Helldivers 2 CEO says a transmog system is out of the question, 'Swapping one for the other is like having an apple that tastes like bacon'

A helldiver stands, patriotic in front of a Super Earth flag, while holding a helmet in Helldivers 2. — (Image credit: Arrowhead Games)

It looks like changing the look of your armour to suit your cosmetic needs is out of the question in Helldivers 2, as the CEO of Arrowhead, Johan Pilestedt, has confirmed that transmogrification isn't on the table.

"We are not doing transmog," Pilestedt explains in reply to one fan's suggestion. "It doesn't make sense—equipment looks different because it has different effects. Swapping one for the other is like having an apple that tastes like bacon or the other way around."

There are plenty of armour sets in Helldivers 2 to sift through, and each can provide you with additional help. For example, the TR-9 Cavalier of Democracy set gives you a 50% chance of not dying after taking lethal damage and prevents bleeding damage if your chest haemorrhages from attacks. Other sets can help reduce weapon recoil and increase limb health. So it's not as simple as changing the look of different kinds of armour.

But, many think that the armour in Helldivers 2 isn't actually that distinctive, and that even though they do have different perks, there's no way to know what they are just by looking: "I'll be honest, the armour is absolutely not distinctive enough for me to tell exactly what people are running and to know the perks from that," one Twitter user replies. "The reasoning here isn't reflective of how a lot of people play."

But even if each bit of armour visualised its perk clearly, Helldivers 2 is a PvE game, so you don't necessarily have to be able to tell what different people's capabilities are at a glance. People are already completing special orders in whatever way they want whether that be cheaters playing with new guns or dropping 16 consecutive 500kg payloads to, so why not let them look their best while doing it?

Most of the armour in Helldivers 2 doesn't look great together if they aren't part of the same set. And while this may not be necessary for spreading democracy, it doesn't mean that Divers can't want to look good. Even if you could just change the colours on your armour so everything looks uniform, it would be a small and helpful alteration for those who want to make use out of it, because it's always nice to look your best even if you're drenched in bug guts or automaton oil.

Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path.