Is Helldivers 2 Really Pay-To-Win? Battle Pass & Microtransactions Explained

Players in face repugnant Teminids and lethal Automatons, but the most dangerous enemy of all may come from within. Feared more than either enemy faction is the enigmatic player known as the «Sample hoarder.» These players can wreak havoc upon their compatriots through selfish and unnecessary behavior, more so than teammates who spam cluster bombs and orbital barrages on their comrades.

Although is, for the most part, a game that's easy to learn in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay, the exact workings of the galaxy-spanning war for liberation that the game centers its overarching progression around can be a little harder to intuit. Pitting players against (at the moment) two different factions on separate fronts of an unending war, centers much of its overarching narrative and gameplay progression around liberating and occasionally defending planets from Terminids and Automatons, with Major Orders designating specific objectives for the entire playerbase to achieve over periods of time.

Following a series of controversial weapons nerfs in , developer Arrowhead Studios confirmed that it will soon be adjusting the difficulty on certain enemies. When the most recent balance patch for dropped, the community was divided on how certain weapons had been adjusted, insisting that the developer should focus on buffing equipment rather than making it weaker. In the days that followed, players have vocally expressed their frustration that their favorite firearms are now no longer effective on the game's harder difficulty settings.

's new patch has been released, bringing impressive features such as environmental hazards to the game. It has, however, introduced several balancing updates for weapons and stratagems, which have been controversial with those who have invested more time into the game.

Taking his passion for democracy one step further, a fanhas created his own Super Earth broadcasting service to keep players informed on the state of the galactic war. Keeping in tune with the satirical nature of the game, players of the co-op shooter are all working together to «liberate» planets from the evil forces of the Terminids and Automatons in a large-scale meta-game. To track their progress, Arrowhead has inserted several fictional news broadcasts that keep Helldivers informed of their contributions to the war effort, but one user has taken this propaganda to the next level.

Although has a wide variety of devastating Stratagems for players to call down on their enemies (or their fellow Helldivers), one tool in particular stands out, especially against the more heavily-armored Automaton faction. As gets further from its somewhat troubled, but wildly successful initial release, players have started to pin down a sort of meta for the game, finding which weapons, Stratagems, and armor are the most effective for any given situation. Even among the game's best tools, however, one specific Stratagem stands out, especially at higher difficulties.

fans are no strangers to innovating on the battlefield, but one player has made calling in support from Stratagems easier than ever before. After dropping down onto whatever besieged planet catches their attention, Helldivers are provided access to a range of Stratagems that involve plugging in a series of inputs for their orbiting Destroyer to send down equipment, supplies, and even deadly explosives. In the heat of battle, that process can be rather difficult, but fortunately, for some players, it just got much simpler.

After finding an immense amount of success on Steam, both and are the target of scammers trying to trick consumers into purchasing the wrong product. Whenever a game manages to make waves within the community, there's always someone who tries to capitalize on the hype by either creating an inferior project or by simply editing a Steam listing to obscure an already existing game. Fortunately, internet-savvy users are usually quick to point out listings that aren't legitimate.

Optimizing the perfect loadout can be a noble pursuit, but weirdly, it can sometimes go hand-in-hand with approaching the game in the wrong way. The community has united enthusiastically around the shared goal of winning the Galactic War and wiping out Terminids and Automatons, which might make it seem like every choice that furthers battlefield prowess is the right one. It's definitely true that putting forth one's best effort is an important part of playing the game, but there's also a way to take this sentiment too far.

has a lot of enemies that can be frustrating to fight, but one of the most annoying to encounter is actually interesting in a way that none of the others can claim. Enemies in can be divided into two factions – Terminids, which appear as insectoid alien creatures, and Automatons, which are robotic and heavily armored. Both draw on classic science-fiction tropes, with Terminids in particular invoking the Arachnids that show up in, an obvious inspiration for the satirical jingoism of

Every Terminid unit in can be an interesting challenge for Helldivers, but some are more annoying than others. can become a difficult game as one takes on higher difficulties, with some nerfs to enemies already patched through after the first weeks since launch. Each enemy has its strengths and weaknesses that make them feel unique from each other, and make it necessary for Helldivers to plan based on the mission and faction.

With (currently) two distinct factions spanning several planets at a time, has plenty of enemies to fight, some of which require specialized strategies or weapons, and all of which can pose a deadly threat if taken too lightly. Among the game's roster of enemies, however, a select few particularly stand out for being difficult to deal with and, especially on higher difficulties, requiring good squad coordination and well-put-together loadouts.