Helldivers 2 dev warns players not to 'fall in love' with datamined content that might never come out: 'Some are ancient leftovers, some are things that will pop up in the game'

An image of three helldivers, posed in heroic fashion, advertising Helldivers 2's latest Warbond: Cutting Edge.
(Image credit: Arrowhead Games)

The Helldivers 2 community has demonstrated a ravenous appetite for new stuff. Guns, stratagems, suits, helmets, boosters—Arrowhead has kept the update hose spraying these last two months, but that hasn't stopped players from looking deep within the code to find stuff yet to come. Through datamining, players have discovered unreleased vehicles, guns, and armor pieces that are likely destined for a future warbond or galactic war event.

But not all of them. One Arrowhead dev would like to remind players that just because datamined content is there, doesn't mean it'll ever see the light of day.

"I don't look at datamined stuff, and I would avoid falling in love with it," replied Arrowhead dev Evil-Bosse to a fan on the Helldivers 2 Discord server. "Some are old leftovers, some are ancient leftovers, some are things that will pop up in game."

That fan was referring to datamined armor sets, including some recolors of the basic Helldivers armor that look pretty slick. It's a good idea to not put too much stock in leaks—no matter how much I'd love a yellow or olive green makeover for my favorite armor—but much of what's been gleaned from Helldivers 2's code so far has turned up in the game. 

helldivers 2 discord

(Image credit: Discord)

The guns that'd eventually come with the Democratic Detonation warbond, like the Adjudicator marksman rifle, have been kicking around on Reddit leak threads for over a month. The same goes for mechs before they eventually showed up in-game, and we're still waiting for those wheeled vehicles that cheaters have been playing with for over a month. Vehicles seem far along enough in development that they're sure to come out at some point, but other leaked stratagems floating around are so unfinished that it's entirely possible that they're scrapped ideas still lingering in the code.

What I learned from years of covering leaks in shooters is that sometimes these new discoveries are just around the corner, other times they're years away, and often they're something that a studio prototyped but abandoned. For that reason, I tend not to see leaks as promises of what's to come, but a preview of what might happen. 

With the new warbond out and a reinforced Automaton offensive in full swing, this could be one of Helldivers 2's quieter weeks, but Arrowhead has been vocal about a few community requests: CEO Johan Pilestedt says transmog armor system is out of the question, and we probably won't get melee weapons anytime soon either.

Morgan Park
Staff Writer

Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though.

Read more
helldivers 2 illuminids
Arrowhead boss sees Helldivers 2 players pulling off 'gambits,' loves it, and 'wants to keep investing in' community war tactics
helldivers 2 killzone crossover
Helldivers 2 players rip into Arrowhead for 'straight-up ridiculous' Killzone crossover prices, CEO defends the choice: 'The more of this we sell, the more Illuminate-type stuff we can keep dropping for free'
helldivers 2 urban legends
Last night's surprise Helldivers 2 update also added its first FOMO weapon: The stun baton is only in the rotating Superstore right now
helldivers 2 polar patriots warbond
'The guns weren't doing what it says on the box': Johan Pilestedt reflects on Helldivers 2 balance changes that disrupted the positive vibes
Helldivers 2 intro cinematic
Arrowhead CEO reassures Helldivers 2 players in the wake of Johan Pilestedt's sabbatical that if they can keep the game 'going for 10 years, we will'
helldivers 2 killzone crossover
Defending a kinda wimpy Killzone crossover gun, Helldivers 2's Johan Pilestedt says the game's past balance woes were due to weapons being 'seen as game objects' and that 'balance doesn't matter'
Latest in Third Person Shooter
Marvel Rivals Human Torch
Marvel Rivals is carrying on the tradition of chaotic patches after buffing two of the most annoying heroes, but I main one of them, so I'm not complaining
Mech in dry dock with person standing on catwalk underneath
How long can a live service game last? Theoretically, 'forever,' says Mecha Break developer: 'The last game I was in charge of has been alive and well for 16 years'
A player character with an ominous mask
The Forever Winter, my favourite extraction shooter, just overhauled its most contentious feature for the second time: 'It was a hell of a rollercoaster to make the adjustment'
Marvel Rivals crosshairs - Star-Lord flying up towards the camera with his guns at the ready.
Best Marvel Rivals crosshairs and reticle codes
Mister Fantastic fridge mode
Marvel Rivals announces a new limited-time game mode, Clone Rumble, and manages to pull off a comic caper that players only thought was possible in theory
Jeff, from Marvel Rivals, poses merrily with his cute little winter onesie on.
Jeff the Land Shark's creator tells whiny Marvel Rivals players who can't deal with her hero to buck up: 'Sounds like a skill issue to me, if my boy is beating your ass every night'
Latest in News
Henry from KCD2 wearing nice outfits
'Diversify your fashion endgame' with this Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 mod that gives Henry fly new gambesons, pourpoints, and caftans
Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset
There's hope yet for Classic Offensive after its Steam rejection: The team behind the Counter-Strike 1.6 revival mod is in touch with Valve about its 'concerns'
Recently appointed Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Here comes Intel's new CEO: a semiconductor veteran that won the same prestigious award as Jensen Huang and Lisa Su
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 15: Protestors attend the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Picket on August 15, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Lila Seeley/Getty Images)
8 months into their strike, videogame voice actors say the industry's latest proposal is 'filled with alarming loopholes that will leave our members vulnerable to AI abuse'
Orithopter shooting down another in Dune
Dune: Awakening confirms air-to-air combat in ornithopters
live action Jimbo the Jester from Balatro holding a playing card and addressing the camera
LocalThunk forbids AI-generated art on the Balatro subreddit: 'I think it does real harm to artists of all kinds'