Although received Hellraiser 2 Overall very positive, after most of the server issues are resolved, people start focusing on all the different ways to monetize the game, and you can have hours of uninterrupted fun.
The main point of contention seems to be that the game’s Warbonds (effectively a battle pass) offer practical weapons and armor.These contain perks and passives not found elsewhere, meaning they are no Cosmetic variant.
This has led many to refer to it as a “pay-to-win” system, but game developers disagree.
iGamesNews
In Helldivers 2, there are currently two types of War Bonds. The first is free and available to everyone, while the latter is paid. In order to unlock items on either track, you need medals, which are earned by completing missions and can sometimes be found by exploring mission areas. Like Fortnite, you need to spend a minimum number of medals to advance to the next page of any Warbond.
Premium Warbonds cost the equivalent of $10 and can be purchased using Super Points, the game’s premium currency. What sets Helldivers 2 apart from most games that rely on this model is that Super Points can technically be farmed, as they can be found in missions. However, if you only focus on farming paid currency, it will be a slow and painstaking process. Super points can also be used in the supermarket, which only offers armor (so far).
Developer Arrowhead Games has previously stated that, like Halo Infinite, Warbonds will not disappear when new launches to prevent FOMO; even if players miss them during the event, they will be available for players to pick up later.
The thing is, though, you’re buying more than just the cosmetic rewards we’re used to, it includes functional weapons with unique perks, and armor with unique passives.
Helldivers 2 creative director and studio CEO Johan Pilestedt shared some of his thoughts on the situation on Twitter, saying he doesn’t believe the system is pay-to-win, even though you can earn functional items through Warbonds.
“I’m biased, but we really try not to make it p2w, even if the project is functionally different,” he wrote on twitter. “The only item with p2w functionality is the revolver – it will win you any “cool gun” contest. The only (minor) problem is that it’s not that good.”
Pillestedt added later “You have to earn the right to monetize it,” they believe. “If people want to support the title, they have a choice, but we will never force anyone to do so.”
Pilestedt’s Twitter has had multiple conversations with players, and they all agree that the options provided by Warbonds are more like secondary classes, with unique perks that amount to different styles, rather than outright higher damage.
Take the Breaker automatic shotgun as an example. The weapon features incendiary rounds, but its raw damage is reduced by nearly 50%, making it more useful in some situations than others, meaning there is no clear advantage.
“And you do set fire to it…but then again, when a bug bites you, it burns to death. What we’re after is a difference in feel and functionality, but the same average power,” Pilestedt explains.
The same goes for Liberator vs Liberator Ex; the former fires faster, while the latter fires slower but does less damage. Still, Pileste stressed that “nothing can be passed off by balancing,” adding that all primary weapons should be equally powerful.
We’ll have to wait and see how this conversation evolves as more War Bonds are introduced into the game. For now, we can look forward to new content in the future, as Arrowhead continues to release patches that address connectivity, matchmaking, and server issues.
