Why are Helldivers 2 players back to review bombing the game on Steam and social media?
Helldivers 2 is being review bombed again, and a developer AMA did little to quell the outrage
If you’re a casual player of Helldivers 2, you’re likely unaware that the game’s community is embroiled in turmoil. Recent reviews have brought the game’s ranking on Steam all the way down from Very Positive to Mixed, the game’s subreddits are aflame, and an Ask Me Anything thread just made matters worse. What’s so bad with the game’s most recent update, and why has it inspired such a furor? The answer isn’t simple, and if you’re not familiar with the community and the game’s history, it looks like much ado about nothing. Is there a reason for the outrage, or are gamers simply being gamers?
Helldivers 2 updates regularly with new Major Orders, in-game operations that have the players descend on a specific planet or fight one of the game’s three factions. These are narrative updates that align with in-game patches and updates. For instance, when Arrowhead introduced a new Automaton subfaction known as the Cyborgs, they tied it into an in-game story where Super Earth was invading the Automaton capital of Cyberstan.
While Major Orders are used as the vehicle to introduce new missions and enemy types, Warbonds are how players unlock new weapons, vehicles, and stratagems. Warbonds require Super Credits, the game’s paid currency (that can be farmed from random drops for those with a high tolerance for tedium.) Completing missions in-game grant Warbond Medals that scale based on the difficulty level. Warbonds have themes, like Redacted Regiment being the stealth pack, or the new Exo Experts being themed around Exosuits.
A flashpoint of frustration
The Exo Experts Warbond recently launched alongside a new Major Order to reclaim beautiful, luxurious worlds from a new strain of Terminids and a patch for a host of balance changes. At first glance, it’s an unremarkable update. The problem is that fans have been requesting changes to the Exosuit system for a year and change now. There’s been a host of player requests: the ability to upgrade secondary weapons, an Exosuit bay to mix and match the mech’s arms, more Super Destroyer upgrades, and so on.