Dive Hard: Helldivers 2 and the Glorious Cycle of Chaos
Heroism Optional, Death Guaranteed
Attention Citizens!
Super Earth is on the cusp of galactic war, and needs recruits like you to push back against the Terminid threat. Think you have what it takes to stand up to teeth, claws, and deadly robots? Sure, there will be chaos, the inevitable team killing, and you’re guaranteed to come home drenched in the blood of your fellow Divers, but it’s all in the name of Managed Democracy!
And fun, of course.
So few games capture the throes of war in a way that scratches an itch for insanity and chaos, but on that front, Helldivers 2 teeters on perfection. With that comes many moments of, “What the hell happened!”, but frustration is such a fleeting feeling when you’re thrown back into the fray and are reminded of the joy you get from your arsenal of bombing runs, robot companions, mine fields, laser cannons, rocket launchers, mini nukes, and many other tools of destruction.
You could classify Helldivers 2 as just another Extraction Shooter, but you’d be selling the experience short and gravely mislabeling what many (myself included) call an Insertion Shooter. After all, in Helldivers 2, entering the fray is far more important than leaving the body-strewn battlefield behind.
Death Is Only the Beginning
There is only one thing that’s definite in Helldivers 2: You are going to die. Likely a lot, depending on the difficulty level and the competency and awareness of the Divers you’re fighting alongside. Unlike many games, though, death is expected, and, at times, necessary.
A marching army of Automatons get the drop on you? Make the sacrificial play and call a napalm strike on your position. So long as you have reinforcements left and a capable team, you’ll be back in action in no time. Sure, dying is a core piece of most multiplayer games, but you don’t get the same sense of heroism by returning to the fray in a round of Call of Duty. Whereas dying is almost shameful in traditional shooters, in Helldivers 2, it feels natural and expected in the gameplay loop.
There’s also nothing quite like rocketing down from orbit, maneuvering your pod to land right on an enemy’s head, and emerging guns blazing.
Gear Up, Recruits!
Maybe talking about how often you’ll die is a weird way to start a review. Many gamers will see it as a failure, no matter how the game treats it. So, let’s rewind a little, because there’s more to Helldivers than succumbing to the endless enemy forces.
Before launching into missions, which are abundant and dynamic, players customize their Diver. From aesthetics and armor to an arsenal of firearms and support abilities (called Stratagems), you can outfit your Helldiver as a support unit or heavily-armed tank. There are no classes, so it’s all about the weapons and abilities you choose. While most armor simply changes your look, many do offer stat buffs and nerfs, from being able to carry more stim packs to sacrificing speed for stronger armor.
The most important part of a Helldivers loadout is their Stratagems. Think of these as abilities, summoned via a string of keyboard inputs. Need to bring teammates back from beyond the veil? Be prepared to frantically type in 🠝🠟🠞🠜🠝 (or w, s, a, d, w) while a Terminid Bile Titan rushes toward you. Ready to call in the mission-critical Hellbomb? Best get those fingers loose for 🠟🠝🠜🠟🠝🠞🠟🠝.
A carry-over from the original Helldivers, Stratagems are a wholly unique way of handling character abilities, and there are a ton to choose from. It can be difficult to pound out the necessary keys when you’re about to be torn apart by bugs or robots, but it feels much more natural in-universe than a simple button press.
I have died many a time trying to panic-summon an ammo resupply or helpful heavy canon turret, and while it can be a little vexing when your finger slips and you have to restart the code, it plays into the entertaining chaos of the Helldivers universe.
Beyond Stratagems, Divers launch with a primary weapon, a sidearm, and an explosive. While the armory starts off pretty slim, with a standard-issue assault rifle, handgun, a pair of rifles, and a grenade, those are soon replaced by heavy-powered shotguns, sniper rifles, and all manner of energy-based guns. The key is patience and persistence, as progression in Helldivers 2 is far from immediate. On the contrary, it can be painstakingly slow.
Helldivers Progression Focuses on Community
The core of the Helldivers 2 experience is its missions, spread across three different sections of a galactic map. Super Earth is battling a three-front war, with Automatons, Terminids, and the humanoid Illuminate closing in on all sides. Divers participate in a number of missions, ranging from closing a certain number of bug holes to raising the Super Earth flag or eliminating all enemies. Each fits within the overarching story, with some grouped into Operations of two to four missions that tie together.
You can tackle them solo and hope someone joins you mid-game, jump into a Quick Game, or select one by scanning the surface of the planet. It’s a simple matchmaking system that has worked most of the time. Disconnects are incredibly rare, and the game shows who you’ll be playing with so you can decide if they’re too low a level or maybe a little too advanced. I’ve yet to run into high-level players that are unwelcoming to newcomers, but, as with any multiplayer, I suspect they’re out there.
Every mission completed is a step toward liberating planets, but don’t expect to make much of an impact. Percentage-wise, you’re lucky to chip away at a fraction of one percent of coverage. You’re not alone, though, and this is where Helldivers 2 expands its multiplayer component beyond the in-mission goals. You start to feel like you’re part of something bigger, connected to players you’ll likely never meet in-game. Players even vote on things like which planets to target with super weapons or what name to give a newly liberated city. It’s a sense of community you simply don’t get with many multiplayer shooters.
In Helldivers 2, there’s a constant focus on making decisions that impact more than yourself. Even what you bring planetside matters to others, which is where finely tuning your loadout comes into play. Is it helpful if everyone has the same Stratagems? Likely not, as one Diver with a munitions backpack and another with heavy firepower will balance the team and improve chances of a successful mission.
So, when you’re tinkering with what to unlock, it’s important to consider what role you want to play.
You’re In It for the Long Haul
There is no shortage of firearms, explosives, and Stratagems for your Diver. Play for long enough, and you could have a veritable treasure trove of bug-killing gadgets and tools at your disposal. Getting there takes time, though, and requires you to complete not just main mission objectives, but also secondary objectives hidden around the map. You’ll also want to keep your eyes peeled for samples, or scientific resources used to upgrade your ship (which, by the way, you get to name).
Here is where Helldivers 2 falters a little. For the most part, it feels so little like a traditional multiplayer game, straying far from formats like Warzone, Fortnite, and even Dead by Daylight by giving every player the same goal. Then, the progression system pulls you right back into the hellscape that is the contemporary multiplayer. Weapons, armor, Stratagems, and even ship upgrades that offer stat boosts are locked behind in-game currency.
At the end of each mission or operation, depending on how well you perform, you’ll score Requisitions and Medals. Considering how many you need to unlock just one Stratagem or individual weapon upgrades, you don’t earn a lot per mission, even on the higher difficulties that test your patience more than it’s worth.
Considering there’s no competitive aspect to the game, I expected resource requirements to be a little more forgiving, but this is 21st-century gaming. So, of course, there’s the option to purchase things like Super Credits with regular Earth currency to score more advanced firearms or unique armor sets (like the Killzone Warbond that features Helghast armor).
Helldivers 2 does reward players who take on the bigger challenges. However, I’ve yet to find the value in amping up stress with extreme difficulties for the sake of hoarding resources more quickly. I’ll gladly stick to my weaker machine gun-equipped Guard Dog robot and less effective Napalm bombing run Stratagems for the time being if it means taking on a more reasonable challenge at the expense of slower progression.
Rain Fire!
Tying everything together is a gameplay loop that can get absolutely bonkers. On the easiest difficulties, maps are pretty sparse. As you unlock higher difficulties (done simply by completing a mission on the highest available difficulty), you’ll find more points of interest, mini hordes of enemies, hazards, and collectibles. I’ve found a comfortable balance on either Suicide Mission or Impossible, the fourth and third highest difficulty settings.
Depending on where you launch into the battlefield, which you’ll decide right before selecting your mission loadout, you may have mere seconds to call in necessary Stratagems, like a grenade launcher or shield, before the first Terminids or Automatons stroll up. From there, it’s a matter of keeping moving, following an easy-to-read minimap that highlights everything from key locations to dropped weapons. Scrolling the map is quick and easy, but you do sacrifice access to your weapons, so, like with anything else, plan your route fast.
Waiting around every rocky outcrop or within every underground tunnel is a surprisingly diverse army of robots, bugs, or aliens. From ranged fiends that spew a slowing bile to up-close brutes equipped with melee weapons and flame-spewing shotguns, Helldivers 2 isn’t short on ways it wants to kill you, and kill you it will. If you’re a perfectionist who can’t stand dying in video games, this isn’t the game for you. The point is that you’re at a constant disadvantage. You have tools to try and overcome it, but the effort is often futile. It puts an emphasis on teamwork and makes victory all the sweeter.
Whether you’re prepping for a mission or knee-deep in bug guts and gore, there is always plenty going on in Helldivers 2. Dull moments are rare, and maybe that’s why it appeals to me so much. In many multiplayer titles, there are lulls as you hold a strategic position, rush the map hoping to stumble upon someone, or patiently wait for some monstrosity to pass you by.
In Helldivers 2, if you’re not in a constant state of stress on the battleground, you’re making crucial decisions in your ship that can impact the larger community.
A Grindy, Chaotic, Community-Focused Romp
Helldivers 2 has so many opportunities to falter, but Arrowhead Game Studios has clearly put a lot of TLC into every aspect of the ongoing experience. While it could have been shallow and short-lived, Helldivers 2 has been a complete package that has remained entertaining for virtually all of the 20-plus hours I’ve put in.
Have infrequent glitches or unhelpful teammates left me mildly irritated? Sure, but I’ve never signed off exasperated, and considering everything I’m still anxious to unlock (giant bipedal mech, anyone?), I don’t suspect I’ll be stepping away from this hilariously messy and grind-heavy shooter anytime soon.
It’s not just the developers behind the solid experience, too. Helldivers 2 may have the most inviting community I’ve come across since the inception of online gaming. In my first few missions, knowing I was a Level 1 Cadet, many players offered tips on how to use Stratagems or advised on how to complete objectives. Before long, I was on the giving end of such advice as new players found their way into my missions.
Perhaps it’s the sense that we’re all in this war together, setting our sights on common enemies. Maybe it’s our strong devotion to protecting the Federation, offering our lives for the good of Super Earth.
After all, we’ve all enlisted to fight for Liberty, Freedom, and Managed Democracy! I’m doing my part.
Are you?