Next week, Helldivers 2 is getting Terminid Hive Worlds with huge underground caves where your Stratagems don't work, a new Dust Devil Warbond with a harpoon gun, and it sure looks like Hive Lords are back

Helldivers 2 is finally taking us underground. In a big "Into the Unjust" update coming September 2, developer Arrowhead will add new Terminid Hive Worlds that bring us past the fog of the bug Gloom and into infested hive tunnels, deep into cave systems that force you to fight tooth and nail without regular Stratagem support from the Super Destroyer ship parked outside.

You'll enter these hives in pursuit of the massive "lung" that seems to be producing the Gloom, or you'll scavenge the planet's surface for resources using a massive new oil rig that comes with a big ol' cannon. These new mission types have their own sub-objectives and will feature new enemies like a burrowing Charger, Warrior, and Bile Spewer, as well as a flying, acid fire-breathing Dragonroach.

Helldivers 2 - Into the Unjust Deep Dive - YouTube

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It sounds like another, bigger enemy is lying in wait, too. Game designer Youssef Khatib notes that burrowing enemies will be marked by a rumbling feeling, "but if the rumble is slightly bigger, please ignore that. I'm sure it's fine." The enormous dust cloud in the paired footage suggests something much larger is about to bust out of the crust.

More than a year ago, Helldivers 2 players suspected that the massive Hive Lords from the first game might be coming. I wonder if they'll finally get their wish. The lead art above definitely shows a big, leviathan-like something lurking in the background.

Before you head underground, you'll need to suit up with all your support weapons, backpacks, and drones. Stratagems won't be able to reach you underground unless you deploy them at scarce sections open to the sky – a huge change to Helldivers 2's gameplay formula that puts more weight into preparation and normal gunplay, whereas most rounds are won by magic baseballs that summon the wrath of democracy. "We really want to turn the game on its head," said game director Mikael Eriksson.

Some cave sections are pitch black, Arrowhead teases, making a few flashlights essential for the squad. As it happens, several of the new Helldivers 2 Halo ODST Legendary Warbond crossover weapons feature a flashlight.

Another new Warbond, Dust Devils, coming on September 4, will introduce a few new tools to bring into these Terminid hives. The expanded arsenal includes the AR-2 Coyote, the first assault rifle with incendiary rounds; G-7 Pineapple frag grenade; and S-11 Speargun with piercing rounds.

We've also got two new missile Stratagems: the EAT-700 Expendable Napalm calls in a one-off napalm cluster, while the MS-11 Solo Silo deploys a targetable "ultra-powerful missile" that you can fire remotely at faraway targets. In the video, it's shown one-shotting a Bile Titan, but your mileage may vary on higher difficulties.

Helldivers 2 is out on Xbox today, alongside the Halo ODST crossover. This incoming cave update ought to give new and old players plenty to chew on.

After Halo crossover reveal, Helldivers 2 director says Arrowhead learned from the Killzone collab and will "reprise it," find "how to reimburse players" so "everyone will have a chance to get the content."