Arrowhead Game Studios’ CEO Johan Pilestedt recently revealed that stats in Helldivers 2 are a lot more complicated than the interface would lead players to believe. Early versions of the game provided players with much more detailed information on each weapon’s performance. However, developers thought it was too complex for the average player.

Weapons in Helldivers 2 have 46 hidden stats

Weapons in Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 have four visible stats: Damage, Capacity, Recoil, and Fire Rate. However, Pilestedt described these as “guidelines” that don’t give a full picture of the weapon’s performance. He revealed on Twitter that there are actually 50 stats in all. Many of these reflect characteristics of the weapon’s ammunition rather than the gun itself.

In addition to the visible stats, each weapon in Helldivers 2 has a hidden Ergonomics score, which initially appeared alongside the other four. This number represents how unwieldy the gun is and governs things like how long it takes to aim down the sights.

The stats screen also originally had a second page providing additional information. These include Reload Time, Fire Modes, Magazines, and Muzzle Velocity in meters per second. Helldivers 2 also originally had a graphic showing how the weapon’s Recoil affects its bullet spread. Even this was a simplification, with Recoil being a combination of 14 hidden values.

In another tweet, the Helldivers 2 developer explained the mechanics behind Armor Penetration. “Armor pen is a value between 0 and 10,” he clarified. “If the AP is equal to the enemies [sic] armor value the damage is 50% if the AP beats the armor you do 100%. If AP is less than the AV the bullet ricochets.” However, even he doesn’t remember what everything does, saying, “I don’t know what the light AP condition is. I think it might be if AP is 2 or less. But honestly I don’t know either.”

He described how Arrowhead attempted to strike a balance between providing information and overwhelming Helldivers 2 players with too much of it. However, Pilestedt acknowledges they may have gone too far in the other direction. “Yeah,” he wrote, “in retrospect it might have been a bad call.”

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An analyst reports that Helldivers 2 sold twice as much in its second week as the game did in its first. Game sales typically peak at the week of release, but Arrowhead Game Studios’ co-op third-person shooter shows that isn’t always the case.

Helldivers 2 makes twice as much money in its second week

Mat Piscatella is an analyst for the market research company Circana Incorporated. In a recent tweet, he revealed that Helldivers 2 made twice as much money in the US in its second week as it did in the first. While a 100% increase is obviously a big deal, Piscatella pointed out how unusual it is for a game to grow like this. “Inverse decays are rare,” he said, “this large a week 2 jump even moreso, especially outside the holiday window. Great stuff.”

Piscatella didn’t provide specific numbers or offer any deeper insight into Helldivers 2 success. However, on February 11, Arrowhead Games CEO Johan Pilestedt revealed the game had sold about 1 million copies. If sales doubled in week 2, it’s not reasonable to assume that it’s eclipsed 3 million units sold. Still, it’s best to wait for official confirmation on Helldivers 2’s sales numbers.

Either way, it is fair to say that Helldivers 2 is a massive success for the Stockholm-based studio. The game saw overall positive reviews, with the PlayStation 5 and PC versions both averaging 82 on Metacritic. Released simultaneously on both platforms, it was Sony’s most successful PC release to date and greatly surpassed the publisher’s expectations. While other Sony studios face layoffs and closures, Arrowhead recently announced it’s expanding in light of Helldivers 2’s phenomenal success.

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Helldivers 2 will be getting free story updates as part of its roadmap of extra post-launch content. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios was vague on what these updates will include, but the Galactic War looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.

Helldivers 2 free updates will have new tools, challenges, and threats

Once players have finished the game’s story, the events during the Galactic War will be expanded through a series of free post-launch updates where the “universe of Helldivers 2 will grow and change“. The gameplay will be tweaked with new tools, new challenges, and new threats. One of those that has already been revealed will be the EXO-44 walker which is due to arrive soon after launch.

A brand new trailer was released today that also details the story so far for those who haven’t played Helldivers. Helldivers 2 is set a century after the end of Helldivers. Super Earth was victorious in the Galactic War against the Terminids, Cyborgs, and Illuminates. After peace and prosperity set in, the Helldivers were decommissioned.

During a period called The Great Democratization, the technology captured from the Illuminates was used to colonize Super Earth. This technology is fueled by a substance known as E-710 and it can be harvested from decomposing Terminid bodies. As such, industrial-scale Terminid farms were constructed.

Peace and prosperity were broken when the Terminids escaped and the Super Earth Armed Forces couldn’t recapture them. When a new but strangely familiar Automaton enemy also appears, the Helldivers are remobilized to help the struggling Armed Forces.

The story will be shaped as players complete global, time-sensitive Major Orders and at least some of the future story updates are likely to come in this form. For now, players can prepare for battle by preloading the game before its launch on February 8.

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Today’s PlayStation State of Play presentation featured a new Helldivers 2 gameplay showcase for the upcoming sequel.

The State of Play video showcases the explosive action of the multiplayer co-op shooter, with Johan Pilestedt and the members of Arrowhead Game Studio all playing together. The group takes on fierce enemies, with some massive monsters attacking the players.

When is Helldivers 2’s release date?

The end of the showcase notes that Helldivers 2 is set to release for the PlayStation 5 and PC on February 8, 2024.

Check out the Helldivers 2 showcase on the video below:

“Step into the boots of the Helldivers, an elite class of soldiers whose mission is to spread peace, liberty and Managed Democracy using the biggest, baddest and most explosive tools in the galaxy,” reads the game’s description. “Helldivers don’t go planet side without proper backup, but it’s up to you to decide how and when to call it in. Not only do you have a host of superpowered primary weapons and customizable loadouts, you also have the ability to call on stratagems during play.”

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Helldivers 2 seems to be a shooter filled with all sorts of silly over-the-top violence much like Starship Troopers, which it was clearly inspired by. This has all been detailed a little more in the Helldivers 2 ESRB listing that goes through some of the violent actions players can partake in.

Helldivers 2 is rated M for mature

This listing reveals that the co-op shooter is rated M for mature and lists out the pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, flamethrowers, turrets, grenades, and rocket launchers players can use to blow up robots, cyborgs, and giant insects. Combat also has “realistic gunfire, cries of pain, and blood-splatter effects” as well as bloodstained and “dismembered corpses.” Blasting dead enemies can cause them to dismember even further, and players can even kill human civilians. Some of these acts can be seen in the most recent gameplay trailer.

This all seems rather standard for a third-person shooter, but this is a step up in detail when compared to the first game. This isometric shooter was rated T for teen and its ESRB listing has some of the same features like dismembered corpses and screams of pain. However, it appears as though the more intimate perspective and added fidelity of the PS5 and PC may have caused the rating to jump up one step.

This rating also implies that Helldivers 2 is coming out somewhat soon. A date has yet to be nailed down, but it appears as though Arrowhead is aiming for October.

The post Helldivers 2 ESRB Rating Is Full of Guns and Gore appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Despite a leak in August 2022, Helldivers 2 was one of the more unexpected reveals at the PlayStation Showcase. Some gameplay details came out at the time, but now Arrowhead Game Studios has lifted the veil and divulged even more about the cooperative shooter.

Helldivers 2 gives players freedom over their loadout

Savvy tactical play and co-op were two of the key tenets of the PlayStation Blog post narrated trailer about the game. Strategy starts even before touching down, as players will have to choose what weapons, gear, and stratagems will be the best fit. Some foes are more vulnerable to certain guns, and the player’s armor can affect how resistant to damage they are and how quick they can move.

Stratagems are powerful tools from the last game that players can summon that range from airstrikes to bigger weapons to a shield generator. The trailer even shows some of these — including an automated turret — mowing down aliens. Being able to pick these different loadouts is what gives players freedom in how they approach missions.

Coordinating these stratagems with up to three other teammates is also crucial since Arrowhead Game Studios made it clear that Helldivers 2 is a difficult game. Friendly fire means players have to carefully pick where their most devastating attacks land and be sure not to crush their allies with a drop pod.

Helldivers 2 is still slated for 2023 for PlayStation 5 and PC and has yet to get a more concrete date. However, creative director Johan Pilestedt said more information will be revealed later this year. The trailer also ended with a mech swiping at the camera, possibly hinting at what’s to come.

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Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment revealed the Helldivers 2 trailer during Sony’s PlayStation Showcase, surprising fans with a sequel to the 2015 shoot ’em up.

When does Helldivers 2 come out?

Helldivers 2 is currently set to release sometime in 2023 for the PlayStation 5 and PC. In a brief trailer for the new game, fans were once again transported to Super Earth to watch an in-trailer ad for the game’s military force as players are asked to join in and help defeat enemy races.

The trailer also reveals that the game will be a 3rd person shooter and not a top-down shoot ’em up like the original Helldivers was. It’s unclear what else is new to the game, however, so fans will have to wait for more information as Arrowhead Game Studios releases it.

The post Helldivers 2 Trailer Sets Release Date Window, Shifts Genre appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Rumors that Helldivers 2 may be revealed soon began yesterday after developer Arrowhead Game Studios released a TikTok short showing their social media person trying to deal with hundreds of messages about the game. These gathered pace today after ten seconds of gameplay purporting to be from Helldivers 2 appeared on Twitter before promptly being removed through a copyright strike.

When will Helldivers 2 be revealed with proper gameplay?

What is it like to do social media for a video game studio? Spend the morning with me and find out! ?? pic.twitter.com/lenZ40Cgpb

— Arrowhead Game Studios (@ArrowheadGS) August 17, 2022

Helldivers 2 has not been officially announced although the above Tweet seemed to imply it would be making an appearance soon, especially as the few seconds of gameplay footage leaked by Twitter user Adam has since been removed “in response to a report from the copyright owner.” Helldivers 2 was also one of many games that was leaked during the GeForce Now internal database leak approximately a year ago, further lending credence to the rumors. Many are expecting the game to be announced this month at the rumored PlayStation Showcase. We do know the game is unlikely to be at Gamescom as PlayStation will not be attending Gamescom and Helldivers is a PlayStation-owned IP.

Arrowhead Game Studios announced they were working on a next-generation third-person cooperative game back in 2020, but nothing has been mentioned since. The game is still in development according to recent job listings at the studio, one of which requires the Senior Character Artist to focus on “everything from organic to hard surface characters such as creatures, humanoids and robots.” This hints that Helldivers 2 may take a different direction from the original game, which was an isometric, cooperative, twin-stick shooter. Neither Sony nor Arrowhead Game Studios has made a comment, but hopefully, we find out soon whether the rumors are true.

In other news, the next Marvel’s Avengers hero will be The Winter Soldier and he’ll appear sometime after September. Elsewhere, Elden Ring has managed to shift 16.6 million copies since its release four months ago.

The post Helldivers 2 Gameplay Leaks Before Sony Rapidly Pulls It Down appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

A large number of unannounced titles have reportedly been revealed after a GeForce Now user unlocked the program and accessed NVidia’s internal database. As reported on Reddit, Ighor July attempted to recover some of his deleted GeForce Now titles and ended up finding more than he bargained for. Those listed games include Kingdom Hearts IV, a new BioShock title, a couple of Tomb Raider anniversary games, and even more PlayStation Studios titles destined for PC.

The database includes everything the company uses for testing, and the list of 18,000 titles includes many that have yet to be revealed. Titan Quest 2 and a new Outcast game will reportedly be unveiled at the THQ Nordic showcase on September 17, but some of the other titles that Reddit users have managed to find are:

• “Fight for Middle-Earth”
• Half-Life 2 Remastered
• “Metro Next”
• Human: Fall Flat 2
• “Hangar 13 unannounced”
• The Talos Principle 2
• Untitled Respawn Game
• Kingdom Hearts IV
• Sniper Elite 5
• Monster Hunter 6
• Helldivers 2
• Cities Skylines 2
• Tomb Raider Anniversary (2021)
• Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary (2021)
• “Hitman Pro”
• “Worms Next”
• Destroy All Humans! 3
• Earth Defense Force 6
• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Wreckfest Sequel
• Crysis 4
• Resident Evil 4 Remake
• ”Bioshock 2022”

Despite its age, the six-month old database also mentioned the existence of the recently revealed Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Other PlayStation Studios titles included God of War, Returnal, and Demon’s Souls, none of which have been mentioned for PC before now. A recent Sony presentation had stated they were planning to bring more of their games to PC so this comes as no surprise, if it does indeed end up being true. Despite previous rumors, there was no mention of a PC version of Bloodborne, and Spider-Man is also conspicuously absent from the leaked list.

It’s worth mentioning that everything in this list needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Not only does the list of 18,000 titles include genuine games, it also includes placeholder names for testing and projects that might even have been cancelled since the database was created. There’s a chance that nothing on this list is genuine, although admittedly that’s unlikely. Still, for the time being it’s best to consider this a rumor, and remember that none of these titles are officially confirmed until the publishers and developers themselves reveal them to be so.

[Source: Ighor July via Reddit]

The post Rumor: GeForce Now Internal Database Leaks Kingdom Hearts IV, New BioShock, Tomb Raider Anniversary Games, and More PlayStation Studios PC Ports appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

A free update is coming to HELLDIVERS this week, on October 25, 2019. The update, titled HELLDIVERS: Dive Harder will include a new mode, an improved loadout system, and balancing, releasing completely free for those who own the game. Dive Harder’s new mode is called Proving Grounds, and it’ll give you an opportunity to hone your skills.

The Proving Grounds missions are replayable and include three components: Challenge, Modifier, and Condition. The Challenge is the task you’re required to complete, the Modifier will add a change to the level that will keep you on your toes (like a dark map), and the Condition will impact your weapon loadout, like shotguns only. Proving Grounds missions will unlock as you play through a Galactic Campaign, with each of them resetting upon completion of the campaign. There are lots of combinations of challenges, modifiers, and conditions to discover, adding a ton of replayability to Dive Harder’s additions.

We are happy to announce that our game HELLDIVERS is getting a whole new update called HELLDIVERS: Dive Harder on October 25th.

We are introducing a new game mode together with multiple changes the community has been asking for!
Read more here: https://t.co/MRZRSllBZn

— Arrowhead Game Studios (@ArrowheadGS) October 23, 2019

The update will introduce a new “favorite loadouts” system, allowing you to save a loadout for quick and easy access at the start of a mission. You can also select the “random loadout” option, which, just as it sounds, will give you a random selection of weapons, perks, and stratagems. And of course, Dive Harder will add tweaks and balancing changes as requested by the community. Stay tuned for the full patch notes later this week.

Developer Arrowhead Game Studios is still hard at updating HELLDIVERS, but the team also reportedly has another project in the works, which is expected to be a third-person online game of some kind. Let’s hope to hear an official announcement about the the developer’s next game soon.

What do you make of this HELLDIVERS update? Can you believe this nearly five-year old game is still getting support? Let us know your thoughts!

[Source: Arrowhead Game Studios]

The post HELLDIVERS: Dive Harder Announced as Free Update, Adds a New Mode and Balancing appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.