There’s no denying that the speed and firepower of Helldivers 2’s M-102 Fast Recon Vehicle is useful against the Illuminate enemy faction. However, as good as the new FRV stratagem in Helldivers 2 is for fighting against the Illuminate in the urban environments of the new Super Earth colony city planets, the FRV is ironically in its prime on the more open planet types that don't have paved roads.
FRVs naturally spawning on the Super Earth colony city planets is a sweet treat, but, unfortunately, this Stratagem isn’t naturally available on other planets that are arguably far more accessible for vehicle Stratagems. It remains to be seen if more vehicle Stratagems will be added in future updates for Helldivers 2, though when it comes to navigating the new city environments, the Jump Pack arguably has the FRV beat.
Helldivers 2's Lance and Baton Suggest a Sad Truth About Future Melee Weapons
While finally having proper melee weapons in Helldivers 2 checks a big item off players' wishlists, the future of these weapons doesn’t seem bright.
Why Helldivers 2’s New FRV Is Better-Suited for Off-Road Use
Helldivers 2’s Super Earth Colony Cities Are Too Crowded For Vehicles
One of the main reasons why the FRV struggles to shine on Helldivers 2’s Super Earth colony city planets is that the inside of the cities is scattered with obstacles that make navigating with the FRV troublesome. These obstacles range from large structures such as buildings, to smaller objects like fire hydrants and abandoned civilian vehicles.
The FRV can be purchased from the Ship Management terminal as a permanent Stratagem for 25,000 Requisition Slips.
The tall buildings in Helldivers 2’s Super Earth colony cities make it difficult to identify points of interest around the map, and their scattered placement is hard to predict and navigate without multitasking and paying close attention to the mini-map while driving. There’s also the problem of the outer walls surrounding each city, which makes it hard to quickly enter and exit the city. On the more open planet layouts, points of interest are generally much easier to spot and travel directly to, which makes grinding for collectibles like Super Samples in Helldivers 2 a much more efficient process.
As for the smaller obstacles in the Super Earth colony cities, a lot of these obstacles can damage the FRV when players run into them, especially the civilian vehicles that explode when damaged. Since the handling of the new FRV in Helldivers 2 is naturally quite sensitive, running into an obstacle and breaking one or more of the FRV’s wheels severely limits its usefulness.
While nearly every object and building in Helldivers 2’s Super Earth colony cities can be destroyed with high-powered support weapons and Stratagems, this can take a lot of time and ammo, meaning it isn't a worthwhile solution. Considering how many obstacles there are in the Super Earth colony cities, carefully navigating the sharp turns of the city or blowing up a clear path can oftentimes be slower than traveling by foot, whereas these problems generally don’t exist on the more open planet layouts.
Helldivers 2’s Jump Pack Outperforms the FRV in the Super Earth Colony Cities
When it comes to efficiently navigating the Super Earth colony cities, the 
LIFT-850 Jump Pack Stratagem arguably has the FRV beat. Players can use the Jump Pack to travel from rooftop to rooftop, meanwhile staying out of range of Illuminate enemy units in Helldivers 2 like the Voteless. The Jump Pack can also be used to jump over the outer city walls without needing to find or create an entry point. However, when it comes to the flat, wide-open planet layouts, these planets are where the FRV truly shines, which is especially ironic considering that these planets don't have paved roadways or naturally spawning FRVs like the Super Earth colony city planets do.
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
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter.
URGENT BROADCAST – SUPER EARTH ARMED FORCES
Freedom. Peace. Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization. Of our very existence. But the war rages on. And everything is once again under threat.
Join the greatest military force the galaxy has ever seen and make this a safe and free place to live.
BECOME A LEGEND
You will be assembled into squads of up to four Helldivers and assigned strategic missions. Watch each other’s back – friendly fire is an unfortunate certainty of war, but victory without teamwork is impossible.
LOADOUTS
Rain down freedom from above, sneak through enemy territory, or grit your teeth and charge head-first into the jaws of combat. How you deliver liberty is your choice; you’ll have access to a wide array of explosive firepower, life-saving armor and battle-changing stratagems… the jewel in every Helldiver’s arsenal.
REQUISITION
Super Earth recognises your hard work with valuable Requisition. Use it to access different rewards that benefit you, your squad, your destroyer ship and our overall war effort.
THREATS
Everything on every planet wants you dead. That’s what we’re dealing with. Each enemy has distinct and unpredictable characteristics, tactics, and behavior – but they all fight ferociously and without fear or morality.
THE GALACTIC WAR
Capturing enemy planets, defending against invasions, and completing missions will contribute to our overall effort. This war will be won or lost depending on the actions of everyone involved.
We stand together, or we fall apart.
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
