GamesActionHelldivers 2Helldivers 2 drops to Mixed reviews on Steam, but more people than ever are playingWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionHelldivers 2Helldivers 2 drops to Mixed reviews on Steam, but more people than ever are playingWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)
Helldivers 2has yet to recover from itsdisastrous weekend, where the new server cap left lots of players waiting to dive in, and the broken matchmaking made it harder to find a squad. The result:Mixed reviews on Steam, dropping 10% from the Mostly Positive rating of 78% prior to the weekend.
While some players are calling this a review bombing campaign, that’s an unfair representation of what’s happening. Review bombing tends to be cynical and disingenuous, with groups of players making a concerted effort to punish a game for perceived slights or to push an agenda, while this is a reaction to genuine issues with the game itself.
Negative reviewers primarily cite server issues as the source of their dissatisfaction, specifically the game being at capacity and matchmaking not working. Even these negative reviews, however, acknowledge that Helldivers 2 is great, when it’s actually playable.
“Great game. Wish I could play it,“one review reads. “Game is extremely fun when I am actually able to play it,“another reads. Countless other reviews share this sentiment.
The bulk of the negative reviews appeared on February 18, the second day where matchmaking wasn’t working. Prior to the weekend, it was getting around 1,000 negative reviews a day, with a peak of 2,631 on launch day. From Saturday onwards, though, it’s been receiving more than 4,000 negative reviews a day, with 6,432 on Sunday.
Reviews fluctuate rapidly, so this isn’t a death knell for Helldivers 2. Indeed, initial reviews gave it a Mixed rating at launch, which it quickly recovered from. And none of this has actually stopped people from trying to play. The last few days have shown the game at its worst, but yesterday also saw 411,359 people playing concurrently just on Steam—a new peak.
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Today might see things start to turn around, too. “We have improvements rolling out this week focused on the most serious problems in the game: login, matchmaking, and server load,” Helldivers 2 production directorAlex Bolle said yesterday. “You will see one update for PC and PS5 tomorrow, though please keep in mind that no single update will solve all the issues. Rather, we will be making continuous improvements over the days and weeks to come.”
In the meantime, players have been sharing friend codes on Discord and Steam, and after adding them you’ll be able to see those players in missions, allowing you to join them even though matchmaking is broken. We’ve still got those automatons to smash, after all.
Helldivers 2 weapons: Best guns of Super EarthHelldivers 2 stratagems: Understand the ordinanceHelldivers 2 loadouts: Finest kits for bug-killingHelldivers 2 armor: Which suits to wearHelldivers 2 medals: Where to claim more currency
Helldivers 2 weapons: Best guns of Super EarthHelldivers 2 stratagems: Understand the ordinanceHelldivers 2 loadouts: Finest kits for bug-killingHelldivers 2 armor: Which suits to wearHelldivers 2 medals: Where to claim more currency
Helldivers 2 weapons: Best guns of Super EarthHelldivers 2 stratagems: Understand the ordinanceHelldivers 2 loadouts: Finest kits for bug-killingHelldivers 2 armor: Which suits to wearHelldivers 2 medals: Where to claim more currency
Helldivers 2 weapons: Best guns of Super EarthHelldivers 2 stratagems: Understand the ordinanceHelldivers 2 loadouts: Finest kits for bug-killingHelldivers 2 armor: Which suits to wearHelldivers 2 medals: Where to claim more currency
Helldivers 2 weapons: Best guns of Super EarthHelldivers 2 stratagems: Understand the ordinanceHelldivers 2 loadouts: Finest kits for bug-killingHelldivers 2 armor: Which suits to wearHelldivers 2 medals: Where to claim more currency
Helldivers 2 weapons: Best guns of Super EarthHelldivers 2 stratagems: Understand the ordinanceHelldivers 2 loadouts: Finest kits for bug-killingHelldivers 2 armor: Which suits to wearHelldivers 2 medals: Where to claim more currency
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