Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead is hard at work on improvements to both the shooter itself and its transparency with players, just as current creative lead Johan Pilestedt promised it would in a grisly Reddit AMA session at the end of April.
At the time, Pilestedt told players disappointed with what they felt was infrequent communication from Arrowhead that the team would begin checking in "once every other week" – and the developer has now clocked in right on time with its new "Transmission from Super Earth Command" posted on Steam May 8.
Reinforcing Pilestedt's promise, Arrowhead writes in its update, "Helldivers 2 matters to all of us, and we want to be clearer about what we're working on and what’s coming next." So the company is sharing way ahead of time that it wants to deliver new content, plus improvements to "the core of the game - stability, progression, and the Galactic War" – starting soon.
"Updates to the Galactic War and its rewards are coming this summer," says Arrowhead. The developer seems to be laser-focusing on Helldivers 2's meta-progression and Galactic War, having already expanded the team dedicated to tinkering with those aspects of the game. It aims to introduce "more meaningful rewards and community progression systems," plus make Helldivers 2's Major Order objectives "into longer, multi-week themed 'Campaigns,'" and improve how reactive the game's narrative is to "player actions."
"We've seen the feedback around rewards, and we want them to feel more distinctive, more meaningful, and more worthy of the battles you're fighting," explains Arrowhead, highlighting "things like stratagem unlocks and more community-driven moments."
To accompany this symphony of tweaks, you can expect more beta test opportunities going forward, as Arrowhead says it's looking "to expand the footprint of our testing programs and bring more of the community into that process over time."
But, while Arrowhead has done a good job here of showering fans with clear, concise bullet points, some people are skeptical of its ability to deliver. The top reply on Steam, with, damningly, nearly 150 "100" emoji reactions, tells Arrowhead, "Stop ruining the game. Stop with the balancing updates."
"Shame what's happened to this game," says another reply, with only 42 "100" emoji reactions this time. I think this sentiment is a bit maudlin, but I don't disagree. Helldivers 2 has officially reached a Mostly Negative rating on Steam, and it's sad to see fans become disillusioned with something they once desperately loved.
It's important to note, though, that this souring can happen when you don't really know what you want from a game. Since one faction of Helldivers 2's playerbase is demanding more change here, while the other wants Arrowhead to just leave Helldivers 2 alone, I think that might be what we're dealing with. You could call it the Galactic War.
