Summary
After such a successful launch,Helldivers 2is a major contender to be hailed as one of the best games of the year, but its future success hinges on how developer Arrowhead handles its future in-game content.Helldivers 2kicked off the year with a surprise bang, but if Arrowhead wants the game to have some serious longevity, then the developer’s approach to post-launch content needs to remain consistent.
The arrival ofHelldivers 2brought a surprising and fun world into the spotlight, and the way Arrowhead handles the game’s version of a battle pass,known as Warbonds, is a great example of how the studio has managed to create in-game mechanics that ultimately put the player first. Although Warbonds take inspiration from the battle pass trend, it sets itself apart in some great ways without being predatory.
Warbonds Are The Key To Helldivers 2’s Future
With Warbonds, players can get a variety ofcool items inHelldivers 2that can enhance the experience of playing. However, one of the main aspects that sets Warbonds apart from a lot of battle passes is that Warbonds are permanent fixtures in the game. Unlike the limited skins and items in other games, Arrowhead has avoided making items available for only a short amount of time. This is a great way to maximize the amount of items players can acquire.
Although the items earned from Warbonds are the usual types of offers seen in other games with battle pass systems,Helldivers 2keeping all rewards a permanent part of the game is a great way to put players first. Warbonds not being limited time offers doesn’t create the scarcity that other battle passes do, which helps take the pressure off players. Although Warbonds are technicallyHelldivers 2’s version of microtransactions, their implementation is quite fair compared to a lot of other in-game purchases.
Helldivers 2 Should Be The Blueprint For Battle Pass Systems
If Arrowhead continues handling Warbonds the way it has, then the success ofHelldivers 2has a strong chance of continuing to thrive. Although real-life purchases can be made in-game, players are able to avoid using their actual money thanks to thein-game currency ofHelldivers 2, Super Credits. These Super Credits can be earned while playing the game, and the officialHelldivers 2Discord even claims that players can expect to make 10-40 Super Credits per hour, depending on how efficiently they play.
Players can use their real-life money if they wish, butHelldivers 2’s Warbonds makes it a lot more manageable to use these Super Credits in order to buy items. This keepsHelldivers 2from feeling like a pay-to-win game, but Arrowhead needs to continue this approach if the studio wants to keep players happy with the game’s microtransactions. Arrowhead has been teasing someexciting changes toHelldivers 2, but the Warbonds system needs to stay the same going forward.
Helldivers 2 Needs To Remain The Outlier
The current state of microtransactions in games has been a major point of discussion among gamers. After the recent controversy surroundingDragon’s Dogma 2’s microtransactions, it’s clear that this is still an ongoing problem. WhereDragon’s Dogma 2failed in being transparent with its in-game purchases, Arrowhead has been incredibly upfront with players, and this has made all the difference. The amount of transparency combined with a system that doesn’t actually enable predatory purchases makesHelldivers 2stand out among many other games.
Although the game has had recent issues with crashing,the developers ofHelldivers 2have made it clear that they’re focused on player satisfaction. For Arrowhead to be such a small studio, the success ofHelldivers 2is impressive, but if the studio wants to continue its success, keeping Warbonds from following the current trend is the key to longevity.
