Even if Arrowhead is signaling a move towards a slower, more sustainable pace of Helldivers 2 updates, you can never have too many ideas to work with when you're dreaming up the next installment of Super Earth ordinance. Arrowhead chief creative officer Johan Pilestedt seems to think so, at least. Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Pilestedt put out a call asking for the community's best ideas for Eagle air support stratagems.
Helldivers 2 fans were more than happy to provide their creative input. At time of writing, Pilestedt's request for stratagem ideas has gotten over 5,000 replies. Suggestions range from Dr. Strangelove references to simple requests for punchier strafing run audio. And unsurprisingly, some took the opportunity to air their grievances about balance changes.
Here's some highlights from the fan stratagem brainstorm:
- A squad of "3 autonomous mini mechs" to support the players, delivered by fighter jet. Also from the same user: a bomb that sweeps the nearby area with a rotating laser cutter, a la Iron Man 2.
- A jammer to temporarily prevent enemy reinforcements, which Pilestedt noted as echoing the Automatons' jamming towers.
- The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system, which I'm obligated to list as a Metal Gear Solid 5 sicko. "Could be to cash in sample containers," Pilestedt said.
- "Eagle Cryo Spray," to flash-freeze clusters of enemies—potentially offering an opportunity to shatter now-brittle armor plating with conventional weaponry.
- A fighter-deployed swarm of Guard Dog drones, "but they gotta fly higher so I don't get constantly lasered in the face."
As to whether we're likely to see any of these ideas appear in-game: I wouldn't expect to actually see any mini-mech squads or drone swarms hit the Helldivers battlefield. "Let's see if any gets picked up," Pilestedt said in a follow-up post to appreciate the "many great ideas," which is a gentle let-down if I've ever read one.
Presumably, sourcing feature concepts directly from the community could expose the studio to potential intellectual property disputes, which likely leaves this brainstorming session safely in the realm of a community creative exercise. But you never know with Helldivers 2—if airdropped mini-mech squads eventually appear, I certainly won't refuse them.
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