With Helldivers 2 finally being out, and not only out but also widely available to play without too many issues… We’ve had our first real taste of what the live service in it will be.

For the record, right now at this point in time we have:

• Our first stratagem unlocked (Mechs)
• Our first enemy type seemingly announced and surprise dropped into the game (flying Termanids)
• And in a few days our next Warbond, which means new weapons and things to unlock.

Let’s start with how much fun it was to unlock our first strategem, the Mechs. We were given the hint that a planet the Automatons invaded named Tien Kwan was a facility that was experimenting in making mechs and needed to be liberated. Credible rumors were floating around that as soon as this planet was liberated we would finally have mechs to use. Everyone was super excited to get to this planet and liberate it. It was a lot of fun to see everyone come together and work towards this goal. It was a great time to be a part of the community. Admittedly we did this in no time at all, I didn’t even get a chance to assist in the liberation of the planet. But it was still a lot of fun to see everyone come together and work towards this goal. When I did get the chance to get on, we had Mechs to play with!

This is such a unique way to weave the story of the game with the community. The live service nature of the game is part of the experience, part of the charm, and not just shoe-horned in.

Next, I’m seeing people posting that they’ve been seeing flying Terminids. I haven’t seen them myself yet, but I’m excited to see them. The really fun part about it is that I don’t think anyone knew this was going to happen, and the CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, Johan Pilestedt, has been denying the reports of flying Terminids keeping in character with the game’s universe. I’m so looking forward to how they proceed with this.

Lastly, we have a new Warbond coming up in a few days. I’m really looking forward to seeing what new weapons and things we’ll be able to unlock. This part isn’t particularly unique to live service, as it’s essentially a battlepass but the part that is unique is the fact that they never expire. So this is like new content being added to the game, rather than a time-limited event.

The reason why I wanted to write all of this down is because I feel vindicated. I’ve been trying to tell people that Live Service gaming can provide a unique, and better, experience! So what that it seems to be a deathknell for most games, they’re trying to shove it into games that honestly shouldn’t have it. Or it’s simply implemented in a way that leaves a lot to be desired.

I’m so happy to see that Helldivers 2 is doing it right. I’m happy to have an example to point to finally, and say see it COULD be like that. Maybe other games will get on board with it and we’ll have better live service games. I dunno, I’m not really looking forward to many more releasing if I’m honest! But after seeing it, I’m so excited