Is Helldivers 2 a competitive game? That's a fair question about the surprise hit of 2024 and its growing community doesn't quite agree. Some delve deep into its arsenal to find out the deadliest weapons, most destructive stratagems, and the best mission types to earn medals and Req. to collect. They see Helldivers 2 as a puzzle to be solved with the perfect meta.
Others argue that Helldivers 2 shouldn't be taken so seriously and that we should focus on the simple fun of surviving, or at least not surviving, the bug and automaton wars.
Of course, there's no “right way” to play Helldivers 2, but I think that has to apply to both casual fun defenders and meta hunters. The game is an interactive slapstick comedy, but also an extremely demanding co-op shooter. It's full of contradictions that create the tension we now see between different types of players.
The entire premise of Helldivers 2 is frivolous satire
We fight for Super Earth, but take a look at the lore of Helldivers and there is no doubt that we are the villains. Managed Democracy, Super Earth, Liber Tea – Helldivers 2 openly mocks extremist fascist ideology and expects us to laugh along.
…and yet his galactic war is anything but a joke
It's kind of fun to be the villains, or at least roleplay as them. Helldivers 2's galactic war simulation, along with its narrative interventions, have created an environment in which players know planet names by heart, are committed to their liberation, and mourn their losses. Our shared status as simple, expendable helldivers breeds true camaraderie, which is strengthened when a sector is liberated thanks to a collective effort. It's not serious, but we take it seriously. For some, the pursuit of “the meta” may come from a genuine desire to play a role in this fake war.
Arrowhead's CEO says don't bother with weapon stats
Helldivers 2 doesn't want you to think too much about your equipment: the only information we get about weapons is their damage, recoil, capacity and rate of fire. Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Arrowhead, says that information is intentionally withheld (actually about 47 hidden stats), and now comments several times that the best Helldivers 2 weapon is “the one you like best.”
I like this attitude. I'm not competing against anyone and Helldivers 2 doesn't have a kills leaderboard. So what does it matter how “good” a weapon is as long as it serves me well?
…but there are weapon stats, and it's also fun to explore the hidden depths of Helldivers 2
Honestly, I want to see all these hidden stats. I don't want to figure out the statistically strongest weapon and then just use that, but I do want to learn more about Helldivers 2's surprisingly deep combat depth. Discovering hidden mechanisms like the day-night cycle is part of the fun.
But the game also obscures information that should actually be presented somewhere, like how explosive ammunition looked terrible on paper until Pilestedt tweeted his hidden 2x damage multiplier to weak points. The stats are there, they're important, and I don't blame players (especially those trying their luck on difficulty 9 missions) for wanting to know more about them.
Helldivers 2's war is a story, not a mystery
Arrowhead sees Helldivers 2 as a massive Dungeons and Dragons campaign that it plays with millions of party members. The campaign has a dungeon master named Joel, and he doesn't always play fair. Like any good DM, Arrowhead can and will manipulate the rules to tell a better story, like when it took out the Automaton reinforcements at Malevelon Creek to slow down Super Earth.
It was disheartening to watch Super Earth lose its first defensive campaign, but as participants in history, we should embrace the drama that comes with defeat and allow it to make the next victory all the sweeter.
…except that players are encouraged to win despite tight deadlines
Not only did we lose control of a sector when the defense campaign failed, we also missed out on resources that players had been caring for for over a week. I thought it would be fun to lose, but I really wanted the XP and 15,000 requirements. My friends and I fought more bots than we wanted to with some pretty brutal deadlines on some planets due to the Grand Order in effect, and now I feel like we wasted our time.
Years of “live service” have taught us only one way to enjoy shooters
In the live service era, multiplayer games tend to be viewed as collaborative products that we can work to change. Players demand balance updates, roadmaps, and weekly additions and may feel cheated if they don't receive them. Since it's a $40 PvE game with limited content, I'm not sure if Helldivers 2 is intended to stay balanced over years of updates or even grow that much larger.
…but Helldivers 2 is, so to speak, a live service shooter
Pilestedt is hesitant to call Helldivers 2 a live service game, but admits that technically it is one. It features microtransactions, FOMO skins, and a premium battle pass (that never expires). If you can continually invest in a game, you can also expect continuous updates. Balance is a dubious concept for PvE, but the studio plans to optimize weapon stats in the future.
However, Arrowhead is cautious about what it promises – following the game's unexpected success, the team recently revisited its roadmap. I'm excited that there's a lot more to come, but I kind of hope Arrowhead never releases a full roadmap. Mystery is fun, and I want to be surprised by Arrowhead's efforts, not compare its results to a list of outdated promises.
For me, it's a good sign that this unexpectedly popular shooter lets us grapple with complicated feelings – Helldivers 2 is an interactive story with no defined ending, a stage for improvisational comedy, a competitive shooter that we should sometimes lose. It's messy.
The game appeals to those who want to be the best and those who just want to be there. These contradictions are original and I think they will keep people coming back to Helldivers 2 for a long time.
