Helldivers 2 finally gets its mechs in our first post-launch Stratagem after players liberate Tien Kwan in record time

Helldivers 2 mechs are finally here, people. Just one day after galactic game master Joel added factory planet Tien Kwan to the war front in a surprise twist that delayed the mecha mayhem, hundreds of thousands of Helldivers have successfully liberated the joint and unlocked the new mech Stratagem for everyone. 

You can now acquire the EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit Stratagem for a whopping 20,000 requisition slips, with the caveat that it's only officially unlocked at level 25. However, the good news is that, seemingly for a limited time, all players can call in one free mech through a universal Strategem. It's a nice way to get in on the mech fun no matter your rank, and a free extra mech for high-level players. 

The official description reads, "A heavily armored walking exosuit equipped with a rocket launcher and a heavy machine gun." It's classed as an "explosive" and "vehicle" Stratagem with a zero-second call-in time but a staggering 10-minute cooldown and just two uses per operation. 

Think of this like a sentry you captain yourself. Each mech spawns with 1,000 rounds for the minigun and 14 rockets, and it's shockingly easy to burn through that stockpile with no clear way to resupply the thing. That said, these mechs put in some work. It's too early to say whether the EXO-45 will become a certified Helldivers 2 meta build staple pick, but early impressions are looking good. In the words of one of our resident Helldivers 2 enthusiasts, "It out-Hulks a Hulk." That's pretty high praise in my book. 

Helldivers 2 players scramble to figure out what's changed after dev admits "some things were stealth buffed and not put in the patch notes."