Mechs and vehicles could drop anytime now in Helldivers 2
Since the first Helldivers game was released in 2015 for the PS4, PS5, and PC, players have been clamoring for the update to bring in pilotable mechs like the EXO-44 Walker and APC from the original game. Arrowhead Studio’s CEO, Johan Pilestedt, has taken to Twitter and made a few teasers regarding the upcoming Stratagems coming to the game. Not only that, but we can expect even more to drop within this month, as Pilestedt promised that there would be a new Warbond every month, and with this news, players have already datamined the game and taken a sneak peek into the new ordinance and other coming to Helldivers 2 within this month.
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Mechs At 90% Completion
Arrowhead Games have stated that the mechs are in functioning order and that they only need to iron out the bugs surrounding them, as well as a few balance tweaks to ensure that the Stratagem doesn’t release in a broken state. However, players have access to some of the files still in the game and have since tried out the EXO-44 Walker in action.
Based on the gameplay, we now know that it comes with a minigun and a missile rack for its use in horde clearing and elite killing, respectively. There is also a variant meant for heavily armored targets, which is called the EXO-48 Obsidian in the first game, and it’s armed with two autocannons on both sides for maximum armor penetration. If the original game is anything to go by, we may see the EXO-51 Lumberer that comes equipped with a flamethrower and a 90mm cannon that is purpose build to destroy the heaviest armor. The mechs have limited ammo and cannot be reloaded, so replacement mechs must be called down to continue using them.
We can assume that these new Stratagems that will arrive soon, there will also be new ship modules that will upgrade certain aspects of the mechanized armor class. With some speculation, we assume it would be a decreased cooldown timer, extra ammunition, and possibly extra armor.
It functions quite similar to the first game’s iteration of the EXO-44 Walker, but based on leaked gameplay footage, it might not be a single-use Stratagem and could potentially have a cooldown timer, much like most other Stratagems. According to leakers, the cooldown for the mech Stratagems is at 9 minutes, which should make things balanced to prevent mech spamming from getting out of hand. However, Arrowhead Games may reverse this change just before the official release and revert it back to a single-use Stratagem. Only time will tell if any changes will be made.
Variable Vehicles for Voyaging
There will be light and heavy armored vehicles in the game, as shown in the leaks. The first vehicle shown is an APC with a main turret in the front and two machine gun turrets on the flanks. It can hold all 4 players and has a lot of armor, which players suspect will make traveling between objectives safer for the whole team while having enough firepower to deal with larger Automaton on Terminid groups.
The second vehicle showcased is a light buggy with a single machine gun turret in the back. Players have alluded to this vehicle as the Warthog in Halo, which seems to fill the same role. Missions are timed at 40 minutes, and since there are bound to be patrols and side objectives around the map, that kind of vehicle will make missions far smoother to complete.
Leaked Warbond Primary Weapons
While these weapons aren’t usable right now for the leakers, players have seen images and stats of the upcoming weapons that will arrive soon. These weapons are:
- CB-9 Crossbow: An exploding crossbow weapon with a projectile drop.
- Arc-12 Blitzer Shotgun: An Arc-Thrower styled variant of the SG-8 Punisher shotgun.
- SG-8P Punisher: A plasma variant of the SG-8 Punisher shotgun with explosive properties.
- R-36 Eruptor: A bolt-action explosive rifle.
- Displacer Pack: A backpack that teleports the wearer when taking lethal damage.
- Supply Pack: Much like the Supply Pack Stratagem but based on the photo, carries 6 supply boxes instead of 4.
There are even more weapons that may arrive far later in the game, where within the files are file names for a plasma pistol, battle rifle, grenade pistol, laser pistol, a laser-guided missile launcher, and fire-and-forget variant of the missile launcher.
Lucent Opponents on the Horizon
For many Helldivers 1 veterans, this enemy faction should be familiar. For the uninitiated, we may expect the Illuminate faction to make a return soon in Helldivers 2. To elaborate, the Illuminate fight differently compared to the other 2 factions. Instead of swarming you or overwhelming you with sheer firepower, the Illuminate has been known to use shield technology and can also reverse your controls and Stratagem inputs. As for their offenses, they use electrical pulses to stun and deal damage to Helldivers.
This faction has been receiving mentions by the crewmates of your Destroyer in Helldivers 2, talking about the First Galactic War from the first game. Players have also datamined the files and found some files that hint at their potential comeback, with new enemies listed, named as the following in the files: Adept, Ghoul, Illusionist, Obelisk Fire, Outcast, Pathfinder, and Summoner.
Weapon Customization
Another set of files found by the dataminers are attachments with the names of already existing weapons. Some found include underbarrels, optics, muzzles, paint schemes, magazines, and even ammo types. The system could alleviate some of the glaring weaknesses in certain weapons. There’s a weapon upgrade system in the first Helldivers game by spending Research points on a weapon of your choice to provide direct upgrades like a bigger magazine capacity, better recoil, and armor-piercing rounds. With regards to cosmetic-related customization options, Johan Pilestedt has stated that the studio is working on an idea to provide a recolor feature for helmets to allow players to match their helmet’s color with their equipped armor.
