Highlights

  • Helldivers 2 surprised fans with its success as a live-service title, setting a new standard for the genre.
  • The EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit in Helldivers 2 is effective, but more varied loadout options in the future would be spectacular.
  • Custom exosuit loadouts would be a fantastic endgame for Helldivers 2, allowing players to personalize their armaments and abilities.

It's been a wild few months for Helldivers 2. Released on February 8, there wasn't too much hype surrounding Helldivers 2's initial launch. While the game is a sequel to a 2015 PS4/PS Vita title, it bears little resemblance to its top-down predecessor, and its online multiplayer live-service approach didn't fill fans with a lot of confidence. But somehow, Helldivers 2 has managed to do what so many have tried and failed to do, and that's actually become a successful live-service title.

With a lower initial price point, no predatory microtransactions, and a battle pass system that avoids common FOMO practices, Helldivers 2 has set a new standard for the live-service genre, and it's enjoyed a great deal of success over the last two months. Putting players in the boots of an expendable sci-fi army of Super Earth's finest, Helldivers 2's core gameplay loop sees players try to gradually wipe other hostile species from the face of the galaxy, one planet at a time. To aid in that noble objective, Arrowhead has continued to add new weapons and tools to the game, and one recent addition feels like it's still only scratching the surface of its potential.

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Helldivers 2’s Nonstop Immersion is Where It Shines Brightest

Helldivers 2 benefits from having few menu screens interrupting the experience and the result is an immersive, cooperative jaunt through the galaxy.

Helldivers 2's Exosuits Could Be So Much More

Added to Helldivers 2 at the start of March after a Major Order tasked players with liberating the system of Tien Kwan, the EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit is one of the latest Strategems players will unlock in the game, only being available after level 25.

Right now, Helldivers 2's exosuit only has one form, but it's a rather effective one. Equipped with a Gatling gun on one arm and a missile pod on the other, the EXO-45 Patriot is capable of cleaving through swarms of Terminids, and to a lesser extent, wiping out small armies of Automatons. While the Patriot Exosuit does its job fairly well, there's always room for improvement.

Helldivers 2's Exosuits Should Feature Alternate Loadouts

It would be great to see some different exosuit loadouts come to Helldivers 2 in the near future. The first Helldivers had three different exosuit Stratagems, each one with a unique weapon loadout: the EXO-44 Walker is the model closest to Helldivers 2's Patriot, equipped with some missiles and a minigun, the EXO-48 Obsidian is an upgraded version of that equipped with dual autocannons, and the EXO-51 Lumberer boasted a powerful cannon on one arm and a devastating flamethrower on the other. It would be great to see similar exosuits come to Helldivers 2.

But even then, that feels like it's still only scratching the surface. While miniguns, autocannons, missiles, and flamethrowers would all be great exosuit additions, Helldivers 2 could deliver a handful of even more unique exosuit loadouts. An energy-based exosuit would be a great pick, with a more powerful version of Helldivers 2's Sickle on one arm and an EMG grenade launcher on the other. Alternatively, an exosuit designed for support might also be interesting, equipped with a portable shield and some kind of gas emitter that slows oncoming enemies.

But the true final destination for Helldivers 2's exosuits is already clear as day, and that's custom exosuit loadouts. Eventually, it would be amazing to be able to customize each individual component on a Helldivers 2 exosuit, from deciding what weapon gets attached to each arm, to maybe being able to give the exosuit some kind of unique ability such as a rocket boost or the aforementioned portable shield. There's no confirmation that'll ever occur, but the ceiling is only as high as Arrowhead wants it to be.