New Helldivers 2 Major Order gives players another shot at securing Anti-Tank Mines, but only if they pick the Stratagem over saving thousands of Super Earth children

A screenshot from the Helldivers 2 opening, showing the Super Earth Spokesperson shouting.
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

A new Major Order is upon us in Helldivers 2, giving patriotic players everywhere another big choice that'll lead us to either unlock a new Stratagem or simply feel content that we did the right thing.

You might remember that back in April, loyal Helldivers were given the choice of liberating Choohe or Penta to receive either the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines or the RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher. At the time, the community decided to go for the Rocket Launcher, and so the Anti-Tank Mines were put back on the bench. Another opportunity came last month when the mines were set to be a reward for a Major Order that challenged us to beat two billion Automatons. Well, that time, we just failed. Now, though, the mines have been given another potential shot, but only if players are willing to ignore the fact that there are thousands of helpless civilians currently trapped in "Super Citizen Anne's Hospital for Very Sick Children" on the Automaton-occupied planet of Vernen Wells.

"An emergency distress call from Vernen Wells describes thousands of civilian survivors trapped in the remains of 'Super Citizen Anne's Hospital for Very Sick Children,'" text displayed on the new Major Order announcement video reads. "Meanwhile, intercepted Automaton communications have identified a large explosives repository on Marfark. These stores are very likely to contain the critical raw ingredients necessary to deploy MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines. 

"Only the first planet liberated is likely to be saved," it continues. "The Helldivers are trusted to determine which course of action – saving the children, or securing the mines – will ultimately save the most freedom."

With less than four days to complete the Major Order, time is ticking. It's not currently clear which side the community will go for, but one poll posted underneath the announcement tweet by @PlayerFinderGG currently places saving the children in the lead, with 62.1% of the votes. Of course, this isn't indicative of the entire player base's choice, but some are speculating that there could be a secret reward for saving those trapped on Vernen Wells, which might help drive everyone to side with them. Otherwise, given that the Major Order states that only the first planet liberated is "likely" to be saved, if we try really hard, it sounds like there's a small chance we could save both. It doesn't sound like Arrowhead is counting on that happening, though.

Helldivers 2's long-awaited patch that contains 100 changes drops this week.

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.