Several planetary hazards already complicate missions in Helldivers 2, but the game could use a bit more variety in this department.
The planetary hazards and weather effects in the Helldivers sequel can quickly turn the tide of battle. For example, Fire Tornadoes have been known to stall easy victories over the Terminids.
A wide variety of other effects similarly wreak havoc on the war efforts of Divers. As things currently stand, Helldivers 2 plays host to blizzards, ion storms, rainstorms, tremors, thick fog, meteor storms, and more.
Still, as the fight wages on, new hazards would be a welcomed sight, especially since there are so many planets in both the Automaton and Terminid-controlled sectors left to liberate.
Some may recall that the first Mass Effect used planetary hazards, most notably on planets where Mako exploration was essential. One such hazard revolved around radiation; if players exposed Shepard to the effect long enough, the character would suffer radiation poisoning.
This could prove an interesting addition to the selection of planetary hazards in Helldivers 2. After all, the aforementioned Fire Tornadoes already chip away at health with heat damage.
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Imagine landing on a planet and slowly taking radiation damage over time à la Mass Effect – it’d provide a baked-in mission timer that neither Automaton nor Terminid would care about, further heightening the Divers’ sense of urgency.
The Helldivers community is already abuzz with similar ideas, with one popular Reddit post positing flash floods, acid geysers, and tropical monsoons as worthwhile options.
Notably, the Redditor pointed to heavy urbanization as another idea, which coincides with someone else’s thought that developers should model Cyberstan after The Matrix’s Machine City.
Players may not set foot on Cyberstan for some time, given that the effort to overthrow Automaton control on its surrounding planets is proving to be a herculean task. But here’s to hoping the mysterious planet and others like it will introduce new hazards and effects to Helldivers 2.