Helldivers 2 Doesn’t Want You To Fall For Flying Bug “Propaganda”

Helldivers 2 director Johan Pilestedt weighs in on reports that some players have encountered flying Terminids, insisting it’s all just propaganda.

A Helldiver saluting between two massive Terminids

Summary

Rumors of flying Bugs in
Helldivers 2
have been jokingly denied by Arrowhead Studios CEO.
Shriekers, a new type of Terminids with the ability to fly, were added in the latest patch to surprise
Helldivers
players.
Players are still figuring out the best strategies to deal with fast-moving Shriekers in
Helldivers 2
.

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Several Helldivers 2 players have insisted that they’ve encountered a new type of flying Terminid but in keeping with the game’s satirical tone, Arrowhead Studios’ CEO Johan Pilestedt believes it’s all nonsense. In the weeks after the game’s launch, the Helldivers 2 community has been hard and working trying to figure out exactly what could be causing the Terminids to spread so rapidly among the stars. Some are speculating that Super Earth itself could be creating the “aliens” but the game’s director is trying to throw everyone off the scent.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Pilestedt responded to several inquiries from fans who swear they’ve encountered “Shriekers” which appear to be Terminids that can take to the skies and terrorize Helldivers with their massive leathery wings.

“Everyone knows that ‘Bugs can’t fly,'” stated the director, going one step further by quoting the in-universe Ministry of Truth which insists that reports of flying Terminids are merely propaganda spread by “bug sympathizers.” It’s a fun little bit of metatextual storytelling given that players have shared legitimate videos of Shriekers in action so Pilestedt is clearly having some fun with Helldivers 2‘s community.

Charger and Bile Titan from Helldivers 2 with a scared-looking Helldivers soldier.

Helldivers 2 Sneakily Adds In New Terminids With A Scary New Ability

Helldivers 2’s latest patch seems to have added an undocumented enemy type known as the Shrieker, adding a new, surprising challenge to the game.

Shriekers Took Helldivers Players By Surprise

Helldiver with a Charger and a Hulk from Helldivers 2 — Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

While most live-service games include detailed information on what every post-launch content update brings to the game, Arrowhead Studios is taking a different approach with Helldivers 2 by allowing the community to uncover the game’s new additions themselves. The inclusion of Shriekers was not specified in any patch note log but soon after the most recent balance update players started sharing videos of the winged monsters swooping down from the clouds. Helldivers 2 may be just over a month old but given the number of active users in its community, if Shriekers were in an earlier build of the game someone would have noticed.

How To Deal With Shriekers In Helldivers 2

A Helldiver looking at a Bile Spewer. — Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Since Shriekers are such a new addition to Helldivers 2, players are still trying to work out how to best bring down the flying Terminids. These Bugs move around especially quickly, meaning Stratagems aren’t especially effective unless a well-prepared Helldiver brings down a Sentry Turret or two with their Stratagems. Alternatively, if your loadout is more focused on dropping massive bombs rather than covering fire, a chunky machine gun will make quick work of the flying Bugs since they have remarkably small health pools; Just plug in a magazine and start firing away.

Source: Johan Pilestedt/X