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The topic of constant chaos and combat during high-level missions in Helldivers 2 has been discussed before. Players have reported patrols appearing out of thin air or on top of them, making those missions a struggle to survive, let alone win. The most egregious examples can be found in the game’s final difficulty, 10 – Super Helldive. Yet some players not only argue that it’s okay, but that it’s more fun that way.
Level 10 missions are meant to be a challenge
To preface, playing anything on its highest difficulty should present a challenge. That’s a no-brainer. However, the way Helldviers 2 sometimes tackles this can be odd to say the least – like aforementioned teleporting patrols and similar issues. Yet some players find charm even in those contrived scenarios. AstraAnima has posted a PSA of sorts on Reddit that encapsulates the sentiment:
“I’ve been seeing comments from people complaining about LV10 patrols being relentless, and it’s driving me up a wall. You are playing the hardest difficulty in the game. Why do you play LV10 other than for a challenge? If you want an easier time, turn the difficulty down. You don’t get anything extra for playing LV10 beyond an ego boost. I am sick of the game being made easier and easier because people who aren’t good enough want to be able to play the highest difficulty with ease. The extreme amount of Patrols is fun. Having to weave through countless enemies and needing to land critical hits/ killing specific enemies to make it out alive is fun.”
Teleporting enemies aren’t challenging, they’re frustrating
Unsurprisingly, many players agree with the statement that level 10 should be challenging. If only there wasn’t any pesky bugs (not Terminids). LilithSanders opined: “I like level 10 because it’s relentless. It’s non-stop combat usually the entire mission, very chaotic.”, yet others were quick to bring up the usual problems: “The problem is patrols blink into existence behind you or on top of a mountain and they instantly spot you therefore.” and “I’ve seen Factory Striders blink out of existence. It’s both funny and concerning, like having a big spider in your room disappear the moment you look away.”
Many more brought out similar points. No matter how you slice it, the issue is not the difficulty or the chaos, but the arbitrary manner in which enemies spawn. As Thrithias explains: “I don’t think the patrol amount is the issue, I think the issue is them spawning on you or within line of sight. So if I clear patrol I should turn around and deal with the other patrol that I was running away from a be fine. But usually another patrol will just miracle itself back to that spot. It’s just a bit jank.”
Another Reddit user, Exvaris, mentioned most of what was already said before, then added another interesting point that we haven’t considered: “While they’re at it, they need to look at stealth too. I can hide prone, out of sight from an approaching patrol. I don’t move at all. I can watch the patrol moving in the direction they’re heading. Then miraculously when they get close enough they decide to completely change course and approach me and eventually spot me once they’re close enough. Omniscient enemies are not fun.”
The whole thread is filled with similar experiences, with players agreeing that the challenge is fun if it’s difficult but fair. Otherwise, it’s not as much of a challenge as it’s out-gaming the game. That can be fun in a cathartic sense once you manage to overcome it but is no less frustrating when it happens. Compare it to having to glitch through certain sections in other games because object collision is poorly set up – that’s not a true challenge either, though it can be hard as well. In the end, we hope Arrowhead is able to address the issue constructively, without risking those missions becoming easier, just a bit more fair.