Helldivers 2 Players Get to Decide Which New Stratagem Gets Added Next

Helldivers 2 players believed recently that Arrowhead Game Studios was teasing them with some new Stratagems, and it seems they were correct, albeit with a twist. There are two new Stratagems on the table, but players only get one of them, and the community gets to pick. The current Major Order in Helldivers 2 tasks players with liberating one of two planets with one awarding everyone the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines and the other granting players the RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher. The Major Order hasn't been completed yet, but it's looking like it's going to be the RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher that gets unlocked.

Liberating the planet of Choohe gets you the mines while liberating Penta equals the rocket launcher. Aside from the very general assumption that players probably want something they can shoot rather than something more tactical like a mine, players have already made it to Penta to start liberating that planet while Choohe isn't accessible yet due to players needing to jump from a neighboring planet first. While things could of course change before the Major Order, the Airburst Rocket Launcher seems like the frontrunner right now.

If you head to the game's various forums such as the subreddit, however, you'll see Helldivers 2 players cautioning others about the Airburst Rocket Launcher and its destructive power. Numerous posts have been shared in the Helldivers 2 subreddit showing players using the Airburst Rocket Launcher ahead of its official release with most of those clips ending in full teams or at least the users getting totally wiped out by the launcher. 

The new stratagem, in 6 seconds.
by u/LeBananaBoi in Helldivers

Similar to how some players accessed other unreleased parts of the game in the past, it seems some Helldivers 2 players have managed to get their hands on the new Stratagems by datamining old versions of the game. That's what's led to some rocket launcher dissent with players suggesting that maybe the tank mines would be better after seeing how fickle the launcher is, but Helldivers 2 community manager Spitz cautioned against putting too much stock in those unofficial previews of the weapons. Spitz said in the game's Discord server that both Stratagems are technically usable via these datamining efforts but that the versions players are using are depreciated iterations of the Stratagems and don't reflect what's planned for the full release.

Whatever choice players make, it seems likely that Helldivers 2 players will eventually get both Stratagems anyways since it's difficult to imagine Arrowhead Game Studios just tossing out one Stratagem entirely. Somewhat separate from the Stratagems, Spitz also said that the updated version of whatever is chosen will be seen in a "major build update" coming early next week, so those who've been clamoring for a larger update for Helldivers 2 will finally get their wish in a couple of days.