A new war bond is on the way to Helldivers 2and it’s the first step Arrowhead takes to disrupt the game’s update schedule. The Viper Commandos Warbond is themed after jungle combat – camouflage patterns, red berets, bare arms, throwing knives, skull masks, and anything else you can equip, all while CCR’s “Fortunate Son” blares from a nearby speaker.
War Bonds can be unlocked with 1000 Super Credits, which can be purchased with real money or collected from smaller points of interest around the map. Fans have criticized War Bonds for appearing a little too frequently and not containing enough unique items to justify them, and Viper Commandos’ War Bonds address that feedback.
“Based on player feedback, we are changing our approach to War Bonds in several ways going forward,” wrote community manager Katherine Baskin on the official Sony website“First, we’re slowing down the pace at which we release Warbonds to give us a little more time to refine these designs before they release. Second, we’re changing the order of items in each Warbond to make room for new item types. It’s time to focus on quality over quantity.”
Players can unlock a new Liberator Carbine designed for close-quarters combat, as well as a new secondary weapon that packs a punch in the form of the SG-22 Bushwhacker sawed-off triple-barreled shotgun. The PH-9 Predator armor is a clear nod to, well, Predator – and I’m tempted to unlock it just for the cute beret. For those who prefer heavy armor, the PH-202 Twigsnapper offers a similar aesthetic with a bit more protection. Both armors feature bare arms and a new passive Peak Physique that improves melee damage and weapon handling.
The most exciting weapon is a new utility item: a throwing knife. I’m not sure throwing knives pack the same punch as shotguns and orbital lasers, but it certainly scores points for its coolness and elegance.
The Viper Commandos Warbond also provides camouflage patterns for the Hell Pods, Exosuits, and Pelican-1. It should be nice to be able to customize these things to add some polish to the otherwise rather plain Mechsuits and Hell Pods. A new booster, Experimental Infusion, makes Stims an even more life-saving tool by giving Injections a boost to movement speed and damage reduction.
The Warbond also includes the typical rewards such as capes, player cards and emotes.
It’s interesting to see Arrowhead stirring things up. There are some big narrative events happening right now since players turned the super-colony of Meridia into an ominous black hole. If things continue to escalate, at least we’ll have these fun new toys to throw at our alien enemies. The Viper Commandos Warbond will be released on all platforms on June 13th.
