Just when I thought that Helldivers 2 couldn’t get any more awesome and absurd, they added mechs.
Now, these aren’t the size of a skyscraper or even the size of a house. But they are the size of a car and that’s pretty awesome. Just call one down, get in, and start blasting.
You should be warned: It takes a couple of seconds for your machine gun to warm up (like, seriously, 1-mississippi 2-mississippi) but, once it gets going, it will shred everything in your sights. It has a battery of missles as well (about 14) and these can be used to blow up bugs *OR* blow up bug holes (but you have to hit them dead on… if you’re not dead on, the shot will be wasted). The explosions are also really effective. If you fire a missile at something too close to you, it will blow up your mech with you in it.
They are *AWESOME*. They’re heavy enough to kill the maggot bugs by stepping on them and, since friendly fire is always turned on, you’ll be regularly killing your squadmates. Last night, we were doing a mission and my bud kind of got in my line of fire and, technically, blew up.
“Did you just blow me up, dude?”, he asked.
“It was the bugs.”
“You hit me with a missile?”
“It was the bugs.”
Shortly thereafter, we failed the mission.
I can’t believe how much fun it was.
I’m only level 6 but I’m not feeling like “I wish I were level 25!” or anything like that. I don’t feel underpowered or anything like that (though it’s always nice to go up a level and have access to newer and better weapons). The game is calibrated to feel as welcoming to a level 2 dork as it is to the guy who power-leveled up to somewhere in the 40s.
This game is, seriously, stupid fun. And it’s stupid fun that is even better with friends.
So… what are you playing?
(Featured image is the loading screen from Helldivers 2. All screenshots taken by the author.)
Regarding Secondary Objectives: If you’re picking a mission off the globe and you hover over it for a couple of seconds, it’ll load a mission map. That shows where the primary objectives (orange), secondary objectives (blue) and the extraction point are.Report
I should start doing that.Report
Although maybe it’s not that? There’s some segment where the team leader chooses the drop point and I think that lets you look at the whole map.Report
I look at the whole map but don’t see the blue thing… which, so far, is either setting up a satellite dish or setting up an artillery battery.Report
Oh — well, for one thing, apparently you don’t get them until you’re on Medium difficulty missions. So that might be a reason we’re not seeing them.
The other thing is that the Secondary Objectives are only those things – stuff that you find while running around the level, like “destroy renegade science facility” or clearing Bug outposts, those aren’t considered secondary objectives so they won’t show up on the map.Report
I did a mission last night where we encountered a secondary thing, turned it on, and got the reward.
So it happens on easy. They’re just not lit up on the map (though they were lit up on the reward screen).Report
I do feel like a “map ping” function might be useful. Maybe something that just adds waypoints in the vague location of Areas Of Interest?
Also, I am really digging that break-action shotgun thing. I had a real Moment yesterday, standing on top of a hill snapping off shots at bugs in the distance, real “pringing ducks on the wing” action.Report
aaaand apparently Light armor fits can just *do* the “map ping” that I said I wanted.
Wow, I’m not used to games leaving this amount of discovery up to the players!Report
Complaints that Helldivers receive inadequate training may constitute treason.Report
I assure you I’m as Democratic as the next guy, I vote EVERY CHANCE I GET.Report
Still working on Starfield. Finally completed the main quest and was deeply pleased with the reward for doing so. It felt like a much more beneficent, explicated end to a well-known early science fiction movie. Am now on NG+ and recalling how tedious it was to build up a treasury gathing and re-selling trash guns back in the first go-round. But that’s a Bethesda game for you.
(I have to note that there is no supply-and-demand engine to the prices, which again is Bethesda for you — in Skyrim, the total population is 2,201 NPCs, and I think the last time I played through that I sold something like ten times that many swords, maces, bows, and especially daggers captured off of bandits and thugs, and the prices remained as constant as though Nixon’s wage and price controls were in place. So it’s no surprise that the price of the Grendel in Starfield doesn’t drop despite the fact that I’m taking out enough pirates, spacers, and mercs that the Census would notice my activities.)Report
Steam sale! BG3 10% off. Wait, that’s lousy. Oh, Hogwarts Legacy 50% off. That’s more like it.Report
Ah, jeez. Nobody Saves the World is 60% off putting it at $10.
Fine.
OH AND PINBALL TABLES ARE ON SALE!!!
Fine.Report
Goat Simulator 3 for $30.Report
That game strikes me as a hair meta.Report