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
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • 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
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • 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
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Crimson Desert
  • Pokopia
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Starfield
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Don't miss these
Arc Raiders Wasp Hunter armor set with yellow leather
Third Person Shooters "Players shouldn't feel fully safe" in Arc Raiders even in friendly lobbies, lead dev says
Helldivers 2 democratic detonation warbond page
Third Person Shooters Best Helldivers 2 Warbonds to buy first and tier list ranking all 21 of them
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 PS5 screenshot
Games The 25 best online games to play in 2026
Arc Raiders characters drinking at a bar
Third Person Shooters As Arc Raiders gets stale for some, dev says players "reaching the end of our content" are a focus
Helldivers 2 Commando mission sneaking past automaton outpost
Third Person Shooters Tips for beating the new Helldivers 2 Commando Missions and the best gear
Big in 2026
FPS Games Hell Let Loose: Vietnam wants to be a tougher, smarter FPS where kills hardly matter: "We sit in a specific space where we're not COD or Battlefield, but also not military simulation"
Helldivers 2 Helldiver wielding senator revolver
Third Person Shooters Best Helldivers 2 pistols and melee weapons to use against the Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate
Arc Raiders characters standing together
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs now force themselves to act nice in playtests to understand friendly players
Support Weapons in Helldivers 2
Third Person Shooters Best Support weapons in Helldivers 2
Arc Raiders best weapons
Third Person Shooters "Will this blow up the server?": Arc Raiders players are so good at killing Arc that Embark eyes ways to "escalate" PvE
Marathon Triage runner
FPS Games Yes, Marathon is hard – but that is liberating
Marathon cybernetic android face
FPS Games Marathon boss cryptically suggests the game may be too hard, confirms "big balance changes brewing"
Arc Raiders Flashpoint
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders's new map condition is "hell on Earth" and it's giving players "flashbacks" of Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 Illuminate Veracitor chasing Helldiver with harvester nearby
Third Person Shooters How to kill the new Veracitor and Gatekeeper Illuminate enemies in Helldivers 2
  1. Games
  2. Action Games
  3. Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 players are pushing back against 'meta' builds because they just want to have fun

News
By Hirun Cryer published 23 February 2024

"No one wants to play [...] like they're on the front lines of 'nam in a life or death situation"

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

Helldivers 2 Transporting the Hard Drive to the Communications Relay
(Image credit: Sony)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Some Helldivers 2 players are seemingly urging others to play the game with a 'competitive' nature, and a lot of players aren't having it.

If you didn't already know, 'meta' is a phrase ascribed to something that's popular in an online competitive game. This might be a particular character paired with a particular weapon, for example, like how the R-99 submachine gun was absolutely dominant in the early days of Apex Legends, and therefore deemed the 'meta' amongst competitive players.

It seems some Helldivers 2 players are trying to figure out the game's meta, much to the derision of others. The subreddit post just below, for example, is critical of players calling out their teammates weapons. The 'Breaker Shotgun' is deemed to be one of the more powerful weapons in the game right now, but the post below argues that not everyone has to use it, just because it's popular.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Helldivers 2 Helldivers 2 support agent says "there's no balance team" at Arrowhead because "it's all a team effort"
  • Helldivers 2 soldier with an explosion reflecting in their visor As death threats derail Helldivers 2's wholesome D10 challenge, devs address “increasing hostility in the community”
  • Helldivers 2 Ultimatum Helldivers 2 patch increases "intensity" of highest difficulties, buffs melee weapons, and gives enemies a better aim
PSA: Don't be "that" guy. from r/Helldivers

"No one wants to play with the sweat screaming commands into their mic like they're on the front lines of 'nam in a life or death situation," the player writes. But, they add, this situation actually flips on the higher difficulties, where teamwork is required for a successful mission - if you're just fooling around with a weak weapon, then it's logical that your teammates would be slightly annoyed.

Similarly, the post below argues that streamers are damaging the team-based nature of Helldivers 2 by trying to create builds that are viable for solo play. Helldivers 2 is a game that's meant to be played as a squad, not on your own, and so YouTubers or streamers that are trying to urge others into playing solo are sort of missing the point of the co-op shooter.

I've never seen streamers do so much damage to a playerbase from r/Helldivers

A commenter even claims that they got "kicked" from a match for stealing 'Samples' from their squad mates. Samples are universally shared across an entire team, so if one person bags a Rare Sample, it's shared among all players, but apparently some people haven't worked this out yet, and are kicking their allies out of games for what they deem to be theft.

Finally, the subreddit post below claims that players are 'farming' the Defense-based missions against the Automaton armies. Completing a campaign requires players to complete several missions in a row, but according to the user below, some are quitting out as soon as they complete the Eradication-type mission, instead of seeing the entire campaign through to its end.

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.
Farmers are ruining the defence campaigns. Every time I join a game, it's just people doing an eradication mission, then quitting and starting another one over and over. No wonder we're losing. from r/Helldivers

This can seriously hurt progress, because it drastically reduces the chance a campaign will actually be completed. If the Defense campaign isn't completed, it paves the way for the Automatons to claw back the planet, and makes other squad's hard-fought victories against the robots feel worthless. Please don't be like this, is what the user above is writing.

The good news for players it that Helldivers 2 nearly doubled its server capacity earlier today, February 23. Up to 700,000 players can now play Helldivers 2 simultaneously, which sounds like fantastic news, but one lead has warned that it still might not be enough for everyone to bag a spot this weekend.

Read up on our Helldivers 2 Stratagems guide for a look at the best gear for the right situation. 

CATEGORIES
PS5 PC Gaming Platforms PlayStation
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Helldivers 2
Co-op Games Helldivers 2 support agent says "there's no balance team" at Arrowhead because "it's all a team effort"
 
 
Helldivers 2 soldier with an explosion reflecting in their visor
Third Person Shooters As death threats derail Helldivers 2's wholesome D10 challenge, devs address “increasing hostility in the community”
 
 
Helldivers 2 Ultimatum
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 patch increases "intensity" of highest difficulties, buffs melee weapons, and gives enemies a better aim
 
 
Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster.
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 players cheated so hard that Arrowhead had to "disable the Galactic War" and change a Major Order
 
 
Helldivers 2 factions
Third Person Shooters Faced with the bots' attempts at peace, Helldivers 2 players shoot down "baseless propaganda" as anti-freedom drivel
 
 
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
 
 
Latest in Action Games
Pragmata
Action Games As positive Pragmata reviews roll in, Capcom owns 3 of the top 10 games released so far in 2026
 
 
James Bond disguised as a driver in 007 First Light
Action Games Massive 007: First Light spoilers and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake details leak online
 
 
Two bikers posing with a revolver and a motorbike in Grand Theft Auto 6 area Ambrosia
Grand Theft Auto Hackers behind GTA 6 maker Rockstar Games' latest breach say they're releasing the stolen data
 
 
Protagonist Jordan in a screenshot from the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
Action Games The Last of Us led Naughty Dog to accept crunch is "what it takes to make games at our level," ex-dev says
 
 
physint art showing a man in shadows
Action Games Metal Gear spiritual successor reportedly casting a villain who evokes "Mads Mikkelsen in Hannibal but with flair"
 
 
Pragmata screenshot taken on PS5
Action Games Pragmata review: "Blasting and hacking in sync has me locked in for Capcom's sci-fi shooter"
 
 
Latest in News
A gang of kids holds a woman down while another kid raises an ax to strike her
Horror Movies Eli Roth's Ice Cream Man trailer looks like the last 10 minutes of Weapons as a full movie
 
 
Pragmata
Action Games As positive Pragmata reviews roll in, Capcom owns 3 of the top 10 games released so far in 2026
 
 
The Boroughs
Sci-Fi Shows First trailer for Netflix sci-fi series from the Duffer Brothers is like Stranger Things for senior citizens
 
 
The Lantern of the Laughless Saint NPC grimacing
RPGs "Elder Scrolls 6 is taking so long that we're just making our own," RPG devs tell Todd Howard
 
 
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Nobody can touch the $10,000 Super Mario 64 speedrunning bounty except for the guy who started it
 
 
Count Strahd von Zarovich, Baba Lysaga's walking hut, a Gulthias Tree, and Castle Ravenloft visible in a dark, story night
Board Games New Horrified D&D board game goes to Ravenloft, and here's your exclusive first look
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. A gang of kids holds a woman down while another kid raises an ax to strike her
    1
    Eli Roth's Ice Cream Man trailer looks like the last 10 minutes of Weapons as a full movie
  2. 2
    New Horrified D&D board game goes to Ravenloft, and here's your exclusive first look
  3. 3
    As positive Pragmata reviews roll in, Capcom owns 3 of the top 10 games released so far in 2026
  4. 4
    First trailer for Netflix sci-fi series from the Duffer Brothers is like Stranger Things for senior citizens
  5. 5
    "Elder Scrolls 6 is taking so long that we're just making our own," RPG devs tell Todd Howard

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
  • Accessibility Statement

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

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...