Helldivers 2 players have come together across social media today with bold new ideas to save the game as Arrowhead’s third-person shooter continues to experience a very concerning decline in its playerbase.
Arrowhead has been diligently addressing bugfixes and deploying new content at a measured pace since Helldivers 2 launched Feb. 8. While this initially garnered support, the results have since been mixed. Persistent problems with gear and upgrades—a prominent example being the Spear’s faulty targeting ability—has continued to frustrate players.
Despite initial enthusiasm, the game’s Steam player count has dropped dramatically, from 458,208 at its peak in February to just 91,692. This steady decrease, while not unusual, highlights underlying issues with player engagement.
One culprit can be linked back to a recent controversy where it announced that PC players would need to link PlayStation Network accounts to Steam accounts to keep playing. This in turn, backfired at Sony and led to a huge loss of goodwill within the community. The butterfly effect that has followed goes hand in and in with this continued slide.
Arrowhead’s commitment to resolving these issues is evident, but the pace of updates has left some players longing for more substantial changes, with many feeling the game has become too static. To fix the problem, the Helldivers 2 fandom has come up with two solutions—some believe focusing on fixes is “crucial” for establishing a stable foundation, while others argue new content is desperately needed to rekindle interest in the game.
One of the most popular suggestions from the community is to increase the variety of items and weapons found on the map, including transport vehicles, mechs, tunnels, and roads. Additionally, making weapons completely random could enhance gameplay by providing unexpected challenges and rewards.
Other Helldivers 2 players suggested warbond weapons could drop more frequently to create opportunities for players to test weapons before purchasing warbonds.
Introducing new mission types and dynamic objectives has long been another highly requested feature, with players firmly believing this could “break the monotony of current missions” and offer fresh, engaging challenges. Some suggestions on this front Arrowhead could look into included Raid-style quests, salvage missions, and scenarios that change quite dramatically during the mission’s gameplay.
Finally, large-scale battles like those that appear in Titanfall 2 were offered up, with many eager Helldivers 2 announcing their interest in battling waves and waves of bugs. This concept would include dynamic spawns and objectives that shift the balance of battle, providing a more immersive and challenging experience.
Currently, Helldivers 2 stands at a crossroads, with its playerbase dwindling and community frustration mounting. Arrowhead’s focus on bugfixes is essential, but to truly reinvigorate the game, a balance between stability and new content must be struck. By incorporating the community’s suggestions, ranging from increased variety in map items and weapons to new mission types and full-scale battles; Helldivers 2 can rekindle its former glory and maintain a vibrant, engaged playerbase.
