Highlights

  • Some Helldivers 2 players threatened to teamkill others for wearing a cape honoring the liberation of Malevelon Creek.
  • The planet was crucial for establishing a supply line, but some criticized "Creekers" for focusing too much on its liberation.
  • The controversy highlights the balance between community desires and individual enjoyment in the game.

A group of Helldivers 2 players threatened to teamkill anyone who donned a cape commemorating the liberation of Malevelon Creek. The planet, which garnered a notorious reputation in the early weeks following Helldivers 2's release for its dense forests and armies of invading robotic soldiers, was reconquered after it was initially lost to the Automatons in February.

The Creek resided within the game's Severin Sector as a gateway to deeper territories and was vital to establishing a supply line into the system. However, attempts to retake the planet were met with fierce resistance by the controlling Automaton faction, which led to catastrophic losses on the side of Super Earth's forces. Though players were eventually able to reconquer the planet on April 1 and were additionally given a free cape commemorating their victory at Malevelon Creek, the grueling month-long battle for the planet required more than its fair share of time and effort, which left some players dissatisfied with their fellow Helldivers.

helldivers 2
Related
Helldivers 2: Supply Lines, Explained

While not explicitly explained in Arrowhead's Helldivers 2, supply lines are crucial in the effort to liberate planets. Here is how they work.

A small group of frustrated players turned to social media threatening to teamkill or kick any player they found who wore the cape in question. Several of the posts additionally criticized "Creekers," Helldivers who spent most or all of their time fighting the Automatons on Malevelon Creek, for allegedly wasting their time on the forest world and ignoring the then-ongoing major orders of the wider Galactic War. It's worth noting that other users swiftly downvoted the posts and similar comments en masse, with many of them ridiculing the original posters for proposing such a drastic measure against anyone who used a free and widely distributed cosmetic.

Helldivers 2's Creekers Divide The Community

Helldivers 2 players have been split on the topic of Creekers for some time now. On the one hand, their dedication to liberating what is arguably the most feared planet in the game despite their lack of reinforcements in the early weeks following the Creek's loss was inspiring for some. However, some players were annoyed by their obsession with Malevelon Creek and believed they had lost sight of the greater Galactic War after their time spent fighting the Automaton's fabricated armies, which only served to delay the reconquest of the Creek in the long run.

While the Helldivers 2 community has yet to report real widespread witch hunts of anyone who donned the cape celebrating the liberation of Malevelon Creek, the controversy provided a brief look into some of the frustrations in balancing the community's wants and needs with the lone player's experience. Some might ask if it's right for a developer to punish the entire community for the decision made by the minority. But on the opposite end, there are also players who don't believe the majority should be able to dictate the proper way to play a game for everyone, especially if it comes at the expense of the individual's enjoyment. It remains to be seen if developer Arrowhead Game Studios will find the right formula.