Arrowhead Games is already starting the new year off to a strong start with some exciting updates coming to Helldivers 2. While the latest patch notes add some much-needed weapon buffs and tweaks to various weapons and stratagems, the recent Warbond for Helldivers 2 stole the show with its explosive implications. The latest Warbond trailer introduced some incredibly powerful tools for Helldivers to help wipe out hordes of aliens with ease, but it might have some worrying implications for the future of the series.

Given the fun-filled offering of the previous Urban Legends Warbond providing a great selection of weapons and skins alike, the Servants of Freedom might be able to top it thanks to its array of impressive weaponry. Helldivers 2's Warbonds seem to have improved since the first selection of lackluster options, giving players more incentive to spend their hard-earned super credits. While players can still earn super credits through regular gameplay and grinding out exploration during missions, progression can be an excruciating process for all but the most dedicated Helldivers.

Explosive Impacts That Are Perfect For Any Scenario

Giving Players An Edge In Life Or Death Warfare

The biggest gameplay additions coming with the Servants of Freedom Warbond are in the form of a dual-barreled Sickly laser rifle, a rocket-launching sidearm, target-seeking grenades, and last but not least, the portable Hellbomb stratagem. Each of the weapons in the Servants of Freedom Warbond for Helldivers 2 offers invaluable utility for taking down the Illuminate or other factions with ease, but the portable Hellbomb is by far the most interesting option out of the bunch.

The G-50 seeking grenade is a perfect way to take out the Illuminate's elevated overseers, making short work of the flying menaces without much effort.

While it doesn't seem as powerful as a regular Hellbomb detonation, the new stratagem could prove to be a fantastic way to take out heavily armored outposts or multiple enemy spawn points with ease. Given that certain objectives can be tricky to defend with swarms of enemies or challenging terrain can make it difficult to call one in, a carefully dropped portable Hellbomb could be just the thing players need to take on the deadliest alien threats.

Rewarding Helldivers Willing To Make Sacrifices

Fighting For The Greater Good Of Super Earth

Given the seemingly short fuse timer for such a powerful explosive, the portable Hellbomb is likely to be used as a last resort to take out a horde of enemies in a blaze of glory. Despite the exciting prospects and memorable moments that each new weapon, stratagem, and cosmetic addition introduces, the ever-increasing amount of paid content could lead to somewhat inconsistent player balancing in the future.

Thankfully, Helldivers 2 still offers ways to get its paid Warbonds for free. However, it can be difficult to justify spending time grinding out super credits for the average player when there isn't as much gameplay variation between major events. This has become a growing problem in Helldivers 2, and it especially applies to new players or those trying to stick to free-to-play. Thus far, it doesn't look like the new update will really address these issues.

The Cost Of Better Weapons In Helldivers 2 Is Quickly Becoming Literal

Servants Of Freedom Warbond Is Continuing A Trend

While veteran Helldivers have had a much easier time farming for super credits naturally, the amount of luck and exploration required isn't exactly for everyone. While this issue wouldn't be as prominent if the Warbonds contained mostly cosmetic items, the introduction of incredibly powerful weapons like the rocket pistol, seeking grenade, and portable Hellbomb will be sorely missed by players who can't afford them.

The rocket pistol, seeking grenade, and portable Hellbomb will be sorely missed by players who can't afford them.

And it's not just the weapons that some players will miss out on. The update on PlayStation Blog reveals everything included in the newest Warbond. The new "Raise Weapon" emote and "Servant Of Freedom" title are the kinds of things that make sense inside a Warbond, because they don't necessarily have a direct effect on gameplay. The weapons, however, just continue a frustrating trend with Helldivers 2.

It's easy to imagine the challenge of balancing new missions around both free-to-play players while still providing a reasonable challenge to veteran Helldivers with more options to choose from. Although, the limited number of items per mission helps reduce the advantage significantly. This can still cause for major balance gaps within the game.

When it comes to introducing new enemies and even deadlier challenges, the sheer amount of powerful weapons might give some players an unfair advantage in facing off against the relentless alien invasions so common in Helldivers 2. It would be nice if Warbonds stuck to adding cosmetics more than weapons that can truly give a major advantage. It's a trend that may end up making the game completely pay-to-win in the near-future.

Source: PlayStation/YouTube, PlayStation Blog