Helldivers 2 Teaser Confirms Sightings of Flying Bugs

Helldivers 2's Terminids are getting even more deadly.

By Ricky Frech

Last week, Helldivers 2 players were treated to a big surprise when a new Terminid quest showed that the bug threat was evolving. Toward the end of the story quest, players spotted flying Terminids, leading many to assume this was going to be a new wrinkle from developer Arrowhead Game Studio. Instead, the devs quickly took to Twitter to let everyone know that these supposed bug sightings were merely "propaganda from bug sympathizers." Today, a new wrinkle was introduced into the ongoing saga when the Helldivers 2 Twitter account posted a new video from Strohmann News revealing that the Ministry of Truth has now gone back on its earlier claims.

Helldivers 2 Confirms Flying Terminids

The new Twitter post features a short video showing off the flying Terminids with text that reads, "Flying Terminids appear without warning. Termicide clearly prevented worse mutations." This video from Strohmann News also features the caption, "Breaking: In a shocking turn of events, sightings of flying bugs have been reported from the frontlines. According to the Ministry of Truth, no previous sightings have ever been recorded in history."

As you can see, this is very different from what we'd previously heard from the dev team. Last week, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO and Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt said, "Everyone knows that 'Bugs can't fly.'" He even went so far as to call the sightings "lies" from the Helldivers who were posting footage. Now, that's all been turned on its head, and it appears that flying Terminids are going to be the focus of whatever comes next in Helldivers 2.

This news isn't that surprising because Arrowhead previously used similar marketing tactics. When mechs weren't officially in the game, we started to see them randomly pop up in the days before Arrowhead made an official announcement. This style of marketing has been working very well for the developers so far, so there's no reason to expect them to stop anytime soon. By adding new features organically, the team can quickly build hype around new content, keeping players engaged with Helldivers 2's live service.

What's Next for Helldivers 2?

With all of the above in mind, it's worth remembering that mechs launched a few days before Helldivers 2's first major Warbond. This season pass introduced all kinds of new content to the game, and it stands to reason that Arrowhead will follow a similar trajectory with flying Terminids. While the flying Shriekers are currently in Helldivers 2, we'll probably see the next Warbond announced relatively soon. 

Either way, we know the team is working on features like drivable vehicles and bringing the Illuminate faction to the game. They were involved in the original Helldivers, so it's only a matter of time before they're added to Helldivers 2. We don't have any timetable for when they'll be added, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Illuminate this summer.

Helldivers 2 is available now on PlayStation 5 and PC.

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