Summary
- Kicks in Helldivers 2 can happen anytime, causing disruptions and demoralization among players. Communication is key to preventing misunderstandings.
- Varying opinions on kicks show a thin line between fair and unfair. Balancing retribution is tricky, making it hard to prevent undeserved kicks.
- Currently, it is best if players communicate intentions thoroughly, especially when extractions are considered.
Helldivers 2 players can get kicked at any point in the mission at the host’s discretion. This is by no means a brand-new point of discourse or contention in the Helldivers 2 community, but it remains disruptive and demoralizing for those who find themselves on the end of exploitative or inexplicable kicks.
Ultimately, Helldivers 2 is at its best when all players communicate properly and rally together in the plight of managed democracy. Unfortunately, that’s not always how a mission plays out and there’s a thin line each kick balances on with regard to what was fair and what was intended, though there debatably isn’t any worthwhile retribution to seek on either side.
Helldivers 2’s Extractions are the Root of Many Kicks and Communicative Assumptions
On the one hand, hosts should be allowed to kick anybody they wish for whatever reason, especially if a random player in their squad is toxic—they chose to join the host’s mission, after all. On the other hand, players who carry the host and their squad to the finish line or are at least actively contributing to the mission’s success only to be kicked without any explanation, either on voice comms or in the text chat, should not be penalized.
It’s grating, then, that Helldivers 2 would need to account for every situation and every possible contextual reason for why someone was kicked in order for there to be some semblance of a solution to this issue. As such, there’s probably no legitimate way to quell undeserved kicks wholly because deserved kicks are vital to Helldivers 2’s matchmaking system.
For example, many players seem to believe that calling in extraction immediately activates the endgame timer when in actuality it only triggers when a player enters the Pelican.
As long as nobody hops in, calling in extraction simply brings the Pelican to the planet’s surface so players won’t have to wait for it while overwhelmed by bots or bugs later on. Therefore, when players have been valuable the entire mission only to be kicked for calling in extraction—not to mention if all visible side objectives have already been completed and greyed out—the sting can be immeasurable.
Helldivers 2’s Kicks Represent a Communication Issue More Than Anything
Now, if somebody is calling in extraction and boards the Pelican right as it lands, that is reasonable cause for a swift kick if the host and no other squad members are anywhere nearby or are completing optional tasks elsewhere. Likewise, anyone calling in the Pelican after the host has directly asked them not to deserves to be kicked, even if they have no intention of boarding it right away.
It wouldn’t be surprising if these trust issues are why many hosts kick players calling in extraction early as they’ve likely been burned several times by Helldivers who aren’t communicating and are extracting alone for whatever reason. However, this behavior is typically only seen via inexperienced players who may not know all the etiquette and unwritten rules of Helldivers 2 because in no scenario is extracting alone ever more advantageous.
Helldivers 2 Has Two Ways to Combat Random Kicks for Decent Players
There are two counters to arguably undeserved kicks and both are absurdly obvious, though it’s unfortunate that they seem mandatory nowadays. One counter is for players to instigate their own missions rather than joining someone else’s, but the risk they run in this instance is not having anyone join them once they’re already stranded on the planet and have called in an SOS, particularly on higher Helldivers 2 difficulties such as Suicide Mission, Impossible, or Helldive.
Indeed, while the possibility of nobody joining players’ missions used to be nonexistent around launch with such an enormous playerbase at hand, Helldivers 2’s Steam player count has dipped tremendously.
If the remaining pool of players is kicking others incomprehensibly it sets a horrible precedent and, if nothing else, is an egregious amount of time wasted for the player who could’ve spent nearly half an hour aiding their teammates only to be kicked and not reap any of the rewards. The other counter is for players to immediately state their intentions in calling down the Pelican and assure the host that they won’t, in fact, leave everyone behind.
Helldivers 2
- Released
- February 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter.
URGENT BROADCAST – SUPER EARTH ARMED FORCES
Freedom. Peace. Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization. Of our very existence. But the war rages on. And everything is once again under threat.
Join the greatest military force the galaxy has ever seen and make this a safe and free place to live.
BECOME A LEGEND
You will be assembled into squads of up to four Helldivers and assigned strategic missions. Watch each other’s back – friendly fire is an unfortunate certainty of war, but victory without teamwork is impossible.
LOADOUTS
Rain down freedom from above, sneak through enemy territory, or grit your teeth and charge head-first into the jaws of combat. How you deliver liberty is your choice; you’ll have access to a wide array of explosive firepower, life-saving armor and battle-changing stratagems… the jewel in every Helldiver’s arsenal.
REQUISITION
Super Earth recognises your hard work with valuable Requisition. Use it to access different rewards that benefit you, your squad, your destroyer ship and our overall war effort.
THREATS
Everything on every planet wants you dead. That’s what we’re dealing with. Each enemy has distinct and unpredictable characteristics, tactics, and behavior – but they all fight ferociously and without fear or morality.
THE GALACTIC WAR
Capturing enemy planets, defending against invasions, and completing missions will contribute to our overall effort. This war will be won or lost depending on the actions of everyone involved.
We stand together, or we fall apart.
- 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
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- Metascore
- 83
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC & PS5
