Helldivers 2’s new Impaler lacks the same impact as other introductions

The latest Helldivers 2 update is the biggest yet, and fans are unhappy with its balance changes and flamethrower nerfs designed to make liberal application of cleansing flame less overwhelmingly popular. While many players are eagerly awaiting more buffs from Arrowhead, I’m excited for a whole other reason: There’s a big cloud of Terminid spores called the Gloom, and I can’t wait to see what big scary bugs emerge from the slowly developing Terminid Control System storyline.

You might say, “But Cass! Arrowhead just added new enemies, like the Impaler! Doesn’t that scratch your itch for big bug mayhem?”

I like the Impaler just fine. This big, Charger-looking beast will split open its face plates, planting them into the ground and spawning tentacles everywhere you go. It’s fairly balanced; you can kill it with anything that’d one-shot a Charger, or wait for its face to open up so you can shoot inside.

I like to imagine an alternate reality where I saw my first Impaler, went, “Huh, that Charger seems kind of lethargic,” and then started screaming as tentacles sprouted around me. But I read about the Impaler and its tricky tactics well in advance, on a Sony blog, instead of encountering one in the wild.

Something I love about Helldivers 2 is the unreliable point of view; all of our information comes from Super Earth, who are textually the bad guys. Other players tend to be a much better source of information, giving updates from the battleground. Seeing people post clips of Automaton ships taking to the skies was chilling, and gave a real sense of escalation.

Even better, Super Earth would react to past revelations by denying everything — No, there are no gun-ships or sky Terminids… — until they were forced to acknowledge it due to the new enemy’s overwhelming presence, in which case they’d say there had always been flying Terminids and big bot ships, and it doesn’t even matter, because they’re so weak and pitiful.

In past patches, seeing new threats emerge organically on the battlefield was a thrill. I hope we continue to see these kinds of slow-burn threats. It encourages a sense of community, as players share threats with one another. Helldivers 2 is also in a somewhat unique situation; since propaganda from our in-game superiors is such a core part of the setting, it makes sense to have the game actively gaslight players about new enemies and updates.

There’s still plenty of room for these kinds of surprises to emerge, what with the black hole we left behind on Meridia and rumors of a third faction approaching. As Helldivers 2 continues, I hope Arrowhead doesn’t shift to sharing upcoming surprises in blog posts and promotional materials. I want to be absolutely shocked as these new enemies show up and turn my poor Helldiver into chunky salsa; it keeps things fresh.