The Helldivers 2 mission statement of bringing players along for the constantly evolving narrative has just hit a new objective: eliminate two billion Automatons. The only issue is, that after we did the same to the Terminid swarm in less than a day, the exploit we accidentally used has been removed. So it’s going to be a lot harder this time, and there’s a returning stratagem on the line.
Helldivers 2 has the best live service narrative I’ve ever seen. It flawlessly combines collective player decision-making, pushback from developer Arrowhead, in-universe storytelling, and even happy accidents caused by glitches or errors. The co-op game recently built a through line based on us killing two billion bugs in under 24 hours, and now multiple threads are coming together. Despite the controversy then, Helldivers 2 is still going strong.
Let’s set the scene – here’s the next Major Order in the game, which we have four days to complete as of writing: “Decommission the targeted number of [two billion] Automatons, to be melted down and reconstructed into a new Stratagem: MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines.”
Why is this important? Well, it follows a similar task that saw us kill two billion Terminids. The difference is a now-fixed glitch that overcounted our exterminations which helped us blitz the bugs. Now we’ve got to do the work for real, and the enemy shoots back.
This combines with the mission reward, the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines, to present a unique live service storytelling opportunity. The mines were one of two stratagem rewards for liberating two planets in Helldivers 2, so now anyone who preferred the mines has to work extra hard just to bring them into the game.
If we fail the Major Order Arrowhead would find a way to get the stratagem into the game eventually, but the longer it takes for us to get them the more the storytelling revolves around our actions and starts to bleed outside the game.
The merging of these ongoing storylines is nothing short of genius, and it’s been achieved by a series of game-wide objectives, with some of them not working as planned. Arrowhead knows how to think on its feet, and it’s what I love most about the live game approach of Helldivers 2.
We can keep you up to speed with all you need to know on the newest Helldivers 2 Warbond, the best Helldivers 2 weapons, and the top-tier Helldivers 2 stratagems as well.
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