Helldivers 2 studio CEO turns to the power of democracy to crowdsource fresh progression ideas as many grunts "are sitting on mounds of digital gold"
Shams Jorjani reaches out
Arrowhead's CEO has contacted Helldivers 2 players to ask for their ideas for a new progression system for the shooter.
Earlier this week, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani published a Reddit post titled 'Help brainstorm ideas for resource use for progression' to the Helldivers 2 subreddit. Jorjani is basically asking Helldivers 2 players for their ideas for a new method of progression through the game, making sure to add that he's got the explicit permission of game designers to reach out to players about this.
Jorjani writes that many Helldivers 2 players are "sitting on MOUNDS of digital gold," and he wants ideas for how players think they should be able to spend said gold to further the galactic war effort. "We have our own designs and ideas but we'd love to hear yours," the Arrowhead CEO further writes, adding that there'll be a more 'formal' way of soliciting feedback, such as surveys, in the future.
Help brainstorm ideas for resource use for progression from r/Helldivers
"So hit us with fun ideas on how to use resources (existing or new) for long-term progression in a way that's still in line with the overall design of the game," the CEO writes. "We're still aiming to do streams/vlogs down the line, and a follow-up to this thread might be a fun topic to cover in due course," Jorjani says, while adding that he obviously can't promise any suggestions will actually be implemented.
There are many suggestions in response. One Helldivers 2 player writes that they'd like a way to convert resources into other types of resources, and weapon attachments would be a welcome return from the original Helldivers. Another player adds that they'd like a "big, huge, community pot," where players voluntarily donate resources over "weeks" to unlock an eventual in-game reward.
A third player says they'd like to spend resources to enable modifiers during missions, or the concept of a "pre-drop" radar scan of a planet to give players a general overview before they land. Another player adds that donating resources should unlock new mission modifiers, but for things like a multiplier to a mission's impact on a planet liberation meter.
There are some genuinely great suggestions in there, and you can bet Arrowhead has a wealth of feedback to parse through, which might well take months to completely digest. This isn't going to be a quick implementation by any means, if Arrowhead even does opt for any of the suggestions.
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Take a look at our guide covering the Helldivers 2 Illuminate faction to make sure you're properly prepared to their arrival.
Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.
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
Helldivers 2's new Democracy Space Station is killing so many Helldivers that the devs are giving out free shields and extra lives in a "temporary" emergency fix