Helldivers 2 grunts have dismantled the Automatons and are squishing Terminids at pace, but can't help but fear Game Master Joel plans something horrid

Helldivers 2
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2 grunts are preparing for the worst after liberating three planets in just a few days to end the Automaton threat once and for all, presumably.

Last week, Arrowhead initiated a Helldivers 2 Major Order to crush the Automatons, challenging players to liberate three bot-controlled planets in under four days. Things didn't start out well for Super Earth's forces, but they've now obliterated the robots on all three battlefronts, completing 'Operation Swift Disassembly' and eradicating the Automatons for good.

Well, that's on paper, at least. What's actually happened is that, in the wake of players completing the assignment, Super Earth's soldiers are now fearing for the worst, as they're predicting en masse that Game Master Joel has some incredibly nasty plot twist tucked up their sleeve to unleash on the Helldivers 2 community right as they're celebrating.

"One of the most fun parts of this game is waiting for the consequences," one Twitter user wrote in response to the success. "Anyone else seeing this in the format of the Simpsons meme where Joe throws out the drunk dude but the drunk dude appears inside the bar again?" adds a Reddit user, referencing Moe repeatedly throwing Barney out of the bar.

There's a lot of these sentiments going around social media right now. Helldivers 2 players have sort of been conditioned to expect the worst, and you can hardly blame them - just as the huge mechs were on the cusp of being added last month, Game Master Joel paused their rollout as Automatons battered the base planet that was constructing the Patriot Exosuits.

Others are convinced the entire Major Order was too easy. "It's been too easy for some odd reason," wrote one suspicious Twitter user. "We are in for it at some point this week," added another. Arrowhead sure does like to keep players guessing and on their toes, so who knows what's going to happen now? 

What's making matters worse is the fact that players are now tearing through Terminid planets with reckless abandon. Estanu, for example, a long-contested Terminid-controlled planet, has now been taken, according to the tweet below, and according to tracking website Helldivers.io, Fori Prime will be totally liberated in well under three days from now at the current pace. 

Meanwhile, Crimsica is well over 55% liberated at the time of writing, and Hellmire, one of the final Terminid-controlled planets available right now, is similarly seeing its liberation meter rapidly increase. If Arrowhead is going to strike back against players, look for it to happen within the next few days.

Helldivers 2 players have been wasting Stratagems - dev confirms the new bot Gunship factories can only be destroyed with Hellbombs.

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.

Read more
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 CEO praises players for their "brilliant" DSS strategy, but follows up with a grave threat: "J.O.E.L. is out to get you now"
Helldivers 2 intro cutscene helldiver thumbs up
Helldivers 2's Galactic War resumes as Arrowhead fixes its broken liberation rates, and High Command insists anyone who saw anything weird "may be suffering from Illuminate mind-influence"
Four Helldivers lined up on base ship
A year after Malevelon Creek became Helldivers 2's fiercest battleground, it looks like the Automatons are coming back for more
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 players beat the Illuminate back but they're still freaking out citizens, so High Command wants to build a surveillance center which definitely won't be used for spying
Helldivers 2 Warbond
Helldivers 2 players "became obsessed" with Malevolon Creek, but it was Gabe Newell who really kicked off one of Super Earth's bloodiest battles
Helldivers 2
To celebrate Helldivers 2's first birthday, GM Joel recalls his favorite community moments that are now "canon" and "part of Helldiver lore"
Latest in Action
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint
Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
Naoe and Yasuke walk in the sunset in a screenshot from Assassin's Creed Shadows
Following Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing director says "every big AAA game could be better," but players shouldn't be mad "just because some dude told you to"
Assassin's Creed Shadows Wanted Status
How to remove Wanted status in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
God of War
20 years later, God of War's original monster art has been revealed: behold this army of stick figures slapped on a whiteboard, no clue Kratos is coming for them
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"