The good, the bad and the buggy

I keep returning to Helldivers 2, not because I'm interested in testing new weapons or conquering the highest difficulty, but because I'm completely invested in the current story unfolding. As Helldivers, players follow orders from Super Earth – including those who are clearly doomed. Previously, we sprayed Termicide across planets to thwart the ravenous Terminid hordes. The termicide technically backfired, causing hideous mutations and the development of a supercolony on Meridia.

Over the weekend, the Helldivers descended on Meridia and used Dark Fluid to extinguish the super colony. The mysterious experiment required the brave sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Helldivers… and fans believe the latest operation may have triggered the arrival of a third enemy faction.

Meridia was once a peaceful swamp planet, but the Terminid Control System – meaning players spray Termicide everywhere – hit it particularly hard. Once Meridia had evolved into a supercolony, the planet was a total nightmare, filled with terminids and chitin that evolved into terrifying towers. The Sportorn, which serves as an optional target that players can destroy in certain missions, saw the terrain everywhere. Massive pits yawned across the planet's surface. Play nests were absolutely everywhere; no matter how many I engaged with my handy grenade launcher, there were always more in the terrain.