New Helldivers 2 Warbond features armor and guns straight out of Predator, but expect future releases to slow down as Arrowhead takes in fan feedback

Helldivers 2
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2 gets a brand new Warbond next week, but future Warbonds will arrive less often, as Arrowhead says it's "been listening to your feedback."

Announced today on the PlayStation Blog, the Helldivers 2 Viper Commandos Warbond is slated to arrive in Helldivers 2 in exactly one week from today on June 13. You can see the spoils from the Warbond below, including the new Liberator variant, the AR-23A Liberator Carbine, as well as the SG-22 Bushwhacker triple-barrel sawn-off shotgun for getting up close and personal.

The huge deal about the new SG-22 Bushwhacker triple-barrel shotgun is that it counts as a secondary weapon in Helldivers 2. For the first time in Arrowhead's shooter, you can take a primary weapon into battle, like a rifle or marksman, and have a sawn-off shotgun at your disposal in your back pocket, just in case things get hairy (and they probably will).

Another big feature is the two new armor sets, which both feature the new Peak Physique passive. This improves melee damage and handling, included in the PH-9 Predator set featuring a lovely beret, and the PH-202 Twigsnapper, which boasts the Executioner’s Canopy cape. It must be said: these two new armor sets look like some of the best in Helldivers 2 to date.

For the first time, the Viper Commandos Warbond will let you customize the skin on the hellpods, Exosuits, and Pelican-1 dropship. We'll have the woodland and tiger stripe camouflage patterns to play around with, and you can find the complete contents of the new Helldivers 2 Warbond in the image just below. 

Helldivers 2

(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

However, Arrowhead says it's been listening to feedback surrounding Warbonds, and is making two big changes as a result. "We're slowing down the pace at which we release Warbonds to give us a little bit more time to polish these designs before they're released. We don’t want to rush anything out of the oven before it’s fully baked," community manager Katherine Baskin writes on the PlayStation Blog.

"Secondly, we are changing the arrangement of items in each Warbond to make room for new item types, and also higher quality armor and weapons," she adds. The goal is here to resist adding "more of everything," because in the past it's resulted in "weapons that feel redundant and uninteresting armor." In short, Arrowhead is now putting quality before quantity.

After joining Helldivers 2 from the publisher of city builder sensation Manor Lords, CEO asks what the best crossover could be – and the creative director reckons it's a 28-year-old military sim series.

Hirun Cryer

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.

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