The Helldivers 2 Polar Patriots Warbond highlights that monthly Battle Passes are a mistake

One of the highlights of live-service games is the Battle Pass system that can be seen in many titles including Fortnite and Call of Duty. Every season, a group of cosmetics can be earned by playing the game and often they are exclusive which creates a sense of urgency to unlock them. Helldivers 2 has a similar system called the Premium Warbonds, a Battle Pass-type product that can be unlocked either by purchasing Super Credits from the in-game store or by earning the Super Credits by collecting them in missions. These are where most of the new weapons are unlocked, with some becoming part of the meta, meaning that it is essential that players complete them.

Perhaps the best feature of the Premium Warbonds, especially when compared to the likes of Fortnite, is that they don’t expire and can be purchased and unlocked at any time. This means that, in theory, a player could purchase the first-ever Premium Warbond in three years and unlock the same items that I have in 2024. But, this also comes with a downside in that when Arrowhead Game Studios has to release a new Warbond every month to meet the monetization quota that Sony has set, the quality of the items on offer becomes less of a focus, as is evident by the most recent Polar Patriots Warbond.

The latest Polar Patriots Warbond is arguably the worst one that we’ve seen so far in Helldivers 2. Despite what the name suggests, nothing outside of the names of the armor sets has anything to do with ice, cold, or winter. Most weapons and armor have perks, which make them more unique and can help to make loadouts tailored to the individual player. So, with a name like Polar Patriots, many were expecting weapons to have a freeze perk to slow down enemies or have the armor make the player resistant to cold to prevent slowdown when on ice planets. However, none of these were added which makes the name of the Warbond more confusing than anything else.

Ignoring the odd name of the Warbond, it is the content of Polar Patriots that is the most disappointing. At least right now, as you never know when someone is going to find a meta-changing use for a weapon, so far most of the weapons included are either weaker versions of existing weapons or just get outclassed by other weapons available in the game. The Tenderizer is a prime example as the default Liberator is a better Assault Rifle, with the only exception being the stopping power of the Tenderizer does have its uses. The only weapon so far that seems to be a potential game-changer is the SMG-72 Pummeler, which is a great one-handed weapon that packs a punch. The Warbond fairs better with its Utilities as the P-113 Verdict is a decent Pistol, the Incendiary Impact Grenade could be great against Terminids, and the Motivational Shocks Booster is a great choice for when playing in a team. But, are they worth the $9.99 that the Polar Patriots Warbond costs? I would say no.

Although the new Polar Patriots Warbond landed in Helldivers 2 last week, it will only be a few more weeks before the next Warbond is released, and with that little time between them, how can Arrowhead Game Studios ensure quality and value for money for its players? With a mounting list of unaddressed glitches and issues in the game, as well as being embroiled in controversy following Sony’s decision to force all PC users to connect a PSN account to the game, which restricted players in 180 countries and regions from purchasing the game, I think it is time for Arrowhead Game Studios takes a step back and evaluates what are the most important issues to fix before worrying about extra cosmetics and items.

But, while we wait to see what the next Premium Warbond is, the Helldivers have a Major Order to attend to, which calls for the extermination of 2 billion Automatons to unlock the new Anti-Tank Mines. So far, players have fallen short of the target but there is still time to claw things back. To help ensure victory, you will need all of the firepower you can carry. We highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you can effectively bring democracy to the robot army.