The first major update forHelldivers 2calledEscalation of Freedomadded a ton of new content and made some hefty adjustments under the game’s hood. This content drop cranked up the difficulty on the upper end with new enemies, objectives, and a bunch of other stuff that Arrowhead is yet to reveal.
TheHelldivers 2 Escalation of Freedomupdate is a huge one. There are a lot of things to grasp in this update, and while there’s nothing that’s too convoluted, there are quite a few changes that will have a major impact on gameplay. Here are all the important things you should know.
New Difficulty: Super Helldive
The call for a harder difficulty beyond Helldive has been answered, and thus Super Helldive was added to the game. True to the game’s fashion, Difficulty 10 throws even more enemies at players, making every encounter that much more overwhelming. Here, you will get a 300% EXP Boost (Difficulty 9 has a 250% modifier), more samples to extract, and more enemies to dismantle or turn into FTL fuel.
Given how the majority of players on max difficulty are often capped out on resources, there’s little point in doing Super Helldive if all you want is to joinHelldivers 2’sgrueling sample hunt. The EXP bonus is welcome, though, and Super Earth’s strongest soldiers can simply revel in the carnage and chaos that Difficulty 10 offers. However, increased enemy spawns isn’t the only challenge you can expect to face here.
Mega Nests and Fortresses
Super outposts called Mega Nests (Bugs) and Fortresses (Bots) will appear on Difficulty 10 missions, giving Helldivers an extra challenge to complete on the side. These are marked on the map, and you can often see them on the horizon as you’re trotting about. Mega Nests and Fortresses are basically amped-up outposts with more bits and bobs than usual. Bot Fortresses have cannons and detector towers, while Bug Mega Nests have more of everything.
Despite all that, both of these are still outposts at heart — they’re nothing thata good 380mm HE Barragecan’t solve. However, they’ll have either Automaton CPUs or Mutated Eggs that you can take home for even more samples.
New Enemies
A number of new enemy types across both factions were added in theEscalation of Freedomupdate. This includesHelldivers 2’sversion of the Impalerfrom the first game. The new enemies included in this update are:
These enemies may appear on lower difficulties, but expect to encounter them frequently on Super Helldive.
New Objectives
Players can expect to see new objectives across both fronts. For Terminids, there’sLarva Retrieval, where the squad needs to find and hand carry a Terminid Larva all the way back home while endless waves of bugs try to stop them. For Automatons, human processing plants containingBio-Processorsmay appear on maps as high-value destruction targets.
For those who missed the past few major orders, the Automaton Orbital Cannon and Terminid Nursery Nuke missions are now available as permanent game modes. You can often find them when liberating (not defending) planets.
New Planet Biome and Environmental Hazard
Escalation of Freedomadded a fog-ridden version of the Swamp biome seen in Gacrux and similar planets. As far as map layout is concerned, this new biome is very similar to the others with its overgrown trees and large ponds. However, the fog makes visibility an issue, and even more so if you’re facing spore-spreading bugs.
Meanwhile, the Acid Rain hazard in corrosive planets now reduce the armor rating of all units on the map, including Helldivers. Here, players can get more value out of weapons likethe Sickle inHelldivers 2,as the armor reduction will let that gun tear through heavier targets like Devastators and Hive Guards more easily. Also, corrosive planets no longer have the Extreme Heat modifier.
