The FRV Can Beat Exosuits to the Punch in One Big Way

The FRV Can Beat Exosuits to the Punch in One Big Way



Helldivers 2 has entered a big period of change, and it’s paying off in some big ways. The Illuminate faction, long teased by leakers, has finally arrived to threaten Super Earth, and it comes with a new urban terrain type for players to navigate. Perhaps most exciting is the new tool players can use to explore that terrain: the Fast Recon Vehicle, or FRV. A car has been at the top of player wish lists for months, so it’s a relief to finally get a proper mode of transportation. It might get reckless Helldivers killed once in a while, but it’s well worth it in the name of managed democracy.

The FRV especially feels like a long time coming given that players have had Exosuits available to them for a few months now. Exosuits certainly pack a punch, but they’re not fast or nimble enough to really serve as transportation, which only further proved the need for a proper vehicle in Helldivers 2. Now that the Fast Recon Vehicle is here, it also has an opportunity to top the Exosuits in a second way. Exosuits still only come in a couple very limited forms, but the FRV could easily pick up the slack in terms of variants.

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Helldivers 2’s FRV Needs Variety to Stay Fresh

There’s no doubt that the Exosuits in Helldivers 2 are powerful. Heavily armored and unflinching in battle, they’re both capable of shredding through the enemy; the Exo-49 Emancipator Exosuit
autocannons can pierce through armor, while the minigun on the Exo-45 Patriot Exosuit
is well-suited for mowing down hordes. However, since they were added, Helldivers 2 hasn’t added more Exosuit types, despite the broad potential for variants. Anything from a flamethrower suit to a suit with double machine guns could offer some useful options, but these have yet to manifest.

The brand-new Fast Recon Vehicle is in a similar situation for now; there’s only one type, armed with a heavy machine gun. Much like how Helldivers 2 sentries replicate all kinds of powerful support weapons, Arrowhead Game Studios could add all kinds of FRVs mounted with different equipment. Anything from an autocannon to an ARC-3 Arc Thrower
to a missile launcher could prove invaluable when paired with the mobility of a car. Arrowhead could even add an FRV with an empty turret slot that players can lock their support weapons into, giving them a more stable way to fire off their heavy-duty gear.

Aside from variations on the FRV’s machine gun turret, Arrowhead could also add a range of different car types without straying too far from the original design. Perhaps the simplest option would be a more heavily armored car that’s a little slower than the original FRV, but offers more protection from incoming fire. Between the Illuminate’s hordes of Voteless and the many smaller Terminid units, players might also get some utility out of an FRV with a spiked plow on the front to better cut a path through the crowds — although it would stand to reason if they had to trade off some rear armor in exchange.

It’s hard to say if Helldivers 2 will get more vehicles anytime soon, but there’s no doubt that Arrowhead has opened the door for them. Even if it doesn’t push the boundaries of vehicles by adding something like a tank or a helicopter, it can use the FRV as a baseline and add some variants over time. The FRV is great as it is, but there are lots of situations and missions in Helldivers 2 where a different kind of turret would be more useful than a machine gun. Hopefully the developer pays off this long-awaited new Helldivers stratagem by adding some more combat options for fans to plan around.

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