Helldivers 2 players rip into Arrowhead for 'straight-up ridiculous' Killzone crossover prices, CEO defends the choice: 'The more of this we sell, the more Illuminate-type stuff we can keep dropping for free'
Helldivers 2 takes two steps forward and one leap back. Less than a week after surprise dropping the Omens of Tyranny update at The Game Awards, Arrowhead has dropped another surprise, though this one isn't as fun or exciting: Helldivers 2 just got a Killzone armor set, cosmetics, and a Helghast gun, which is kinda cool, except they cost three times more than usual and can't be earned in a warbond.
The Killzone drop is a first for Helldivers 2 in more ways than one: It marks the game's first crossover, something that Arrowhead wants to do more of when it makes sense (Killzone is the most natural fit I can think of). It's also a significant escalation of Arrowhead's monetization scheme. Along with the recent Superstore-only stun baton, this is the first time Helldivers 2 has sold weapons—the most coveted unlockables in the game—outside of its battle pass-like warbonds.
Arrowhead has also seemingly embraced the trend of crossovers becoming the perfect occasion to crank up prices by a factor of two or three. The StA-52 Assault Rifle alone costs 615 Super Credits (around $6 or $7). A typical Helldivers 2 warbond, which contains multiple armor sets, guns, and other cosmetics, costs $10.
«615 SC for a primary weapon is straight-up ridiculous,» wrote user Goopmaster_ in a top-upvoted post on the Helldivers subreddit. «I get the game needs to be monetized in some way, I get that the devs work isn’t free, but charging half a warbond price for an assault rifle with no optic is straight-up nonsense.»
Folks are also haranguing over the 500 Super Credit Helghast armor set, which comes with a new «Acclaimed» armor passive that grants 50% damage protection against gas, acid, and electrical damage (that's a lot). Usually, Superstore-only armor sets share the same perks as the stuff you can get in warbonds, but not this time.
«This is a disgustingly good passive to be locked behind the most expensive armor to date,» wrote Reddit user TraumaTracer.
Altogether, the six Helghast items
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