A huge part of Helldivers 2's appeal is the game's ongoing galactic war, a push-and-pull conflict between the players and the enemy factions that sees planets liberated, territory lost, and casualties on a multi-planetary scale. The conflict is guided and shaped by major orders, which identify targets and offer rewards, with yesterday's example being a minor classic: the Helldivers were given a week to squish 2 billion bugs, a number so unfathomable some wondered whether it were possible. They did it in 14 hours.
There are many more layers to how Helldivers 2 is unfolding the game's narrative and surprises, such as how mechs began 'leaking' in a coordinated fashion before appearing in the game for everyone. The developers themselves have in some cases become personalities: the biggest by far is game master Joel, who's become a community meme (if anything goes wrong, blame Joel), but almost as prominent is Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt, who regularly engages players with a winning combination of straightforward answers and Super Earth propaganda.
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