The Helldivers II release date approaches, with players preparing to defend democracy in Starship Trooper Style. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios returns once again with their sci-fi cooperative shooter where everybody is a part of the war effort. With a new gameplay style and fun co-operative elements, Helldivers II looks to go above and beyond its already awesome predecessor.

Helldivers II Release Date – February 8th, 2024

The Helldivers II Release Date is Thursday, February 8th, 2024 for Playstation 5 and PC. Overall, the game features two separate editions available for pre-order:

  • Standard Edition – $39.99
    • Pre-Order Bonuses:
      • • ‘TR-7 Ambassador of the Brand'
        • ‘TR-62 Knight'
        • ‘TR-9 Cavalier of Democracy'
  • Super Citizen Edition – $59.99
    • ‘DP-53 Savior of the Free’ Armour Set.
    • ‘Will of the People’ Cape.
    • ‘MP-98 Knight’ Weapon.
    • Super Citizen Status.
    • Stratagem Hero Ship Game.
    • ‘Steeled Veterans’ Premium Warbond.

The game is developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sony PC LLC.

Helldivers II Gameplay

Helldivers II, unlike the first title, is a 3rd-person shooter. However, it still remains a co-operative game where players work together to complete objectives. This squad-based shooter allows you to drop down into different worlds and fight waves of enemies. However, there's a bit you need to know before dropping down into the action.

You start your experience in the game's central hub, where you can look at the war map, select missions, and drop down into battle. Additionally, it serves as a lobby for players working together. Overall, you'll spend most of your time blasting enemies away, but this serves as a nice break spot to take a look at everything going on.

Helldivers II's loadout system allows player to set up their own character with their own custom setup. However, the nice thing about Helldivers II is that there isn't one top item or weapon or ammo that you need. Everything weapon and ammo type in the game has its own use, making for a versatile arsenal of weapons.

On the war map, players have a variety of missions to play, which either defend Super Earth or attack the enemy. Overall, these levels vary depending on the difficulty and world selected. The enemies you face include either Terminids or Automatons. The former are nasty bug-like creatures while the latter feel like a combination of the Terminator and Doom Revenants. While only two enemy types are available at launch, we hope to see more.

In one mission, players get 20 total lives to complete the objectives. However, dying in Helldivers II is almost unavoidable. Enemies deal lots of damage, you're not a supersoldier like Master Chief, and friendly fire is always on. This creates a sense of teamwork, as you need to save your lives for the whole level. Even the completion of levels sees your soldier dying for democracy.

Completing levels helps the War effort, and subsequently, the players. Essentially, the more time and effort the community puts into the game, the more they all get out of it.

Additionally, Helldivers II is an online only game. Therefore, Playstation users will need a PS+ subscription in order to play online. However, Steam players will have no issue hopping into online lobbies. However, the game does not appear to support couch or local co-op.

Lastly, as an online game, Helldivers II features a Warbond system which features microtransactions. However, an official Reddit Post described the system in detail. We'll give you the rundown:

  • What is a Warbond
    • Gives player a unique unlockable gear
  • How Do They Work?
    • Give you access to unlockable content, similar to a Season Pass. You earn medals by completing objectives to purchase items in the Warbond. Furthermore, they never go away, giving you the whole game's lifespan to unlock them.
  • How Do you Get Warbonds?
    • Purchase Warbonds with Super Credits. The first Warbond, Helldivers Mobilize, will be free for players

Overall, Warbonds feature a paid way to receive items in-game. However, the developer assures players that such this is not a pay-to-win or FOMO structure. This means you won't have to worry about a Warbond item breaking the meta and forcing everyone to buy it. That includes everything we know about Helldivers II gameplay.

Helldivers II Story

The story of Helldivers II continues long after the first game, where Super Earth enjoyed a brief era of peace and prosperity over victory against the Terminids. In this era, civilization and democracy prospered with new technological and industrial advancements. Overall, an era of progress and peace dominated the timeline for 100 years.

However, the Terminids have emerged again, causing havoc across the galaxy. Meanwhile, a new breed of villain, the Automatons, have joined the fight against humanity. This new enemy adds an extra challenge to Super Earth's efforts, whose soldiers are spread thin already.

Overall, it's up to you and your fellow soldiers to eradicate the enemy and restore peace to the galaxy. The patriotic theme of Helldivers II gives off Starship Trooper vibes. We love the over-the-top sci-fi war movie feeling, and Helldivers II's story seems to perfectly capture it.

Overall, we look forward to the release date of Helldivers II. We plan to release a review shortly after the game's launch.

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