Arrowhead Game Studios has released a brand new update for its co-op shooter Helldivers 2, this time around focusing on bringing in more stealth-focused gameplay. General changes being made to the game, according to the studio, will allow players to kill things in a quieter manner, resulting in “cleaner engagements” and “new opportunities for coordinated strikes” before the players’ presence becomes known to enemies.
To go with these adjustments, Helldivers 2 has also gotten new Commando missions that throw players into missions behind enemy lines. This means air superiority is not an option and reinforcements have to be deployed in advance. Despite the emphasis on stealth, however, the studio has also noted that it won’t be a substitute for overwhelming firepower. For more details, check out the full patch notes below.
There is also good news for PC players: Arrowhead Game Studios is starting the process of making its “slim” build that takes up significantly less storage the default one for all players. While the transition is kicked off, the full-sized build will also remain available for the time being. However, after the transition has been completed, the studio plans to ultimately sunset the larger build of Helldivers 2 on PC.
Interestingly, the release of this update with its new Commando missions coincides with the delayed launch of the Redacted Regiment Warbond, which brings with it a host of “special ops”-themed equipment for players to use. Among these are the R-72 Censor rifle, the P-35 Re-Educator pistol, and a new explosive Stratagem.
The armour sets included in the Warbond will also likely help out stealthy players a lot, since both the Light and Medium armours have the “Reduced Signature” perk that makes them quieter and generally harder to detect.
Helldivers 2 is currently in the midst of a Major Order that revolves around the construction of a “macro-scale laser” upgrade for the Democratic Space Station. To help in this endeavour, players have been tasked with assaulting Magma planets and taking on the native Automatons, who happen to have the much-needed iridium-infused superalloy heat sinks that can be used for construction. Interestingly, the news reel announcing this Major Order also included a tease for what could be the next main story beat thanks to the presence of a new Illuminate structure.
Helldivers 2 is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details on what to expect in the future, check out why the studio’s CEO has said that “a lot of Helldivers” will die.
Helldivers 2 Into the Adjust Update 5.0.2 patch notes:
General changes overview
- Suppressors are now more effective
- Intent is to make suppressors more valuable in stealth gameplay and attract less attention from enemies
- Noise radius of firing suppressed weapons roughly reduced by 50%
- Enemies detection radius when being fired at, but not being hit, is reduced in some units
General
- Detection range of danger (basically being shot at but not getting hit) reduced for enemies like Devastators, Berserkers, Spewers, Chargers, Impaler, Observer
Gameplay
Optimizations
- Adjusted M-1000 Minigun muzzle to reduce flash
