Arrowhead overhauls Helldivers 2 after another wave of community criticism
The studio Arrowhead has announced a large-scale revision of key Helldivers 2 systems – from the galactic war to ship progression. The reason was a wave of criticism after yet another update, received without enthusiasm by the community. The developers decided not to limit themselves to patches and promised to rethink the very logic of the live service.
The galactic war will gain meaning
One of players’ main complaints is the feeling that their actions influence nothing. Game director Mikael Eriksson admitted this directly: according to him, the studio had known about the problem for a long time but never managed to show players that their efforts truly changed the course of events. “It was never clear whether the community’s actions led to different outcomes or whether it was just a smokescreen,” he wrote in a message to players.
The answer will be the so-called galactic war campaigns – an expanded replacement for the usual major orders. Instead of the usual medals, which most players never even spend, the campaigns will bring something more relevant – from unique items to effects that directly influence gameplay.
Battles on the planets will be reformatted
At the planetary level, the studio is introducing a war fronts system. Missions will now be distributed along a dynamically changing front line: some battles will take place in Super Earth territory, others right on the front line, and others deep in enemy territory. According to Eriksson, the desire to implement something like this had existed for a long time, but before there was simply not enough mission variety. “We want the liberation of planets to feel unique and epic for each one,” he explains.
Player progression also changes
Personal orders will give way to a personal campaign progress system – which will reduce the likelihood of situations where one player’s objectives conflict with the whole team’s tasks. In addition, Arrowhead will overhaul the modular system of the Super Destroyers and add new types of ships. The first is already in development by a team created specifically for it. Each new ship will have its own specialization and customization branches.
The list of changes also includes less obvious but no less important things: the level cap will be raised to 300, movement will be improved – for both players and enemies – and the game’s internal economy will be reviewed. It sounds ambitious. The key is to deliver at least part of it before the community grabs the pitchforks again.
