As is commonly the case with many sudden patches in Helldivers 2, strange things are afoot with a new Major Order calling all Helldivers to stand against an invasion of biblical proportions. Indeed, Mega Cities are finally being invaded by Automatons, the last of Helldivers 2’s three enemy factions to launch assaults on Super Earth cities, and War Striders are a remarkable new enemy type for players to contend with. Now, knowing that Helldivers 2’s Xbox launch is still over a month away, it’s anyone’s guess how many more epic scenarios might occur.
Each Major Order in Helldivers 2 is another page in the overarching novel’s story, and players themselves fill those blank pages with their own experiences as democracy’s elite peacekeeping force. Some MOs have less of an effect on the overall narrative, as loose as it is anyhow, yet others can be tremendously impactful and foreshadow events to come. Especially considering the squid technology Warbond that releases tomorrow, this latest MO and what it fears the Automatons will gain access to hardly seem coincidental.
Helldivers 2’s New Major Order May Not Be the Status Quo, But It Should Be
Helldivers 2's Major Orders have a terrific excuse to remain as challenging and elaborate as possible, with its latest one demonstrating why.
Helldivers 2 Has Many Pieces in Place for Something Epic on the Bot Front
At face value, players who care less about what may be looming in the game’s development will only find it pertinent to know that Automaton-invaded planets are the focus of Helldivers 2’s newest Major Order. That said, while it could merely turn out to be convenient happenstance and fruitless speculation, this particular MO may tease something epic and imminent.
Helldivers 2’s current Major Order, with 5 days and 10 hours remaining, reads:
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Hold planets with critical DSS facilities against the Automaton invasion into our cities.
- Hold Claorell when the order expires: ☑
- Hold Gaellivare when the order expires: ☑
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Hold Tarsh when the order expires: ☑
- Reward: 50 Warbond medals.
Additionally, this MO comes with a Strategic Opportunity that ends in 9 hours and reads:
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Defend against the Illuminate attack to enable hacking of the Automaton network.
- Hold Oasis when the order expires: ☑
Based on this information, a possible throughline Helldivers 2 could embrace is having bots commandeer the Democracy Space Station (DSS) and possibly wield it against players. This would be fascinating, given how much players have communally donated toward its Tactical Actions, for instance, and would add another terrifying layer of environmental challenge to a mission if the bots could decide which planets to suspend it above. This MO’s description reads:
“Multiple simultaneous Automaton assaults have been detected on planets with highly-populated Super Earth cities. MININT analysis reports with a high degree of confidence that the strategic objective of this invasion is to take control of key Democracy Space Station facilities. Hold the key DSS facilities at all costs.”
If failed, it would be horrifying yet exhilarating if bots could use the hacked DSS to rain down Eagle Storms and Heavy Ordnance Distribution, much less delay or completely thwart players’ extraction attempts with an Orbital Blockade. The potential for an enemy-controlled DSS would be endlessly nightmarish; however, players presently have every order planet held and are putting up a noble fight to ensure that this MO isn’t failed, no matter what may come of it.
How Helldivers 2’s Upcoming Squid Warbond Could Extend to Bots
Moreover, the Strategic Opportunity made available for this Major Order is uniquely intriguing. This Strategic Opportunity’s description reads:
“If the Helldivers can repel the Illuminate assault, the cyber specialists may be able to secure intel of high value against the current Automaton invasion.”
It’s unclear what this means specifically, but “intel of high value” could easily and logically be attributed to an R&D-inspired Warbond of its own following Helldivers 2’s Control Group Warbond. This way, players could perhaps have two back-to-back Warbonds where enemy faction technology has been repurposed and turned against the enemy faction in question. If nothing else, it’s neat to see part of this bot MO include squids in such a paramount way.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
