Arrowhead, the developers of the hit co-op shooter Helldivers 2, have been struggling to get some weapons into the hands of their community recently. Helldivers 2 players have been unable to unlock a new stratagem (deployable weapons and tools for use mid-game) for months. Things have gotten so dire for these poor creatures that the community now suspects Arrowhead tricked them into unlocking them via the last and most obscure of the major commands.
The anti-tank mine stratagem, first announced back in April, has suffered a particularly cruel fate over the five months of Helldivers 2’s life. When it was first offered, it was a choice between two stratagems: either the mines or a rocket launcher. Players had to choose between liberating two planets, which matched one of the stratagems, and the one that was liberated first would be given its weaponry. The rocket launcher won, and the mines were shelved until the next major order.
A little later, the community was tasked with an even bigger order with the goal of killing two billion automatons, one of the enemy factions of Helldivers 2 and a particularly brutal to fight. As a reward for completing the major order, players were given a second chance at the anti-tank mines. This time around, the Helldivers 2 player base failed to meet the goal, though it is unclear whether this was due to dwindling numbers, lack of interest in the reward, simply failing to complete such a large order, or a combination of all of these.
Last month, Arrowhead again offered Helldivers 2 players a choice between two possible outcomes: saving the children of Super Earth or a factory that would manufacture the mines. The community chose the children.
Which brings us to the current Major Order and its fairly simple goal: the liberation and defense of planet X-45. It’s so simple that the Major Order has already been completed with only a few days left on the clock. Helldivers 2 players, however, are concerned that there may be an ulterior motive behind the defense of X-45. You see, most Major Orders are clear about the rewards that will be handed out once completed, but the current order largely glosses over that fact.
Instead, the reward for this major order has been most commonly referred to as “Galactic War I weapons.” At first, players suspected that this was a return of a weapon from the original Helldivers, which could still be the case. This idea didn’t entirely convince the conspirators, who are now fully convinced that this is Arrowhead’s (and Joel’s in particular) way of tricking players into finally unlocking the mines.
The folks over at the Helldivers 2 subreddit have been very enthusiastic about articles joking about conspiracy. A post is, in all caps, titled “IT’S A TRAP. RETIREMENT. RETIREMENT. THEY WANT TO GIVE US THE MINES.” The trap language was repeated in other articlesand one of my favorites even uses a familiar star wars meme model with great effect. A player asked insistently if the language of the major order suggested they would unlock an ancient Helldivers weapon, and the replies are filled with people clamoring for the great mining conspiracy of 2024. I’m inclined to believe them and here’s why.
Mines aren’t as sexy as a new weapon, which is why players aren’t exactly excited about getting them. The order to kill two billion automatons came at a bad time, as the game was still recovering from the PSN glitch that nearly cost it and Arrowhead their respective good reputations, and was suffering from lower-than-usual player counts. The cart glitch seemed to poke fun at the mines’ unique situation, but also seemed like a tacit admission from the developers that it was an unpopular choice. How else could the developers have gotten these tools into our hands other than by outright tricking us into getting them? It’s like hiding a dog’s medicine in its food.
X-45 has become a popular planet since Arrowhead rolled out the new jungle biome. Players have already flocked to all the planets sporting the new look, so why not place a Major Order there to ensure that the majority of the active player base supports the Major Order completion? Additionally, most Major Orders have been longer affairs spread out over defending or liberating multiple planets. In the case of this one though, we literally only need to hold one planet, and everyone is already there. It’s no wonder that there are still 3 days left to reach the objective and it’s already been reached.
I don’t know what to believe at this point, but I do know that it would be really funny for Arrowhead to have tricked their community into supporting this effort just to give them the mines. I’m on my knees, literally praying that next week comes and we all have them unlocked. It would change my entire life.