Helldivers 2 Major Order says if we liberate all Automaton-held planets, we'll wipe them out "once and for all" — but I don't buy it
What you need to know
Following successful defensive efforts at Malevelon Creek, Ubanea, and Draupnir, the new Helldivers 2 Major Order is directing players to liberate planets Tibit, Durgen, and Maia by early Monday morning.
If the Helldivers can achieve this, they'll boot the Automatons from the Galactic War completely, with the game suggesting they'll be destroyed "once and for all."
However, between whispers of something called "The Reclamation" and ominous cloaked warships in orbit near Automaton planets, it's clear that the bot menace's defeat won't be final. What's more likely is that they'll soon return and launch a counteroffensive.
The primary target of that counteroffensive may be Cyberstan, the homeworld of the Cyborg race from the first Helldivers game that's suspected to be the creators of the Automatons. The Cyborgs were sealed away in the mines of Cyberstan during the first Galactic War, though the Automatons may free them in this one.
After well over a week of brutal fighting across many planets in the Xzar and Severin Sectors, Operation Swift Disassembly is soon coming to an end in Helldivers 2. Following Super Earth's successful defense of Malevelon Creek, Ubanea, and Draupnir against Automaton counterattack, players are poised to boot the bot menace from the galaxy completely — and that's precisely what the new Major Order from the top brass is directing them to do. If the Helldivers can liberate Tibit, Durgen, and Maia by early Monday morning, they'll "completely destroy the Automaton Legion."
The full brief from Super Earth High Command details the situation in full. "OP SWIFT DISASSEMBLY, PHASE IV (FINAL): ANNIHILATION. All Helldivers are ordered to make an all-out push to completely destroy the Automaton Legion. Despite the enemy's losses, Automaton messages still include references to 'The Reclamation.' They must be annihilated before this plan can be carried out," it reads. "Countless Helldivers gave their lives to acquire this opportunity. Do not let their sacrifices be in vain. Protect our way of life. Destroy the Automatons at any cost."
As my Democracy Officer says, the chance to eradicate the bots "once and for all" is an exciting one. But — and please don't report me to the Ministry of Truth for saying this — it's obvious that their defeat here won't be final. In-game text has made it clear it's not known where the Automatons actually came from, and recently, they've been broadcasting to sectors outside of known space. And let's be honest, there's no way something as ominous as "The Reclamation" refers to the small-scale counterattacks we've been thwarting.
What I suspect will happen is that we'll succeed at taking the Automatons out temporarily, only for them to return in a week or two and initiate a massive counteroffensive with reinforcements from the unknown regions. Players have been catching glimpses of cloaked warships in orbit near Automaton planets, after all, and these may be massing troops and materiel in preparation for the assault.
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Surely, this is what "The Reclamation" refers to — and one of its targets is likely Cyberstan, a planet in the northwestern Valdis Sector. Cyberstan is the homeworld of the Cyborg race from the first Helldivers game, which is suspected to be the creator of the Automaton Legion since both factions share unit types. The bots even mention the planet in the war chants you can hear them perform while marching, so I wouldn't be surprised if taking Cyberstan was the primary objective of the looming operation.
The Democracy Officer on-board your ship mentions the "half-human, half-robot" Cyborgs were defeated in the first Galactic War after Helldivers sealed them in the mines beneath Cyberstan's surface, which strongly implies they'll be freed if the Automatons can capture the world. Only Liberty knows what comes next if that happens, but I'd bet all my Super Credits that it's probably something very bad.
In any event, all we can do for now is finish off the Automatons we do know about and make sure future enemy reinforcements don't have a beachhead to take advantage of. Liberating Tibit, Durgen, and Maia won't be an easy fight — the bots are fielding new AT-AT style Factory Strider walkers and swarms of gunships — but given all the blood and oil that's been spilled to get us this far, I doubt Super Earth's finest space marines will fail to rise to the challenge now.
Besides, don't forget that we have some new toys of our own to play with, courtesy of the Ministry of Science. On top of all the sweet energy and arc-based gear from the recent Cutting Edge Warbond, players now have access to two new support weapon stratagems as well. The first is a deadly Heavy Machine Gun with lots of recoil but top-notch damage and armor penetration, while the second is an anti-armor weapon called the Quasar Cannon that functions like a rocket launcher with infinite ammo, but a slow rate-of-fire since each projectile needs to be charged up.
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.
Helldivers 2 — $39.99 at GMG (Steam)
Battle aliens, robots, and other beasts in humanity's quest to spread democracy through an unforgiving galaxy. It's 4-player co-op at its absolute best, and its most refined.
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