Helldivers Players are Getting Early Access to Mechs, Vehicle

More players of Helldivers 2 are getting what looks to be early access to combat mechs and transport vehicles in the game. These features are apparently planned for official inclusion in the suite of options for Helldivers 2 at some point in the future.

With an immensely successful launch for Helldivers 2 leading to a massive surge of players engaged in galactic warfare against aliens, automatons, and more, developer Arrowhead Game Studios has a major multiplayer hit on its hands. And as it solves more of the game’s outstanding server and stability issues, future additions and expansions are entering the development pipeline, to keep that huge, newfound audience interested in the game.

Players have leaked yet more footage of planned gameplay additions to Helldivers 2. In a series of posts on Twitter, user JayTechTV (@TheRealJTV4K60) showed off video footage of a Helldivers 2 mech and an off-road transport vehicle in action. In one clip, two soldiers are seen piloting separate walking combat mech suits, firing at each other. Other recent Helldivers 2 leaks revealed the mechs, and Arrowhead has previously stated that it plans to add them to the game eventually.

Another gameplay clip revealed a second playable Helldivers 2 vehicle called the Recon Vehicle. The footage from JayTechTV appeared shortly after the latest Helldivers 2 update, and showed a team of three players summoning a truck-like Recon Vehicle by using a stratagem beacon. The vehicle fits at least three Helldivers, with one driving, one in a rotating machine gun turret, and one in a front passenger seat. The passenger seated player can also lean out of the vehicle’s window to shoot. From the footage, the Recon Vehicle model seemed only partially implemented. Parts of the vehicle did not have textures, and its weapon, engine, and wheels made no sound, suggesting that the appropriate sound effects for it were not yet in the game files. Nevertheless, it was drivable and functioning otherwise.

Speculation arose as to how these players were getting early access to these planned developments. Some suggested that developers and testers were bringing unfinished mechanics with them into random games as a form of testing on live servers. Others theorized that modders were data mining by using hacks or edits to gain access to features that were not yet fully released but still present in the game’s files.

As a rule, publishers and developers tend to take a dim view of data mining and leaks, since they can upend a game’s carefully calibrated marketing plans or expose unfinished work to the public. Some techniques for data mining can also affect a game’s security, potentially allowing cheaters to undermine Helldivers 2 and ruin the experiences of others. Regardless of how the data was obtained, though, the glimpse into what’s next for Helldivers 2 has definitely excited its fans.

Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 is a third-person cooperative shooter developed by Arrowhead Games Studios for the PC and PlayStation 5 where players take control of a Helldiver set to protect the citizens of Super Earth by traveling to hostile alien worlds and destroying threats. Players undergo missions, defeat enemies, and use special items called Stratagems to help turn the tide of battle in this punishing release.

Franchise

Helldivers

Platform(s)

PC , PlayStation 5

Released

February 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Arrowhead Game Studios AB

Genre(s)

Shooter

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC & PS5

Number of Players

1-4