Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Saros review
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Best turn-based RPGs
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • Delta Force giveaway
Don't miss these
Helldivers 2 democratic detonation warbond page
Third Person Shooters Best Helldivers 2 Warbonds to buy first and tier list ranking all 21 of them
Arc Raiders soldier holding assault rifle
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders guns will finally repair when upgraded, but Embark counters by making them break faster
Helldivers 2 helldiver running with plas scorcher weapon
Third Person Shooters Best Helldivers 2 Primary Weapons to use against the Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate
Helldivers 2 Exo Experts Warbond in superstore
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 Exo Experts Warbond release date and all items
Helldivers 2 PS5 screenshot
Games The 25 best online games to play in 2026
Helldivers 2 Spore Burst Strain terminids
Third Person Shooters How to deal with Helldivers 2 Terminids Spore Burst Bug Buff
Arc Raiders raider swinging a hammer at an Arc
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders players complain Riven Tides update took a hammer to weapon durability
Helldivers 2
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 boss says updates are "not an exact science" because the "community changes" constantly
Helldivers 2
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 lead promises "meaningful changes" after "painful to read" criticism of Arrowhead
The Future of Starfield branding
RPGs Here's the 5 biggest changes coming to Starfield this April, from interplanetary travel to more varied exploration
Crimson Desert
Open World Games Fans make their own Crimson Desert patch notes after devs forget to mention a bunch of improvements
Helldivers 2 stratagems emancipator autocannon exosuit in bug nest
Third Person Shooters How to unlock Helldivers 2 Exosuits and tips for using them
Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
Third Person Shooters Best Support weapons in Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 Helldiver wielding senator revolver
Third Person Shooters Best Helldivers 2 pistols and melee weapons to use against the Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate
Crimson Desert: Cliff Macduff looking out into the distance during the new game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert's "largest update" brings countless changes, but it all pales in comparison to one bug-turned feature
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. Third Person Shooters
  3. Helldivers 2

This latest Helldivers 2 patch is only for the true patriots – the Super Earth Flag stratagem can now be "proudly" planted directly into living and dead enemies: "Absolute Democracy"

News
By Issy van der Velde published 15 July 2025

What a sight to behold

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

A Helldiver waves a flag while looking down at a battlefield in a screenshot from Helldivers 2's Masters of Ceremony trailer.
(Image credit: PlayStation Studios / Arrowhead Game Studios)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Good news, citizens of Super Earth, Helldivers 2 just got a heck of a lot more patriotic. A new update adds plenty of buffs, but the one I'm most excited about is the fact the flag stratagem has been upgraded so that we can now use it to skewer fallen enemies, planting it directly into their bodies so it can proudly stand erect upon their corpse.

A new video and blog post on Steam shares the details about the CQC-1 One True Flag's changes. "Thanks to some groundbreaking military research into pointier flag tips, the flag can now be proudly planted directly into enemies – dead or alive – ensuring the eternal colors of Super Earth are never tainted, only quenched by the blood of its foes. Absolute Democracy."

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

The fact this can be done to enemies while they're alive is pretty cool, and could lead to some very funny shenanigans. I'd love to see someone use a jetpack to get onto a Bile Titan and then plant the flag directly in its head. Imagine taking down the behemoth with the flag waving atop its maw. Beautiful. Make sure you salute it.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster. Helldivers 2's Cyborgs are real, and they'd kindly like you to "defect" from Super Earth
  • Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster. Helldivers 2 director on the game's "biggest" battle ever: "We don't know what will happen"
  • A Helldivers 2 Cyborg cries out in despair Helldivers 2 gives in, releases first roadmap for Machinery of Oppression: "This is just beginning"

I also love the lore reminder that, despite the Helldivers universe containing faster than light travel, seemingly sentient war machines, and several species of aliens, the humans themselves are actually pretty technologically stunted. They've only now researched pointy flag tips? That's almost as bad as the fact they used to reload the orbital guns on your Destroyer by manually inserting shells down the front of the barrel.

Also included in this update are improvements to the stun weapons, which now paralyze enemies for longer, and a lot of fire weapons have some boons, too. This is great news for me and terrible news for my squadmates. Hope they've packed some SPF.

If that's not enough to make you want to strap into a Hellpod and fight for Managed Democracy, then check out the best online games you can play with your friends instead.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
TOPICS
Sony Sony Interactive Entertainment
CATEGORIES
PS5 Xbox Series X PC Gaming Platforms PlayStation Xbox
Issy van der Velde
Issy van der Velde
Social Links Navigation
Contributor

I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

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.

Read more
Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster.
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2's Cyborgs are real, and they'd kindly like you to "defect" from Super Earth
 
 
Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster.
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 director on the game's "biggest" battle ever: "We don't know what will happen"
 
 
A Helldivers 2 Cyborg cries out in despair
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 gives in, releases first roadmap for Machinery of Oppression: "This is just beginning"
 
 
A Helldivers 2 Cyborg cries out in despair
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 passes 150,000 players on Steam for the first time in months thanks to Cyborgs, who may be good guys
 
 
Helldivers 2 factions
Third Person Shooters Faced with the bots' attempts at peace, Helldivers 2 players shoot down "baseless propaganda" as anti-freedom drivel
 
 
Helldivers 2 screenshot showing a fully geared/armored diver standing with gun in hand as three jets soar the skies behind him
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 players fail the game's "biggest" battle ever as the Cyborgs prepare for an "unjust counter-offensive"
 
 
Latest in Third Person Shooters
A woman sits at a bar in an Arc Raiders trailer
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs "still learning" what to do with PvP
 
 
A screenshot of new Arc Raiders map Riven Tides, set along the coast
Third Person Shooters I’ve been burned by the new Arc Raiders map, but that’s what happens on a beach holiday
 
 
Helldivers 2 Spore Burst Strain terminids
Third Person Shooters How to deal with Helldivers 2 Terminids Spore Burst Bug Buff
 
 
Arc Raiders chicken Scrappy in machine helmet
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders dev thinks yesterday's niche "can become mainstream tomorrow" as extraction shooters boom in popularity
 
 
Saros gameplay showing a flying beast hover over multiple statues of hands
Third Person Shooters I asked Saros devs about their hand obsession and got a fascinating insight into game development
 
 
Agave in Arc Raiders
Third Person Shooters Agave locations in Arc Raiders
 
 
Latest in News
Fox McCloud in the new Star Fox game for Nintendo Switch 2
Action Games Star Fox 64 remake revealed for Switch 2 in surprise Nintendo Direct
 
 
Old School RuneScape men in pink skirts dancing
MMO Games Old School RuneScape is so old devs have to do "a bunch of work to stop the game exploding soon"
 
 
Elizabeth cries in BioShock Infinite
Bioshock BioShock 4 delay "disappointed" Take-Two CEO, who thinks the studio "wasted a lot of time"
 
 
Photo by Rosalie Newcombe of the Nintendo Switch 2 sitting on a coffee table surrounded by accessories.
Hardware Nintendo reportedly pressured to raise Switch 2 price as $450 console is sold at a loss
 
 
Lewis Tan as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat 2
Action Movies Mortal Kombat 2 is one of the highest-rated video game movies of all time on Rotten Tomatoes
 
 
Slay the Spire 2 hero Silent in green robe
Roguelike Games Steam stats for Slay the Spire 2's engine Godot show "strong signs of exponential growth"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Fox McCloud in the new Star Fox game for Nintendo Switch 2
    1
    Star Fox 64 remake revealed for Switch 2 in surprise Nintendo Direct
  2. 2
    I recruited Gothic 1 Remake's most notorious NPC and a pair of molerats for 4 hours of RPG chaos
  3. 3
    BioShock 4 delay "disappointed" Take-Two CEO, who thinks the studio "wasted a lot of time"
  4. 4
    Old School RuneScape is so old devs have to do "a bunch of work to stop the game exploding soon"
  5. 5
    Mortal Kombat 2 is one of the highest-rated video game movies of all time on Rotten Tomatoes

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...