Helldivers 2 creative director once said transmog "doesn't make sense" for the shooter, but has now confirmed Arrowhead is "looking into" armor color customization

Helldivers 2 intro cutscene helldiver thumbs up
(Image credit: Sony)

It sounds like Helldivers 2 players could eventually have a few more options when it comes to picking out their perfect Terminid-squashing attire, as the third-person shooter's creative director confirms that Arrowhead is "looking into" armor color customization.

In Helldivers 2, armor isn't just for show – depending on what you wear, you have access to different passive abilities and stats, meaning that it's just as important a part of your loadout as your weapons and stratagems. It's also for this reason that creative director Johan Pilestedt previously explained that a transmog option that'd allow you to strut your stuff in whatever armor you like on the outside while reaping the passive benefits of something else underneath just wouldn't "make sense." Back in April, he said: "We are not doing transmog. It doesn't make sense – equipment looks different because it has different effects. Swapping one for the other is like having an apple that tastes like bacon or the other way around."

It makes sense from a multiplayer perspective since you can currently easily tell what your teammates' abilities are, but it's not a fantastic setup for anyone wanting to be Super Earth's next top model. Thankfully, it sounds like Arrowhead is at the very least contemplating an alternative, as Pilestedt replies to one fan on Twitter asking for color customization by simply saying with a smile: "We are looking into it." 

Hopefully, this'll eventually be able to come to fruition – it'd be fantastic to have the option to make body armor, helmets, and capes match even if they're not part of the same set. Having a greater variety of colors than what's already on offer with the preset armor designs would be fun, too – I imagine nothing would strike greater fear into an Automaton than seeing an approaching group of Helldivers clad in bright pink and purple ensembles. For now though, we'll just have to wait and see if Arrowhead implements the idea at all. 

As Helldivers 2's new Democracy Space Station guns down the divers who helped build it, one dev says Arrowhead need to "own that and adapt" but warns that "things are rarely crap or fantastic" at first.

Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of 12DOVE's news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.