With 20 milliseconds to go, brave Helldivers 2 player clutches 45 Samples "outnumbered, surrounded, leg broken, out of stims" after a clown fiesta extract

Helldivers 2 factions
(Image credit: Sony)

Helldivers 2 offers more than its fair share of chaotic situations as you valiantly fight to defend Managed Democracy against never-ending waves of bugs and robots, but one player has taken things to a whole new level.

Over on the Helldivers 2 subreddit, player Doom2508 has shared footage of an epic extraction attempt the likes of which Super Earth has never seen. The video, which you can check out below, shows them desperately fighting for survival - and to keep hold of their healthy supply of Samples - while waiting for a shuttle to swoop down and rescue them from the seriously bug-infested battlefield.

Outnumbered, surrounded, leg broken, out of stims, my closest clutch so far with 45 samples and 0.02 seconds left before auto departure. Never give up! from r/Helldivers

Having managed to gather 19 common Samples, 23 rare, and 3 rarer - 45 in total - and sustaining more than a few bug bites in the process, things get truly ridiculous just before their transport arrives, as swarms of bugs all sizes start closing in from all sides. With mere seconds to go before their ticket out of here takes off, they attempt to bypass the critters and board the shuttle but are flung like a rag doll by a Charger, who all but takes them out.

But as every Helldiver knows, surrender isn't an option. And so, with a broken leg, zero stims, and only an ounce of health left, they make one final push for the dropship and, against all odds, manage to reach safety with just 0.02 seconds on the clock thanks to some well-timed dives.

"Getting in that door was easily the most hype moment I've had playing this game," the player says, and the comments are, as you might expect, full of praise for this Helldiver's unwillingness to accept defeat. "Helldivers like you are what inspire the rest of us," says one in the comments. "Liberty be with you, fellow Diver." Another writes: "A true hero of democracy."

Doom2508 is far from the only Helldiver fighting the good fight. Having liberated six planets and successfully defended two planets in just a few days, soldiers high on Managed Democracy have taken to taunting Game Master Joel. Just how will the Game Master respond? We'll have to wait and see.

Helldivers 2 isn't just good co-op, it's a masterclass in designing comedy games.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.