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The ever-shifting Galactic War continues to reflect the state of Helldivers 2, as a flurry of recent changes is set to affect the game as we know it. Recently, AGS appointed a new (yet familiar) CCO to help out on the creative side of things, with weapon rebalancing seemingly set to be the focus of their tenure. This should only spell good things for the game’s future, though, of course, this isn’t the only significant change that happened this week.
Major order failures due to a lack of yellow paint, a new mech exosuit, and the impending arrival of the Illuminate also continue to dominate this week’s comms channels. So, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of recent events, allow us to give you a momentary reprieve through our succinct Helldivers 2 weekly update.
Chief Creative Officer Pilestedt reporting for duty
Yes, Johan Pilestedt, Arrowhead Game Studios’ previous CEO, has transitioned to Chief Creative Officer, with Shams Jorjani taking over his vacated position. This new role allows Pilestedt to focus more on the game’s creative side than on numbers, balance sheets, and QBRs. And, as a first order of business, Pilestedt also revealed that he’ll be placing a ton of attention on weapon rebalancing since most recent player complaints have been on the developers’ tendency to “nerf everything.”
Now, since AGS’s first patch under Pilestedt’s watchful eye has yet to be released, it remains to be seen whether his tenure finally kicks off the cascade of change that players have been waiting for. However, his expertise as a former producer and lead designer should only mean good things for Helldivers 2’s direction.
We lost Vernen Wells…and the liberation boost that went with it
As part of the previous major order, High Command tasked Helldivers with defending Vernen Wells from being overrun by the pesky Automatons. Unfortunately, players weren’t aware of just how important keeping this planet under Super Earth’s control was.
According to the previous major order briefing, certain planets had been equipped with SEAF Basic Training Facilities that could provide frontlines with a steady flow of new recruits. This gave us a nice liberation boost that made freeing other areas slightly easier as long as we kept the specified planets free from evildoers. Alas, the opposite happened.
Though players have since moved on from the Vernen Wells fiasco, many have called on AGS to introduce clearer indicators of a planet’s importance. It remains to be seen whether the developers will eventually introduce new yellow-paint-like markers. But if we’re to avoid another unfortunate incident like this, it may need to happen sooner rather than later.
Where’s my exosuit?
One reason players were able to move on so quickly from the Vernen Wells loss was the introduction of a new major order. But this isn’t any old briefing like the previous ones. Completion of this latest MO gets players the EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit stratagem, and, much like the first one, it will also be a walking hub of mass destruction.
Progress on Varylia 5, the current MO’s focus, is going well, with Helldivers already halfway done with the operation. And with plenty of time to spare before the major order ends, we should be well on our way to getting our hands on the exosuit combo we’ve all been waiting for.
That covers all of the significant happenings this week in Helldivers 2! Check back next week for more on the goings-ons around the Galactic War. Alternatively, you can check out our pages on the best Helldivers 2 loadouts so you can drop in with the ideal setups that won’t get you kicked off the squad.
