Helldivers 2 players dislike this mission modifier effect

Helldivers 2 is an incredibly chaotic game, with players slaying hundreds of Automatons and Terminids during each mission as they try and survive while serving Liber-tea. When describing the game, especially on higher difficulties, I often like it to Dark Souls with guns and the mission modifiers only add to that statement. These change elements of the mission to make them harder, but one in particular is more of an annoyance that makes the experience less enjoyable.

U/Mentat_-_Bashar has taken to Reddit to discuss the mission modifier effects in Helldivers 2, particularly the modifier that removes one Stratagem slot. Other modifiers can be in effect when playing missions including heavy fog, increased call-down time, increased cooldown time, and increased Orbital scatter. But, it is the three Stratagem modifiers that cause the most issues for players. Modifiers can become a factor from Hard difficulty and above and you can check a planet’s current modifier effect by pressing C on your keyboard.

Many players agree that the three Stratagem modifier is the worst out of the possible ones that you can get, with the Reddit user stating that they will “just leave that planet/operation if I notice this effect is present,” adding that they “do not understand why you would add this effect and arbitrarily force players to disengage with a core mechanic.I understand the concept, but in reality, it’s just an annoying frustration at best.”

Other players agree with this, with U/UvWSausage suggesting that they would “rather it be more specific. Can’t take eagle strikes due to lightning storms, or can’t take orbital strikes due to targeting interference.” U/Sea-Elevator1765 also made a great suggestion that effects such as the Ion Storm should also affect Automatons to add a new level of strategy saying “The bots, for example, shouldn’t be able to call in reinforcements when there’s an ion storm right on top of them.” U/UvWSausage built upon this concept with the idea that this “could create some cool counter play. Like focus objectives but when a storm arrives, you can move on the points of interest and patrols without fear of it escalating.”

It is great to see the community come together with suggestions to improve a mechanic in the game that is generally disliked and turn it into a version that would make it more enjoyable. But, as it stands, most of the modifiers are more of an annoyance rather than a difficulty increase.

The Helldivers 2 community will need to get used to these modifiers though, as the current Major Order will require players to take part in plenty of missions. Collectively, the community needs to eradicate 2 billion Automatons from the galaxy to win the Major Order, with players so far slightly underperforming. But, there is no need to panic just yet as the completion rate typically increases towards the end as the community does a final push to ensure victory. To effectively do your part, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you and your squad can be in the best position to bring democracy.