 2) - 5 Warbond Medals
• Proof of Faultless Virtue (Page 3) - 15 Warbond Medals

Title

• Free of Thought (Page 3) - 20 Warbond Medals

Vehicle Patterns (Skins)

• Inconspicuous Black Hellpod Pattern (Page 1) - 10 Warbond Medals
• Inconspicuous Black Exosuit Pattern (Page 1) - 50 Warbond Medals
• Inconspicuous Black Shuttle Pattern (Page 2) - 50 Warbond Medals

That about wraps up everything you can get in the Helldivers 2 - Truth Enforcers Warbond and their cost. Hopefu??lly, when you wear the armor of the Ministry of Truth, you'll run into fewer dissidents and more heroes willing? to die for Liberty, Democracy, and Super Earth. If not, they can always face the wall.

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There's no point in spreading Managed Democracy throughout the galaxy if you can't be fashionable while doing it. Okay, all the armor sets in Helldivers 2 do have an intended purpose. But with that gear and cape, you can't argue that Helldivers have an i??mmaculate drip.

Helldivers 2 has dozens armor sets to mix and match. They're separated into three types �Heavy, Medium, and Light �and come equipped with an Armor Passive that gives you a small boon. Developer Arrowhead Games is constantly delivering more armor sets via Warbonds and ??the Superstore, so be sure?? to keep an eye out for more ways to increase your style points.

All Armor Passives in Helldivers 2 and what they do

There are eleven Armor Passives in Helldivers 2 and each offers different buffs. Knowing what they do can h?elp you survive longer on the battlefiel??d.

All armor sets in Helldivers 2, their passives, and how to get them

Here are all the currently available armor sets in Helldivers 2. Keep in mind that some are locked behind Warbonds?? or need to be purchased i??n the Superstore, while others are no longer available.

Aspects such as Armor Rating, Speed, Stamina Regen can differ among sets in the same type. In those occasions, you'll see all three aspects are balanced to compensate for any difference. For example, the SC-34? Infiltrator has a higher Armor Rating than other Light sets, but that is matched with lower Speed and Stamina Regen. Keep the differences in mind when choosing your equipment.

Every helmet in the g?ame comes with the standard-issue stats of 100 Armor Rating, 100 Speed, and 100 Stamina Regen.

Arrowhead adds more armor sets all the time. The deve??loper also tweaks armor values from time to time. We'll keep updating the list whenever the Armory changes.

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Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead Games is once more preparing to celebrate Liberty Day, the fictional in-game holiday where the whole family can get together, eat hotdogs, and watch traitors be executed. Arrowhead brings Liberty Day home for Helldivers 2 players with free armor and a weapon from the original game.

That's right. Arrowhead is gifting Helldivers 2 fans the most-requested armor set: The DP-00 Tactical, inspired by the original armor from Helldivers 1. The armor is paired with the R-2124 Constitution, a modernized take on the classic. In case you were wondering, the rifle comes equipped with a bayonet �for close encounters.

Liberty Da??y 2024 starts on October 26, and all?? are invited to join. Or else.

Time to salute and execute: Liberty Day 2024 is coming

Arrowhead Games shared a list of highlights coming to Liberty Day as part of the faux celebrations. The day starts with a Strohmann News 24-hour livestream followed by the reciting of the Super Earth Anthem. For your entertainment, Dissident Executions are scheduled for 0700. Don't worry if you miss out because there will be another set of surprise executions starting at 20:00. You better hope you weren't doing anything treasonous lately.

For those new to Helldivers, Liberty Day is a fake holiday taking place every October 26. It's the day the Starship Troopers novel was released in 1959 and also coincides with the birthday of the studio head Johan Pilestedt (it can't be a coincidence). The first Liberty Day was celebrated on October 26, 2016, for the original Helldivers. Players were rewarded three new capes and the M2016 C?onstitution rifle, based on the 1903 Springfield.

How to get the classic HD1 armor and Constitution rifle in Helldivers 2

The video may suggest you have to play Helldivers 2 on October 26 to get the armor and weap??on, but that's not the case. All you need to do to get the rewards is... nothing. As confirmed by Arrowhead on its Discord, all players will be gifted the items on October 27 regardless of participation.

Beyond Liberty Day 2024

Helldivers 2 players have more to look forward to after Liberty Day. Another Warbond is coming next week, just in time for the spooky season. Helldivers 2: Truth Enforcers launches on October 31, bringing two new armor sets and more weapons. It?'ll finally add another SMG to the mix with the SMG-32 Reprimand, paired with a new shotgun an??d a plasma pistol. There's also a new 'At Ease' emote that's ripe for meme-ing.

It's going to be a long week for Helldivers 2 players, and it all starts on October 26.

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I've been highly skeptical of Arrowhead Games' ability to "fix" Helldivers 2 in just two months' time. Seeing how the game's balancing was handled early on put me off of the game and I was not expecting the 60-day patch to do much.

Imagine my surprise, then, upon seeing not one but two incredible balancing updates pushed out to re-develop the meta to an enjoyable level. And, honestly, there are no two ways to describe the state Helldivers 2 is currently in: the game is gosh darn fun. The??re's no telling what might be the next?? step for Arrowhead Games' flagship shooter, and there are some caveats, but the game is now in a renaissance, and I'm thrilled to have regained some trust in the developers.

Helldivers 2 is now more fun than ever before, but can it stay that way?

I don't play Helldivers 2 the way it's meant to be played. There's a small sub-community of people playing Helldivers 2 solo, ??but we do so with the full expectatio??n that we won't be taking on the highest difficulties or progressing efficiently.

It's fine, really.

What wasn't fine was how egregiously punishing the game got, even at low difficulties, if you took a slightly suboptimal loadout into a mission. Certain enemies, such as the Charger, essentially mandated that your fireteam had to take dedicated anti-armor weapons, no matter what. This, in turn, defined your primary and secondary kit as well. Remember: there's a long history of nerfs to Helldivers 2, and though not all were unwarrant?ed, pl??ayers were still left in a situation where the vast majority of gear was wholly unviable.

All of this was before Arrowhead substantially powered up both the Automatons and the Bugs via the Escalation of Freedom, on top of locking the cool new content behind the new,?? highe?st difficulty mode.

None of this was necessarily rolled back. Instead, Arrowhead delivered an incredible roster of buffs to player weapons and armor, making more kit viable than the game had even on launch day. As it stands, the odds are good that you could take anything into a mission and still be a force to be reckoned with. This is a huge shift in how matches play out, both in solo and in fireteam modes.

What has actually changed in Helldivers 2 after the 60-day patches?

In the broadest sense possible, Arrowhead Games has done three things with the last couple of balancing patches for Helldivers 2:

• Retrofitted the vast majority of the game's arsenal into relevance via buffs.
• Made enemy resistances, AI behavior, and spawning setups far more reasonable and sensible.
• Stopped leaving inflammatory comments willy-nilly.

Balancing a game isn't a zero-sum consideration, and while you might expect Helldivers 2 to be exceedingly easy now, that's not quite the case. H??elldiver troops still get cut down at a moment's notice. Bad positioning will result in mission losses and unnecessary deaths, and though enemy forces did get some nerfs, they are no pushovers unless you're playing on the lowest possible difficulty.

The key thing that's changed is that you're no longer beholden to one or two specific loadouts for every single use case. As long as you keep a balanced arsenal where one of your weapons deals with chaff, one takes on heavy enemies, and one serves a gadget-like niche (i.e. the Stim Pistol), you'll be able to do some s??erious damage.

Loadout variety is a huge consideration in a game where we regularly get awesome guns and gadgets. Having new flamethrowers only for them to feel like spruced-up matchsticks was a bad look, and I'm thrilled that Arrowhead managed to ??come ??back from that.

Honestly, Helldivers 2 is now fun, not because it's easy, but because it lets you interact with its sandbox in more ways than ever before. Th???e "experience shift" that Arrowhead promised worked, almost ridiculously well.

Can Arrowhead maintain the balance that's now been struck?

This truly is the ultimate question we need to keep asking over and over again as we proceed into Helldivers 2's hopefully years-long live-service setup. Helldivers 2 was ?released to immediate acclaim, only ?to then be ground into so??mething less interesting and exciting by subsequent balancing attempts.

These balancing attempts came from a good place, but they showed the community that Arrowhead ?doesn't necessarily know how to make playe?rs happy and the game fun. Even after two massive buff-oriented pat??ches, I can't shake off the feeling that we're just riding a high that won't last long.

Potential hidden nerfs aside for a bit, there's another big consideration: can there be too much of a good thing in this context? And the answer is yes, certainly. The original Helldivers was balanced on a knife's edge (not always perfectly, mind), where both the enemies and the playe?rs were extremely powerful and capable. The challenge was knowing how to best use these powerful tools you had at your disposal and how to avoid the enemies' ??strongest weapons.

I dare say that we're in a similarly precarious golden era for Helldivers 2, too. The enemies are challenging, but the players have the potential of being every bit as punishing as the full brunt of the Automaton and/or Bug forces. How long will Arro??whead Games be able to maintain this balance? Are we just one Warbo?nd away from completely dismantling everything the 60-day patch(es) delivered?

Given Arrowhead's track record, I'm not yet convinced this isn't a fluke. I want to believe Helldivers 2 will now keep up its balancing act to stay the game it is now. But it will take a handful ??of other balancing updates before I can be sure that I??'m happy with what Arrowhead's offering. And I know I'm not the only one who's still on the fence.

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The prophecy has been fulfilled: Arrowhead Games has dropped the notes for the Helldivers 2 d??ay-60 patch, which brings even more buffs and changes to t??he table. Oh, and it apparently canonizes community meme John Helldiver. But let's briefly forget about that and dive into the notes.

It may have come out a few days later than expected, but the Helldivers 2 day-60 patch has arrived. The Arrowhead team found many more buffs and changes to apply to the game's weapons and stratagems. Gameplay changes run the gamut from enemy health to ?patrol spawn behavior. The patch targets the Automaton forces more directly, decreasing the armor for some?? enemies while making it harder for them to target you through smoke and fog.

Helldivers 2 day-60 patch notes is full of welcome changes

More than 70 weapons and stratagems got tweaked or reworked following Helldivers 2 patch 01.001.104. For the guns, the Liberator, Scorcher, Purifier, Punisher Plasma, and others have been buffed to be even more viable in the field. Among the big buffs, few are bigger than the one for the fan-favorite P-4 Senator, which has been upgraded with heavy armor penetration and increased projectile damage. But can it actually ground Chargers? Oh, yes. And not just Chargers.

The patch also addresses many of the support weapons. The Recoilles??s Rifle now has programmable ammunition, allowing you to switch between the regular rockets and High-Explosive rounds. Arrowhead extended the same love to the Autocannon, which can fire normal or flak projectiles. Other affected Stratagems include the Machine Guns and the Stalwart, the Jump Pack, the AR-23 "Guard Dog," and more.

The Automatons got a right bruising with the patch. Devastators, Berserkers, and Tanks have received decreased armor or head health. Tank weak spots now have a ?health pool separate from the vehicle's total health, and damaging it "150% damage to the Tank's main health." Recently equipped with laser cannons, the Hulk Bruiser had said weapon reverted to the standard rocket launcher. And you have John Helldiver to thank, according to the team.

"In response to their disapproval of a newly installed cannon on the Automaton Hulk Bruisers, Super Earth High Command sent a crack commando to?? sabotage their production facilities," read the patch notes. "The skilled operative promptly escaped into the shadows after completing their mission. Today, still wanted by the Automatons, they survive as a soldier of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find th??em, maybe you can enlist�John Helldiver"

John isn't the only one having fun. According to the notes, the ?famous General Brasch is coming home from his "holiday retreat in foggy hillside town." I suddenly feel a bit sorry for Pyramid Head. But only a little.

The 60-day patch notes for Helldivers 2 are extensive, ??so be sure to give it a good read before you?r next drop.

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In August, Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Games announced a 60-day plan to improve the game and win back the hearts and minds of its community. Sadly, the planned 60-day patch is getting pushed until next week, but it's for a good reason.

Creative dire??ctor Johan Pilestedt a??nd design director Niklas Malmborg announced that the 60-day patch will now be the 63-day patch, releasing on Tuesday, October 15. Why the delay? Well, apparently, someone at Arrowhead forgot to check what day the deadline would fall on.

It's a Saturday, and, as Pilestedt and Malmborg explained in a short video clip, Arrowhead doesn't release patches on the weekend. The reason? They "don't want to break the game while you're playing the game." The patch has been dela??yed to avoid a scenario where would-be weekend divers are stuck doing something else, like playing another game or visiting family (shudders).

But the good news is that the duo have teased w?hat the patch is br??inging next week.

Arrowhead teases what's inside the 60-day 63-day patch

To whet your appetite, Pilestedt and Malmborg took a few moments in the clip to tease what the 63-day patch will contain. Yes, just like the massive patch we got last month, the next one buffs even more weapons.

• Flak is coming to the Autocannon
• The Recoilless Rifle is getting programmable ammo
• The Scorcher will receive "automatic fire"
• A change is coming to the Stalwart
• You'll be able to retrieve and activate your backpack drones manually

It's a nice list, even thou?gh at least one tease feels like a tease. I mean, what change is coming to the Stalwart? Don't hold out on me, Arrowhead. You know I love the Stalwart.

Among the changes, being able to recall and send out your backpack drone is something I never knew I wanted unti??l now. It'll certainly help when I'm playing Helldive missions ??and I need my drone to not shoot the nearby bug patrol, thank you very much.

The full patch notes wi??ll arrive on October 15. Until ??then, happy weekend diving.

The post The Helldivers 2 day-60 patch becomes the day-63 patch, and Arrowhead teases what’s to come appeared first on Destructoid.

Do you know what my favorite anime of all time is? Okay, the headline may contain a spoiler. But yes, Cowboy Bebop swept me away when it arrived so many years ago. I'm also a big fan of Helldivers 2. If only someone would ??chocolate this peanut bu??tter.

Apparently, someone has. Last week, Reddit user Dorintin posted a video to the Helldivers subreddit that smashes up two of my favorite things of all time. Their Helldivers X Cowboy Bebop video combines the show's intro with its funky beats with Helldivers 2 footage. And it all works.

Time to blow this joint

The mashup video uses gameplay clips of Helldivers 2 set to the tone and style of the Cowboy Bebop intro. Classic scenes were replaced by helldivers, their weapons, and their ships. Instead of a handgun firing, it's the railgun. The Super Destroyer of Helldivers 2 takes th??e place of Spike's iconic ship, the Swordfish II, and the Bebop itself. Dorintin also included credits featuring the names of the Arrowhead Games' development team. All in all, the video is a stylish juxtaposition of two incredible properties??.

I will, however, admit that the idea isn't unique. A similar video, Helldivers Bebop, somehow went under my nose when Reddit user Super00_ posted it to the same subreddit six months ago. The setup is nearly the sa??me, but I did have to sustain?? a laugh at the lighter scene.

Dorintin writes that they started making the video in March. They performed most of the work, but their ?partner lent a hand by recording gameplay clips. The project was a bit touch and go, however.

"There's a lot of stupid clipping in the comp but I started this back in March, forgot about it for 5 months," They wrote in ?the thread. "File got corrupted, I unfucked it and I figured now that it's mostly done might as well post it."

Helldivers 2 isn't the only space-age property to get the Bebop treatment. Four years ago, YouTube channel Sholty Productions published a video starring the rough-and-tumble dwarves of Deep Rock Galactic in their own Cowboy Bebop collab. Maybe there's just some kind of magic that happens when you combine the energetic jaz?z of the Seatbelts wi?th space-based shenanigans.

Will this send me down a rabbit hole where I attempt to find more video game X Cowboy Bebop collaboration videos? Possibly. Whatever happ?ens??, happens.

The post Someone ma??????????????????????????shed up two of m??y favorite things ever in this Helldivers X Cowboy Bebop video appeared first on Destructoid.

The Golden Joystick Awards 2024 has nominated Astro Bot, Helldivers 2, Dragon's Dogma 2, and other renowned games for Console Game of the Year. Fan-favorite titles like Animal Well and Balatro have also been recognized as PC Game o?f the Year nominees.

The awards show takes place on Thursday, November 21, 2024, and will be streamed live from London, UK, for all to see. This will be the 32nd time the awards will take place. As the awards are mostly based on community votes, you can have your say here. There are 19 different categories this year that fans can vote on, including Best Soundtrack and Best Audio Design, which have been introduced this year. Some of the awards?? and their nominees are:

Console Game of the Year

• Astro Bot
• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Helldivers 2
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

PC Game of the Year

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Frostpunk 2
• Satisfactory
• Tactical Breach Wizards
• UFO 50

Best Early Access Game

• Enshrouded
• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
• Hades II
• Manor Lords
• Lethal Company
• Palworld

Best Indie Game

• Animal Well
• Arco
• Balatro
• Beyond Galaxyland
• Conscript
• Indika
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• The Plucky Squire
• Ultros

Best Multiplayer Game

• Abiotic Factor
• EA Sports College Football 25
• Helldivers 2
• Sons Of The Forest
• Tekken 8
• The Finals

Overall, Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lead the pack at the Golden Joystick Awards 2024 with five nominations each, with Helldivers 2 closely behind on four. More category winners will be revealed during the ni?ght by a panel of full-time and freelance journalists who work with GamesRadar, PC Gamer, FGS?, Edge Magazine, and Retro Gamer. Those awards include:

• Streamersâ€?Choice Award
• Breakthrough Award
• Best Game Adaptation
• Criticsâ€?Choice Award

The post Golden Joystick Awards 2024 nominates Astro B??ot and Helldivers 2 for Console Game of the Year appeared first on Destructoid.

On reflection, the big buff patch that arrived on Helldivers 2 last week was just about everything the community wanted. The weapons are buffed, enemies are reworked, and things seem to be back on the rise. But what are the? biggest changes from the?? patch?

The biggest changes brought by the Helldivers 2 buff patch 1.001.100

To answer that question, I decided to get my boots dirty. No, I didn't cherry-pick what I felt were the most significant changes from the list of patch notes. I dove. I dove hard. Starting last week and through the weekend, I dropped on bug- and bot-infested planets, putting the patch to the t??est. It was a scientific process. And by that, I mean I squished and ?dismantled many enemies. It was great.

Here are the biggest changes introduced by the Helldivers 2 buff?? patch, aka Patch 1.00?1.100, in no particular order.

11. Flamethrower is letting you cook

Let's get a big one out of the way first by discussing flamethrowers, recently the focus of the community's ire. Following the Escalation of Freedom update, the fire effect of the?? Flamethrower was nerfed, removing its ability to pierce armor. The feature made it a good option against he??avy foes like the Charger, but the nerf threatened to toss the Flamethrower back into the bin of obscurity.

The patch reversed the changes, returning the damage values to the Flamethrower and its armor penetration. Not only that, but Arrowhead als?o increased the damage of the other fire-based weapons, such as the Torcher and Crisper.

Since the patch, I've used the Flamethrower in several Terminid missions, and it feels fantastic. Few things are more satisfying than cooking a dozen b??ugs before turning it against a Charger �and winning. It's also effective on Bile Titans, making it possibly the most versatile weapon on bug planets.

10. Helldivers' health rework needs more work

Helldiver damage zones have been changed with the patch. Headshots do less damage to Helldivers (50% extra damage as opposed to 100%), so getting sniped by your own "Guard Dog" Rover won't be as frequent. But following the patch, you receive mo??re damage to your limbs and torso.

The change has led some players to refer to Helldivers as "Squishdivers," poking fun at how much easier it is to die now. The changes to player weak points work with the alterations made to Heavy enemy health and?? armor values, preventing things from feeling like a one-sided slaughter. Sure, it's easier to topple a Bile Titan, but getting swarmed is that much scarier.

I should know. For the most part, I feel the hea??lth changes aren't terrible but can use some tweaks. Some of my earliest deaths were due to me needing to retrain h??ow I move in a fight. You don't live long if you don't have your head on a swivel, and it's wise to dive the moment a claw comes into view.

Against bots, though, and ??things are a bit harsher. A couple of laser blasts from downtown might be all that's needed to bring you to your knees. It's a bit too easy to get shredded when facing off against Automatons in Difficulty 7 and higher. Some fixes are needed, especially on the bot front. Unti??l then, using a Shield Pack is certainly an option.

9. The Railgun is back on the menu

It's been so long since the Railgun has been a viable option that I nearly forgot the support weapon ever existed. And that's not a good thing. The Railgun was my support weapon of choice in the early days of Helldivers 2, back when it could mysteriously one-shot a Bile Titan with a headshot. That changed with the game's first balance patch.

Thankfully, the buff patch has managed to resurrect the Railgun. While it doesn't qui??te have the "kapow" it used to, I found it to be a great pick against heavy bots like the Hu??lks. The weapon also still works well if you overcharge a few shots at a Charger's leg to strip the armor. It's just like the good ol' days of, er, seven months ago.

8. The Eruptor lives up to its name once again

Another favorite weapon of mine in Helldivers 2 is the Eruptor, introduced by the Democratic Detonation Premium Warbond. Its standout feature is its shell that explodes into shrapnel, capable of shredding flesh and metal. Well, it was, until the shrapnel was removed. The Eruptor's overzealous love of killin??g things meant that even divers were in its crossh??airs and were torn down by white-hot shrapnel.

The buff patch returned shrapnel to the Eruptor's shots, but it's not quite the same. Now, the Eruptor's shots use frag grenade shrapnel, which shouldn't instantly kill nearby players with a random headshot. So far, that seems to be the case. I spent some time with the weapon, and I can report that the weapon's lethality against bugs and bots is higher than ever. It doesn't quite feel as dea??dly, but the Eruptor is finally a viable pick a??gain.

7. Laser weapons don't suck anymore

Okay, hear me out: The Scythe is good. No, really. It's damn good following the buff patch. What was once a gun left to collect dust on most players' Super De??stroyer is, at last, a great primary option. Not only that, but the Dagger can also do some serious business.

Since the game's launch, the LAS-5 Scythe has been the butt of many jokes. Weak and prone to overheati??ng, the laser-based rifle was rarely used more than once. But things are different now. The buff patch improved the weapon by reducing heat buildup, increasing damage, and allowing it to set enemies on fire faster than ever.

The Scythe cuts through Terminid swarms like it never could before, capable of taking ?out multiple Warriors and even a Brood Commander or two with a prolonged stream. It may even work better against Automatons. In my experience, I can r??ip through up to three Devastators in a row if you target their heads. The Dagger is also much better than before, and I have brought it along on bug hunts to swat Shriekers from the sky.

6. Thermite Grenade is worth taking

Let's face it: Practically no one recommended the Thermite Grenade when it became available. The slow-burning grenade dished out a measly 100 points of damage to an enemy it attached to. Against smaller chaff enemies, that's barely okay. Now? Hell, I rarely joined a party that didn't have at least one Helldiver packing the things. They're just too damn good, and everyone seems to know it now.

The grenade got a massive buff with the patch, which increased its damage from 100 to a staggering? 2,000. Its fuse time was also decreased, meaning you didn't have to slap a Charger's ass with one and then spend the next five seconds playing keep away. The downside? You can only bring three as opposed to four. Oh, no. Anyway, that's what the Engineering?? Kit Armor Passive is for.

5. Eagle 500kg Bomb goes BOOM

I love the Eagle 500kg Bomb, and I always have (and always will). But even I was complet??ely aware that the massive explo??sion it emitted wasn't as deadly as it should have been. While the bomb was powerful, the radius of the explosion meant a lot of enemies were somehow able to walk away from it unscathed. No more.

The Eagle 500kg Bomb got an increased damage radius with the patch, and it's better than ever. It's nice to know that when you throw this mamma jamma at a group of enemies, all that'll be left are dust and echoes. Hell, I don't even half mind getting turned to ash because I mistook its current radius for the old one. Get??ting duste??d along with about 40 bugs is the Democratic way to go out.

4. Automaton Fabricator gets armor and a health pool

Once, the best way to remove an Automaton Fabricator, the machine that spawns more bots, was to toss a grenade into its vent or hit it with an Eagle or an orbital attack. That? changed with the Commando, which could one-shot fabricators at any angle. And life was good. The ability to wipe out a fabricator from across the map was so beloved that many players demanded it stay.

The buff patch changed the fabricators, giving them both armor and health valu??es. What does that mean? Well, the good news is that the change makes it possible for any weapon to destroy a fabricator. What was once a far more difficult t??ask wasn't made mundane but offered players more options when attacking bot bases.

The Commando can no longer wipe out a fabricator in one shot; it takes tw??????????????????????????o instead. That's not a tough pill to swallow. This i??s one of the best changes in the patch as it aligns with the community's desire for even more options.

3. Chargers of all kinds get a much-needed rework

Ah, finally, we have reached the Charger rework. The hulking heavy enemy of the undemocratic Terminid forces has been a hot-button topic among the Helldivers 2 community since the game's launch. Taking one out was often a group effort, but fighting a single Charger was never the issue. They became a problem on higher difficulties, where you would suddenly need to cont?end with three or more at a time. The Railgun nerf only highlighted a greater need for ??combat options.

The C??harger should be a threat, but at the same time, players must also be able to?? deal with more than one at a time �the patch fixes this in its own way. All variants of the Charger were reworked with the patch. Their armor and health values were decreased, and attacking exposed flesh increases damage dealt by a massive 300%. Chargers also charge less often, and their ability to turn on a dime while chasing you down was reduced. The Chargers I've faced are still scary, but fighting several at once is far more manageable.

2. Support weapon changes allows for even more variety

Support weapons are more viable now, thanks to the buff patch. Before, many players would pick from a shortlist of powerful options?. The EAT, Quasar Cannon, and Recoilless Rifle were among the few support options that divers consistently took on missions. I've always liked the idea of the Laser Cannon, but the armor of most heavy foes made the thing feel more like a big laser pointer.

Four weapons most players wouldn't take against heavies are now useful against them.? The Laser Cannon, Heavy Machine Gun, Autocannon, Flamethrower, and the Anti-Materiel Rifle can dish out damage to heavy enemies. It's a strange feeling to sprint up to a Bile Titan and start cooking its belly with the Laser Cannon, but I'd be damned if it didn't work. And it's a lot of fun. Yes, team, hurting enemies with weapons that should hurt is somehow a positive change that took months to be delivered.

1. Emote wheel... just emote wheel

Last but certainly not least, the patch included a feature that ??players have demanded for more than half a year: An emote wheel. The hug emote has been the universal pick since its inception, but sometimes you just want to salute a mini-nuke explosion or play rock, paper, scissors while waiting for the shuttle to arrive. You get four customizable ??options for emotes, letting you high-five, salute, get your finger pulled, or hug it out, all in the same mission. What a time to be alive.

The post The 11 biggest cha??nges from the bi?g Helldivers 2 buff patch after days of tests appeared first on Destructoid.

God Of War Ragnarok's PC port followed Sony's largely disliked strategy of requiring players to already have or create a PSN account to link to Steam in order to run. Luckily, we just learned from VGC modder iArtorias came to the rescue by cr??eating a mod called NoPSSDK. It adds a small library that strips the game of its unnecessary PSN requirement.

Sony's strategy could, on paper, make sense for multiplayer games. Still, this measure proved disastrous as it caused Helldivers 2 to lose a devastating amount of players who lived in areas not covered by the PSN's reach. Sony ended up reverting that decision, but a lot of damage had already been done to the confidence we all had in Sony. Concord might have sadly been doomed from the start, but it also had this feature who??se innate cumbersomeness certainly didn't help it gain any favor among PC-only playe?rs.

This is an especially strange move since we're talking about a single-player experience. Ghost Of Tsushima, the other big PlayStation title recently released on PC, didn't feature this requirement and did just fine. At a time when even EA is starting to let its upcoming big releases roam free on Steam, Sony should totally be taking the hint.

The mod has only been out for a few hours, but it has already been downloaded over two thousand tim??es??, in case you're wondering how much everyone dislikes this feature.

You can now play God Of War Ragnarok on PlayStation 5, and on PC via Steam, and you can download iArtorias' quality of life improvement mod right here at Nexusmods.

The post Go??d of War Ragnarok mod fixes the dumb PSN requirement from ??PC version appeared first on Destructoid.

Helldivers 2 fans are pretty happy with the game following the release of its 60-day update. Every buff and change feels solid. However, the massive improvement in gameplay has meant that frustrations with one item from the ??latest Warbond feel bigger than they actually are.

The Chemical Agents Warbond was released in Helldivers 2 a few days after the game's 60-day update. It brought with it a slew of chemical warfare-themed items like armor that looks like a ha?zmat sui??t, toxic gas-based Stratagems, and a healing sidearm called the Stim Pistol. But this last item, one that should help players out in a pinch, has become a slight source of frustration within the community. What should be a life-saver is definitely a meme at this point.

Stims only work if they hit

The Stim Pistol will provide a Helldiver with enough of a healing boost to survive their next hit. Provided the next hit isn't a Charger running them down or a misplaced Eagle 500KG Bomb. Howe??ver, the healing a Helldiver is trying to provide their teammates won't work at all if they can'??t land the shot, and that's the toughest thing to do with this sidearm.

The problem is that it feels impossible to land a shot with the Stim Pistol. You can be in first person, aiming down sights, and have a Helldiver running right at you, but you'll still miss. It's definitely possible to land sh??ots because I've seen players in the post-mission screens peppered with darts, but I have no idea how those darts found their mark.

If you've picked up the Warbond and are trying it out for yourself, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're waiting to pick it up later, all you need to do is take one look at the Helldivers 2 subreddit to understand what's going on.

The Helldivers 2 community isn't worried about the issues with Stim Pistols, though. If this had happened before the 60-day update was released, it might have been the straw that broke the camel's back. With such a slew of buffs making the game as enjoyable as it was upon release, the Stim Pistol's inaccuracy fade??s into the background.

I have no doubt that developer Arrowhead Game Studios will fix the Stim Pistol in a future update. But nobody is that bothered about it right now. We've been spoiled with impeccable gameplay, a new Warbond, and even fantastic Superstore items. The game ?is in a great place at the time of writing, and you can see that in the community's reaction to weapon inaccuracy now compared to what it would have been just a week or so ago.

The post Helldivers 2’s most helpful weapon has created a frustrating problem appeared first on Destructoid.

The MLS-4X Commando is an anti-tank Stratagem in Helldivers 2 that may just replace the one you call your favorite. A laser-guided, quad-missile launcher, the Commando can chew through enemy big boys in the right hands.??

The Commando is available for purchase via the Ship Management system for a mere 8,000 Requisition Points. It's a paltry sum for one of the best Stratagems you can add to your arsenal. Plus, its name is a movie reference! And as my editor will tell you with a heaving sigh, I can't get enough exhausting references from 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger action fli??cks. Stick around... and learn how to ??best use the Commando.

How to use the MLS-4X Commando

The MLS-4X Commando is an anti-tank missile launcher. It provides its user with four missiles that, on impact, ca??n wipe out most regular enemies. But it's more favored against armored elites, especially those of the Automaton variety.

With a 120-second cooldown timer, ??the disposable Commando does take longer to replenish than the EAT-17 (at 70 seconds). The latter weapon, though, only gives you two shots per drop. For the money, the Commando edges out its competition in several ways.

The missiles may be weaker than the EAT's rockets, but you can guide them toward enemies. To do so, hold your aiming button and line up an enemy with the blue laser beam. Once you have your target, pull the trigger and guide the missile as it flies. Keep the laser just ahead of your target if it's moving. The further away an enemy is, t???he harder the shot. Try and stay at a medium distance.

Following these steps, you should be able to mas?ter shooting the Co??mmando. Though there are wrong ways to go about it.

Against many enemies, one missile is typically all you need. The Commando can stagger most enemy types as well, giving you ample time for a follow-up shot. It can take out Bile Spewers, Brood Commanders, and Devastators with a single hard sla?p to the face. But you'll likely end up using it against the Heavies, such as the Bile Titan and Hulk. So, how does the Commando fare?

Commando tips for Automaton forces and Elites

The MLS-4X Commando is best used against the vile Automaton forces of Helldivers 2. With slow-moving walkers with glowing weak points ??and flying ships, a laser-guided missile launcher feels right at home. Ignore most flak?? like the Automaton Trooper and save the Commando for the real bruisers.

One-shot kills:

• Berserker
• Devastator

  • Aim for the shoulder or head not covered by a shield when facing a Heavy Devastator.

• Hulks

  • Aim for the "eye" weak point to kill it with a single missile. Hitting the back vent may also destroy it in one shot.

Two-shot kills:

• Tanks

  • Two shots to the back vent should be all you need, but hitting the turret can also cause damage.

• Gunship

  • Striking the engine can destroy it in one shot, but it sometimes takes two.

• Dropship

  • These can go down in two or more shots if you aim at the engine pods.

The Factory Strider is a different kind of beast altogether. Its top-mounted gun can be destroyed by the Commando in two shots, which makes the weapon ideal against the walking beast. Dumping all four shots to its face seems to dish out a lot of damage, but it is somewhat inconsistent. It's recommended you hit the turret if you're at a distance or ??run up and fire into its belly when its Devastator bays are open.

The Commando can no longer destroy an Automaton Fabricator in one shot. One of the early selling points of the weapon was its ability to decimate a Fabricator with a single guided missile. This is no longer the case following Helldivers 2 Patch 1.001.100.

Automaton Fabricators have been reworked to have set health and armor values. Many heavy weapons with high penetration can destroy a Fabricator, but the amount of shots will differ. The Commando can blow up an Automaton Fabricator with two missiles. While it's not quite as effective against the bot-producing buildings, the missile launcher s??till does an admirable j??ob.

Cannon Turrets can also be destroyed with two missiles without having to aim for the weak point, and Mortar Emplacements are g??one ??with one shot.

Commando tips for Terminid forces and Elites

Sadly, the Commando is less consistent against the bug menace. But looking at the EAT and Railgun, that's pretty par for the course these days. Terminids do have a lot of large targets, though, making hitting y??our foes mostly effortless.

One-shot kills:

• Bile Spewer
• Nursing Spewer
• Brood Commander
• Hive Guard

  • Try hitting the softer points behind its shielded head.

Two or more shots:

• Charger

  • The Charger's key weak points are always its legs after removing the armor, but with the Commando you can kill it with one to three missiles by hitting its head.

• Bile Titan

  • The Bile Titan once more proves to be inconsistent with weak points. You can kill it by shooting it in the head with two missiles, but don't be surprised if you dump all four and still get barfed on.

• Stalker

  • Hate these things.

It's probably best not to take the Commando against Terminid Objective targets, as it can ta?ke multiple shots when a Hellbomb works better. It can destroy Bug Holes easily, though.

Flying enemies are also a no-go for the Commando. Instead, focus on the Heavies such as the Bile Titan and Chargers. ?You'll get enough of both if you play in Difficulty 7 and beyond.

Final thoughts

Overall, the MLS-4X Commando is an excellent Stratagem in Helldivers 2? and should be added to your armory as soon as possible. Given that it can destroy Fabricators wit??h a single shot, the weapon is already in the top five. Naturally, it should be one of your top picks when it comes to facing Automatons.

It's useful against Terminids, but you won't get as much bang for your buck. Instead, you should still consider taking the EAT-17, as it hits harder than its younger cousin. You'll want that extra oom?ph when facing Bile Titans and Chargers, both of which can shrug off ??damage whenever they feel like it.

The post Helldivers 2: How to best use the MLS-4X Commando – Tips and strats appeared first on Destructoid.

The Bile Titan is akin to the general of the Terminid army in Helldivers 2. It's a massive beast, towering over everything on four tall legs. There are multiple ways to kill the Bile Titan in Helldivers 2, one of which is quick. Sometimes.

The best way to kill a Bile Titan in Helldivers 2 is by turning it to mulch with a powerful Secondary Weapon or Stratagem. Weapons like the EAT-17 and Quasar Cannon do a ton of damage to the hulking mon?strosity, especially if you aim at its head �the Bile Titan's primary weak point.

How to kill a Bile Titan in Helldivers 2

It's up for debate how much damage a Bile Titan must take before toppling over like a stack of lawn chairs. A couple of shots to the face with an EAT can do it, but the bug may need more before you can convince it to give up the ghost. No, you can't fire away with th?e Railgun until its head explodes �not anymore, that is.

As far as Stratagems go, the Bile Titan isn't a fan of the Eagl??e 500kg Bomb or the Orbital Railgun. The latter is a better idea if you want to go for the kill shot, but keep in mind that the Titan may shrug off the first slug. Yes, it's a bit inconsistent. My favorite methods are the 500kg Bomb and the Orbital Laser. Keep in mind that the bomb beacon must be dropped in?? the Bile Titan's path. You can be smart about it, though.

The best method to kill a Bile Tit??an with an Eagle 500k??g Bomb:

• Get the Bile Titan's attention by shooting it or entering its view
• Allow the Titan to get close and prepare a bile spew
• As it begins the above, drop the beacon under the Titan and run

Helldivers 2: Bile Titan weak points

The Bile Titan is a Heavy enemy and, like the Charger, is coated in a heavy carapace that acts a??s armor save for a couple of squishy spots. For the Titan, the soft, green belly is a smart target for you and your team to take advantage of, and here's why.

The Bile Titan has two attacks based on distance. When close, the Bile Titan will stomp on you with its massive legs. If y?ou're out of reach, it spews a jet stream of green bile?? that can kill you in seconds. That's why you'll want to target its belly to stop it from firing acid.

Use weapons to inflict damage to its abdomen. The Bile Titan's belly, or its green abdomen, has its own health pool. After damaging it for long enough, you can pop the belly like a water balloon. Doing so will remove the Bile Titan's ability to spew acid. Once the belly is gone, the abdomen gets a second health pool. Depleting its health will ultimately kill the Bile Titan for good. In other words, you can use contemporary weapon??s to kill a titan, but you'll need to aim for its soft spot from down below. Watch out for its "feet!"

Best weapons to use on the Bile Titan in Helldivers 2

Consider using these Support Weapons to kill the Bi??le Titan:

• EAT-17
• Quasar Cannon
• Recoilless Rifle
• Autocannon
• Spear
• Commando

Against the Titan's armor, the EAT-17 Expendable Ant?i-Tank works well. Try it as well as the Quasar Ca?nnon, as they dish out the most damage quickly and reliably.

The sleeper hit from this list may be the Arc Thrower. It penetrates armor and can be fired from a considerable distance. The only drawback is that it can result in friendly-fir?e killings or prioritize smaller fries beneath it. You'd only want to use this weapon if the Bile?? Titan is by itself.

Do not use:

• Incendiary Grenade
• Stun Grenade

Do use the Thermite Grenade, which dishes out a staggering 2,000 points of damage. You can stick the grenade to any? part of the Bile Titan to harm or kill it, but I suggest aiming for its soft belly. If? you can't get a quick kill, you can at least remove its long-range attack.

Best Stratagems to use on the Bile Titan in Helldivers 2

The best Str??atagems for killing the Bile Titan are:

• Eagle 500kg Bomb
• Orbital Laser
• Orbital Railcannon Strike
• Orbital 380MM HE Barrage
• Rocket Sentry
• Autocannon Sentry
• Patriot Exosuit

Other Stratagems that aren't listed here hav?e reportedly worked for other players, but the ones here have been more consistent overall.

You can also take down a Bile Titan using a sentry and some good planning. A Rocket or Autocannon sentry both do work against the beast, but you'l??l need to drop them well outside of its acid rang?e.

The Exosuit mech is equipped with a heavy machine gun and rocket launcher. Three to four blasts with its rockets can take down a Bile Titan with ease. If you're ever in a pinch and need some fast c?learing, this glass cannon can be j??ust what you need to turn the tide in battle.

Can you kill a Bile Titan with a Hellpod?

Killing a Bile Titan with a Hellpod isn't the best idea unless it has already taken significant damage or has exposed flesh. While the titan does take damage, if you don't kill ??it with that one shot you'll find yourself in acid and leg range. It's a lot to ask from a human cannonball.

What else works against the Bile Titan? Well, for one lucky Helldiver, a Charger is a potent projectile when used properly.

The post Helldivers 2: How to kill a Bile Titan appeared first on Destructoid.

The Chemical Agents Warbond is out in Helldivers 2, and for those who wan?t to get the best items for it right away, we’ll have you covered. Not??e that while there are better alternatives out there, you can still turn the tide of battle with our selections.

The best items from the Chemical Agents Warbond in Helldivers 2

The best items from the Chemical Agents Warbond are the G-4 Gas grenade, the “Guard Dog�Dog Breath, and the P-11 Stim Pistol. The armor is also decent if you’re going to run a heavy gas build so? that you won’t accidentally die in the process of suffocati?ng your enemies.

G-4 Gas Grenade

This grenade mod will provide a lot of crowd con?trol when thrown. If you trigger enemy reinforcements or you just have a big mob of stuff coming at you, chuck one of these. It’ll kill smaller fries and make the medium and heavy enemies attack each other relentlessly.

While you are sacrificing utility, like destroying fabricators and bug holes, this can get y??ou out of a rough encounter by diverting enemy aggro.

“Guard Dog�Dog Breath

If you want to save your grenade slot for something like a Thermite, then t?he Dog Breath drone will be a powerful, passive, crowd-controlling tool. It’ll soften enemies up for you and even give them that gas effect to make them fight ea?ch other. 

This doesn’t have as much range as the other two drones, but it can help you esca??pe a dicey situation ??much quicker. Don’t expect this to be your primary source of damage, though.

P-11 Stim Pistol

Lastly, the underdog of this Warbond has to be the Stim Pistol. It has its purposes, but mostly in settings where you’re actually communicating with teammates. In a squad full of randoms or playing solo, this will be a wasted slot.

With proper voice? comms, you c?an safely heal someone who is getting swarmed or needs additional healing in a pinch.

Unfortunately, with all that said, the Sterilizer, or?? the gas equivalent of the Flamethrower, is not it. It’s a fun weapon, but compared to other things in this Warbond, it’s underwhelming. Stick to these three before g??etting that.

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The big buff patch that arrived this week for Helldivers 2 apparently introduced a new bug that allows players to fly across the map. Man, what is it with emotes in Helldivers 2 and t?heir ability to let p?layers defy gravity with such confidence?

Players on the official Helldivers subreddit recently revealed the exploit. In a short video clip, a player rhythmically taps the Emote button to, well, teabag through the air with the greatest of ease.

According to the poster, the exploit was unintentionally discovered when they were trying to make use of a different exploit tied to emotes. In July, players learned that emoting while hurtling through the air may prevent lethal fall damage. It looks like it's not just the weapons that got? buffed by the patch.

Arrowhead can work on the Jump Pack later

Anyone who has played games long enough will understand that updates and patches can lead to bugs. Helldivers 2 is certainly no stranger to the idea. The game typically experiences issues brought by patches, ranging from new bugs to crashes. In this case, the bug was likely introduced by the new emote wheel function that was added by the update. I'd take surpri?se flying powers over a new way for the game to crash any day, thanks.

The bug will likely get fixed eventually. Emoting to prevent fall damage is a glitch that has remained, likely due to the Arrowhead CEO enthusiastically endorsing it. But flying for free isn't something I can see remaining in the game. If anything, those averse to gravity will have to wait for a Jump Pack buff, which is in the plans according to creative director Johan Pilestedt.

Until then, I expect to see my fellow divers tea-bagging their way across the land to power-squat on Shrieker Nests with authority. If?? we can't win this war with weapons, we'll do so with Slavic intimidation.

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With all the balance changes, things are finally looking up in Helldivers 2. We’re now gett??ing new W??arbonds on top of that. That being said, is the Chemical Agents Warbond worth it? 

Is the new Chemical Agents Warbond worth it in Helldivers 2?

It’s hard to say yes or no to the new Warbond just be?cause there are only a few items that would be worth getting it for. If you have the 1,000 Super Credits to spare, then by all means, go for it. 

All the new buffs and balance changes overshadow the new items, especi?ally with fire damage being back at its prime. On top of that, the ??weapons introduced in the Chemical Agents Warbond act just like the current flame weapons in the game. 

Gas does provide significant AoE effects like blinding and dazing enemies. Those affected will also start attac?king one another, which has a lot of utility. It’s just that things that incinerate enemies will kill them a lot quicker. 

Aside from the new Stim Pistol and the cosmetics, you’ll still be way better off getting something like the Freedom’s Flame Warbond since most items there function the same? a?s the ones here. 

This isn’t to say that the new gas tech here isn’t good. They have very good crowd-control potential. If you’re just looking to get additional things to play with, then by all means, go for it. This won’t break the meta like the newly buffed Thermite Grenades or the Orbital Napalm Barrage.

This will act as a good Medal sink if you have been sitting on 250 for quite some time now. The 300 reimbursed Super Credits are nice, paired with the other cool cosmetics. So, unless?? you have spare Super Credit??s to dump into this Warbond, you can probably skip it for now.

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Helldivers 2 is an onli?ne PvE game, where the E part is generally made up of hundreds of pissed-off bugs or gun-wielding robots. It's a hard game for those who seek challenge, but the latest buff patch may be making things too easy for some players �and the CCO agrees.

Developer Arrowhead Games released the largest patch yet for Helldivers 2 on September 17, 2024. It reworked enemies and applied massive buffs across the game's vast array of weapons and Stratagems. Guns hit harder, and bugs die faster than ever. In an attempt to balance things out, Helldivers take more damage to their limbs and torso. But for some, the overwhelmi??ng power may be a bit much for even the hardest difficulty setting.

Helldivers 2 could get a new difficulty level following the patch

The CCO of Arrowhead and the Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt agrees. Taking to X, he asked followers for their thoughts on the new patch. Many were elated, telling Pilestedt that Helldivers 2 is better than ??ever. But there was at least one who said the game needed an even harder difficulty.

"I agree," Pilestedt replied. As for the name of this proposed new mode, he posted replies that covered "Extra super helldive" and "Extra Super Duper Helldive," with the latter being his o?wn suggestion. I'll throw my hat in the ring and vote for "Super-De-Duper Helldive."

The user isn't alone in this sentiment. Some in the Helldivers subreddit have said the patch makes the game easier for them. Naturally, this sparked a response from many who disagree, and think the game feels more balanced with Arrowhead's?? "glass cannon" approach.

Personally, having played some hours fighting bots and bugs in Helldive, I thi?nk the difficulty is at a good spot. While I'm not a big fan of getting RKO'd by a random Hive Guard from behind, the weapons and reworks feel great.

The game is also still difficult, at least in my experience. I have only won about half my missions since the patch. But I'm chalking that up to relearning the game more than putting the fault squarely on the update. Maybe?? when the Super-est Helldive arrives, complaints about the challenge will decrease. But? who am I kidding?

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Developer Arrowhead Games made good on its promise, launching the biggest patch yet for Helldivers 2. Weapons were buffed, enemies were reworked, and my precious Eruptor got its groove back (welcome back, shrapnel). But most of all?, the community appears happy and pla?yers are returning.

"This is honestly the best patch ever," reads the headline of a post on the game's official subreddit. Such headlines have beco??me more frequent, drowning out the cascade of posts written by frustrated community members. It feels like it's been a long time coming.

Members of the Helldivers 2 community have been vocally quite unhappy with how the game has been managed. In the last several months, many have bemoaned weapons nerfs and reworks. Players have suggested that the constant patches and updates harmed the effectiveness of weapons and stratagems, reducing their options when dealing with heavies such as Chargers. As disappointment reached a fever pitch, some players even decided to do the unthinkable: Turn treasonous.

What a difference it's been s??ince th??e patch dropped.

Helldivers 2 players return, as memes replace discontent

Players on the community subreddit and X have been heaping praise on Arrowhead following the patch. The difference has been night and day. I visit the Helldivers subreddit several times a week and, until recently, it was mostly me doom-scrolling like I was punishing myself by hopping on X. It's quite the change, seeing angry posts get replaced by joyous app??lause.

Johan Pilestedt, the CCO of Arrowhead, took to X to ask for ??everyone's thoughts on the patch. Whi??le there was at least one saying it was too late, others' replies were certainly more positive.

"I haven't had this much fun with the game in months," reads a reply by X user Swany. "I think you guys really knocked it?? out of the ??park."

Things aren't perfect yet, however. Some are concerned that the game is easier now that weapons are more powerful. On a more serious note, there are still many countries that have been locked out due to a PlayStation Network account requirement. It's been months, and the??re hasn't been much word of a fix.

But, for the most part, things seem to be on the rise. Players are returning to the game, with SteamDB showing a steady rise to 68K players on Steam. It's a big jump from the game's lowest point of 15K players in early September. The in-game player count is even more impressive, with around 90K players reported the night the patch landed.

Things are looking up once again for the game. Today also marks the launch of the new Premium Warbond, Chemical Agents. So far, it seems like another hit for Arrowhead. Let's hope the momentum contin?ues.

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When it comes to a galactic-scale infestation, it's best to bring the biggest can of bug spray you can find. Helldivers 2 brings what you need with its latest Chemical Agents Warbond, a content p?ack with everything you need to take on the u?niverse's worst space roaches.

Chemical Agents is the latest in a line of Premium Warbonds for Helldivers 2. To access it, you'll need to purchase it via the Acquisitions Menu, which you access from aboard your Super Destroyer ship. ??As it is a Premium item, you must exchange 1,000 Super Credits (SC) for the pack.

Super Credits can be purchased with real-life cash, costi??ng $10 for 1,000 SC. You can also find SC during missions. Once you have enough, scroll down the list to the Warbond? and choose to unlock it.

Everything in the Helldivers 2 - Chemical Agents Warbond and their cost

Like with the Warbond before, Chemical Agents includes two new armor sets, vehicle wraps for the mech, shuttle, Hellpod, and more. There are no typical weapons, but two Stratagems. The third is a weapon you can equip as part of your kit, but it's technically non-lethal. By technically, I m?ean it's non-lethal so long as you choose ?not to bludgeon an enemy to death with it.

Stratagems

Grenade

Armor Sets

Chemical Agents comes with two new armor sets which include armor, a helme?t, and a cape. The s??ets are equipped with a new Armor Passive called Advanced Filtration, which offers 80% resistance to gas damage.

Armor Passive: Advanced Filtration

• Provides 80% resistance to gas damage and effects.

Armor

Capes

• Standards of Safe Distance (Page 1) - 8 Warbond Medals
• Patient Zero's Remembrance (Page 2) - 20 Warbond Medals

Helmets

• AF-50 Noxious Ranger (Page 1) - 30 Warbond Medals
• AF-02 Haz-Master (Page 2) - 35 Warbond Medals

Victory Poses and Emote

• Ew (Page 1) - 8 Warbond Medals
• Natural Gas Extraction (Page 3) - 70 Warbond Medals

The emote, ??Natural Gas Extraction, is a "pull my finger" joke for those of us with a juvenile sense of humor. You better believe I'm getting ready to ask all my allies to do me a solid and experience the gas.

Super Credits

• 100 SC (Page 1) - 7 Warbond Medals
• 100 SC (Page 2) - 12 Warbond Medals
• 100 SC (Page 3) - 32 Warbond Medals

Player Cards

• Standards of Safe Distance (Page 1) - 2 Warbond Medals
• Patient Zero's Remembrance (Page 2) - 5 Warbond Medals

Player Title

• Expert Exterminator (Page 3) - 20 Warbond Medals

Vehicle Patterns (Skins)

Vehicle patters, or skins, can be applied to the Hellpod, Shuttle, or Exosuit. To do so, you need to enter the Ship Management menu while aboard your Super Destroyer. Next, navigate to the patterns tab, then scroll through the vehicles and choose the skin. You must have an Exosuit unlocked via the Stratagems menu to apply skins to it.

• Mustard Hellpod Pattern (Page 1) - 20 Warbond Medals
• Mustard Shuttle Pattern (Page 2) - 50 Warbond Medals
• Mustard Exosuit Pattern (Page 3) - 50 Warbond Medals

That about wraps up everythin??g in the Chemical Agents Premium Warbond for Helldivers 2. Keep in mind that gas no longer behaves the same way following the big buff patch. While it still damages foes, it also causes confusion to enemies and fellow divers. ??The new Armor Filtration passive should help you and allies, however. But it won't make you immune to the damage and effects of the gas. Make sure you aim well.

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The Chemical Agents Warbond has just dropped in Helldivers 2, but players are gushing over the new Sueprstore armor. Its design fits the Warbond really well, and as a lovely added bonus, it looks like something you'd see enemies wearing in a Wolfenstein or Warhammer 40K game.

The Chemical Agents Warbond adds all sorts of chemical warfare-based weaponry and cosmetics to Helldivers 2. It's a premium Warbond, meaning players must spend some premium currency to pick it up, but they see to be gravitating more towards the other new pre??mium item that's been added to the game. A set of armor with a terrifying sci-fi gas mask and latex material that looks incredibly flammable but very good at keeping out lethal toxins.

The ultimate crossover

As a huge Helldivers 2 fan, this armor, the AF-91 Field Chemist set, is now my favorite in the game to date. The other options in the Chemical Agents Warbond are great, but this one, as has been pointed out by pretty much every player on the game's subreddit, feels like we're finally getting the crossovers with other uni??verses that?? we've been after.

The gas mask looks like it would fit really nicely in Wolfenstein 2009 among the occult soldiers you battle. Of course, it could easily be inspired by the newer entries in the series. A gas mask on a soldier is part of the DNA of the Wolfenstein games, and I'll happily rock something tha?t reminds me of them while spreading freedom for Super Earth any day.

The other type of soldier that this armor set reminds players and Warhammer 40K fans of is the Death Corps of Krieg. I've included an image of one of these soldiers above so you can see the similarities. To be clear, nobody is accusing Arrowhead Game Studios of copying here. The developer has just released the 60-day update for Helldivers 2 and has clearly been w?orking on armor sets that lean into the other franchises fans like to reference in the game while ke??eping them in line with the Super Earth universe's visual aesthetic.

The flavor text on this armor set reads as follows. "This armor, together with its friendly-faced helmet, is instantly recognizable fr?om the beloved children's show 'Jen Shriver the Science Diver'."

It deepens the Helldivers 2 lore and makes the set even better because it's obviously absolutely terrifying. But I can imagine Helldivers looking at each other and pointing because they're instantly reminded of a children's TV presenter and not a spooky monster from Doctor Who or some other bringer of death.

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There are a plethora of Stratagems for players to use to devastating effect in Helldivers 2. While heavy weapons and resupply drops are useful, somet??imes the best tool for the job is a slew of shells from the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage on your Superdestroyer.

You'll unlock new Stratagems over time in Helldivers 2 as you play more missions and earn rewards from, hopefully, successful objective completions and extractions. While your basic weapons are fine and will net you a tonne of kills and help you support your team, sometimes you need something bigger to throw into the mix, like the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage or a Thermite Grenade. But none of these ?weapons are useful if you don't know what to do with them.

How to get the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage in Helldivers 2

To get the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage in Helldivers 2, you need to buy it from the Stratagems tab in your Superdestroyer's Ship Management menu. It costs 7,500 Requisition Slips, but that's not too much considering how much you usually earn while tackling missions for a Major Order. Following the game's 60-day update, the gameplay is in a much better place, so you should really be struggling wi?th too many Requisition Slips, if ?anything.

How to use the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage to maximize kills in Helldivers 2

The key to using the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage to maximize kills in Helldivers 2 is waiting for the perfect ti??me to use it. Once triggered, the Stratagem will cause your Superdestroyer to slowly fire massive shells down in the general ??vicinity you've marked with your targeting beacon.

The shots from the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage are devastating. They'll cripply Bile Titans and cause havoc for Automaton armies, but if you use them on a single foe, you're not going to rack up th??at many kills for a Personal Order or your squad.

I find that waiting until a huge horde of enemies is chasing you is the best time to use the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage. Chuck it down in front of you and then run over to it. By the time you reach it, the shells should be raining down, and they'll cause all sorts of trouble for whate?ver is pursuing you.

Another great time to use the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage is when you find a bug nest or an Automaton factory. Anywhere, there are ?lots of enemies clustered together, and more emerging all the time, which is great for racking up the kills. You'll also inadvertently close Bug Holes and destroy Fabriators, which are bonuses when you're not overwhelmed and ripped to shreds by the enemies of Super Earth.

Best loadout for Orbital 380MM HE Barrage in Helldivers 2

The best loadout for you in Helldivers 2 is one you're comfo??rtable with a??nd know well. Stick to the Stratgems you trust and have the timings down to muscle memory for, and you'll be able to complete any Major Order thrown at you.

That said, it can be difficult to determine which Stratagems best complement the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage in Helldivers 2. I've put together a good ??base for you to use below, but feel free to add in what works for you as you go.

• Orbital 380MM HE Barrage
• Stalwart
• Anti-Personnel Minefield
• Guard Dog Rover

The idea here is that you call down the Stalwart and Guard Dog Rover at the start of a mission or right after emerging from your Hellpod. The Stalwart is a solid heavy weapon with which to clean up enemies, and the Guard Dog Rover will have y??our back when there are loads of them around.

As I mentioned above, you need to use the Orbital 380MM HE Barrage around huge groups of enemies for maximum kills. This can be problematic if those enemies spot you and aren't caught in a shell blast. Use the Anti-Personnel Minefield to create a barrier so whatever ?isn't killed by a??ll your other weapons will explode as it tries to chase you down.

As for primary, secon??dary, and throwable weapons, go with what you can use well. These change for every play?er, and they really don't add much into the equation when looking at your Stratagem loadout, so just use whatever feels comfortable and gets you loads of kills.

The post How to use the Orbital 380MM ??HE ?Barrage to maximize kills in Helldivers 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Following the release of Helldivers 2's 60-day update, players seem pretty happy with the buffs and changes that have been brought to the game. The one weapon fans have latched onto isn't a primary, secondary, or Stratagem, though. It's the Thermite Gren??ade.

The buff to Helldivers 2's Thermite Grenade in this 60-day update sounds like a mistake, but I believe it's very deliberate. Prior to the update, the Thermite Grenade would attach to enemies, give them a little tickle, and warm them up with a spark of fire when it exploded. Now, it?? scorches foes before causin??g a colossal explosion that can crack open a Bile Titan's carapace and spill its gooey innards all over a planet's surface.

You're going to need sunglasses for this one

The official patch notes for Helldivers 2's 60-day update note that the damage for the Thermite Gre?nade has been increased from 100 to 2,000. It takes less time for the device to start sparking ??and dealing damage, and the time to explosion has been decreased slightly, too. While the carry capacity for the Thermite Grenade has dropped from 4 to 3, I think that's the most balanced thing about these changes, given its newfound power.

Regardless of where you look, Helldivers 2 players are talking about how powerful the Thermite Grenade is. Among the dozens of meme posts about it on the game's subreddit, the above post is my favorite bec??ause it shows how you can down a Bile Titan, the ??apex predator of the Terminids, with just one of these grenades.

I hopped into the game to see if the Thermite Grenade is really as powerful as fans are saying, and I can confirm that it is. This grenade, which is locked behind the first page of the Freedom's Flame Warbond, is fantastic.

Coupled with the increased movement and aiming speed and every other balance change in the 60-day update, Helldivers 2 feels like it did at launch once m??ore. The game is fluid and lets you run across pla??nets, killing hundreds of enemies with a vast array of futuristic weapons.

But it's also very good at reminding you that your absurd power doesn't make you invincible. Indeed, I used Thermite Grenades to close Bug Holes and create walking bombs among the Terminids I faced. I also got caught in the blasts of more than a few of my ??grenades, leading to two Chargers crushing me simultaneously when I landed after one pa??rticularly uncomfortably close explosion.

A few months, or even days ago, I would have said that Arrowhead Game Studios would be stepping in this week? to nerf the Thermite Grenade. We're less than 24 hours into this update, though, and Helldivers 2 players adore this explosive and every other change they're experiencing so far. I'm hopeful this is the turning point the developer and community were waiting for, and we can get back to waiting for the Illuminate to rear their ancient alien heads and spark a new le??g of the Second Galactic War.

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Folks, it's finally happening: Arrowhead Games issued a Helldivers 2 update that is, from the look of things, not all about nerfing fan-favorite gear. This hotly anticipated "experience shift" comes as part of patch 1.001.100, which buffs most things players wanted to r?eturn to?? relevancy again, and it's a hoot.

From day one onwards, balance has been one of the biggest problems the Helldivers 2 studio has contended with. After subsequent updates have repeatedly included nerfs after nerfs, players expected the first part of the ominous-sounding 60-day resolution plan to come up short, at the very least. The idea that hidden nerfs may sour things further was thrown around, too, and nobody really knew what to expect until very recently, when Arrowhead finally pushed out the patch notes and the update. And, honestly, it's a joy to behold.

Helldivers 2 update 1.001.100 delivers the major overhaul the game needed

If you're an experienced Helldivers 2 player, I highly recommend reading up on the official patch notes posted on Steam. They're appropriately hefty, but they go into substantial detail on what's changed and what hasn't. In short, though, the gist of it is that we're looking at nothing short of a huge balancing revamp that has so far been nothing but awesome. I've played through a bunch of matches both solo and with a small fireteam of others, and virtually every single item we've tested is now most excellent. Aside from Liberator Penetrator, mind, which ??remains underwhelming still.

Here's an extremely truncated list of some of the most important changes included as part of Helldivers 2's patch 1.001.100:

• Buffs for Liberator, Liberator Carbine, Knight SMG, Liberator Concussive, Tenderizer, Breaker, Spray & Pray, Scythe, Crossbow, Eruptor, Defender SMG, Liberator Penetrator, Diligence, Counter-Sniper, Blitzer, Torcher, Peacemaker, Dagger, Crisper weapons.
• Various Support item buffs and reworks for the Grenade Launcher, Laser Cannon, Arc Thrower, Railgun, Stalwart, Anti-Materiel Rifle, Machine Gun, Heavy Machine Gun, Commando Launcher, Flamethrower, and Autocannon.
• Substantial improvements for the Frag and Thermite Grenades.
• Long list of Stratagem buffs (including the Eagle 500KG bomb).
• Strategically important assets now appear on the Galactic War display, making it easier for players to organize onslaughts and operations.
• Various enemies have been rebalanced in a sensible way (e.g. Rocket Devastators now have a limited number of rockets, which they also need to reload).
• 14 different crashes have been resolved.

This is, once again, inexhaustive. The end result, though, is a meta in which way, way more weapons are viable virtually across the board. Of course, the Eruptor, the Railgun, and the Flamethrower are at last every bit as efficient and satisfying to use as they were before, but I fully expect the playerbase to end up finding new favorites, too. For example, the Thermite Grenade has been buffed from dealing 100 damage to 2000 (!) with its explo??sion alone. In practice, this means it can one-shot Chargers and even Behemoths if you attach it to one's head.

As for the weapons, Arrowhead hasn't been shy this time around. Many of them have even received fancy new attachments. The Liberator Co?ncussive, for example, now comes with a 60-round drum magazine that fires rounds with improved stun effects. It is basically a lightweight support weapon now, and it's an absolute joy to use against the bugs.

I'm particularly thrilled by the fact that Arrowhead hasn't just buffed weapons themselves and called it a day. Instead, the enemies on both fronts are now more satisfying to engage across the board, and though they will run you ??over quite easily, you've got way more tools at your di?sposal to deal with them.

If this is how Arrowhead intends to bala??nce the game moving forward, I'm all for it, though I worry that there m??ay be some amount of overtuning present here just to pull players back into the game. We'll see how this pans out but, for the time being, it seems the developers have done an excellent job across the board.

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While most Helldivers 2 players are eagerly awaiting?? the game's 60-day update to see if it brings bac??k lapsed fans and makes the game feel as fun as it did at launch, they still have a job to do. The Second Galactic War rages on, and we need to get back to strategizing about how we tackle them.

At the time of writing, the current Major Order in Helldivers 2 tasks players with killing 100 million Warriors and 45 million Bile Spewers in Terminid planets. This shouldn't be too tricky because, as a community, we've slaughtered 100 million Terminids in just ??3 hours befo??re. However, there's a seconda??ry element to the Major Order that's split the community down the middle, and they're not making progress on either front.

While players could focus all their attention on the Terminid objective, the secondary objective is way too tempting. If they manage to liberate Tarsh and Mastia, two worlds currently under Automaton control, then they'll be given the Orbital Napalm Barrage Stratagem. I'm sure this is only for the duration of the Major Order, but that doesn't matter. I and many other players want to get our hands on that Stratagem so they can set Terminid worlds aflame and bo??ss the Maj??or Order goals.

Unfortunately, not every Helldivers 2 player wants the same thing. In fact, it seems as though some players aren'??t even aware that they could get this incredi??bly powerful Stratagem to help us clean up the rest of the Major Order.

It's been three days, and Tarsh and Mastia sti??ll require liberation. There are 8,000? Helldivers in the Automaton system trying to get this Stratagem, but there are 12,000 in the Terminid system just hammering the Major Order.

In the past, they've coordinated so well that we've been able to make Game Master Joel bend the rules in Helldivers 2 in the past. The community has also worked together so well that it's actively dodged Stratagems and inadvertently saved the game's fictional childre??n from annihilation.

Now, though, when I log in to play or check out the Helldivers 2 subreddit, it feels like they couldn't plan a piss-up in a pub. The problem is twofold in my eyes. First, there's a genuine lack of coordination because there are fewer players in the game.? That's a symptom of many waiting to see what the upcoming major update does to balance the game and make it enjoyable to play once more.

The second issue is pretty simple to understand. I e??ven fall into this trap myself sometime?s. Killing Terminids is just too much fun. Terminid missions feel easier, especially if you have an incendiary weapon as your primary. They explode in a satisfying fountain of green blood, and they don't have red lasers that light up the screen so much you can't see or flying drones that spawn camp your reinforcements.

I understand the pitfalls they're falling into as a community. Honestly, all I want to do?? is fight bugs and have a f??un time. But we need to get out of this funk where we keep missing each other and just work together again.

With just over a day left on the current Major Order, my hope is that enough Helldivers 2 fans swoop in and free those Automaton planets so players have the ability to set an entire planet on fire with napalm and burn bugs faster than eve?r.

This Stratagem is more than just a bomb with more fire than you've ever seen in Helldivers 2. It's a symbol of our determination. This Major Order is deliberately awkward, forcing players into the two camps they've always been split between: Bug Divers and Bot Divers. Right now, players need to be Helldivers if they're going to be in a fit state for the major update patch notes on September 17, ??2024.

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Developer Arrowhead Game Studios has announced a new Warbond for Helldivers 2 that launches on September 19, 2024. This one is called Chemical Agents, and it brings something to the game that it's been missing since it was first r??eleased: chemical warfare.

Helldivers 2's Chemical Agents Warbond introduces more cosmetics for your Hellpod, Guard Dog, and Exosuits. There are also two new Stratagems, both of which spray chemicals at enemies to kill them with damage over time, resu??lting in the worst kind of deaths imaginable. What might be my favorite thing from this Warbond is the new armor sets, both of which look like the kinds of hazmat suits you'd see in a horror sci-fi movie.

Toxic Helldivers

The items that I suspect most players will be excited about are the new Stratagems in the Chemical Agents Warbond. The first is the TX-41 Sterilizer, a chemical gas sprayer that'll deal damag?e over time. The AX/TX-13 “Guard Dog�Dog Breath does the same thing automatically while following you around and watching you mow down enemies with your primary and seconda??ry weapons.

The G-4 Gas Grenade creates a gas cloud that does the same type of damage, though I'd expect the initial explosion to deal some addition?al damage too. As I mentioned, it's the two new armor sets that I think are the stars of this Warbond.

Each one comes with the Advance?d Filtration passive. This blocks most of the incoming damage from the toxic gas clouds you'll b??e creating with all the new Stratagems, including the Orbital Gas Strike Stratagem, which sounds like a sci-fi dirty bomb.

In addition to some vibrant new cosmetics, there's also the P-11 Stim Pistol, which will help you provide a small healing buff to other Helldivers. It won't sav?e you from a horde of Automatons, but it'll stop someone dying from a sudden rocket? attack.

As with every new Warbond, Chemical Agents has a new Title to earn. This time around, it's Expert Exterminator, which feels like the perfect Title to be rocking when? you drop onto a bug world to wipe out a few billion Terminids for oil to power Super Earth's Superdestroyers.

This Warbond comes at an interesting time for Helldivers 2 because fans eagerly await the 60-day update that should buff every weapon that's been steadily nerfed over the la??st couple of months. However, the update could be a double-edged sword with nerfs that ??ruin some other element we're not yet aware of.

Arrowhead Game Studios has a lot of work to do to regain the player base's trust. Warbonds are great because they give us more fun tools to play around with, but we need the fundamentals of Helldivers 2 to f?eel good again if the game is going to pull back the members of its community that it's lost.

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