Solving the Issue of Progression in Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 launched on February 8th 2024 and is now one year old. In that time frame, Arrowhead Studios has launched twelve premium warbonds and three major expansions to the game. For new players, this sounds like there are a plethora of things to earn. In reality, none of it can be earned by leveling up or by spending requisition, rendering progression completely stunted to two routes.

Let's look at the issue at hand, and then I'll walk through some creative solutions that both passionate gamers and the game's developers will appreciate.

The Hidden Battle Pass

Helldivers 2 is a live service game and in traditional live service fashion, it features a battle pass system. This comes in the form of warbonds. These are $10 packs that include new items like weapons, armor, skins, and recently there has been a trend of stratagems. Unfortunately, herein lies the two major issues with these paid packs:

1. All forms of new content are permanently locked behind these warbonds.
2. Warbonds render progression entirely restricted to ship upgrades and unlocking stratagems.

This means that players who level up, earn requisition, and collect samples (i.e. playing the game normally) will not be able to unlock any new weapons or armor which serve as the literal direct link between the player and how they experience the gameplay. Instead, players are forced to pay $10 per pack just to unlock what should have already been in the core game experience. Stratagems are also now being affected by this since nearly all the new ones are locked within warbonds. If this trend continues, then that would mean the only form of progression in Helldivers 2 would be ship upgrades.

Personally, I have always felt miffed by this method of progression since day one of the game's release. And it's unfortunate because I truly love the game. It's fun to hop on every once in a while to play some matches with friends or my brother. But if I ever want to get new items, I'd need to pay. However, there is an alternative way of acquiring these warbonds. It involves grinding for the premium currency, super credits.

For Super Earth Credits

Super credits are the paid currency used to purchase warbonds and super store items. However, they can also be earned by finding them in-game.

With this in mind, you'd think all is forgiven since you can find them and buy warbonds without spending any money. That is until you realize the amount of time it takes to find them and what little it gives. Let me run you through what I do to grind for super credits.

To start, I first look for a suitable planet that has flat terrain and does not have any impassable areas. This allows for points of interest to spawn more frequently... thus increasing my chances of finding super credits.

With the planet selected on difficulty level 1, I launch the mission and begin sweeping the whole map for spawned points of interest. These will come in the form of cargo-like containers and super earth pods. Normally, these maps spawn with 10+ of those spots.

However, there are other things that could spawn like large locked doors that need two players to open, or simple loot spots that only have weapons or samples. This means that my chances of finding super credit spots are extremely low. Plus, even if I do find super credits, each pile only gets me 10. To put that into perspective, warbonds cost 1,000 super credits and super store items cost around 250.

Once I go through the whole area and have determined that there are no more spots, I abandon the mission and repeat the process. The reason why I abandon the mission is because super credits are an account currency. This means that once you pick them up, they are automatically saved to your account total which allows you to leave the mission without losing them.

Of course, all gained experience and samples are lost since you need to fully extract from the mission. But on average, I get 20-30 super credits after 10 minutes of searching. By the end of the day, depending on my luck, I'll have earned 150-300 super credits.

I've done this dance so many times, and let me tell you, it is not fun at all. Although, I have unlocked four warbonds from this method. It works, but it shouldn't need to be this way in the first place.

When I'm playing Helldivers 2, I expect to earn my way through the rewards based on my level and how much requisition and samples I collect and spend. By locking content behind a paid currency, it forces you to pay or grind for new rewards. That is not satisfying nor do I feel a sense of accomplishment when I eventually earn enough to buy the warbonds.

What makes this worse is that the warbonds are already so rooted into the game that any change to progression or content will have to undergo some major shake ups-especially since real world money is involved.

However, there is one point to be made in favor of the justification of warbonds: how it funds the developers.

Warbond Funding

When it's all said and done, the developers need some way to profit from their game. That much is necessarily clear especially since they have gone with a live service route. The game itself costs $40 for the standard copy or $60 for the deluxe edition which isn't too bad in of itself. The developers could have easily charged $60 to $70 for the standard copy considering the other triple AAA titles that do the same.

It's for that reason why I respect the developers and what they are aiming to achieve with Helldivers 2.

To counter the warbonds, I believe there are other ways for the developers to make money without locking content behind paid packs. However, they would need to apply some significant changes first.

Progression Remediation

Before the developers can apply different monetization methods, they first need to restructure the entire progression system to allow players to earn rewards by simply playing the game.

Keep in mind that there are currently three different currencies that are tied to progression in the game that each need to play a fairly equal role in how players progress:

1. Requisition Snips: Acquired by completing missions or finding them. They are used to purchase stratagems and weapon attachments.
2. Samples: Only acquired by finding them in missions. They are used to purchase ship upgrades.
3. Medals: Earned by completing missions or finding them. They are only used to unlock items in the premium warbonds.

For requisition snips, these need to retain everything that they are used for now but with some additional purchasable items. For example, requisition snips should be used to purchase both new weapons and armor. This would give requisition a significant boost to its usability. For both new and veteran players it gives them an even greater incentive to play the game. They won't need to worry about grinding for super credits since they can shift their focus on completing higher level objectives and getting the most achievable requisition. Since players would be more willing to play, it also means that planet liberation rates would go up, allowing for a greater sense of community-wide accomplishments.

The same can be said for samples but it needs more uses other than just ship upgrades. For these specifically, the developers can take a page from their first game in the series, Helldivers, and allow samples to be used to purchase specialized weapon and armor upgrades. For weapons, these could be expensive modifications that drastically change the way they feel... even more than what attachments can do. For instance, the LAS-5 Scythe could have an augment that allows it to switch between the standard beam mode to an increased beam that does more damage at the cost of running through heat sinks faster.

The line between these mods and what the weapons already do themselves would need to be carefully considered. In the case of armor, every single one already has a mod that serves a purpose in the game. However, with samples, players should be able to purchase these mods and allow them to mix and match them onto any piece, including helmets. This would allow players an even greater control over their kits and how they want to play the game. Plus, it would alter the perception of samples to be a special kind of resource that would feel closer to how it did in the first game.

The purchasing of weapons, armor, and modifications should go through a weapons vendor or terminal that is present on the ship or on a planet/station that players can travel to. That way the immersion isn't broken by going through a button-pressed menu dedicated strictly to a shop.

Medals would have to undergo the largest change since their only purpose at the time of writing this is to unlock warbond items. Medals should still be earned and found as they normally are but they need to serve a more lore-like purpose. This should come in the form of displayable medals.

For example, players who participate in standard missions will each earn a single medal that represents their accomplishments on that specific mission. These accomplishments could be tied to how many enemies they destroyed, the distance they traveled, or even how many bombardments they called in. Furthermore, the medals can contain the specific date at which players earned it and can even have their name on the medal itself. Then, they can choose to display the medals in a new upgradeable trophy room that is dedicated to showing off their achievements. This would allow for unique, one-of-a-kind medals to be earned during large in-game events.

Just recently, Helldivers 2 had their Heart of Democracy event where players needed to push the Illuminate out of Super Earth. With the revamped medal system, all players who participated in some way could earn a uniquely designed medal that no one else can get. It could even feature a design tied to the specific super city that they fought at. If the developers wanted to go further, they could also design ones for community-created situations like the fabled Malevelon Creek mission. With this system, medals would act as a new way for players to express their accomplishments. It also encourages them to do their best during missions so they can show off their prowess.

Lastly, the leveling system would need to have some of its core precepts changed. Players should still be able to earn unique titles for every few levels but it should come with more tangible rewards. These rewards could come in the form of trophies that can be displayed in the trophy room that shows off their level in a new way. They could also earn paint jobs for their weapons and armor that can't be acquired elsewhere. Alongside these rewards, the experience earned by players can also go towards any warbond that they have purchased. More on this in the next section.

With all of these changes, the progression in Helldivers 2 could start to feel more impactful to players and how they experience the game. There would be more for them to do from both a progression and lore standpoint-not to mention that more players would be drawn to the game upon seeing just how much there is to do and acquire.

As much as I am against microtransactions and additional purchases, there still needs to be a way, in the end, for the developers to earn income.

Managed Monetization

As mentioned, I want the developers to succeed and earn from their game. With my suggestions, assuming they follow through with the progression changes, they could alter their business strategy and make money in a different way while retaining the same prices.

Cosmetics

This is the tried and true method that numerous other live service games have implemented. Battlefield, Call of Duty, Elite Dangerous, and even Escape from Tarkov have started implementing it now.

By introducing paint jobs, cosmetic-altering skins, or even new helldiver voices allows for all future content such as weapons and armor to be distributed into the revamped progression system and therefore earnable by players through standard play. The price and format of these packs can still be the same as the current warbonds as well.

Of course, there are other cosmetic enhancements that could be added in such as ship skins or paints, banners, titles, and maybe even sight reticles. But the overall point is that they could monetize the game in that way while allowing all the new gameplay changing additions to be progression-based.

Outstanding Patriotism

It would take an incredible amount of work to alter the game with these changes, but I feel that Helldivers 2 would be all the more better for it.

Progression would finally feel fleshed out and worthwhile to players, while monetization can take on a new form that would still provide a source of income for the developers.

Most importantly, I hope the developers at Arrowhead Studios can implement more things for us to earn and understand that there are other ways they can make the game better and longer lasting without barring new content.