The new Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom update is slated to launch soon, and the trailer showcased a lot of new stuff that fans of the game could enjoy. Among these were new mission objectives, a higher difficulty mode, and a few new enemies coming to the battlefield.
Among the new enemies is The Impaler, a returning foe from the first game in the franchise. Johan Pilestedt, the CCO at Arrowhead Game Studios, reached out to the community to ask their opinions on the reintroduction. However, the response may not have been what he expected!
Johan Pilestedt Receives Complaints Regarding Helldivers 2 Update
Live-service games remain relevant by introducing new content periodically. It’s been a little over six months now since the game first launched, and we finally have the first major update. The Helldivers 2 Freedom update, at first glance, appears to be exactly what the title needs to get the attention of players, but there are still many problems under the hood.
So, @HelldiversGame fans, what's your take on the reintroduction of the impaler in @helldivers2?
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) July 24, 2024
Pilestedt wanted to check how the community is reacting to the return of The Impaler Terminid to the game. The bug can handle both close-range attacks and cut-off escaping Helldivers by driving its tentacles through the ground to erupt around them.
It should help quell the growing tide of criticism that much of the Helldivers 2 experience is becoming repetitive, but not everyone is stoked to fight the new enemy.
Cool, but a little wary on it, worried about bugs(literally) and not exactly hopeful ATM considering past actions nerfing weapons.
— Suffy 🦢 (@drsuffy) July 24, 2024
Others have stated that the existing ragdoll physics would only be exacerbated by this new threat.
too much ragdoll already.
— KaanTech (@KaanTechgaming) July 25, 2024
One fan wants vehicles to be included in the game, which could make things more interesting.
When are we getting vehicles.
— RealOscarMike (@RealOscarMike) July 25, 2024
A few fans are wondering when Arrowhead is going to get around to fixing the existing issues in the game.
Fix the weapon balance already. Bring back the 170 countries still banned.
— artie (@Artie_boston) July 25, 2024
Deal with the discord moderation in a direct way so it stops damaging the game's reputation.
Recently this game touched less than 10k active players in steam and it's barely 6 months old. A 95% drop.
And, as is the case with any Helldivers 2 conversation now, people are wondering when the Illuminate will enter the fray.
I don’t know, but when are the iluminates coming?
— jax (@jax24982345) July 24, 2024
The good thing is that a majority of the replies seem to be excited for the new enemy and are eager to take down the threat for the glory of Super Earth.
Escalation of Freedom to Make Things More Difficult
While the core experience of the game is to enjoy taking down bots and bugs with friends and people online, veteran players need something more to keep going. The update is going to add a Level 10 difficulty, making the game that much more challenging for those who have unlocked every upgrade and perfectly kitted out their Helldiver.
Combat Rating difficulty 10 is claimed to offer a relentless experience, with foes possessing more health, hitting harder, and swarming the players in greater numbers. Hopefully, the stratagems work as they are supposed to, so the only issue the player should have is their skill.
With Arrowhead also taking more time to release Warbonds now, players can expect greater quality coming to the game. The title has bled a lot of active players over the last couple of months, in large part due to some countries not being able to access the title via Steam.
Here’s hoping the update brings more people from other countries back into the game. What are your thoughts on The Impaler? Let us know in the comments below!
