Key Takeaways
- Helldivers 2 players are still waiting for useable vehicles, but the devs have a lore reason for not adding them yet.
- Turns out, all of the Helldivers are too young to drive.
- This means we’ve been playing as teenagers this whole time – a terrifying thought.
Many of us are aware by now that Helldivers 2 is an overt parody of military propaganda, much like Starship Troopers before it. However, I don’t think we were fully aware of just how far it was taking this satire, as it turns out we’ve been playing as kids this entire time.
In an interview with the Korean publication Inven, Arrowhead CEO Shams Zorjani jokes that the titular Helldivers aren’t actually 18 years old yet. Helldivers 2’s creative director Johan Pilestedt agrees, suggesting that the Helldivers aren’t old enough to drive, which is why there aren’t any vehicles in the game right now.
Helldivers 2’s Player Characters Might Not Actually Be Adults
This part of the interview comes when Zorjani and Pilestedt are discussing lore reasons why Helldivers 2 doesn’t have vehicles yet. Zorjani argues that this is because it would be too expensive for Super Earth right now, but admits that it would be “fun” to have a team of Helldivers on a vehicle together.
However, Pilestedt adds another reason why they haven’t been added yet: “I am not sure if Helldivers are old enough to drive.”
Zorjan agrees, saying, “They are close to 18, but not yet.”
While this is likely just a joke reason for the devs not getting around to adding vehicles yet, it would add to the hilarious horror that is Helldivers 2 lore. It isn’t very surprising that Super Earth is sending children out to face the Terminids and Automaton – they’re burning through enough soldiers as it is. And lest we forget, child soldiers are also deployed in Starship Troopers, which Helldivers 2 is clearly inspired by.
So, think about that next time your Helldiver dies and you need reinforcements, you monsters. Who knows, maybe the vehicle update will include a birthday celebration for everyone? Or maybe Super Earth will just turn a blind eye to a requirement for a driver’s licence, since there are much worse things going on anyway.
Helldivers 2
Do you believe in freedom? Can you stand in the face of oppression – and defend the defenceless? Wage war for peace. Die for democracy.
Join forces with up to three friends and wreak havoc on an alien scourge threatening the safety of your home planet, Super Earth, in this multiplayer co-op shooter for PS5 and PC from Arrowhead Game Studios.
Step into the boots of the Helldivers, an elite class of soldiers whose mission is to spread peace, liberty and Managed Democracy using the biggest, baddest and most explosive tools in the galaxy.
Helldivers don’t go planet side without proper backup, but it’s up to you to decide how and when to call it in. Not only do you have a host of superpowered primary weapons and customizable loadouts, you also have the ability to call on stratagems during play.
Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead’s best cooperative gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital: Teams will synergize on loadouts, strategize their approach for each mission and complete objectives together.1
Enlist in Super Earth’s premier military peacekeeping force today. We are heroes… we are legends… WE ARE HELLDIVERS.