The hugely successful co-op shooter from Arrowhead Games, Helldivers 2is different from many other games on the market and challenges players with tough opponents and difficult missions. An element of Helldivers 2 has sparked a lot of discussion: friendly fire. Why is it always on? Well, according to the game’s creative director, it’s all about making the world seem believable – and adding some laughs to the darker moments.
Helldivers 2 is one of the biggest success stories of 2024 as so many players look to get into the intense third-person sci-fi co-op shooter Servers kept crashing on PS5 and PC. Thanks to its commitment to making combat feel both satisfying and dangerous, it’s easily one of the best games of 2024 so far. You never really feel safe in it Helldivers 2, no matter how many big guns or players you have in your squad. In fact, thanks to the game’s use of friendly fire, these other players can often be your greatest enemy. A random grenade, airstrike, or shotgun from a friendly squadmate could take you out in a second. That may seem frustrating, but Arrowhead Games insists it’s a core part of its design philosophy for the sequel.
In a March 12 interview with PlayStation BlogJohan Pilestedt, CEO and creative director at Arrowhead Games, said that when developing games for the studio, “credibility” is most important and that “Friendly Fire” is a big part of that philosophy.
“Things in the game world should be consistent and that’s why we have to have friendly fire,” Pilestedt said. “If your bullets can kill enemies and the enemies can kill you, then logic dictates that your bullets must also be able to kill your friends.”
Pilestedt further explained that this type of game design is “systematic in nature,” meaning that every part of the game is influenced by every rule and decision made by the developers. For example, since the supply pods you summon for ammo can damage enemies, they can also kill your friends. This means you have to be strategic about when to call them, where to place the signal, and alert nearby squadmates about what’s happening. And when that happens in the middle of a fight, it can add another level that makes everything more intense and chaotic. And that is the point.
“What is that [design philosophy] “This creates a complexity of gameplay that requires players to actively think during combat sequences – not in a ‘solve the puzzle’ way, but in a very primal creative problem-solving way,” said Pilestedt .
Helldivers 2 is a dark comedy about war
But there’s another reason why we always have friendly fire Helldivers 2: It’s just funny when you randomly kill your friends during a mission.
“The laughter that comes from accidentally bombing your friends allows for a playfulness that in reality would amount to tragedy – but within the self-limitations of games, we can explore the dark humor of these situations,” Pilestedt added.
“And finally, the friendly fire element makes players a truly interactive part of the game world, playing a big role in positioning and helping with team play,” Pilestedt said.
And that last part is very true. When I play online games that don’t support friendly fire, I sometimes stop thinking about my squadmates or friendly NPCs. Instead, I just throw grenades and bombs wherever I want. Sometimes you can even use this to your advantage in games without friendly fire. In Helldivers 2, that is never the case. Dropping a bomb into a small enemy-filled area to save a friend is a big risk that will likely get them killed. These moments make it impossible to ever relax during a mission, meaning some nights I can only play for about two hours before getting started, but it’s an unforgettable experience that creates war stories I’ll be telling for weeks.
I know some players have suggested turning off friendly fire for lower difficulty missions, but I think that would be ineffective Helldivers 2 of a lot of what makes it so good. And it would teach players not to think about friendly fire, which they would have to work off later. It’s better to suffer early and learn not to shoot friends in the back.
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