Helldivers 2 isn’t done fighting yet, as Arrowhead Games has announced that its latest update, Escalation of Freedom, will be its biggest yet.
The studio has revealed the latest addition to its post-launch release in Playstation.Blog. It’s an update that aims to give Earth’s super-powered defenders more variety, including new missions, objectives, enemies, planets, and even a new difficulty mode. While we wait for the August 6 launch, you can see how Arrowhead plans to move into the next phase of Helldivers 2 with Escalation of Freedom Game Update Announcement less.
Helldiver, have you got what it takes? The Escalation of Freedom major update launches on August 6, and includes:
• Difficulty level 10
• New important goals
• The biggest enemy sites
• New bugs and bots
• New environmental risksFull summary: https://t.co/GTTi0R4tc3 pic.twitter.com/h8gEewiu5G
— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) July 23, 2024
“Our community continues to show how strong we all are when we unite against mindless robots and the Terminid scourge,” Arrowhead’s Director of Social Media and Community, Catherine Baskin, said in a blog post. “As we stand here, on the eve of Escalation of Freedom, we reflect on the six months since launch. We could never have predicted how far this game would go and how many citizens would heed Super Earth’s call to arms!”
The biggest fundamental change that Arrowhead has made to the Helldivers 2 formula is a new, more difficult game mode: Combat Rating 10: Super Helldive. That’s right – if you thought the standard Helldive mode was too much, Super Helldive is here to offer a whole new level of challenge. Arrowhead describes this mode as “the most challenging and most difficult difficulty mode,” and of course, that means better rewards for those who manage to successfully extract at the end of the mission.
With Super Helldive comes a variety of missions, as well as larger Terminid and Automaton locations that grant new Super Sample rewards. Arrowhead notes that the new missions and objectives will be playable on other difficulty modes as well. However, the most compelling new addition to Escalation of Freedom seems to be the return of its ground-based enemy, the Impaler. Originally seen in the first Helldivers, this tentacled creature is described as “large, imposing, and destructive,” requiring players to focus their firepower until it is taken down.
Alongside the Impaler are new Terminid enemies, the Spore Charger, a more sinister version of the standard Charger, and the Alpha Commander, a larger Brood leader who summons other bugs for backup when needed. The massive Automatons have also called in reinforcements, with players now needing to look out for something called a Rocket Tank. Arrowhead also hints at some other “robot surprises” to watch out for but doesn’t offer specifics. Helldivers 2 players can also look forward to a new and updated Swamp area, which features thicker layers of fog and more hiding spots for enemies.
As Arrowhead moves to drop Escalation of Freedom in the Helldivers 2 universe, it has informed players that it is working to mitigate the consequences of kicking grief. With the update launching next month, players will find that after being kicked, they will appear in a new session as the host with all of the team’s loot from the session they just left. Helldivers who are kicked will also be notified that their loot has not changed when the player is removed.
“With these changes, all players now have the opportunity to leave the game with all the loot they collected on the mission, without losing any Hell Hunters,” Baskin continues. “We are committed to making changes that will improve the player experience and encourage healthy cooperative play. Alongside this, we are also releasing other quality of life upgrades with Escalation of Freedom, including major social menu overhauls to make it easier to dive in with your friends.”
Helldivers 2 launched on February 8, 2024, and has become one of the biggest PlayStation success stories in recent memory. The team-based extraction shooter has been praised for its world-building, chaotic gameplay, and team-based objectives, and with the Escalation of Freedom update, it’s clear Arrowhead has a lot more up its sleeve. We loved the sequel upon its release, giving it a 9/10 in our review. Our reviewAt the time, we said: “Helldivers 2’s combat looks great, its missions remain fresh and interesting, and its intelligent progression system doesn’t tax you.”
Michael Crepey is a freelance writer for IGN. He began writing for the genre in 2017 and is known for his work at outlets like The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to follow him on Twitter @MikeCripe.
