Summary
Helldivers 2players can get kicked at any point in the mission at the host’s discretion. This is by no means a brand-new point ofdiscourse or contention in theHelldivers 2community, but it remains disruptive and demoralizing for those who find themselves on the end of exploitative or inexplicable kicks.
Ultimately,Helldivers 2is at its best when all players communicate properly and rally together in the plight of managed democracy. Unfortunately, that’s not always how a mission plays out and there’s a thin line each kick balances on with regard to what was fair and what was intended, though there debatably isn’t any worthwhile retribution to seek on either side.
Helldivers 2’s Extractions are the Root of Many Kicks and Communicative Assumptions
On the one hand, hosts should be allowed to kick anybody they wish for whatever reason, especially if a random player in their squad is toxic—they chose to join the host’s mission, after all. On the other hand, players who carry the host and their squad to the finish line or are at least actively contributing to the mission’s success only to be kicked without any explanation, either on voice comms or in the text chat, should not be penalized.
It’s grating, then, thatHelldivers 2would need to account for every situation and every possible contextual reason for why someone was kicked in order for there to be some semblance of a solution to this issue. As such, there’s probably no legitimate way to quell undeserved kicks wholly because deserved kicks are vital toHelldivers 2’s matchmaking system.
For example, many players seem to believe that calling in extraction immediately activates the endgame timer when in actuality it only triggerswhen a player enters the Pelican.
As long as nobody hops in, calling in extraction simply brings the Pelican to the planet’s surface so players won’t have to wait for it while overwhelmed by bots or bugs later on. Therefore, when players have been valuable the entire mission only to be kicked for calling in extraction—not to mention if all visible side objectives have already been completed and greyed out—the sting can be immeasurable.
Helldivers 2’s Kicks Represent a Communication Issue More Than Anything
Now, if somebody is calling in extraction and boards the Pelican right as it lands, that is reasonable cause for a swift kick if the host and no other squad members are anywhere nearby or are completing optional tasks elsewhere. Likewise, anyone calling in the Pelican after the host has directly asked them not to deserves to be kicked, even if they have no intention of boarding it right away.
It wouldn’t be surprising if these trust issues are why many hosts kick players calling in extraction early as they’ve likely been burned several times by Helldivers who aren’t communicating and are extracting alone for whatever reason. However, this behavior is typically only seen via inexperienced players who may not know all the etiquette andunwritten rules ofHelldivers 2because in no scenario is extracting alone ever more advantageous.
Helldivers 2 Has Two Ways to Combat Random Kicks for Decent Players
There are two counters to arguably undeserved kicks and both are absurdly obvious, though it’s unfortunate that they seem mandatory nowadays. One counter is for players to instigate their own missions rather than joining someone else’s, but the risk they run in this instance is not having anyone join them once they’re already stranded on the planet and have called in an SOS, particularly onhigherHelldivers 2difficulties such as Suicide Mission, Impossible, or Helldive.
Indeed, while the possibility of nobody joining players’ missions used to be nonexistent around launch with such an enormous playerbase at hand,Helldivers 2’s Steam player count has dipped tremendously.
If the remaining pool of players is kicking others incomprehensibly it sets a horrible precedent and, if nothing else, is an egregious amount of time wasted for the player who could’ve spent nearly half an hour aiding their teammates only to be kicked and not reap any of the rewards. The other counter is for players to immediately state their intentions in calling down the Pelican and assure the host that they won’t, in fact, leave everyone behind.
Helldivers 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Do you believe in freedom? Can you stand in the face of oppression – and defend the defenceless? Wage war for peace. Die for democracy.Join forces with up to three friends and wreak havoc on an alien scourge threatening the safety of your home planet, Super Earth, in this multiplayer co-op shooter for PS5 and PC from Arrowhead Game Studios.Step into the boots of the Helldivers, an elite class of soldiers whose mission is to spread peace, liberty and Managed Democracy using the biggest, baddest and most explosive tools in the galaxy.Helldivers don’t go planet side without proper backup, but it’s up to you to decide how and when to call it in. Not only do you have a host of superpowered primary weapons and customizable loadouts, you also have the ability to call on stratagems during play.Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead’s best cooperative gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital: Teams will synergize on loadouts, strategize their approach for each mission and complete objectives together.1Enlist in Super Earth’s premier military peacekeeping force today. We are heroes… we are legends… WE ARE HELLDIVERS.
