Helldivers 2 has recently put its players in a dilemma. They are currently puzzling over the best way to solve it – and what the consequences could be.
What is happening in Helldivers 2? The Helldivers are supposed to focus their efforts according to General Command on two planets: Vernen Wells and Marfark.
- On Marfark, children are calling for help from a hospital there.
- On the other hand, a munitions depot was found on Vernen Wells. This could be used to produce “MD-17 anti-tank mines” urgently needed in the fight against the Automatons.
The nasty part: The Helldivers find themselves in a Batman-The-Dark-Knight situation, where only one of the two goals can be achieved. There, the Joker presented Batman with a choice: Either he saves his great love Rachel or saves the moral lawyer Harvey Dent, whom Gotham desperately needed.
It looks similar in the game right now: Only the first planet that is liberated determines which of the two options will ultimately take effect.
In the Helldivers community, it is meanwhile becoming clear in which direction they want to go. But what consequences that will have – some are still not sure.
Most Helldivers want to save the children and hope for the best
At the moment, it is becoming clear that the Helldivers are making the moral choice and setting out to save the sick children.
Although some joke that it’s really time to go get the mines – as this is already the third time they have been an option in such commands, and already the first two times the choice fell on the other option – everyone generally agrees that it is significantly more important to save the children.
Curiosity is apparently also playing a role: Many are curious about what development the rescue might have in the coming weeks. Because with the mines, it is relatively clear: If you get them, there are the mines as an additional resource.
At the same time, some are also worried about what consequences the decision might have. Because the Helldivers’ orders sometimes have unforeseen consequences that are much worse than expected, as the past has already shown.
Given the sometimes very morbid humor, some fear that the children might be facing a worse fate if they are saved. They share this in the Helldivers subreddit:
- “What if they are SEAF reinforcements that you call into battle?” user mem0ri remarks (via Reddit).
- “Spoiler – the children will be used as shields,” fears user Superhen281 (via Reddit).
- “I pray that in the end you just get a mediocre hand-painted picture of the children that you can hang in the ship,” comments user Aeayx (via Reddit).
In any case, it remains to be seen whether there will be children to save on the planet in the end. Because even the large-scale mission that ripped open a black hole or portal in the galaxy showed that not every order to the Helldivers is as honest as one might assume.
But: That remains to be seen. In any case, it honors the community that they have apparently largely decided to help the children in need rather than taking the “oh, cool new weapon” route. How it ends is likely to become clear soon, as the current order ends in a few days.
The great inspiration for Helldivers, Starship Troopers, satirically dealt with a military society that takes on the fight with intergalactic bugs. However, the morbid humor of the cult film did not translate to the entire audience. Recently, the star of the film also spoke out on the subject – more on that here.
