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Helldivers 2 currently features two types of missions. There are the eradication missions where players are on the offensive with many different variations from sabotaging supplies to destroying bases. When it comes to defense missions, there aren’t as many variations and most play out very similarly, with players landing on a small map and having to eliminate increasingly difficult enemies in a set amount of time in close-quarters combat. Unfortunately, the defense missions can be very frustrating and most of the time unenjoyable, and players are hoping to see this changed in a future update with new variations added to Helldivers 2.
In a Reddit post, u/Schmitty777 vented their frustration at how the defense missions are currently laid out and gave some suggestions as to how to improve them. Currently, defense missions take place on a very small map that consists of nothing more than a central platform with some turrets and rocks surrounding it that you can somewhat use for cover and try and escape from the ever-increasing amount of enemies that drop onto the map. Especially at the higher difficulties, if you’re playing solo you can spend much of your time just running in circles trying to create enough distance between you and your enemies to spawn a stratagem to take enough enemies out to give you some time to heal. Unfortunately, the missions only last for 15 minutes and you must take out a set amount of enemies to complete the mission, this can make them incredibly difficult to complete.
U/Schmitty777 gave some suggestions on how to improve these missions saying “It just seems like a missed opportunity to make an actual defensible structure to set up your defenses are fight off waves of enemies with different fields of fire from one or two directions. It doesn’t help the enemy’s spawn rate is crazy fast and you rely on taking down drop ships more than enemies themselves.”
They also then gave some suggestions on how the missions could be structured saying “A mission could simply be, “Drop behind enemy lines and download enemy intel” for bots, you’d drop in a bot facility and hold them off until the download finishes. Bugs could be “Drop behind enemy lines and download geological date of bug hives” and you hold them off… but instead, drop into this small map and avoid devastators and bile titans until you reach 450 kills, and its complex stratagems calculations so if you die you won’t get your stuff back before the missions ends.”
This take on the defense mission could be a fun alternative that would add some variety. Currently, defense missions aren’t as frequent as regular eradication missions, but when planets need defending you don’t have a choice but to play them, and they’re not as fun. With Helldivers 2 still being a new game, Arrowhead Game Studios is regularly releasing new content so it is unlikely that no improvements will be made to the mode over time. It is possible that new variations could be implemented in future updates, especially as the Automatons look to be eradicated for good and a new threat is about to emerge, which could be the heavily rumored Illuminate from the first game.
Although running around in circles for 15 minutes isn’t exactly what we’d call a successful strategy for defending a base, it is the only way to survive with the way the missions and maps are set up. But, to have the best chance at surviving and successfully defending your base, you need to make sure you bring the right tools for the job. And by tools, we mean lots of firepower. We recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you can choose the best loadout for you and your squad to have the best chance at eradicating the Automatons and the Terminids.
