Summary

  • Helldivers 2's live-service approach has led to divisive updates, like the recent nerfing of popular weapons, causing player backlash.
  • Five new enemies in Escalation of Freedom elevate the game's intensity, making combat even more challenging for players to navigate.
  • Despite controversial changes, future plans aim to address player feedback and provide exciting new content for Helldivers 2 enthusiasts.

Helldivers 2 has been one of the most talked about games of the year so far. Leading up to its launch, the third-person shooter slid under many gamers' radars, but Helldivers 2 ended up being a smash hit once it was released. The game has been hailed by both critics and players as a strong example of how live-service titles should be handled, but it hasn't all been roses.

Since Helldivers 2 takes a live-service approach, the game has received a series of updates. These updates are intended to improve the gameplay, but they don't always go according to plan. Helldivers 2's most recent update, Escalation of Freedom, went live on August 6, and it has proven to be a divisive update among players. Two popular weapons, the SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary and FLAM-40 Flamethrower, were significantly nerfed, leading some players to review bomb Helldivers 2. Despite the nerf issues that have upset some players, there is still plenty of great content that Escalation of Freedom offers.

Helldivers 2 - Golden Eagle Armor
Helldivers 2: How to Get the TR-40 Gold Eagle Armor

Wondering why some players are wearing a golden armor set in Helldivers 2? You can too. It's called the TR-40 Gold Eagle and here's how to get it.

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Helldivers 2's Escalation of Freedom Changes Explained

New Enemies to Face

  • Impaler (Terminid)
  • Spore Charger (Terminid)
  • Terminid Alpha Commander (Terminid)
  • Rocket Tank (Automaton)
  • Rocket Scout Strider (Automaton)

So far, five new enemies have made their way into Helldivers 2, turning up the dial on the game's already intense combat. The Spore Charger is one of the most harrowing additions to the game, as normal Chargers were already a force to be reckoned with. With each new enemy that gets added to the battlefield, the more challenging the game becomes, and the new difficulty level turns up the heat.

An Even Harder Difficulty Level

Helldivers 2 has a comical amount of difficulties for players to choose from, and the brand-new Super Helldive option presents players with a tenth option that is insanely challenging. It can be easy to fail missions in Helldivers 2, and ramping up the difficulty level with Super Helldive is for the community's players who truly love to be put through the wringer.

New Objectives and Missions

There are two new secondary Objective types. For Terminids, players can capture baby bugs. Additionally, a new mission type tasks players with hunting Impalers, which is no easy task. The next secondary Objective involves the Automatons, as players will be able to attack Human Processing Plants.

A new grief-kicking feature that spawns the kicked player in a new session as a host with all the previous team's loot has been added to stop kicking players from games.

Balancing Weapons and Stratagems

This is the most controversial of the changes made to Helldivers 2. The aforementioned weapons that have caused some players to review bomb the game are a blemish on Escalation of Freedom. In addition to these nerfs, the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow is now a one-handed weapon, while the max ammo for the GP-31 Grenade Pistol has been reduced. On the bright side, Stratagems like the Shield Generator Pack and Shield Generator Relay can now block the effects of blizzards and sandstorms.

Honorable Mentions

  • Swamp Biome
  • Larger Enemy Outposts
  • UI and Social Menu upgrades

The new Swamp biome makes the terrain of Helldivers 2 more diverse and treacherous. Furthermore, the larger enemy outposts contain high-value Super Samples as a way to entice players to use strategy and skill in order to break into the more challenging structures. Lastly, the UI and Social Menu changes have simply made Helldivers 2 easier to understand overall.

Despite the recent controversy, Helldivers 2 has big plans for the future that will hopefully please some frustrated players. It seems like developer Arrowhead is taking player feedback into consideration, which will hopefully mean fewer unnecessary nerfs in the future. Until then, there is at least plenty of exciting new content to experience in Helldivers 2 that mostly makes up for the game's divisive weapon changes.

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9 /10

Helldivers 2
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Third-Person Shooter
Extraction Shooter
Action
Science Fiction
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
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Released
February 8, 2024
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
Publisher(s)
Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Engine
bitsquid
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
All platforms
Franchise
Helldivers
Number of Players
1-4 players (online)
Genre(s)
Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction