As the end of 2024 approaches,Helldivers 2has introduced eightnew premium Warbonds since the game was first released in February this year. Among these new Warbonds, Chemical Agents has been the only premium Warbond so far to include Stratagems, effectively locking them behind a paywall. WhileHelldivers 2’s follow-up to Chemical Agents didn’t include any Stratagems, the Chemical Agents Warbond still leaves the door open for future Warbonds to include Stratagems.
While the Stratagems featured in the Chemical Agents Warbond are considered niche compared to the current meta for Stratagems, the decision to lock Stratagems behind a paywall has nearly turned intoanother controversy forHelldivers 2, with concerns that this could make the game pay-to-win. Despite the initial backlash that arose fromHelldivers 2adding Stratagems to premium Warbonds, there are arguably more benefits to making this a recurring trend than there are risks.
Helldivers 2’s Chemical Agents Warbond Opens the Door For More Stratagems Appearing in Future Warbonds
Chemical Agents was the first premium Warbond inHelldivers 2so far to include Stratagems, which initially raised concerns thatHelldivers 2could be moving toward a pay-to-win model. However, these two Stratagems, the TX-41 Sterilizerand the AX/TX-13 “Guard Dog” Dog Breath, arguably aren’t a cause for concern since they’re considered niche compared tothe current meta for Stratagems inHelldivers 2. Ultimately, there are valid arguments both ways for whether Warbond-exclusive Stragems could be beneficial for the game in the long term, but so far it seems like the benefits of this approach outweigh the potential risks.
Pros
Cons
On one hand, Stratagems are some ofthe best weapons inHelldivers 2, so adding them to future Warbonds increases the value of the Warbond without increasing the price. Not to mention, players can earn the premium currency inHelldivers 2, Super Credits, naturally through gameplay. Premium Warbonds also aren’t the only source of Stratagems, withHelldivers 2’s Major Orders occasionally offering Stratagem rewards for successful completion.
CollectingSuper Credits inHelldivers 2can be a slow process since players normally only collect 10 Super Credits per pickup, although there’s a rare chance for players to find a stack of 100 Super Credits.
On the other hand,Helldivers 2already has a price tag, and locking more and more coveted items like Stratagems behind paywalls can be frustrating for players who already purchased the game. If these Stratagems immediately become the new meta, if the price of future Warbonds increases considerably, or both, adding Stratagems to Warbonds could potentially shiftHelldivers 2to the always-controversial pay-to-win format. However, these are incredibly big “ifs,” and so far there’s no concrete evidence to suggest that this will ever become true.
So, despite the strong initial reactions to Warbonds featuring Stratagems, it’s possible that this will become a trend infuture updates forHelldivers 2, and a harmless one at that. Since the Chemical Agents Warbond already let the cat out of the bag without being too problematic, Stratagems becoming a regular addition to future Warbonds arguably isn’t a cause for concern.
Helldivers 2
WHERE TO PLAY
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