The future of Helldivers 2 looks bright following the massive success of Arrowhead Studios' sequel to their 2015 cult classic. So much so that the developer has bunkered down and is working on an update roadmap for players.
Before the game's release on February 8, Arrowhead had a scaled-down roadmap ready to share with players; however, plans swiftly changed as soon as they saw the overwhelming support from fans, making it the most-played PlayStation game on PC.
Arrowhead openly confirmed they were looking to hire more talent as they worked on expanding their initial post-launch DLC content roadmap. While details are still scarce, we know some stuff thanks to a few leaks.
Helldivers 2 took Arrowhead Studios a long time to complete. The developers almost went right into production of the sequel as soon as they shipped the first title.
CEO Johan Pilestedt stated on Twitter that the game was in production for seven years, 11 months, and 26 days before it finally launched on PlayStation 5 and PC. With more workers, the ambitious plans for Helldivers 2's future could come to fruition.
We scoured the web, and this is all we found.
Is there an official Helldivers 2 2024 roadmap?
At the time of writing, there is not an official Helldivers 2 2024 roadmap available for players to check out. However, we have information that could become a part of it at a later date.
Mechs and vehicles are coming soon
Two separate leaks essentially confirmed that mechs and vehicles akin to Halo's Warthog are coming to Helldivers 2 at some point.
An Arrowhead Studios dev confirmed that mechs are almost "ready to go" in the official Helldivers 2 Discord server. They are in the polishing phase, with workers not tasked with server error hotfixing currently working on delivering the final touches.
Helldivers 2 new weapons
The vehicle leak also came with a look at some brand-new arsenal, including an electricity shotgun, a teleportation pack for last-minute escapes, an upgraded punisher shotgun firing plasma rounds, an explosive crossbow, a bolt-action rifle with jet-assisted shells, and an enhanced B1 supply pack.
Images of leaked weapons surfaced soon after. These are:
Arc-12 Blitzer
BX-7 Displacer Pack
SG-8P Punisher Plasma
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow
Is PvP coming to Helldivers 2?
PvP is not coming to Helldivers 2. Arrowhead Studios CEO confirmed they aren't interested in adding multiplayer components to avoid toxicity.
He stated via social media: "We want an environment that's supportive, fun and where we all are fighting on the same side."
With all the new weapons and gear being added Arrowhead Studios could backtrack on their decision to not add PvP to allow for players to duke it out using all their arsenal at their disposal.
PvP could pit teams of Helldivers fighting for key resources against human-controlled characters from enemy factions. It will certainly add some more intensity to the already chaotic warfare.
It's hard to imagine a world in which Helldivers fight one another. Still, a good excuse would be having PvP be a combat simulator training with multiple modes, such as regular small-scale PvP or a larger mode similar to Halo's Big Team Battle, incorporating vehicles into the mix... but this is all speculation.
Will there be more Helldivers 2 factions?
At the moment, there are two factions in the game:
- Terminids: Also known as the bugs. They attack in large numbers and have the ability to spew corrosive bile. These enemies are generally more vulnerable to fire than Automatons.
- Automatons: Also known as the Bots. These steel robots with red glowing lights and are known for their use of heavy armor and long-range weapons. They are more susceptible to energy-based weapons.
The first Helldivers featured a third faction called the Illuminate. Also known as The Squ'ith, they are a long-lived aquatic species. They're a highly technological race, equipping their elite forces with cybernetic enhancements to complement their well-developed nanobot and psychic powers.
We might see them pop up in the future as a new faction in Helldivers 2, but nothing's confirmed as of right now. A small teaser in-game suggest the Illuminate are coming soon, but only time will tell.
Will there be more Helldivers 2 difficulties?
No information about added Helldivers 2 difficulties has been shared by Arrowhead Studios at the time of writing. Currently, there are nine difficulties in Helldivers 2:
- Trivial
- Easy
- Medium
- Challenging
- Hard
- Extreme
- Suicide Mission
- Impossible
- Helldive
Unlike most games, you can't select one from the start and are forced to play on Trivial, as you level up and complete missions you'll get access to higher difficulties. The first Helldivers had 12 difficulties so there's room for more potentially in the sequel.
Will there be new Helldivers 2 Game Master features?
As recently revealed by the Arrowhead Studios CEO, an employee currently functions as Helldivers 2 Game Master. His role is similar to that of a DnD dungeon master.
Pilestedt stated in an interview that the role of the Game Master is continuously evolving and could have more features in the future. What this means for players is still relatively mysterious.
Currently, the Game Master can make it so players can access special Strategems without notice or create a larger-scale event like the invasion of Automatons amidst the war against the Terminids.
One feature that got cut and could make a return at some point is having a ledger with all Helldivers in active duty and for how long they've been going at it.
Will there be more cosmetics in Helldivers 2?
Fans have praised Helldivers 2 for featuring a non-intrusive monetization model. It has a premium battle pass, but it's not needed as it doesn't offer substantial upgrades over the regular content offered in the free battle pass.
The Arrowhead Studios CEO stated that, in fact, you can just grind for all the contents available in the premium battle pass. If the studio were to add more cosmetics, expect them to have zero gameplay benefits.
Is DLSS coming to Helldivers 2?
Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS for short), is an Nvidia tech that allows for better game optimisation and performance on PC with the help of IA, resulting in crisper image resolutions.
Once again, Arrowhead Studios CEO chimed in on the matter, stating that he prefers to focus on gameplay over "cool tech." He made it clear that they don't discard the implementation of the technology, but it's not a priority for the studio.
Is Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox?
A portion of the fanbase wants the Xbox player base to join in on the fight and is wondering if a potential Series S and X version is on the cards for Arrowhead Studios. Sadly, there hasn't been any official statement or leak that suggests Helldivers 2 could be coming to Xbox.
Sony published the game and has allowed Helldivers 2 to thrive on Steam, a growing trend for the company, but a move to Xbox, even following Xbox's multi-platform pivot? Highly unlikely, but you'd probably have said that about Starfield three months ago.
And that's all we know for now, once we get an official Helldivers 2 roadmap from the developers we'll be sure to update the article accordingly.