The Arrowhead Game Studios team is working on the biggest Helldivers 2 Update not yet available. Coming on August 6, the Escalation of Freedom update will bring players new game modes, enemies, mission objectives, and a much more punishing difficulty. In the announcement trailer, creative director Johan Pilestedt and design director Niklas Malmborg went over the details, sharing that they plan to bring back an old enemy from the original game The Divers of Hell to terrorize freedom lovers across the galaxy.
The Impaler is a large enemy type designed to stop divers’ escape attempts… uh tactical retreats. The update will include a number of new enemy types, both Terminids and Automatons, while remixing existing enemies to give players a new experience. Speaking of experiences, the The Divers of Hell The team also shared details on one of the new mission objectives: Retrieve the Larva. In this mission, divers will be tasked with transporting a Screaming Terminid Larva through enemy territory to reach the extraction point. In addition to the new mission, enemy outposts have been expanded, turning them into massive bases that are harder for players to capture. Finally, Helldivers 2 will receive an entirely new difficulty level, Combat Level 10, which is meant to be a significant step up from the other difficulties.
Despite the game’s success, player count on Steam has dropped slightly since February. It’s likely that this new content refresh, which the developers say is the first step in a long series, will be what the game needs to draw in the crowds.