Helldivers 2 has become a surprise hit on Steam and PS5, but what makes the co-op shooter so good?
Helldivers 2 has surprisingly launched successfully and had over 150,000 players on Steam within a few days. However, the success of the co-op shooter is no accident, as it has various reasons.
MeinMMO editor Dariusz Müller has also looked at Helldivers 2 and spent some hours in co-op. Here you will find out the 5 reasons he attributes to the success of Helldivers 2.
1. Fun of flattening alien hordes with friends
Helldivers 2 skips PvP. The head of the development studio has even explained that they want to avoid toxicity within the community with this – and it really works well. The decision to completely focus on PvE works excellently within the game principle.
The shooter simply plays very relaxed, even when the gameplay is chaotic, stressful, and overwhelming. The masses of enemies are the adversary that players must collectively defeat. I have not once experienced that any of my teammates became toxic or salty. It didn’t matter whether I played with friends or randoms. I assume this is because Helldivers is just fun.
Even though the game faced some problems at launch, it gets the most important aspects right. The sound design is well done, feedback on hits is good, and shots feel powerful and impactful.
We were able to focus solely on playing and were so busy that there weren’t many occasions to think about other things. We started the game, were continuously occupied for 2-3 hours, being well entertained, and continued the next day. There was no breeding ground for frustration or complaining.
2. The humor and the parody of the world police
Helldivers 2 is dripping with humor. The entire game is a parody of the “world police”. Every sentence in the game mocks the idea of “We bring peace, democracy, and freedom to a foreign world – if necessary, also through the use of firearms and artillery”.
Sure, humor is extremely subjective, and not everyone finds this parodic approach funny, but if it resonates with your humor, then this is definitely one of Helldivers’ strengths.
Overall, the shooter aims to entertain us players: You should have fun and enjoy a good time with friends. The cooperative PvE shooting and the humor go hand in hand.
3. The reward system of Helldivers respects my time
Helldivers 2 is not a loot shooter. Everything we need we get at the end of a mission/operation or collect it together. You are not dependent on random drop rates or luck. I don’t have to force my friends to complete a specific mission with me for the tenth time because that pesky item just won’t drop.
Accordingly, it doesn’t matter whether you arrive at a target first or last. There’s no rush needed to not get all the loot snatched away in front of your nose. Similarly, you don’t have to wait for your teammates until they have picked something up before you can keep going. Everyone gets what another picks up. You don’t need to collect samples from the ground; it’s enough if your teammate does that.
This also completely eliminates sorting out bad loot. I can simply move from one mission to the next without having to sort out my inventory or equipment. Helldivers offers seamless action and respects my time.
4. The difficulty levels offer the ideal challenge
Helldivers 2 offers 9 different difficulty levels. We start on relatively easy settings, but as we level up, the difficulty levels also increase. Eventually, there comes a point where the gameplay provides a really tough challenge and you have to coordinate with your team.
This makes grinding and repeating missions interesting even for experienced shooter players because carelessness or wrong decisions are mercilessly punished. Thoughtless shooting can cost a mission and minutes of progress – but is better rewarded for it.
However, since you can choose the difficulty levels independently and lower them if needed, you don’t have to struggle with insurmountable challenges if you don’t want to. Just choose a level that is ideal for you and most fun, and play the shooter at your own pace.
5. Good balancing – especially regarding team coordination
The game seems to be very well balanced so far. There will always be weapons, gadgets, or loadouts that are stronger than others. That’s inevitable. But Helldivers seems to have found a great mix – especially when coordinating the equipment of the entire team to successfully complete a mission at a certain difficulty level.
At some point, simply bringing the heaviest weapons is no longer the most effective approach. Sometimes it will really be necessary to think and discuss which team member should take which equipment.
For instance, one person might have a backpack to carry ammunition and supply you with reinforcements during an intense fight. Another player, on the other hand, might carry a drone that automatically shoots at enemies and helps you fend off the adds.
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