The recent reveal of Helldivers 2’s omnipotent Game Master Joel had fans of the game in a tailspin. The game’s lead dev has come forward to put certain concerns to bed.
Helldivers 2 players are currently reeling from two major losses. The fall of Malevelon Creek and the resulting failure of their first Major Order since launch aren’t enough to keep them down though.
They are back with a vengeance and poised to complete their next Major order in record time. The addition of an easy win to renew Helldivers 2 players’ faith in Managed Democracy is an expert move from the recently revealed Game Master. A mysterious man named Joel who pulls all the strings in the galactic war.
Despite this, players’ initial reaction to the existence of Joel was one of suspicion when his true powers were revealed. Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilstedt had to clear things up in a post on X.
Finding out thousands of our brothers and sisters died on Malevelon Creek cause some guy named Joel thought it'd be fun https://t.co/rdZbylzLbt pic.twitter.com/ziBhomDDM2
— Char (@CharOnTwitch) February 29, 2024
Upon discovering that the Game Master could reinforce Helldivers 2’s enemy factions, players immediately began suggesting that the fall of Malevelon Creek was an ‘inside job’. The idea that Joel had bolstered the Automaton forces as they took the planet was a common one.
Mostly because of a quote from the PC Gamer interview that revealed the role of Game Master. “There have been some sudden moments where maybe one planet was too easy or one was too hard and [Joel] had to get up in the middle of the night to give the Automatons a bit of reinforcement,” Pilestedt told PC Gamer.
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After a wave of memes and mostly lighthearted references to a God named Joel, Pilestedt took to X to elaborate on how Game Mastery worked. Just remember, questioning official Federation narratives is punishable by death.
“As a follow up on Game Master abilities, the majority of the role is to choose which major order takes place, what daily is active and decide where the enemies attack,” Pilestedt clarified. “The war fought and liberation of planets – that’s all you!”
As a follow up on Game Master abilities, the majority of the role is to choose which major order takes place, what daily is active and decide where the enemies attack. The war fought and liberation of planets – that's all you!We can also reinforce planets if needed and give…
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) February 29, 2024
We’re certainly glad they clarified because the talk of a possible conspiracy was getting borderline treasonous and we need Helldiver morale strong right now.
Veld is only 64% liberated right now and we’re going to need to stomp a lot more Terminids to get those 45 Medals.