Highlights

  • Helldivers 2 has quickly gained popularity, surpassing player counts of big titles like Destiny 2 on Steam.
  • Joel is the mysterious Game Master behind Helldivers 2, controlling in-game events and difficulty.
  • Arrowhead Game Studios is expanding the Grand Master team to support Joel as the game continues to grow.

Helldivers 2, released on February 8, has amassed an impressive player base within just a few weeks. In a remarkable display of popularity, Helldivers 2 has not only overtaken Destiny 2's all-time peak player count on Steam, but it even managed to topple the previous chart-topper, Palworld. As new players continue to join the growing community, they'll encounter a deep and engaging world with its own lore and mechanics to master.

Helldivers 2's captivating lore has drawn in both seasoned veterans and fresh recruits, fostering a thriving community dedicated to understanding the game's mysteries and narrative. However, one question continues to circulate, even among older players: who is Joel? This name has become increasingly prominent within the Helldivers community, though some may not realize Joel's significance in the game.

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Helldivers 2's Galactic War Is Being Spearheaded By One Man

Joel Is Helldivers 2's Virtual Dungeon Master

According to an interview with Arrowhead Game Studios, the mysterious person known as Joel is the shooter's Game Master, a person responsible for influencing and observing in-game events. Considering that Helldivers 2 is home to an intricate narrative, it makes sense that there would be a mastermind behind it all. However, the realization that the MMO is being manipulated by a single human being may come as a surprise to some players.

Arrowhead Game Studios commented that the studio purposefully designed the system in such a way that the "Game Master has a lot of control over the play experience." As such, every time players move their focus - either as a unified force or in small groups - to different planets and sectors, Joel makes a counterplay with the Automatons and Terminids he has available. With Joel able to change the tide of the war and dictate how difficult the game becomes, it's appropriate that he's being touted as the game's all-seeing Dungeon Master.

"With Joel able to change the tide of the war and dictate how difficult the game becomes, it's appropriate that he's heralded as the game's all-seeing dungeon master."

Since the Helldiver Corps is currently being directed by the Major Order to kill the infestation of Terminids on Veld, it's clear Joel will play a large part in whether the mission is a success. With the Game Master pulling the strings on the campaign to liberate Veld, victory is never assured, regardless of how hard players fight in the name of democracy. Just recently, the Helldivers suffered a major setback on the western front where they lost Malevelon Creek to the Automatons.

Helldivers 2's Scope Is Expanding

The war table showing the systems under threat by the Terminids and Automatons

Regrettably, the absence of an in-engine narrative director requires Joel to be constantly keeping a watchful eye on the game world. This continuous management, combined with the desire to meet both studio and community expectations, has taken a toll on Joel's sleep, as reported by the community manager, Baskinator. In light of the explosive success of Helldivers 2, surpassing its initial launch expectations, Arrowhead Game Studios acknowledged the need for an "emergency expansion" to the Grand Master team in hopes of relieving the pressure on Joel.

Fortunately, since Helldivers 2 is still young, the ongoing battles against the enemies of Managed Democracy offer a valuable learning experience for the developers and players alike. As players make their way across the galactic map, it's been explained that Joel has had to "grease the wheels for the enemy a few times" to stop troops from overtaking planets too easily. As time goes on, Joel will likely increase the difficulty of the game as players advance beyond what some have theorized is just a "learning stage."

Arrowhead Game Studios has commented that the Game Master is not changing the percentage of liberated areas when monitoring campaigns. Instead, this number is based on the concurrent player count of Helldivers versus enemies. The higher the enemy count, the more land they take back.