What you need to know
- A few days after freeing Tien Kwan from Automaton control, Helldivers 2 players have a new Major Order to liberate all four planets in the Umlaut Sector from the Terminid bugs.
- The community has a week to complete this Major Order; if it does, we'll get to use the Terminid Control System — "a network of massive, Termicide-dispensing towers" — to permanently clear the bugs off these planets.
- Everyone in the community will also be rewarded with 50 Warbond Medals, too, which can be used to unlock items from the new Cutting Edge Warbond that's coming to Helldivers 2 on Thursday.
- The Major Order came shortly after a new patch that reduced Charger and Bile Titan spawn rates while also nerfing the health of the Charger's head, allowing players to one-shot them with rocket launcher headshots.
It's been several days since the Helldivers 2 community freed Tien Kwan from Automaton control and ensured our shiny new Exosuit mechs could start rolling off the assembly line without issues, and now, it's time to put them to the test. A new Major Order just came in from Super Earth Command, and it's a tall one: the Helldivers have been tasked with liberating all four of the worlds in the Umlaut Sector from the Terminids, and we've only got a week to do it.
If we're not able to complete enough planetary operations to achieve victory over the bugs by the morning of March 19, these Barrier Planets (worlds on the perimeter of Super Earth's inner sectors) will be overrun by full infestations. Should we succeed, though, we'll get to activate the Terminid Control System — "a network of massive, Termicide-dispensing towers" that'll wipe out every bug on these planets and safeguard against all future incursions.
Freeing four planets in a week's time will be quite the challenge, though after seeing Liberty's finest rescue a few worlds in just over 24 hours, I'm confident that the community will rise to meet it. Notably, the fight against the Terminids should be a bit easier at higher difficulties than it was before, as this Major Order came alongside a new patch today that reduced Charger and Bile Titan spawn rates, made it possible to one-shot Chargers with a rocket launcher blast to the kisser, and got rid of the infuriating Electronic Countermeasures modifier.
As I write this, there are already about 230,000 Helldivers active in the Umlaut Sector, with nearly 100,000 of those fighting on the icy world of Fenrir III. Battle groups 30,000-40,000 strong have deployed to Erata Prime, Meridia, and Turing, though so far, progress on these planets has been negligible.
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On Fenrir III, players will have to deal with the Extreme Cold (reduces fire rates, slows heat buildup in energy weapons) and Meteor Storms (meteorites periodically rain down on the map) modifiers thanks to its perilous, frigid climate. Meanwhile, Erata Prime has the Intense Heat (faster stamina drain, higher heat buildup in energy weapons) and Tremors (earthquakes stun players and enemies) modifiers, while Meridia has Volcanic Activity (eruptions send burning rocks flying) and visibility-reducing Rainstorms. Turing doesn't have any of these hazards, though it does have plenty of thick vegetation that'll slow you down if you try to sprint through it.
The offered reward of 50 Warbond Medals for carrying out the Major Order is excellent — especially since the new Cutting Edge Warbond is about to come out — but the prospect of permanently freeing four planets and committing Termicide with the galaxy's deadliest bug spray is even more exciting. Winning this fight would be a huge step forward in the wider effort to win the Galactic War; losing it could have dire consequences we're not yet aware of.
It's a good thing those new Exosuit mechs are effective against Terminid bugs, because I'm sure developer Arrowhead and its all-powerful Game Master Joel have pulled the necessary strings to ensure that this will be an uphill battle. The good news, though, is that each planet's Terminid Control System towers will activate as we liberate them. That means once a world is freed, players can move onto the other ones without having to worry about losing the ground they fought for.
It will be interesting to see if the community can strategically coordinate enough to take control of each planet one at a time instead of splitting Super Earth's forces across all of them, though based on Fenrir III's noticeably higher player count, it looks like it's already doing so. That's the front I'm headed to once I get off work later, and right now, it's where you should go if you're looking to have a meaningful impact on the war effort as well.
Helldivers 2 is available now for $39.99 on both PS5 and PC, and so far, it's one of the best PC games of the year. Notably, the game also supports cross-platform play between PS5 and PC.
