Though Helldivers 2 players recently managed to venture into the thick Terminid spores of the Gloom, liberate Fori Prime from the bugs, and gather invaluable data and resources that will be used to develop countermeasures against the Illuminate's planet-destroying Meridian black hole, there's no time for Lady Liberty's finest to rest.
Troops are now being directed to the Galactic War's western front by Super Earth High Command to respond to a new offensive by the Automatons. The latest Major Order states that "the enemy has two ultimate targets" it will attempt to capture over the next four days: the world of Duma Tyr and the planet Julheim.
The former is host to factories that will produce a new MD-8 Gas Mines stratagem for the Helldivers if defended, while the latter is home to "moderately feeble young adults." High Command says "our Federation only has the resources to save one," presenting players with a dilemma.
Based on early community reactions, it seems like most Helldivers will pick saving the population of Julheim over Duma Tyr and its mines if they're forced to choose; many have been reminded of the time developer Arrowhead donated to the Save the Children charity after players opted to rescue citizens in "Super Citizen Anne's Hospital for Very Sick Children" by liberating Vernon Wells instead of securing MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines from Marfark. Undoubtedly, folks are hoping something similar will happen if Julheim's defensive lines hold.
Right now, though, the Helldivers are boldly trying to save both worlds by defending Bekvam III — a planet with supply line connections to both that the Automatons will presumably launch both assaults from. If Bekvam III holds, the bots will be completely cut off from Julheim and Duma Tyr, stymying the offensive in its tracks.
"AH trying to pull a trolley dilemma on us, I say we derail this thing," writes u/happyapathy553 in a thread about the operation. "It's too bad no one's going to see this but I'm with you," u/redge55 said to the post's author. Evidently, they were wrong, as the thread has 2K upvotes and thousands are flocking to Bekvam III in-game.
This forward defense is a brilliant maneuver, though it's not without flaw. The Automatons can also get to Julheim from its western flank by taking Charon Prime and then Charbal-VII, so players will need to staunchly defend both one of these worlds and Bekvam III to prevent attacks on both targeted planets (I recommend using the community-made Helldivers Companion site for a clear look at the war map).
There's also good news, however. 40,000 Helldivers have already mobilized to repel the invasion of Bekvam III and are making good progress, with more warping over to the lush planet to join the fight every minute. Players have also voted to position the almighty Democracy Space Station (DSS) at Bekvam III, with the platform scheduled to move to it from Martale in about an hour and a half from the time of writing.
If Helldivers donate enough Requisition Slips — currently, the community is already 63% of the way there — they can use the DSS' Orbital Blockade function to prevent the Automatons from using Bekvam III as a staging ground for attacks on Julheim and Duma Tyr. That way, even if Bekvam III is lost, we won't have to worry about invasion forces coming from it and will have an opportunity to try and take it back or to focus on another critical planet.
Ideally, though, that won't happen. What would be ideal is a simultaneous defense of both Bekvam III and Charon Prime, but given how far behind the defense of the latter is already, I think the best Helldivers can shoot for is focusing on Bekvam III now, then moving to protect Charbal-VII once it's inevitably assaulted by the Automatons taking Charon Prime.
Hopefully a second attack on Bekvam III won't start until after Charbal-VII is held, because trying to thwart two powerful invasion forces at once would be very difficult. That said, Common Sample donations to the DSS for the Eagle Storm action that slows down invasion progress and periodically bombards enemy forces with airstrikes during gameplay are now underway, so it should be active soon to bolster defensive efforts.
Neat community-driven strategies like this are one of the many reasons I love Helldivers 2, but no matter how well the player base plans this out, it's in for a rough fight. Lock and load, Helldivers.
Helldivers 2 stands tall as one of the best PC games and best PS5 games to play if you're into co-op shooters, intense sci-fi action, goofy physics antics, and goofy satirical writing. It's typically $40, though you can often get it for less if you shop around for discounts. Right now, the best one is CDKeys' sale that shaves over $12 off the price, allowing you to get the bombastic title for well under $30.
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