HELLDIVERS™ 2

While our engine team is working on both the engine and another blog related to the tech we use, our Production Director, Alex Bolle, wanted to share some of the processes the development team undergoes at Arrowhead.


Question: Alex, can you introduce the production role on Helldivers 2. Can you tell people what that role means to the game that they love?

Answer: Absolutely. I see the producer as a chaos manager. We're here to make sure that the creative direction of my fellow directors turns into something concrete, a plan basically.

What do we do with the features that they have in mind, with the improvements that we want for the game in a clear timeline with the people we need to make it happen and make sure that this is released on time, and in a state we know we need to be better at.


Question:
Timing and the cycles in the major updates are something that everybody gets excited about. How do you look at that internally?

Answer:
Preparing an arc is a recipe that we’re always trying to improve, sometimes it’s too salty, sometimes it needs more salt. We’re constantly trying to improve the live service experience.
It usually starts with a very strong fantasy: “what do we want the players to experience?”, then from that we create a list of initiatives for the game, from features, to major orders, the warbonds and so on.

In fact what’s interesting here is that for the longest time, our recipe was rather unbalanced, some would say way too spicy (but I’m from Corsica, I love spices). We were focused a lot on content. Listening to the players, we realized as a team that there is more than that. So we’re changing our approach. Some initiatives are all about cleaning our live features, introducing quality of life… We’re in the early stages of this, but so far when I look at future arcs, it’s promising and something I’m eager to let the community taste.


Question: So if we look at that, there's some progress that you and the team have been making towards the hardening, tell me more about that.

Answer: So, hardening is our last step in the development process before release, and it’s been something that we’ve pledged to take as a main priority moving forward. We are currently addressing the issues and looking for more before we release more goodness for the players.
For the longest time our features would be considered ready and implemented in the release build at the very last minute. We’re working with the teams to stop that. We use the term “functional” as a minimum standard for when features should be in the game. For example, the Hive Lord, as functional, was a very rough version of what players experienced.


Question: How is the development team structured?

Answer: We have big groups of teams that we call Areas, and I love to talk about these as the whole Helldivers’ experience.
Picture this: The first Area you experience as a player is Meta. Meta is responsible for the entire Galaxy’s systems, they define the rules of the whole game, and you’ll find your beloved Game Masters in this Area!

It’s time to Dive into the enemies lines, here comes GameWorld: they are world builders, a bunch of talented people creating new biomes like the Hive Worlds, and the missions the Helldivers will accomplish in the name of democracy. They have some of the “hottest” stuff cooking in right now, but not before we get things in order!

It’s time for combat! And we call the next Area… combat (don’t ask a producer to be too creative)! These teams are behind the mightiest enemies encountered, but you all know that you need some good firepower to stomps bugs, so yes, warbonds are done here!
There are two areas remaining, very important ones: The first one is what we call the Tech platform, they are running our game engine, and the tools that the rest of the developers will use.
Last but not least, our own Ministry Of Truth: The marketing and communication Area, it’s pretty self explanatory, this is our voice. Actually, I wouldn't write this if they weren’t here!


Thank you for diving and we'll see you next time!

Continue reading...

 

Freedom's greetings, Helldivers!

Release Captain Morris here, coming to you this democratic Tuesday with a Freedom Delivery.

For this ongoing minor update, stability and balance improvements were the focus of the team.
We look forward to hearing how you feel - we're keeping the galaxy (and democracy) running smoothly.

Patch Highlights

• 
  Fixed crashes, including some hotjoining and stratagem-related crashes.
  
  
• 
  Reducing framerate stutters during drop-in sequence.
  
  
• 
  Fixed issues related to unused textures loaded into memory.
  

Fixes


Crashes

• 
  Fixed a crash after hotjoining a game that just started, and when the existing players use certain stratagems
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare crash when enemies fall through the ground
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash that occurs during missions when an encounter is triggered
  
  
• 
  Fix rare crash on mission load
  
  
• 
  Fixed crash which could occur when interacting quickly with the weapon customization menu
  

Miscellaneous

• 
  Extraction shuttle will no longer get into the landing stage when bumping into tall structures near the landing pad
  
  
• 
  Fix an issue with missing haptics when gamepads disconnect/reconnect
  
  
• 
  Fixed ragdolls falling through ground during certain sections of the Tutorial
  
  
• 
  Fixed issue where some unused textures were being loaded into memory accidentally on certain planet types
  

Optimizations

• 
  (PC only) Fixed for textures sometimes appearing low resolution even when memory is available
  
  
• 
  Reducing flashlight reaction on muzzle smoke on all weapons for a better FOV
  
  
• 
  Reduced frame rate stutters during the drop-in sequence
  
  
• 
  Optimized destruction on various tree assets to maintain performance when lots of trees are being destroyed
  
  
  Known Issues
  

Continue reading...

 

Freedom's greetings, Helldivers!

Release Captain Morris coming to you this democratic Thursday with an update from High Command.


This update focuses on what matters most right now: making HELLDIVERS 2 feel better to play.

We’ve overhauled how we approach patching to better target the pain points you’ve shared with us. That means more focus on stability, balance, and the issues that affect your experience the most.

Over 200 bugs have been fixed, along with key balance updates and quality-of-life improvements. (For a deeper look, check out Lennart and Niklas’ video breakdown.)

While new features are coming, this patch marks a big step forward: both in the game itself and in how we work to improve it. More refinements are already underway.


Balancing
General changes


Primaries, Sidearms, Throwables, and Stratagems

• 
  Improvements have been made to increase the overall effectiveness of primary weapons, sidearms, throwables, and stratagems
  

Light vs. Medium Penetration Weapons

• 
  Light and medium penetration weapons now offer more distinct advantages.
  

Light penetration weapons generally deal a higher percentage of their total damage against durable enemies, differentiating them more clearly from medium penetration options

SMGs and Pistols

• 
  SMGs and pistols have been adjusted to emphasize their role as close-quarters weapons. Close-range damage has been increased, and damage falloff has been increased to reinforce their short-range combat identity
  

Melee Weapons and Throwables

• 
  Melee weapons and throwables have been improved to make each feel more impactful and unique in their function
  

Resupply Rack

• 
  The resupply rack is not climbable anymore
  

Primary weapons

SG-8P Punisher Plasma

• 
  Damage projectile decreased from 100 to 0
  
  
• 
  Damage explosion increased from 150 to 225
  

SG-8S Slugger

• 
  Damage increased from 280 to 330
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 75 to 90
  

AR-23 Liberator

• 
  Damage increased from 80 to 90
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 15 to 22
  

AR-23A Liberator Carbine

• 
  Damage increased from 80 to 90
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 15 to 22
  

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator

• 
  Damage increased from 60 to 65
  

AR-23C Liberator Concussive

• 
  Damage increased from 65 to 75
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 30 to 35
  

AR-61 Tenderizer

• 
  Durable damage increased from 22 to 30
  

AR-32 Pacifier

• 
  Damage increased from 50 to 55
  
  
• 
  Stun value per projectile increased from 1.5 to 2
  

SMG-37 Defender

• 
  Damage increased from 80 to 100
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 8 to 18
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

MP-98 Knight

• 
  Damage increased from 70 to 90
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 7 to 18
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

SMG-32 Reprimand

• 
  Damage increased from 125 to 135
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

SMG-72 Pummeler

• 
  Damage increased from 70 to 85
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 7 to 18
  
  
• 
  Stun value per projectile increased from 1.5 to 2
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

LAS-16 Sickle

• 
  Damage increased from 55 to 60
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 5 to 6
  

MA5C Assault Rifle

• 
  Damage increased from 80 to 90
  

M7S SMG

• 
  Damage increased from 70 to 80
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 7 to 16
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from from 0.6 to 1.2
  

StA-11 SMG

• 
  Damage increased from 70 to 90
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 7 to 18
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle

• 
  Extra spare magazines increased from 8 to 12
  
  
• 
  Ergonomics increased from 40 to 60
  

Sidearm weapons

CQC-2 Saber

• 
  Damage increased from 110 to 125
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 55 to 65
  

CQC-5 Combat Hatchet

• 
  Damage increased from 110 to 160
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 55 to 80
  
  
• 
  Attack speed has been slightly reduced
  

CQC-42 Machete

• 
  Damage increased from 170 to 200
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 80 to 100
  

P-2 Peacemaker

• 
  Damage increased from 85 to 95
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 25 to 30
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

P-19 Redeemer

• 
  Damage increased from 60 to 70
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 5 to 12
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

P-113 Verdict

• 
  Damage increased from 125 to 135
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

M6C/SOCOM

• 
  Damage increased from 100 to 110
  
  
• 
  Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
  

P-92 Warrant

• 
  Drag decreased from 0.3 to 0
  
  
• 
  Gravity multiplier decreased from 1 to 0.3
  

Throwables


TED-63 Dynamite

• 
  Damage increased from 700 to 1000
  
  
• 
  Armor penetration increased from Medium to Heavy
  
  
• 
  Demolition strength increased from 30 to 40
  
  
• 
  Stagger increased from 30 to 40
  
  
• 
  Uses decreased from 4 to 3
  

G-7 Pineapple

• 
  Shrapnel from main explosion increased from 7 to 18
  
  
• 
  Demolition strength on the main explosion increased from 20 to 30
  
  
• 
  Inner radius on shrapnel explosion increased from 1 to 2.5m
  
  
• 
  Damage on shrapnel explosion increased from 70 to 100
  
  
• 
  Removed lifetime on the shrapnel
  
  
• 
  Shrapnel from the shrapnel explosion decreased from 6 to 0
  

G-50 Seeker

• 
  Higher priority for flying enemies
  
  
• 
  Highest target priority for marked target
  
  
• 
  Damage increased from 400 to 500
  

G-6 Frag

• 
  Uses increased from 5 to 6
  

G-3 Smoke

• 
  Uses increased from 4 to 5
  

Throwing knifes

• 
  Damage increased from 250 to 300
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 100 to 150
  

PLAS-1 Scorcher

• 
  Plasma projectiles will now pass through foliage without losing velocity
  

Stratagems

PLAS-45 Epoch

• 
  Duration until explosion increased from 3 to 3.25 sec
  
  
• 
  Delayed muzzle charge VFX by 0.5 seconds so it now appears when the projectile is overcharged, improving visibility of the charge state
  
  
• 
  Damage on standard projectiles explosion increased from 400 to 500
  
  
• 
  Demolition strength on overcharged projectile increased from 10 to 30
  

M-105 Stalwart

• 
  Damage increased from 80 to 90
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 15 to 22
  

FLAM-40 Flamethrower

• 
  Canister capacity increased from 130 to 150
  
  
• 
  Starting canisters increased from 2 to 3
  
  
• 
  Max spare canisters increased from 4 to 5
  

APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle

• 
  Durable damage increased from 180 to 225
  
  
• 
  Starting magazines increased from 4 to 5
  
  
• 
  Max spare magazines increased from 6 to 8
  

AC- 8 Autocannon

• 
  Damage increased from 260 to 325
  

GL-52 De-Escalator

• 
  Damage increased from 55 to 100
  
  
• 
  Durable damage increased from 55 to 70
  

MS-11 Solo Silo

• 
  Health increased from 800 to 1500
  
  
• 
  Enemies will not attack it
  
  
• 
  Increased demolition strength needed to destroy it
  

Orbital Railcannon Strike

• 
  Cooldown decreased from 210 to 180 sec
  

EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit

• 
  Missile Armor penetration in worse angles increased from 6-6-4-0 to 6-6-5-0
  
  
• 
  Rotary gun ammo capacity increased from 1000 to 1350
  

Enemies

• 
  The goal is to make light and medium armor-piercing weapons equally effective against certain common enemies by adjusting their durable damage and durable resistance values
  

Illuminates

Fleshmob

• 
  Targeting the faces deals extra damage to its main health, effectively creating weak spots
  
  
• 
  Main health decreased from 6000 to 5000
  
  
• 
  Most health zones are slightly more durable
  
  
• 
  Slightly less vulnerable to fire to balance health decrease
  

Elevated Overseer

• 
  Main health decreased from 600 to 450
  
  
• 
  Head health increased from 150 to 200
  
  
• 
  Head zone armor decreased from 3 to 2
  
  
• 
  Torso health decreased from 600 to 450
  
  
• 
  Arms health decreased from 300 to 250
  
  
• 
  Slight increase on how easy it is to set on fire
  

Leviathan

• 
  Now equipped with beam-based weaponry
  
  
• 
  Leviathans will not show up in missions outside of cities
  

Terminids

Rupture Strain enemies

• 
  Updated textures for all Rupture Strain enemies for better readability
  

Rupture Warrior

• 
  Movement speed when underground has been decreased
  
  
• 
  Needs to surface more often when moving underground
  
  
• 
  Its burrow attack is slightly slower and leaves more space to be dodged
  
  
• 
  Smaller damage boxes when attacking from below
  
  
• 
  Front legs armor decreased from 3 to 2
  
  
• 
  Will prefer to emerge before attacking turrets instead of destroying them from below ground
  

Rupture Spewer

• 
  Retuned the timing of how fast it starts to act from when it unburrows
  

Bile Spewer Variations

• 
  Increased size of its mouth weak spot
  

Brood Commanders

• 
  Slightly harder to set on fire
  

Warriors

• 
  Slightly harder to set on fire
  
  
• 
  Slight durable increase in head and body
  

Dragon roach

• 
  Spawn rate decreased
  
  • 
    50% lower on difficulty 5,6
    
    
  • 
    40% lower on difficulty 7,8,9
    
    
  • 
    33% lower on difficulty 10
    
• 
  Destruction of the wings results in instant termination of the Dragon
  
  • 
    Wings now have their own health pool of 4000
    
    
  • 
    Increased how much damage wings take from explosion
    

Bile spewers

• 
  Slightly harder to set on fire
  
  
• 
  Larger body parts are slightly more durable
  

Hive Lord

• 
  Improved performance during Hive Lord encounters.
  

Automatons


Base Alarming

• 
  Automaton troopers in bases will require better visual confirmation before calling in reinforcements, instead of calling them in immediately
  

Devastators

• 
  Slightly harder to be put on fire
  
  
• 
  Large body parts are slightly more durable
  

Command Bunker Turret

• 
  Removed ragdolling from its projectiles explosion
  

Factory Strider

• 
  Slightly less vulnerable to fire
  

War Strider

• 
  Shoots 2 fewer grenades per salvo
  
  
• 
  Shoots grenades less often
  
  
• 
  Removed ragdolling from its projectiles explosions
  
  
• 
  Added weak spots aim for the eyes and the vents on the back
  

Scout Striders

• 
  Armored top shield is more durable
  

Fixes


Stratagems

• 
  Fixed an issue where Helldivers were unable to call down stratagems in the objective area of the "Nuke Nursery" cave mission
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue with the B-100 Portable Hellbomb stratagem sometimes falling on Cave roofs in the "Destroy Spore Lung" mission
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue with the drill objective stratagem sometimes landing in unintended places such as on top of caves, in Nuke Nursery Hive World missions
  
  
• 
  Players can now stay aiming down sights when activating the LIFT-860 Hover Pack
  

Crashes

• 
  Fixed a rare crash occurring when fighting Illuminates
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash when hotjoining and readying up before other hotjoiners
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash occurring when a player would re-join multiple times
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare crash caused by Eagle-1
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare bug where the Eagle-1 would never be removed from the game session and eventually cause crashes
  
  
• 
  Fixed rare crash bug that could happen when spawning in groups of enemies
  
  
• 
  Fixed crash affecting Helldivers trying to lean out from a vehicle
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash that could happen when scrolling through the weapon customization menu
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash that could happen during game shutdown
  

Weapons

• 
  Fixed armor penetration values in the Stats Menu for CQC-5 Combat Hatchet, CQC-30 Stun Baton,CQC-19 Stun Lance, CQC-2 Saber, CQC-1 One True Flag and the G-7 Pineapple grenade; the armor penetration value displayed as Medium instead of Light
  
  
• 
  Improved initial bullet alignment while strafing and riding in vehicles
  
  
• 
  Moved the first person camera further away from the MS-11 Solo Silo's Target Designator scope
  
  
• 
  Fixed the weapon reload animations desyncing when wielding armor passives that give increased reload speed
  
  
• 
  The FAF-14 Spear can now lock onto Automaton AA turrets
  
  
• 
  Fixed projectiles hitting direct center of sights when extremely close to objects
  
  
• 
  Haptics feedback is now present throughout the firing of the FLAM-40 Flamethrower stratagem
  

Miscellaneous

• 
  Fixed a bug where Hive Lord body parts would not spawn properly
  
  
• 
  Fixed an instance where the Helldiver couldn't re-join their previous host, if said host left a joined game in progress from the loadout
  
  
• 
  Fixed a bug where the LIFT-182 Warp Pack would sometimes get stuck suspended in the air or crash
  
  
• 
  Fixed Adreno-Defibrillator armor passive animation bug
  
  
• 
  Fixed disconnection issues when joining a solo player with 3 cross-platform players
  
  
• 
  Fixed mesh clipping for the arms on some animations
  
  
• 
  Reduced the chance of the Extraction Shuttle clipping through terrain
  
  
• 
  Fixed a flickering bug on the avatar when the Helldiver gets affected by mud or snow
  
  
• 
  Fixed a bug hole covered by terrain in one of the CR10 Mega Nests
  
  
• 
  Rupture Warriors can no longer destroy deployable turrets while still underground
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue where the front door of the GATER could become inaccessible
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare issue where the player could be disconnected when they are a part of a mixed platform, 3 person lobby that joins a solo player under poor network conditions
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue with Illuminate dropships not taking correct damage during the “Repel Invasion Fleet” missions
  
  
• 
  The currency symbol for Saudi riyal is now displayed correctly in the in game shop
  
  
• 
  The Oil Rigs reverse audio will no longer continuously play if the player attempts to reverse during oil extraction
  
  
• 
  Fixed Helldivers going through the floor in the tutorial mission, when diving near the barbed wires
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare soft-lock in tutorial
  
  
• 
  Helldiver is now killed when driving into drill holes during Nuke Nursery missions
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue where Helldivers could enter a vehicle even though the seat got claimed by someone else first
  
  
• 
  Fixed controller vibrations behaving incorrectly when connecting or disconnecting controllers on PC
  
  
• 
  Fixed miscellaneous threading issues in the audio system
  
  
• 
  Fixed minor texture clipping issues on the floor between hellpod launchers on the ship
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue where voice chat could sometimes change volume unexpectedly - particularly when entering caves
  

Optimizations

• 
  Optimized status effects
  
  
• 
  Optimized physics by only enabling powered ragdolls when needed
  
  
• 
  Optimized physics body handling for damage calculations
  
  
• 
  Optimized Automaton units and NPC eyes, by changing them from particle effects to shaders
  
  
• 
  Optimized AI behaviors by analyzing and stripping out redundant code
  
  
• 
  Reduced stuttering during drop-in sequence for missions on Hive Worlds
  
  
• 
  Improved audio IO performance
  
  
• 
  Snow distribution and overall look has been reworked
  
  
• 
  Improved performance by tweaking LOD settings for characters
  
  
• 
  Optimized asset distribution for several planets types
  
  
• 
  Optimized scattered assets such as grass on various planet types
  
  
• 
  Optimized asset distribution in Hiveworlds and Terminid caves
  
  
• 
  Optimized asset setup and geometry for assets used in Hiveworlds and Terminid caves
  
  
• 
  Optimized status effect physics and particle systems while maintaining visual feedback and fidelity
  
  
• 
  Optimized various Automaton explosion VFX
  
  
• 
  Optimized Acid Rain effects during Acid Storms
  
  
• 
  Optimized Dragonroach fire attack VFX
  
  
• 
  Made various optimizations to the fire system, including particle and light optimization.
  
  
• 
  Improved performance by optimizing the rendering of several shaders
  

Known Issues

Continue reading...

 

Hey, Helldivers. This is the first of what we intend to become a regular series of posts where the engineering team talks about the technical health of the game and some of the technical challenges we’re working through.



Installation Size

The installation size of HELLDIVERS 2 on PC seems to be a hot topic right now so let’s start with that. The current install size on PCs is around 150 GB. This is roughly three times larger than the same game installed on consoles! Given the amount of content in the game, the size on consoles seems quite reasonable so the obvious question is - why is it so large on PC?



Data Duplication

Much of the data in the PC version of HELLDIVERS 2 is duplicated. The practice of duplicating data to reduce loading times is a game development technique that is primarily used to optimize games for older storage media, particularly mechanical Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and optical discs like DVDs.



This practice is largely unnecessary for games deployed on Solid State Drives (SSDs) which is why the console versions of HELLDIVERS 2 do not do this.



The Problem with Mechanical Hard Drives

The main issue with a mechanical HDD is seek time. An HDD stores data on a spinning platter, and a physical arm with a read head has to move across the platter to find and retrieve data. The time it takes for this arm to "seek" or move to the correct location is a significant performance bottleneck.



Imagine a large game level with various objects - trees, rocks, buildings, props. If the data for these objects is scattered all over the hard drive, the read head has to physically jump around the disk, which adds a lot of time to the loading process.



The Solution: Duplication

To solve this problem, we deliberately duplicate certain data files (like a common tree texture or a sound effect) and place copies of them in physically close proximity to where they would be needed in the game.



For example, our build system will ensure that a copy of a tree texture is stored on the same part of the disk as the level geometry data. When the game loads the level, the read head can access all the necessary information in a single, continuous sweep, without having to "seek" to a different location. This dramatically speeds up loading times.



The Modern Era: SSDs

The need for this technique has largely disappeared with the widespread adoption of SSDs. An SSD stores data on flash memory chips and has no moving parts. This means that "seek time" is virtually nonexistent. An SSD can access any piece of data on the drive almost instantly, regardless of where it is physically stored.



Increasingly, modern games are optimized for the sequential read speeds of SSDs and do not need to rely on the older method of duplicating assets. This is one of the key reasons why new games often explicitly require an SSD in their minimum system specifications.



Should HELLDIVERS 2 continue to optimize for mechanical HDDs?

This is the six-million-dollar question. On the one hand, they are a part of our minimum spec PC requirements. On the other hand - how many HELLDIVERS 2 players are still using mechanical HDDs? The truth is that we don’t currently know. Even the Steam user surveys are unable to give us data on mechanical HDD use in the overall gamer population. Our best estimates put it at around 12% of all PC gamers but the data is very unreliable and relies on a lot of extrapolations. Until we can more accurately determine the number of mechanical HDDs that HELLDIVERS 2 is installed on, it is difficult to know how many players will be impacted by reducing the amount of data duplication. Even if that number is small, keep in mind that the load time for each player dropping into a mission is determined by the slowest member of the squad.



Solutions

While we take steps to gain more clarity on the number of impacted players, we are actively exploring several different solutions in parallel and will begin rolling them out in future updates as soon as they are ready. We cannot eliminate all duplication without making loading times for mechanical HDDs 10 times slower and we do not feel that this is acceptable. There are however some compromises that we can make which will improve the installation size without blowing out the loading times too much.



Short term

We’ve made some small gains in the next update by sweeping our systems for unused assets and obvious problems, but you will not likely notice them because the new stuff we’ve added will eat those gains. It’s not a game-changer but at least the install size will stop growing.



Medium term

Beyond the next update, we’re exploring taking some of the worst offenders in terms of duplication and de-duplicating them by putting them in “very common assets” bundles which will always be loaded under set conditions (eg- specific faction/biome). This does mean that loading times will get a bit worse for players using mechanical HDDs - it is unfortunate but unavoidable. Our early testing shows we should be able to keep this in the range of “less than 30 seconds” rather than “several minutes”. It can also increase the amount of RAM used by the game by loading “common” data that is not always needed. If we don’t make “worst case” RAM usage worse, this should not be noticeable, but it is a risk we are monitoring. By doing some careful measurements and analysis, we should be able to deliver acceptable tradeoffs between RAM usage, loading times and install size.



Long term

Looking further into the future, we plan to make improvements to the engine which will ensure we never waste RAM loading common data that isn’t needed - eliminating one of the drawbacks of the above technique.



Beyond that, the remaining work is a bigger, riskier, more speculative project where we apply some kind of compression to the game data and potentially replicate some of the de-duplication we do on consoles. We don’t yet know if the impacts to load-times could make these approaches infeasible.



Optional 4k Textures?

Could we create a solution where the highest resolution textures are an optional download? Technically yes - anything is possible. It is not something that is natively supported in our engine though. It would be a substantial project to add this capability. Due to the scope and complexity of the changes we would have to make, this is not our first preference and is honestly something we would only consider if we’re unable to make a big enough impact with our other solutions. Nothing comes for free - time spent making these changes is time not spent optimizing the performance of the game or fixing stability issues.



Summary

So in summary - we’re taking your concerns very seriously but there are no easy solutions. Until we live in a world where we know that most of our PC players are using SSD drives, sacrificing some extra hard drive space is necessary to ensure we’re all able to load into missions in a reasonable amount of time. We’ve clearly reached the limits of how much duplicated data is acceptable so smarter solutions and compromises are now required. We are very carefully weighing up the costs and tradeoffs of the options we have, and we’ll be sure to find a better balance between loading times and installation size soon.



I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into our tech. If you have any questions about this topic or suggestions for future topics, please reply to this thread.

Thanks for reading, we’re always eager to hear from great engineers and gameplay coders: https://jobs.arrowheadgamestudios.com/

Continue reading...

 

Greetings Helldivers,


We know many of you have been experiencing issues including performance drops, stability hiccups, freezes, and the annoying audio bugs.


We’ve seen the feedback across Discord, forums, Reddit and our dashboards. You’ve been loud, clear, and absolutely right to expect better. We also recognise that our recent updates haven’t hit the mark, and our silence hasn’t helped. That’s on us. We read all of it and we are hard at work creating a roadmap to address this.


Starting with the good news: there is an incoming update (mid October-ish) where we’ll start chipping away at:

• 
  Some key crash fixes
  
  
• 
  Fixed the Primary weapon/Side-arm audio that stops during a mission
  
  
• 
  Minor performance improvements
  
  
• 
  Long overdue bug fixes, like Charger footstep sounds (pretty useful) or weapon audio stopping mid mission
  
  
• 
  No more landing on caves
  
  
• 
  A Balance Pass (we’re unleashing Niklas & Lennart)
  

For some of the bigger performances pieces unfortunately we can’t wave a ‘short-turnaround-magic-wand’, nor would a 60 day patch fix them fully (rather it would be duct tape where we need to solder); so we’re working on a bigger development plan as to how we can address some of the larger concerns. Short term, we think the above will make a noticeable improvement and beyond that we’ll keep working on the top issues you keep raising.


In the future, we’re planning more transparency and more talk! We’re looking to share more about the processes, performance and how we got here, plus further improvements and evolution. For starters expect another post next week to kick that off.


Between the Xbox launch, the Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond, the free Into the Unjust update, and other surprises, we’ve welcomed a ton of new players, brought back veterans, and delivered a lot of content. Now, it’s time to double down on fixes, polish, and better communication.


TL;DR

We hear you, we want things to be in a better state, we are taking it very seriously, we will continue working and sharing.

Thanks for sticking with us!

For Super Earth!


The Arrowhead Dev Team

Continue reading...

 

Freedoms greetings Helldivers!

Release Captain Morris here with a small update this fine Tuesday!


Overview

• 
  Crash fixes
  
  
• 
  Audio bug fixes, including cave audio
  

Fixes

• 
  Fixed a crash on cave maps, when host migrates under certain conditions
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash to desktop which would occur if the oil rig was destroyed when the shuttle was on its way
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash when joining someone who is using bombardment stratagems
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash on game start-up
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue where Helldivers were reinforcing on top of cave structures
  
  
• 
  The Dragonroach can now be damaged with fire and/or gas
  
  
• 
  Rupture Warriors now track moving clients accurately, leveling the difficulty level of attacks between client and host
  
  
• 
  Fixed an audio bug related to Devastator projectiles
  
  
• 
  Rebalanced caves audio levels
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare instance where Primary Weapon audio would go missing
  
  Known Issues
  

Continue reading...

 

Release Captain Morris here, rolling out a hotfix to a Super Destroyer near you.

Balancing


S-11 Speargun

• 
  Decreased reload duration 3.5 -> 2.5 sec
  

MS-11 Solo Silo

• 
  Reduced cooldown from 210 seconds to 180 seconds
  

Fixes

• 
  Fixed a crash that can happen when too many particle effects are spawned
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash when Helldivers are in Hellpods after being reinforced
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue where light emitted by the Hellpad could become excessively bright under certain conditions
  
  
• 
  General crash fix occurring during Automaton missions
  
  
• 
  Fixed issue in which hive world tunnels would become darker than intended in certain circumstances when a user is using lower graphics settings
  
  
• 
  Fixed a crash that could occur if the target of a seeking missile gets deleted before impact
  
  
• 
  The extraction shuttle will land in a more safe and sound manner
  

Weapons & Stratagem Fixes

• 
  Fixed the LIFT-182 Warp Pack getting stuck suspended in the air or crashing
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare crash caused by multiple players having the MA5C AR equipped on the Super Destroyer
  
  
• 
  Fixed Displacements Backpack VFX issues whilst aiming down sights
  
  
• 
  Fixed a rare crash which could occur when aborting a mission while a player was wielding a turret or driving a vehicle
  
  Known Issues
  

Continue reading...

 

Freedoms greetings Helldivers!

Release Captain Morris here with a small update this fine Friday!


Overview

• 
  Warbond Token fix
  
  
• 
  Crash fix
  

Fixes

• 
  Fixed issue where the Halo Warbond could not be purchased if you had unlocked all Warbonds at the point of upgrading to Super Citizen Edition
  
  
• 
  Fixed crash that occurred when multiple helldivers equip the MA5C Assault Rifle on the ship and the host leaves
  

Continue reading...

 

Uncharted territory? Unknown risks? Unimaginable threats? Sounds like our kinda expedition.

Trailer:

We now have the technology to storm into The Gloom on a glorious voyage of virtuous vengeance with the Dust Devils Premium Warbond – deploying to the Destroyer’s Acquisition’s Panel for today, tomorrow, and all your days of Super Earth service.


The mysterious Gloom spore clouds hide the vile alien wastelands of the Terminid plague; a galaxy-wide infestation swarming across peaceful star systems, and they are now ripe for swatting and stomping into extinction.

Explore and exterminate everything in your way in cavernous caves and underground lairs teeming with bug-eyed beasts, craven creepy crawlies, and mutated monsters. This may be their home but make it their graveyard.

Purge these planets, Helldivers, and extract every last resource to help fuel a brighter, safer tomorrow for Super Earth and all proud patriotic citizens.

Incinerate bugs in the heat of the AR-2 Coyote assault rifle’s incendiary rounds; skewer your target with the heavy duty S-11 Speargun; and serve our enemies their fruity five-a-day with the explosive G-7 Pineapple cluster grenade.


Launch long-range justice to the face of your freedom-hating foes with the MS-11 Solo Silo Stratagem; and set the field ablaze in the flames of liberty with the EAT-700 Expendable Napalm launcher Stratagem.

Survive the brutal elements with all-new armour sets and capes; and give your Shuttle, Hellpod, FRV, and exosuit a venomous overhaul with the Rattlesnake patterns.


For some, this will be a one-way trip… but history always remembers the first.

We named you the Dust Devils for a reason. So, go raise some hell.

Warbond includes:

• 
  AR-2 Coyote assault rifle.
  
  
• 
  S-11 Speargun.
  
  
• 
  G-7 Pineapple.
  
  
• 
  MS-11 Solo Silo Stratagem.
  
  
• 
  EAT-700 Expendable Napalm Stratagem.
  
  
• 
  DS-42 Federation’s Blade, and DS-191 Scorpion armour sets with Desert Stormer passive ability.
  
  
• 
  Windswept Wayfinder, and Rightful Occupier capes and cards.
  
  
• 
  Raider’s Cheer emote.
  
  
• 
  Burier of Heads player title.
  
  
• 
  Rattlesnake patterns for the Shuttle, Hellpod, FRV, and exosuit.
  

The Dust Devils Premium Warbond releases on September 4!

Requires base game, paid purchase of Super Credits, and game progression to unlock.

Continue reading...

 

For too long, we’ve waited and watched as The Gloom expands to swallow more innocent star systems. For too long, we’ve let the Terminds wreak havoc on our colonies, our cities, our homes. The Terminids have pushed into our territory for long enough.

Now, with new recruits trained and ready, it’s time to push into unknown territory. Into the Unjust.

Enter the Gloom

It’s finally time to discover what lies behind the Gloom shroud enveloping these planets we call Hive Worlds. Prepare your squad to disappear into the fog and discover new dangers, from towering structures built by Terminids to what horrors lurk beneath the planet surfaces.

Into the Heart of Darkness

Deep underground lies a labyrinth of cave tunnels that twist and turn, infested with the Hive Lung that seems to be the force that produces the thickening fog that makes up the Gloom.

Because of the nature of the caves, your Super Destroyer won’t be able to give you full support. It’ll be your team alone against the horror.

Terrors Above and Below

What little intelligence we have on the Gloom contains information about a new subterranean species of Terminid Warriors, Bile Spewers, and Chargers that, when they detect a threat, will burrow underground and begin moving toward prey. Once close enough, they erupt from the ground and attack.

It doesn’t stop there. The Gloom has mutated the Terminids even further, into grotesque monsters like the Dragonroach: a menace in the sky that dives unsuspecting Helldivers and rains down burning bile.

Our reports indicate that there are even greater, more terrifying creatures lying in wait on Hive Worlds, Helldiver. You must find them and take them out.

Taking Back Hive Worlds

The Helldivers will also face brand new challenges while liberating Hive Worlds, like escorting a mobile oil rig. Helldivers must defend the rig from attacks while it traverses the treacherous Hive World terrain to the next drill site, where it will extract oil.

Meanwhile in the underground, you’ll be forced to locate and destroy the Hive Lung in an effort to stem the spread of the Gloom. There are also new optional and sub-objectives available, too.

It’s going to take all your determination and teamwork to stop the infestation from spreading any further and liberate the Hive Worlds. Get ready to dive Into the Unjust on September 2, Helldivers!

Introducing the Dust Devils Premium Warbond
We’re not sending you to a Hive World without the best gear we have to offer, Helldiver. The Ministry of Defense has fast-tracked the deployment of the Dust Devils Warbond, which will ensure survival in the harshest conditions these worlds can throw your way.

Weapons & Stratagems
Dust Devils comes with a hefty offering of one primary weapon, a new throwable, and three unique stratagems that will aid in clearing the air–and all the bugs–on Hive Worlds.

• AR-2 Coyote
You can hunt in packs or go by your lonesome with this assault rifle that features incendiary ammunition. But be warned: this coyote is wild.
• G-7 Pineapple
This cluster frag grenade might look like a cute and unassuming fruit, but it’ll have the bugs in absolute pieces.

• S-11 Speargun
A true big game hunter’s companion. The S-11 fires heavy-duty projectiles that release a cloud of gas on impact.
• EAT-700 Expendable Napalm
Heat up the planet with this single-use missile that contains napalm cluster bombs.
• MS-11 Solo Silo
The long-range power of a missile in a new convenient package! Calls down a Hellpod-sized missile silo with a single, ultra-powerful missile and a handheld targeting remote.

Armors, Capes, and More
Whether you’re crouched behind craggy boulders, waiting for your moment to spring a trap on unsuspecting Terminids or marching in formation with your squad to intimidate them, they’ll look the part. Both feature the Desert Stormer passive, which grants resistance to fire, gas, acid, and arc, as well as providing a throw range increase to the bearer.

You’ll also receive capes, player cards, an emote and player title, and a new pattern for your vehicles and Hellpods!

• DS-42 Federation’s Blade
Captures the essence of armies marching through the desert sands. Wear with the Rightful occupier cape and player card for a polished look.
• DS-191 Scorpion
Look like a true nomadic warrior in this desert-proof draped set, pairs perfectly with the Windswept Wayfinder cape and player card.

• Title: Burier of Heads
• Emote: Raider’s Cheer
• Pattern: “Rattlesnake” for vehicles and Hellpods

Arm your fighters against the perils that await them on Hive Worlds and beyond! The Dust Devils Premium Warbond launches on September 4.

Requires base game, paid purchase of Super Credits, and game progression to unlock.

Continue reading...

 

Public Service Announcement


Release Captain´s Carlberg & Morris reporting in for this important PSA


Attention, Helldivers!

The pods are primed. Coordinates locked.

In moments, you will drop into the Galactic War’s most brutal warzones — and that’s exactly where you belong. Shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters from every corner of the Galaxy, fighting as one.

We stand united in our love of Super Earth, guided by the steady hand of Managed Democracy. Like the legendary Helljumpers of another Great War, we go feet first into hell — because that’s where the fight is fiercest. There will be no rescue. No retreat. Only you, Helldivers, together against the enemy.


You are the first boots to hit the ground, the last to leave it.

And when the Galaxy sees those four blazing streaks cut through the sky, they know: Liberty has arrived, and it will not be denied.


Now suit up. Lock in. Remember your extensive training. And see you planetside!


With love from all of us at Arrowhead,

Happy Xbox launch day iO

Continue reading...

 

The Galactic war rages on... Countless Helldivers have laid down their lives to protect Managed Democracy. The call was put out for more recruits, and its been answered by the best of the best. Of the best.

Enter The Obedient Democracy Support Troopers (ODST), AKA The Helljumpers! This new equipment set from the Ministry of Defense will give your Helldivers the look of the fabled unit every Super Earth citizen had on their school lunch box as kids. Jam-packed with iconic weaponry, armors, patterns and more

Are you ready to jump in?

This is the first HELLDIVERS™ 2 Legendary Warbond*;, symbolizing a new tier of Warbond. We have given meticulous attention to detail to deliver a long-requested homage to a fan-favorite series.

The HELLDIVERS™ 2 x Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond will be available in the Acquisitions Center for 1500 Super Credits –

Legendary Warbonds are not compatible with the new Premier Warbond Token.

Firepower

MA5C Assault Rifle
An iconic rifle; the definition of reliable and having taken down countless aliens bent on wiping out humanity, it is time to turn its sights on enemies of MANAGED DEMOCRACY. It comes equipped with the convenient ammo counter and a built-in compass - let it guide you to victory.

M6C/SOCOM Pistol
They say to keep your friends close and your sidearm closer. Well, WE say that. This standard issue ODST pistol will always be your friend, with built-in laser sight, suppressor, and flashlight.

M90A Shotgun
This powerful shotgun carries a kick and has a handy flashlight mounted on it so you can see the fear in your enemies' eyes before you teach them a valuable lesson about LIBERTY.

M7S SMG
Silent and deadly, this SMG is the model ODST soldier’s primary weapon. With caseless ammo and a non-removable suppressor; this weapon is ready to spread FREEDOM to every corner of the galaxy.

Armors

A-9 Helljumper Armor Set
Step into the armored boots of a legendary Lance Corporal who served the ODST with immense bravery and courage under fire. Passive boost – Feet First.

A-35 Recon Armour Set
Sleeker and stealthier than theA-9 Armor, this set is made to move and groove, with a helmet modeled after an iconic intelligence officer’s headgear. Passive boost – Feet First.

Feet First passive
-Make less noise from movement
-Range when finding points of interest increased by 30%
-Immune to leg injuries

Capes

Honored Heirloom
This cape, emblazoned with the ODST logo, is passed down to a Jumper’s bravest child in the event of their untimely demise.

Eye of the Clandestine
Some soldiers fight on the front line, and some from the shadows. Wrap yourself in secrecy with this sleek, subtle cape, and slip away from the light.

You can also honor the Helljumpers with ODST-themed player cards, a new player title, and the Mean Green vehicle pattern for your hellpod, shuttle, exosuit, and FRV.

HELLDIVERS™ 2 x HALO: ODST lands August 26th at 1pm BST.

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. Squad up, drop in, and let’s crush every enemy of Freedom and Managed Democracy TOGETHER. Move out!

*Requires base game, paid purchase of Super Credits, and game progression to unlock.

Continue reading...

 

Freedoms Greetings Citizens and Helldivers, Release Captain Carlberg here rejuvenated after a Super Earth sanctioned vacation.

Transmission from Super Earth incoming


Overview

• 
  Crash Fixes
  
  
• 
  Weapon Fixes
  
  
• 
  Missing DLC and Warbond fix
  
  
• 
  You may now laugh on the ship with full audio
  

Fixes

Crash fixes

• 
  Fix a crash caused by tinkering with weapon customization
  
  
• 
  Fix a crash that could occur when enemies despawned after being killed
  
  
• 
  Fix crash after getting killed by explosions
  

Weapons Stratagems & Boosters

• 
  PLAS-45 EPOCH: Improved spread
  
  • 
    Decreased by 75% to improve the weapons accuracy
    
• 
  The Laser turret now displays correct heat build up
  
  
• 
  The LIFT-182 Warp Pack FX no longer shows when in first person mode
  
  
• 
  Disabled LIFT-182 Warp Pack fields around shuttles, preventing any Helldiver escapees. You are done, it is time to go home
  
  
• 
  Fix desync between clients when using the LIFT-182 Warp Pack to get out of a vehicle
  
  
• 
  Fixed issue with the AR-32 PACIFIER being unable to fire for a second after reloading
  

Enemies

• 
  Fixes for enemy navigation in cities where they could not traverse certain areas
  

Miscellaneous Fixes

• 
  Fixed an issue where some players were unable to access items tied to their DLC or Warbonds
  
  
• 
  Fix for some emotes snapping the Helldiver torso when standing near a hellpod drop
  
  
• 
  Fix for Manic Laughter emote not triggering sound on ship
  

Known Issues

Continue reading...

 

Issuing an Emergency Hot Fix from High Command

Overview

• 
  Crash Fix
  

Fix

• 
  Fix for the host crashing the game for other players when planting the CQC-1 One True Flag stratagem
  

Continue reading...

 

Freedoms greetings Helldivers!

Release Captain Carlberg coming to you this democratic Tuesday with an update from high command


Overview

• 
  Balancing
  
  
• 
  Mission Fixes
  
  
• 
  Weapon Fixes
  
  
• 
  Miscellaneous Fixes
  

Balancing


General
Helldiver

• 
  Reduced the time it takes for the Helldiver to regain control after ragdolling from 0.8 to 0.5 sec
  
  
• 
  Increased chest injury bleed damage from 1 to 10. Chest injuries now cause more noticeable damage, as the previous value of 1 was so low it appeared to have no effect
  

CQC-1 One True Flag

• 
  Thanks to some groundbreaking military research into pointier flag tips, the flag can now be proudly planted directly into enemies—dead or alive—ensuring the eternal colors of Super Earth are never tainted, only quenched by the blood of its foes. Absolute Democracy
  

Primary weapons

AR-32 Pacifier

• 
  Stun duration increased from 1.5 to 3 sec
  

• 
  Starting magazines increased from 5 to 6
  

• 
  Max amount of magazines increased from 7 to 8
  
  
• 
  Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
  

SMG-72 Pummeler

• 
  Stun duration increased from 1.5 to 3 sec
  
  
• 
  Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
  

ARC-12 Blitzer

• 
  Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
  

R-2124 Constitution

• 
  Bayonet stagger strength increased from 20 to 25
  

R-2 Amendment

• 
  Bayonet stagger strength increased from 20 to 25
  

Sidearms

P-92 Warrant

• 
  Now also locks-on to Large sized enemies
  

Throwables

G-109 Urchin

• 
  Stagger strength increased from 0 to 50
  
  
• 
  It now staggers and affects Large sized enemies
  

G-10 Incendiary

• 
  The amount of fuel has been increased in the grenade, resulting in longer-lasting fire duration
  

G-13 Incendiary impact

• 
  The amount of fuel has been increased in the grenade, resulting in a longer-lasting fire duration
  

Stratagems

A/FLAM-40 Flame sentry

• 
  Fire damage resistance increased from 0 to 95%
  

• 
  Cooldown reduced from 150 to 100 sec
  

GL-52 De-Escalator

• 
  Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
  

Boosters

Firebomb Hellpod

• 
  Now affects the Hellpods default explosion as well
  
  
• 
  Stagger strength decreased from 80 to 15 to prevent ragdolling players
  
  
• 
  Demolition strength decreased from 40 to 20 because we now correctly also additively apply the normal Hellpod explosion
  

Stun Pods

• 
  Now affects the Hellpods default explosion as well
  
  
• 
  Stagger strength decreased from 80 to 15 to prevent ragdolling players
  
  
• 
  Demolition strength decreased from 40 to 20 because we now correctly also additively apply the normal Hellpod explosion
  

Enemies
General

• 
  It’s now easier to put Large to Massive sized enemies on fire
  

Terminids

Warrior

• 
  Damage needed to gib Warriors increased from 500 to 750 damage
  
  
• 
  This is how much damage is needed to explode the body without leaving a corpse behind
  

Automatons

Scout strider

• 
  Legs armor decreased from 3 to 2
  

• 
  Legs durable resistance has been increased
  

Illuminates

Overseer variants

• 
  Unarmored Torso healthzone armor decreased from 2 to 1
  

Fixes

Weapons Stratagems & Boosters

• 
  Fixed an issue with the R-2124 Constitution playing audio during the wrong instances
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue with the draw and holster speed with the Gunslinger Armor Passive
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue with ranged weapon grips after dropping the Entrenchment Tool
  

Enemies

• 
  Fixed an issue where status effect damage were attempting to apply more times than intended
  

Missions

• 
  Fixed an issue that prevented stratagems from working correctly on Terminate Illegal Broadcast objectives
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue with bad enemy pathing on military uplink objectives
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue for the terminal and drop off point, where they became inaccessible during the Retrieve Recon Craft Intel objective
  

Miscellaneous Fixes

• 
  Fixed an issue in first person view where some armors resulted in visible obstructions around the shoulder while using a high Field Of View
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue during map generation that could result in missing terrain features
  
  
• 
  Fixed fall animations occasionally playing before victory poses
  
  
• 
  Extended some fonts to handle Bengali characters in player names
  
  
• 
  Fixed an error that caused some enemy models to appear in lower quality
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue to prevent accidentally triggering jump packs or climbing on supply pods while using the interact button on controller
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue where exiting the chat was leaving players unarmed
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue with aiming during the draw emote
  
  
• 
  Fixed issues when exiting First Person View using emotes
  

KNOWN ISSUES

Continue reading...

 

Attention, Helldivers! The Ministry of Defense Research & Development team has just declassified the following information for immediate release.

You have been cleared to field test a new range of experimental weapons built from acquired alien technology. R&D scientists have completed the Control Group Premium Warbond* for deployment to your Super Destroyer!

Weapons & Stratagems

First up, in the primary weapon category, is the VG-70 Variable, a seven-barrelled volley gun with three different firing modes: Auto, which has three selectable RPM values; Volley, which fires a single shot from each barrel at once; and Total, which fires all remaining ammunition in one go. Researchers noted that using the Total firing mode with a lot of ammunition may result in bodily harm to the user.

Also in need of field testing is the new G-31 Arc grenade. The lightweight G-31 bounces while discharging electricity that strikes enemies (and Helldivers) in proximity.

The next declassified item is the PLAS-45 Epoch support weapon which charges plasma into a focused sphere which is then fired. This weapon is ready for battlefield use, but additional research data suggests that it can explode if overcharged. No safe mode is available. But we're sure you can handle it, Helldiver. This is what field testing is all about!

Next up in offensive technology is the A/LAS-98 Laser Sentry. For this sentry, the ammunition canisters on standard turrets have been replaced with a supersized heatsink, allowing the potential for infinite laser firing. However, R&D would like to remind users that the turret can overheat and explode if the laser is continuously active with no cooldown.

Perhaps the most significant and exciting development from the Ministry of Defense is the new LIFT-182 Warp Pack stratagem. R&D has harnessed the power of Dark Fluid to generate a (somewhat) stable wormhole on demand. Once the wormhole is active, wearers can teleport short distances with no cooldown between jumps. In practice, the wearer is pulled into the singularity, dematerialized, and rematerialized again in a new location.


The head of R&D noted that the dematerialization process can be somewhat painful, and that users should bear in mind that the wormhole cannot maintain integrity for extended periods–each jump will further destabilize it, and the wearer may experience death should the singularity fully collapse. A small price to pay for ultra-convenient traversal!


Armors & More

And don’t forget about proper personal protective equipment! Good field testing involves enforcing safety protocols, which is why we’re outfitting Control Group with two new sets of armor designed to provide adequate battlefield protection. For medium armor, we’ve included the AD-26 Bleeding Edge that will allow for protection and greater ease of movement combined. But for more dangerous experiments, there’s also the AD-49 Apollonian heavy armor that’s meant to assist you with the perils of evaluating all this new equipment.

Each armor set looks professionally stylish with the coordinating capes, Conductor of Brilliance and Over Artifice Triumphant, and both armor sets feature a new and exciting passive: Adreno-Defibrillator! After you take lethal damage and the Adreno-Defibrillator detects that the user has collapsed, it activates and revives the user to full health. R&D did indicate that the Adreno-Defibrillator only has enough charge for one use to bring the user to maximum health, and the user will begin losing health continually after activating it.

In addition to all this, R&D is including new player cards to match the Conductor of Brilliance and Over Artifice Triumphant capes, and we’re giving you access to a new emote to assist in testing: Protect Eardrums. Covering your ears is the leading method to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. Safety first!

And, finally, with great scientific discovery comes much hard work and sacrifice, Helldivers, and that’s why we want to recognize your valiant field testing efforts of the Control Group Warbond with a special title: Exemplary Subject. Wear this to show your squad that you got in on the ground floor of this advanced technology!

You’ve been recruited into the Control Group, divers. Report to R&D for field testing on July 17!

*Requires base game, paid purchase of Super Credits, and game progression to unlock.

Continue reading...

 

Warbond Token - incoming!

Greetings Helldivers,

We’ve been listening to our community and we’re here to let you know of an upcoming update to the HELLDIVERS 2 editions.

Introducing the Warbond Token*!

The upcoming, new Warbond Token

What is a Warbond Token? we hear you ask: A Warbond Token will allow players who purchase the HELLDIVERS 2: Super Citizen Edition or HELLDIVERS 2: Super Citizen Edition Upgrade to unlock any Premium Warbond released in HELLDIVERS 2. The Warbond Token will replace the ‘Steeled Veterans Warbond’ within both special editions. We will be introducing the new token into these two editions on August 26th, 2025.

But why?

Prior to now players could accidentally double up purchases on the ‘Steeled Veterans Warbond’ in the game and with the Super Citizen Edition Upgrade. We never want players to buy things twice and not get the value of what they paid for!

Can I purchase a Warbond Token by itself?

There are no plans for the Warbond Token to exist as a standalone product. Players will still be able to access and purchase any Premium Warbond within the game as it has been to date.

When does this happen? Can I get it now? I’ve been meaning to upgrade for ages!

The update will happen August 26th, 2025. If you own a HELLDIVERS 2 Standard Edition and have bought ‘Steeled Veterans Warbond’ already then we recommend waiting until August to purchase the Super Citizen Edition Upgrade. You will be able to choose to unlock a different Warbond from ‘Steeled Veterans’!

Do I need to do anything?

• 
  If you already own the Super Citizen Edition then congratulations you don’t need to do anything!
  
  
• 
  If you own a HELLDIVERS 2 Standard Edition and have bought ‘Steeled Veterans Warbond’ already then we recommend waiting until August to purchase the Super Citizen Edition Upgrade. You will then be able to unlock a different Warbond.
  
  
• 
  If you own HELLDIVERS 2 Standard Edition and have not bought ‘Steeled Veterans Warbond’, then we highly recommend taking a look at the Super Citizen Edition Upgrade, you can choose to buy this now and get the ‘Steeled Veterans Warbond’, or wait until August and choose to unlock any of the Premium Warbonds currently available in HELLDIVERS 2.
  
  
• 
  If you don’t own any edition of HELLDIVERS 2 then we suggest purchasing as soon as possible or risk being reported to High Command. Your team needs you Helldivers!
  

How will the Warbond Token appear in the game?

After purchasing the updated Super Citizen Edition or Super Citizen Edition Upgrade (post 26th August), the Warbond Token will be granted to your Helldivers 2 account after you login to the game for the first time and reach the shiphub.

To check if you have a Warbond Token in your inventory, open the game menu and select any Premium Warbond. If the button in the bottom right says "Claim Premium Warbond" instead of "Buy Premium Warbond", the token is available.

- To use the token, click "Claim Premium Warbond". A "Confirm Purchase" prompt will appear. Confirm it to unlock the selected Premium Warbond.

In-game confirmation

What will the options look like?

• 
  HELLDIVERS 2 Standard Edition
  
  
• 
  HELLDIVERS 2 Super Citizen Edition – will be replacing the Steeled Veterans Warbond with a Warbond Token
  
  
• 
  HELLDIVERS 2 Super Citizen Edition Upgrade – will be replacing the Steeled Veterans Warbond with a Warbond Token.
  

Legal:

*Not available for standalone purchase.

Continue reading...

 

Freedoms greetings Helldivers!

Release Captain Carlberg here with a small update this fine Tuesday!


Overview

• 
  General Weapons fixes
  
  
• 
  Leviathan
  

Fixes


Weapons and Stratagems

• 
  Fixed weapons being unable to fire after stimming while using a mounted weapon.
  

• 
  P-92 Warrant bullets no longer penetrate when ricocheting
  
  
• 
  Fixed guard dog text issues
  

Enemies

Leviathans

We have heard your feedback and are attempting to balance Leviathans to more manageable levels.

• 
  The Leviathans no longer cause ragdolling and deal less impulse damage to vehicles
  
  
• 
  Adjusted spawn rates, so you encounter less per mission
  
  
• 
  Added an additional 1 second delay between shots for target locking
  
  
• 
  Leviathan cannons can now be destroyed
  

Miscellaneous Fixes

• 
  Fixed a bug that caused mission items to disappear when entering vehicles
  
  
• 
  Fix for chat interactions causing weapon switches while using a mounted weapon, emotes and victory poses
  
  
• 
  Fixed weapon grip issues and melee attack issues after using stims or emotes
  

Continue reading...

 

Overview

• 
  Battle For Super Earth commemorative cape!
  Please note: Capes may take several hours to complete deployment to all Helldivers.
  The cape is available for all active players during the Battle for Super Earth event, from May 13 to June 2.
  
  
• 
  Balance adjustments to Shrieker Mega Nests and the Leviathan
  
  
• 
  Fixes galore! Including a fix for the crash in the weapon customisation screen
  

Balancing

• 
  Increased the health of Mega Shrieker nests. This change was made to make the objective more challenging and provide more varied solutions to destroying them.
  
  
• 
  Leviathans now have a shorter sight range and will mark their target with light a few seconds before they fire. This change gives players a fair warning before being fired upon.
  

Fixes


Crash Fixes, Hangs and Soft-locks:

• 
  Fixed crash that occurred when changing between menus in weapon customisation too quickly.
  
  
• 
  Fixed crash that would occur for players fighting bots with a poor connection.
  
  
• 
  Fixed a freeze when generating bug city missions.
  
  
• 
  Fixed crash that could occur when taking down Illuminate Overships.
  

Weapons and Stratagems

• 
  Fixed Weapons with selectable ammo (Recoilless Rifle, Autocannon, etc) having their icons overwritten by the Warrant’s “Guided/Unguided” Mode.
  
  
• 
  P-92 Warrant: will no longer lock some targets when in unguided mode.
  
  
• 
  P-92 Warrant: Fixed an issue where lock-on would be difficult in some environments.
  
  
• 
  P-92 Warrant: Fixed some Z-fighting with lights on the weapon.
  
  
• 
  P-92 Warrant: Corrected animations for the pistol's sight, it should now fold away nicely when in unguided mode.
  
  
• 
  AX/LAS-5 “Guard Dog” Rover: will no longer return to backpack to “reload.”
  
  
• 
  AR-32 Pacifier: Fixed spent casing not ejecting from the ejection port.
  
  
• 
  Added Videos for the K-9 Guard Dog and Gl-52 De-Escalator.
  
  
• 
  One True Flag: Fixed an issue where planting the flag would cause objective items to clip through the ground.
  

Enemies

• 
  Fixed some issues where enemies could clip into certain terrain elements.
  Note: We aren’t done resolving all of these issues and continue to investigate. Please keep the reports coming!
  

Missions

• 
  Fixed an issue where horde missions would spawn at Difficulties lower than 5, which would break some functionality.
  
  
• 
  Fixed an issue where certain bug missions would not spawn during operations.
  

Miscellaneous Fixes

• 
  Resolved issue with vehicle skins not having a scroll bar and increased total number of skins that can be displayed.
  
  
• 
  All cities will now display in the city availability UI.
  
  
• 
  Fixed a bug that would show 0 player count on some cities.
  
  
• 
  Added more logging to track desyncs and crashes.
  
  
• 
  Fixed Borderline Justice armours to be more accurate to their stats, e.g. slight improvement to draw speed, etc.
  

KNOWN ISSUES

https://arrowhead.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/15916898652700--HELLDIVERS-2-Known-Issues

Continue reading...

 

Freedoms greetings Helldivers! Release Captain Carlberg here with a small update

• 
  General Hot Fix for missions before the weekend.
  

We are still working on more of the known issues but these will be part of a bigger Hot Fix.


That will be all and thank you for your services in the name of Super Earth

Continue reading...