If there's one thing I've discovered through years of playing—and now writing—about videogames, it's that players love a little guy. They just adore having darling underdogs that are on their side, as long as they're unobtrusive and perhaps minimally helpful. So it goes with Helldivers 2's latest update, Heart of Democracy, which has introduced the Super Earth Armed Forces to its city maps.
The entire community right now from r/Helldivers
"AH can we please keep them after the assault ends," writes one player in a separate thread on the game's subreddit, like a young patriot that's just seen a puppy in a window. "I missed extract keeping my boys alive earlier," confesses one player in response. "They were getting swarmed and I helped them, then we ran off together into waves of Illuminate—and they had my back! So the least I could do was miss the Pelican and stay with my brothers."
A real soldier 'til the end from r/Helldivers
In another thread, a whole host of Helldivers react in shock horror at one of their precious SEAF troopers getting absolutely beaned by a Leviathan mid-salute. "I will make calamari out of every single squid that dares touch down on Super Earth for this," seethes user SlothfulBradypus. The comments themselves are worth a skim, just for the sheer variety of reaction images all crying out for vengeance.
Having played a bit of the new update myself, I can confirm that Arrowhead has absolutely nailed the delicate balance between usefulness, fragility, and unobtrusiveness to make these SEAF troopers incredibly endearing. They rarely get in your way, but are just competently coded enough to have moments where they shine. Here's one player being flabbergasted when a SEAF trooper helps them take down a parked Illuminate warp ship.
SEAF troopers will help you destroy warp ships from r/Helldivers
Given how your average Helldivers 2 game can devolve into absolute chaos at the drop of a grenade pin, even a token gesture of assistance from AI troopers is enough to punch them into your heart.
Let alone the fact that saluting them will have them follow you around like a group of over-excited kids on a school trip, or how they'll fawn themselves silly to see a real helldiver in action. Luckily the propaganda machine is operating well so they don't know how many times I've died from accidentally firing a WASP launcher next to a wall.
I also can't help but wonder if this is just conditioning at play. For so long, the Helldivers 2 experience has been four lone mavericks dropped deep behind enemy lines, fighting hordes of unspoken horrors with their only backup coming from orbit. Now we suddenly have foot soldiers with us, it feels like we're actually fighting a war—and they're just little guys. They're just little guys with little guns and they love you. How could you not love them back?
[OC] Remember What You're Fighting For from r/Helldivers
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