Posted by Helldivers 2 saw a cool new update the other day with the release of the Redacted Regiment Warbond and a new kind of mission. While I cannot give a comprehensive overview of the Warbond since I haven’t unlocked everything yet, I can at least talk about it a little bit.
I am not a stealthy player. When it comes to stealth in video games, there are two approaches: there are no bodies for the guards to find, and there’s no one left to find the bodies. I tend to prefer the latter approach. In a game like Helldivers 2, things can get incredibly intense and difficult as high-tier enemies swarm you. Stealth usually doesn’t feel like a great option, especially when the alternative is just blowing the problem up. This new update changes that, at least a little.
The new mission type, Commando Missions, are very different from the standard gameplay loop. As it stands, you drop into the mission and have a minute to use your Super Destroyer and call in as many stratagems as you can. After a minute, the Super Destroyer leaves and you lose access to stratagem support. You can call in the Super Destroyer for another minute once during the mission (using the Konami Code no less, which is awesome). That means you can’t call in resupplies or reinforcements, so make sure to prepare accordingly. As for the reinforcement problem, there are now support Hellpods on the map that you can claim to gain more reinforcements. There are some new objectives, like using a video camera to record enemy activity and extracting with enemy intel. Enemy presence is also different. There are a lot more patrols, and it feels like the timer between reinforcement call-ins have been drastically shortened. When I played these missions, I did them on difficulty six. I don’t want to see them on higher difficulties. Having limited stratagem usage means that all it takes for things to snowball like crazy is for a few reinforcements to be called in quick succession. It’s very easy to be overrun if you aren’t careful. It can be fun, but it can definitely be difficult. I can’t imagine doing these missions on difficulties higher than six because the thought of high-tier, heavily armored units (i.e. factory striders) swarming the map utterly terrifies me.
There is a solution to the mission’s difficulty curve: stealth. The new Warbond feels quite useful in this new content. I haven’t had time to unlock everything, but I have been using the new Censor DMR, Suppressor assault rifle, Re-Educator secondary, and the light armor. I do not usually use light armor, but the new set in the Warbond feels really good. Its passive makes you quieter and decreases enemy detection range. It’s a very noticeable change. This ability, coupled with the suppressed weapons that are quieter and make it harder for enemies to notice you, allowed me to successfully sneak through some of these Commando Missions and pick off enemies from afar. As for the weapons, I’d say Censor has been the best so far. Having a DMR that allows you to pop targets from range is incredibly effective, especially because the various stealth upgrades means that you can take out medium-tier enemies in a single precise shot from a safe distance. When it comes to stealth, range is your friend, and the Censor doesn’t disappoint. The Suppressor is fine. It’s a fast firing assault rifle with decent magazine capacity. I don’t like it as much as the Censor because it lacks accuracy, especially from a distance. In addition, in spite of the decent capacity, the high rate of fire burns through ammo like crazy, so there’s a very real chance that you have to reload mid-fight with a patrol of light units, and the lull gives one of them an opportunity to call in reinforcements. The Re-Educator is a worse version of the harpoon introduced in Dust Devils. The point of the Re-Educator is to tag a single enemy with gas that damages and disorients it. It is good at that, but it hits like a noodle. It isn’t a weapon you’re using to deal damage and kill things with, it’s a weapon you’re using to debuff enemies and give yourself breathing room before swapping to something that can kill them. In that sense it’s fine, but it feels mediocre in comparison with something like the harpoon that can accomplish the same effect over a wider radius while also dealing crazy stagger damage. Of course, one benefit the Re-Educator has over the harpoon is being a secondary weapon as opposed to a stratagem support weapon, but that just means that the Re-Educator has to compete with other weapons in that slot like the Senator, Talon, Loyalist, Grenade Pistol, and Ultimatum, and all of these weapons are easily better.
I have not gotten the opportunity to unlock the medium armor, the Lure Mine, smoke pod Booster, or the C4 backpack yet, but I’m expecting to enjoy them once I do. I won’t dwell on the cosmetics because they’re simply that: cosmetic. If you like them, use them. If you don’t care, ignore them.
Overall, stealth now feels like a viable playstyle in Helldivers 2, at least against the bots. I haven’t used these weapons agains the bugs or squids, and I’m not terribly optimistic about how they’ll perform, but that’s fine. Not every Warbond has to have the new best thing that trivialized every single faction. Sometimes it’s ok to have a content drop that favors combat with one group of enemies. Redacted Regiment feels good when used against its intended target. It’s a fun new playstyle, and I have no regrets picking it up. I similarly enjoyed the new Commando Missions, and I look forward to playing more of them and seeing how they evolve in new and interesting ways down the line.
Broad Scope Entertainment 