During my first few rounds inHelldivers 2, I was very stressed out. I didn’t really know what was going on, I didn’t have the necessary equipment to protect myself well, and I was still getting used to the Helldivers Hold (running with my left thumb on one joystick while furiously keying in a stratagem with my right thumb). Every wave of enemies sent me into fits of panic. I was alternately swearing at bugs and apologising to my friends for accidentally killing them. Thankfully, Iwasplaying with friends, and they didn’t mind that I was starting from level one and they’d have to carry me. They were happy to show me the ropes.
I’ve found the same spirit in random matches, too. In one of my early online multiplayer games, I was squadded up with two players who had much higher levels than me. I thought they’d be irritated with me for falling behind and not being able to really carry my weight, but instead they were patient and kind. One repeatedly pinged supplies and even a railgun, and waved their gun at me to get my attention. They even let me take a shield pack they dropped after I accidentally bombed them, instead of being angry at me and shooting me right in the face. Fighting alongside low-level players wasn’t just a thing they had to tolerate, it was something they strived to do well. They helped me get through a few matches, and I’m sure they’ve done the same for other noobs.
As more players start acting like jerks towards their lower-level compatriots for not having the correct weapons to keep up with the game’s meta, Arrowhead CEO has tweeted that we should behelping new playersand to not be a fascist who forces them to fend for themselves. “Give the new player the shield backpack and the railgun. you’re able to do without it if you are a true Helldiver”, he said ina follow-up tweet. It couldn’t be more clear that it is your right as a new player to be carried by people who’ve played much more than you. You’re going to die a lot without that help, especially when you’re first starting out.
This is particularly important when you consider thatthe studio doesn’t consider meta loadouts to be crucial to gameplay, and have said you should just use the gun that “you like the most”. This is a far cry from other live-service games like Overwatch 2 and Destiny 2, where the meta is everything. The lack of focus on granular details like this makes it easier for people like me, who don’t typically enjoy live-service games and don’t have the leisure time to invest in massive time sinks, to still be able to play and enjoy the game. Fostering an environment more focused on cooperation than set loadouts only helps to reinforce the game’s accessibility to new players.
So yes, it’s okay to boot up Helldivers 2 for the first time and get by purely on the skill of your teammates. That’s the way the game is meant to be played, and I think it’s the most fun way to play. Just make sure that when you’re at a higher level, you return the favour.
