Helldivers 2's first truly massive update is coming soon: "Escalation of Freedom" is due August 6, packing a huge injection of content across the game, from enemy and mission variety to difficulty and quality-of-life features.
Escalation of Freedom was revealed earlier today, with developer Arrowhead diving into the meat of it in a trailer and blog post from PlayStation. Difficulty 10, "Super Helldive," may be the headliner for the most extreme players, but the new objectives, bots, and bugs should refresh the game for democracy lovers at all difficulties.
Three new Terminids have been revealed: the returning Impaler, a massive stabby tentacle which can block your retreat; a Spore Charger that can "obscure its location until it’s right up on you"; and an Alpha Commander, described as a "bigger, meaner" Brood Commander which calls in enemies that are "not the ones you're used to."
New Automatons include the artillery-style Rocket Tank, and as if that name alone wasn't scary enough, there are also "some other bot surprises we'll be throwing your way," Arrowhead teases. This seems to include a Rocket Walker, based on the trailer, which is distinct from the Rocket Tank. Great: more rockets!
You'll encounter these threats to democracy in new mission types such as larva retrieval, where you transport a live bug sample across a planet for no-doubt important science reasons. Its cries will bring the bugs right to you, so move fast. Based on the trailer, there seems to be a new bot mission tied to a research facility of some kind. "Many of our new mission objectives will be playable on other difficulty levels," Arrowhead says, assuring fans who'd prefer to stay below Super Helldive and at least try to keep all their limbs on their body.
Arrowhead shared a snapshot of an expanded bot fortress (above) and showed a massive bug nest in the trailer, assuring players that "these outposts will be heavily fortified, and require players to coordinate and strategize in order to take them out." Your "great rewards" for tackling these include "brand new Super Sample rewards," so get coordinating.
"What would the galaxy be without planets?" asks creative director Johan Pilestedt, introducing an apparent swamp planet where Arrowhead wanted to "spook it up" a bit. A new acid storm weather effect is also incoming, reducing armor for you and enemies alike, "which is just as horrifying as it sounds," says design director Niklas Malmborg.
"We have many more surprises in store for you," Pilestedt concludes.
