Helldivers 2 adds top-tier, eye-wateringly expensive fleet upgrades to help turn back the Automaton invasion fleet that will take me months to earn

Helldivers 2 Steeled Veterans Warbond
(Image credit: Sony)

The new Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation Warbond is now live, but developer Arrowhead has quietly added brand new ship modules to the shooter.

While the new Warbond is all well and good for premium Helldivers 2 players, you might want to take a pause and look at the new Helldivers 2 Ship Module upgrades now available in the game. There are six in total, but it looks like players are going to have to grind out samples a fair bit in order to actually earn them.

The 'Atmospheric Monitoring' ship upgrade, for example, allows for better targeting through weather conditions by strike Stratagems but will set you back by 200 Samples, 150 Rare Samples, 15 Super Samples, and 25,000 Credits. That's a hell of a lot of Samples you're going to need.

The 'Enhanced Combustion' ship module, which increases fire damage from Stratagems by 15%, costs exactly the same. In fact, all of the brand-new ship modules cost a relatively similar amount, with the only variation being by either 50 fewer Samples, five more Super Samples, or 5,000 fewer Credits. 

The 'XXL Weapons Bay' module costs 50 fewer Samples, for example, while the 'Blast Absorption' module, which decreases damage Sentries take from explosions by 50%, sadly costs five more Super Samples. The 'Circuit Expansion' module sounds great for lovers of the Arc Thrower since it guarantees lightning strikes jump to one additional enemy, while the final 'Superior Packing Methodology' grants even more ammo in Resupply Packages.

These fleet upgrades couldn't have come at a better time. Right now, Helldivers 2 players are battling back the full Automaton invasion fleet, after developer Arrowhead revealed what they've been fighting so far was "merely vanguard." These upgrades for Stratagems and weapons, in particular Arc-based weapons jumping to more enemies with each shot, should work a treat.

Read up on our Helldivers 2 errors guide if you're struggling to get into the shooter for whatever reason.

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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