You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here
Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 is an intense game of explosions, death and, most importantly, patriotism. In the midst of battle, players can use one of their emote slots to salute their friends, their enemies or the beautiful flag of Super Earth.
Since release, players have convinced themselves that saluting the flag of Super Earth during Raising the Flag missions actually makes the flag rise faster. While this was shaken off as silly placebo, it turns out Arrowhead did make saluting affect the speed of the game’s flag raising missions.
Always salute the flag in Helldivers 2
Confirmed in a Reddit exchange by Arrowhead Game Studios COO Johan Pilestedt, players who salute the flag during Raising the Flag missions will complete missions faster than those who don’t. Despite being in the heat of battle, players are encouraged to show the flag the respect it deserves, no matter the cost.
The Arrowhead COO explained that developers would always salute the flag during development playtests, just for fun. However, one of the game’s coders decided to implement the salute bonus as an Easter Egg for patriotic players.
“No it’s true,” the Arrowhead COO explained. “Everyone at the studio did it, so one of the coders added it as an ‘easter egg’.”
Helldivers 2 is no stranger to easter eggs. For example, the game’s audio options can be cranked up to 11, a reference to This is Spinal Tap, and the PC version’s config file used to hide a link to Rick Roll players until legal got involved.
Even in recent updates, easter eggs always get added to the game. With the arrival of the Illuminate, Helldivers 2 added vehicles to the game. What’s the name of the car? The Puma. What’s that a reference to? Only the almost 20-year-old Halo machinima series Red vs Blue.
For more coverage of Arrowhead’s multiplayer phenomenon, read about how the studio is already planning its next game or some leaked new guns that are coming to the game.
About the Author
