Highlights

  • Helldivers 2 builds on its successful predecessor with upgraded gameplay and a live-service model, promising to keep players engaged for the long haul.
  • The game offers a wealth of content from different enemy factions to various unlockables, providing a satisfying experience for players looking for strategic depth.
  • Because its current model works so well, Arrowhead shouldn't rush to add huge story expansions to Helldivers 2, instead pacing out its core content drops carefully.

Released in March 2015, the first Helldivers was a top-down co-op shooter that earned some impressive critical scores, landing it at an 83 on Metacritic. With a satirical Sci-Fi plot in a similar vein to Starship Troopers, some chaotically satisfying co-op gameplay, and an endless amount of replayability, the first Helldivers was well-deserving of its success. Nevertheless, its recently released sequel, Helldivers 2, blows it out of the water.

Taking its predecessor's general gameplay structure and narrative backbone, Helldivers 2 gives the series a modernized third-person shooter overhaul, along with the introduction of a live-service model. Still one of the most controversial elements of modern gaming, the live-service model has often resulted in the release of half-baked cash-grabs that receive minimal support after launch, but at the same time it's also produced some of the most successful, long-running games of all time. Thankfully, Helldivers 2 looks like it's on track to be part of the latter camp.

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Helldivers 2's Most Classic Stratagem Type Needs More Love

Helldivers 2 has been getting plenty of gameplay updates recently, and it would be nice if one stratagem type got some more attention.

Helldivers 2 Should Keep Taking Live-Service Slow

Helldivers 2's Live-Service Loop Is Working Very Well

It's all too often that a live-service game will fail to meet expectations. Whether it's an unfinished story, a lack of compelling progression systems, a lack of post-launch support, or a mix of them all, many live-service games are doomed to fail from the get-go, and with the amount of effort that's required to keep them going for the long haul, many end up being shut down mere months after their initial release. But every so often, a live-service game comes out and proves that the model can not only work, but actually benefits the type of story and gameplay that the developer is going for. Helldivers 2 is the perfect example of that.

From the get-go, Helldivers 2 offered an impressive amount of content. Helldivers 2 came packaged with two major enemy factions, each coming with their own set of unique unit types and requiring different strategies to take down. Helldivers 2 also offers a robust set of progression systems, from unlockable weapons to Strategems to Ship Modules, the vast majority of which have a substantial purpose during gameplay, and feel genuinely satisfying to unlock.

But having enough content on day one is just the start for a live-service game. Thanks to games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, players now expect any live-service game to receive frequent updates and content drops, and Helldivers 2 seems to be knocking it out of the park in this regard. In the last few months since launch, Helldivers 2 has added new Strategems, weapons, Warbonds, and enemy types on a fairly regular basis, all of which have been successful in convincing players to stick around. On top of this, Helldivers 2's general premise of an ever-evolving galactic war that sees players fight to control planets is a masterful integration of the live-service model, encouraging players to keep returning day after day to help conquer the galaxy.

Helldivers 2's First Big Expansion Can Wait in the Wings

Helldivers 2 seems to be thriving on its current live-service model, with a recent Bloomberg report suggesting that the game has sold at least 8 million copies so far. As things stand, the Helldivers 2 player-base seems more than satisfied with the amount of content currently in the game, and the pace at which new content is being added, meaning that there might not be a need for any kind of major expansion anytime soon.

With the Automatons fighting desperately to take back their home planet, rumors have started circulating that a new enemy faction, the Illuminate, could be introduced very soon, but it might be better if Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead holds off on that. Rather than release a new faction or any kind of major expansion imminently, while players are still satisfied with the current pace of content, Helldivers 2 should save that big content drop for when it's really needed, when the initial hype surrounding the game eventually starts to die down.