The galactic tug-of-war in Helldivers 2 remains one of the game’s most interesting aspects.
According a post in the official Helldivers 2 Discord last night, apparently 10 million Helldivers died valiantly attempting to defend the planet Mort from Automaton onslaught over the course of the last two days. The good is that the Helldivers succeeded (by the skin of their teeth, a win is a win).
“Good evening,” reads the Discord post, written in-character as a missive from Super Earth high command. “For the past 48 hours, we have all watched anxiously as the defense of Mort raged on. Tonight, I can report to the Citizens of Super Earth that Mort stands free [SUGGESTION: CHEER].
“This victory is squarely thanks to the heroism of the Helldivers [SUGGESTION: CHEER], whose acts of valor and sacrifice in Mort’s deliverance were extraordinary and innumerable. The defense was determined by the thinnest of margins, and every single Hellpod made the difference. The final stand of the Helldivers on Mort was an act of patriotism greater than any I have ever seen.
“This victory was not without cost. Over 10 million of our most elite heroes were tragically lost [SUGGESTION: WAIL], and I know I speak for all citizens when I express my deepest gratitude for their sacrifice.”
Incredible.
If you’ve been playing Helldivers 2 recently and have dropped into Automaton-controlled sectors, you’ll likely be familiar with Mort. The planet is closely linked to Malevelon Creek, aka “Robot Vietnam”, a region known for particularly hellish missions and density of foes. Malevelon Creek fell earlier this week, a bleak end to several weeks of vicious fighting.
A reminder that all this incredibly democratic back-and-forth is the result of the machinations of one game master named Joel. This lone developer has been pulling the strings of the galactic warfront. Joel’s job is to manage the ongoing galactic stalemate, never allowing Helldivers 2 players to completely steamroll their way to victory. Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt says Joel has been getting up in the middle of the night to monitor and tweak the difficulty sector to sector since the game’s ultra-successful launch. What a king. Thank you for your service, Helldiver Joel.
Anyway, I am once again forced to admire the commitment to the bit on display by the Helldivers 2 devs and community alike. For once, it feels like everyone is in on the joke, and it rules. It’s producing the kind of silly in-universe war stories we could previously only get from games like Eve Online, and I, for one, am loving it.
RIP to the fallen.
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