Helldivers 2 players are down but not out – the new Hive Lords can apparently eat 15 Hellbombs before finally going down, but divers aren't giving up: "It can bleed, it can die"

Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation Warbond diving
(Image credit: Sony)

Helldivers 2's latest big update, Into the Unjust, is here, bringing with it a familiar old foe that's currently destroying Super Earth's finest soldiers.

Arrowhead didn't confirm it in the patch notes, but Hive Lords have returned from the first Helldivers game, and they're tough. The enormous worm-like enemies can easily squash anyone unfortunate enough to get too close, spray you with acid, and crush you with debris. If you're wondering how to kill a Helldivers 2 Hive Lord, it is possible, but they're so tanky that it doesn't really seem worth the time or effort unless you really want the glory of destroying one. Don't tell High Command I said that.

Obviously, though, that's not stopping brave Helldivers from giving it their best shot, with varying levels of success. Word on the Super Destroyer (with fans citing the unofficial Wiki) is that the beasts apparently have around 150,000 health, a rumor seemingly supported by one brave team that actually managed to take one of the things down.

Reddit user IsJustSophie has shared a clip of one of the Hive Lords being taken down in a glorious, democratic series of explosions, reporting that "it took 10+ Hellbombs eight+ 500kgs a ton of Ultimatums and spears/RRs" to do so. Those bombs alone would account for at least 112,000 damage – if the supposed health pool is to be believed, you'd need a whopping 15 Hellbombs to do the trick.

THEY ARE REAL AND WE KILLED ONE RAAAAHHHH! from r/Helldivers

It's a balance that Helldivers are doing their best to work out. "My squad used about 10 500kgs, three Autocannon mechs, two Portable Hellbombs and it still didn't die LOL," one Reddit user writes, fresh from the battle. "We were Hellbombing it, spearing it, EATing it, Ultimatuming it…. Nothing was killing it. Only thing we discovered is if you shoot it in the mouth it will go back underground. But it's a menace," another brave soldier adds.

The Hive Lords may be tough, but despite it all, Helldivers are tenacious. Reddit is full of rallying cries: "IT CAN BLEED, IT CAN DIE."

Helldivers 2 players fume over performance issues, Arrowhead CEO admits "it's not good enough" but promises "a fix for some of the most immediate things is being prepped."

Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.