Summary
Almost six months after its release,Helldivers 2is still one of the biggest surprises of the year. Whilethe firstHelldiverswas a solid success, it wasn’t hugely popular, meaning that there wasn’t too much hype going into the launch ofHelldivers 2back in February. But somehow,Helldivers 2managed to become one of the biggest games in the world, at least for a little while.
With a captivating core gameplay loop and some genuinely engaging live-service implementation,Helldivers 2maintained an impressive player count for a good few months, and developer Arrowhead did its best to keep that momentum going with consistent Warbond and Stratagem drops. ButHelldivers 2’s player count has begun to falter, and while that’s natural for most multiplayer games, a live-service title likeHelldivers2hinges itself on being able to retain a player base. Thankfully, there’s still an ace upHelldivers 2’s sleeve, and July is the perfect time to play it.
July Is The Right Time for The Illuminate to Join Helldivers 2
July Marks Helldivers 2’s Six-Month Anniversary
On July 8,Helldivers 2will have its six-month anniversary. To mark the occasion, Arrowhead should go all out and celebrate just how far the game’s come. These celebrations should include a wealth of new cosmetics marking key events that have happened in the community over the last six months, in a similar vein tothe Malevelon Creek capeplayers got a little while ago. A celebratory Warbond would also be great to see, maybe including some celebration-themed weapons such as a gun that shoots fireworks.
But if Arrowhead really wanted to go above and beyond, then it would finallyadd the Illuminate toHelldivers 2. A faction present in the originalHelldiversbut still mysteriously missing from the sequel, the Illuminate has been rumored to return to the galaxy for months now, with some concept art of the faction leaking a while ago. Though the species is technically extinct in the lore, there are plenty of narrative ways to explain its return, and the opportunity to deliver a new enemy faction is more than worth the risks to the game’s story. Fans have been anticipating an Illuminate reveal for a while now, andHelldivers 2’s six-month anniversary is the perfect milestone for it.
The Illuminate Could Restore Helldivers 2’s Community
As noted,Helldivers 2’s player base is on a steady decline right now. According to SteamDB,Helldivers 2’s all-time peakplayer count occurred back in February, when the game reached 458,709 concurrent players on Steam. ThoughHelldivers 2’s player count had a brief spike in April, it’s been steadily decreasing ever since, with just 41,000 players online at the time of writing, which is 20,000 less than the previous week.
ThoughHelldivers 2’s 40,000+ player count is still solid, it’s a far cry from the impressive heights it once reached. It’s clear thatHelldivers 2needs to do something big to bring players back, and finally adding the Illuminate would likely do just that. The Illuminate would hopefully add an array of new enemies to the game, all of whom would require the player to learn some new tactics, as their fighting style would hopefully be quite different from anything players have experienced with the Terminids and Automatons. This would essentially restartHelldivers 2’s addictive gameplay loop for many, requiring even the most seasoned players to rethink theirweapons, Stratagems, and Boosters, and experiment with new playstyles.
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.
