Helldivers 2 Keeps Things Fresh by Avoiding Doing 1 Thing Almost All Other Developers Do

Other studios should learn a thing or two from Arrowhead.

Helldivers 2 Keeps Things Fresh by Avoiding Doing 1 Thing Almost All Other Developers Do

SUMMARY

  • The way Arrowhead Game Studios is handling the balancing for its game is interesting.
  • Each new Helldivers 2 patch serves a specific purpose, but it doesn't make the previous update any less important.
  • It may be an unconventional approach, especially in the current gaming landscape, but it is definitely effective.
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One major reason why Helldivers 2 keeps thriving in a rapidly evolving gaming landscape is how Arrowhead is keeping things fresh by providing constant updates to its community-driven game. The developer keeps a close eye on what its player base is facing issues with in-game and promptly comes up with solutions to make the experience even better than it initially was.

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Of course, other live-service titles and their developers provide their fanbases with new content as well, but there’s one specific element that makes Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 stand out from the rest of the competition, resulting in it becoming more successful with each passing day.

With Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Takes a More Horizontal Approach

Arrowhead Game Studio's way of handling updates with Helldivers 2 is a major reason why it keeps succeeding with the fanbase.
Arrowhead’s way of handling updates for Helldivers 2 is a major reason why it keeps succeeding.

With the updates that Arrowhead keeps releasing for Helldivers 2, the community is starting to figure out how the studio’s approach is quite unconventional but more effective than almost all other developers.

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The devs are balancing things horizontally and if you aren’t aware of that it’ll feel odd at first
byu/VIRUSIXI2 inHelldivers

Anyone who has been playing Helldivers 2 can observe that the studio is “balancing things horizontally” rather than bringing changes out vertically and making any previous updates null and void. Most of the ongoing live-service titles take the latter route, which unlocks better content and leads to the previously introduced update becoming pretty much useless.

This is where Arrowhead differentiates Helldivers 2 from almost everything else, as the “new unlocks dont automatically invalidate older ones” and act as necessary tools with “specific” jobs to carry out the objective at hand. Imagine how boring and lifeless the game would’ve been if the developer just released one super-overpowered weapon to take care of everything, as that would suck all the excitement out of the title.

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Helldivers 2‘s balancing patches may feel a bit out of place to players who are used to the conventional way in which most developers handle things, but when one really thinks about it, it’s absolutely genius.

Arrowhead Trusts the Player Base’s Intelligence to Tackle Various Scenarios

The weapons and stratagems all serve specific purposes, which become useful in the various situations the game puts its players in.
The weapons and stratagems all serve specific purposes, which become useful in the various situations the game puts its players in.

Arrowhead Game Studios throws various situations at its player base, completely trusting the Helldivers 2 community as it figures out how to tackle the presented scenarios, and the balancing updates that the developer provides play a significant part in helping out with the objectives.

That does not mean that the weapons or stratagems that came before do not serve their own purpose, as there are some missions that require the extreme power of the laser cannon and others that need lighter guns to run through.

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Because of this, Helldivers 2 remains interesting, with further layers added to each patch, resulting in a gaming spectacle that has not been achieved in quite some time.

Are you satisfied with the way Arrowhead Game Studios is approaching the balancing updates for Helldivers 2? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by Osama Farooq

Articles Published: 298

Extensively talking about everything pop culture is something Osama truly enjoys doing, so when it started to get a little annoying in person, he joined FandomWire and found a whole community to share his thoughts with. He consumes media in almost all forms, including linear story-based video games (The Last of Us), hip-hop/R&B music (The Weeknd), top-tier television (Better Call Saul), classic movies (Superbad), as well as reading books and watching anime.