Although the original Helldivers featured vehicle Stratagems, it still came as a big surprise when Helldivers 2 shadow-dropped its own. The new M-102 Fast Recon Vehicle in Helldivers 2 came as part of the massive Omens of Tyranny update that added a new Premium Warbond, dedicated melee weapons, and a new variety of mission environments—not to mention the return of the original game’s Illuminate enemy faction.
As Helldivers 2 approaches its first anniversary, the live-service game has grown in many ways in the past year with several new content updates and QoL features added to the game. However, one QoL feature many fans have requested is still missing: a testing environment for weapons and Stratagems beyond the default tutorial. With the new FRV Stratagem in Helldivers 2, the need for this kind of feature in Helldivers 2 has arguably reached a new extreme.
Helldivers 2 Secondary Weapon Wish List
Future secondary weapons in Helldivers 2 can further explore Elemental damage types and offer distinct new buildcrafting tools.
The Case For a Weapon Range and Stratagem Testing Environment in Helldivers 2
Stratagems like Helldivers 2’s FRV Could Greatly Benefit from a Practice Environment
With four passenger seats, a top speed that far exceeds players’ natural movement speed, and a built-in Heavy Machine Gun mount, the new FRV Stratagem combines the offensive power of Helldivers 2’s Sentry Stratagems with unrivaled speed. When used properly, the FRV can be quite a game-changer. That said, for all the useful benefits it can provide, the FRV is quite a fragile piece of equipment since there’s currently no way to reliably flip the vehicle over when it tips or repair the vehicle when it becomes damaged.
The Fast Recon Vehicle Stratagem in Helldivers 2 is available for purchase from the Ship Management terminal for 250,000 Requisition Slips. The FRV can also naturally spawn on certain planet types.
Even after Helldivers 2’s most recent update improved the handling and the durability of the FRV, one stray explosion or one wrong turn can still be enough to immobilize the vehicle. Since the FRV Stratagem has a base cooldown of eight minutes, having a vehicle get destroyed shortly after calling it in can leave players with one less Stratagem for a significant portion of a mission. Given how fragile it can be, the FRV Stratagem in Helldivers 2 could greatly benefit from having a testing environment where players can safely learn the car’s unique mechanics and steering controls before bringing it into a regular mission where the stakes are inevitably high.
Practice Makes Perfect with Helldivers 2’s Unique Weapons and Stratagems
Like any other unique weapons and Stratagems in Helldivers 2, players who want to get the most out of the FRV would be wise to get some practice with it, though the only way to safely do this is to enter a normal mission. Not only can this be a tedious process when testing multiple weapons/Stratagems though, but abandoning or failing missions for the sake of testing new equipment in Helldivers 2 also comes with the downside of causing a planet’s liberation campaign to lose progress. Hence, why a proper testing environment could be a great addition to Helldivers 2, providing a streamlined way to practice with new equipment without any negative consequences.
A testing environment could also serve the purpose of allowing players to test equipment before purchasing it from Helldivers 2’s Premium Warbonds and Store.
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
