Arrowhead Studios has announced its surprise mega-hit Helldivers 2 will be treated to its largest PS5, PC content patch to date on 6th August 2024, introducing a new difficulty level, bonus enemies, and extra locations. Named Escalation of Freedom, the free update has been designed as a thank-you to the gigantic community built around the game.

Community manager Katherine Baskin thanked those playing the game: "As we stand here, on the eve of the Escalation of Freedom, we reflect on the six months since launch. We could never have predicted how far this game would go and how many Citizens would answer Super Earth’s call to arms!" Having mastered nine levels of difficulty, the Helldivers 2 community's cries have been answered with a 10th setting: Super Helldive. Teasing rewards if you overcome the new difficulty mode, it's said to be the game's "most challenging, most relentless dive difficulty level yet".

The missions those 10 difficulty options cover will now also be more varied, as the developer is introducing new objectives to complete and bigger outposts to overthrow. You'll gain new Super Sample rewards from these "heavily fortified" structures, and they'll be made available for the lower difficulties as well as the new ultra-difficult modifier.

Next, new and returning enemies are set to greet you out on the battlefield from 6th August. There's a second outing for the Impaler from the original Helldivers game while the Spore Charger is a new recruit to the Terminid ranks. "As if the regular old Charger wasn’t scary enough, the Spore Charger is shrouded in fog to obscure its location until it’s right up on you, Helldiver." There's also the Terminid Alpha Commander to round out the bug-like additions.

As for the Automatons, they're getting a Rocket Tank alongside "some other bot surprises". The swamp areas of the game have then been revamped with new fog features and untamed flora, while dark trees stop the light from getting in. "Keep your flashlight handy, as visibility is limited and light is key. The enemy could be hiding anywhere amongst the undergrowth."

Finally, the studio is addressing grief-kicking by implementing a new feature in the backend where if someone is booted from a match, they'll be placed in a new session as the host with all of the loot they were going to miss out on. This way, they can still collect the items they earned and then leave. "With these changes, all players have the opportunity to leave with all loot collected on mission, with no one Helldiver losing out," Baskin explained. "We’re committed to making changes that will improve the player experience and encourage healthy, cooperative gameplay."

Will these new additions and changes bring you back to Helldivers 2? Let us know in the comments below.

[source blog.playstation.com]