Even from the earliest days of Helldivers 2, divers roaming around the map sometimes ask themselves which possible collaborations will fit best with the game. It is undeniable that crossovers have now become an integral part of many gaming franchises. At one time, I couldn’t imagine Call of Duty, Destiny, or even Overwatch going down the Fortnite route. But here we are now – unexpected crossovers that may or may not fit their respective worlds.
Truth be told, the Killzone collaboration was not on my immediate list of possible crossovers. I’ve always had it as a possibility but never seriously considered it since PlayStation quietly swept Shadowfall under the rug. Now that we’re celebrating the franchise’s 20th Anniversary, however, the crossover made all the sense in the world.
From my point of view, this seemingly simple exchange of tech has opened the doors for more alliances in the future. And I hope that the franchises listed in this article could become part of the Helldivers lore. Looking at how Helldivers implemented the Killzone collaboration, I would like to speculate on the potential armor sets that could be added. As well as any potential weapons or support items that make sense in the context of the setting.
But before all that, let’s see where Arrowhead co-founder and chief creative officer, Johan Pilestedt, stands concerning collabotions. He responded to a Redditor asking the community where the line is drawn with collabs. Pilestedt responded with a clear line past the Guardsmen of Warhammer 40K. This is a positive sign for several reasons. For one, it shows that Helldivers is committed to partnerships that somewhat resonate with what’s been established. It may sound disappointing for those looking forward to a Star Wars collab but I think it is in the game’s best interest long term to stay consistent.
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is probably one of the first things that come to mind for many Helldivers. A collaboration event is well within the realm of possibility, Not only does Sony own the movie rights through Tristar Pictures but the planet of Klen Dahth II in the Altus Sector is practically Klendathu from Starship Troopers. I suspect that the only reason why it hasn’t happened yet is because both parties are waiting for the right time to make the announcement. Let’s hope it happens sooner than later.
If we’re talking about collab items, the Morita Assault Rifle is a perfect addition to our arsenal. This weapon boasts a high rate of fire and is powerful enough to keep Arachnids at bay long enough to land the killing blow. I also want their portable tactical nuke launchers to be added as a strategem as one big FU to heavy nests and bot bases. While we’re at it, I don’t mind if the United Citizen Federation shared the tech that powers the M11 Marauder. That last one might be too much of a stretch but I might as well aim for the stars.
A full set of Federation body armor would be much appreciated. It would be nicer if we could have the insignia for Rico’s Roughnecks on our capes.
Warhammer 40,000
If you really think about it, Helldivers and Warhammer 40k have a lot of things in common. They both have a galaxy-wide empire to maintain, enemies potentially attacking from the fringes of colonized space, rebellious citizens who are asking to be “re-educated”, and an army that’s completely dedicated to the cause. It’s not a stretch to say that a collaboration between the two might occur before a Starship Troopers one.
And if that’s not enough evidence for you, you need only look at Pilestedt’s personal X account. Arrowhead’s chief creative officer burns the midnight oil painting Imperial Fist miniatures. I can’t really comment further on what he does in his off hours, especially since I have my own “pile of shame” to reduce first.
I would love to see Guardsmen’s armor added to Helldivers. The Astra Militarum is the Imperium’s first and only true line of defense against the horrors of the Warp. It would be the world for a lot of us if we were allowed to wear the uniforms worn by the Guardsmen of blessed Cadia. This is despite Helldivers having more in common with the Imperium Navy. Of course, the Deathcorp of Krieg, with their long coats and gas masks, would look great on a Helldiver. If the Viper Commandos Warbond did not exist, I would be asking for the Catachan Jungle Fighters to be added as well.
I found it hard to recommend a weapon that’s not too similar to what we already have in the game. I thought about the lasgun and bolter but the Las-16 Sickle and the JAR-5 Dominator practically do the same things respectively. And then it hit me. Can we not bring in Evicerator chain swords? It’d be great against most enemies, especially when yelling “FOR SUPER EARTH” at the top of your lungs.
Deep Rock Galactic
This was another crossover that initially didn’t cross my mind. There was little overlap between Super Earth and a deep space mining corporation that employs dwarfs as the main workforce. But when you think about it, they have a lot in common gameplay-wise: a team being dropped into hostile territory to complete a laundry list of objectives, leaving through an extraction point on the other side of the map, while gathering extra resources along the way.
Surprisingly, it was Deep Rock Galactic that first initiated talks for a potential crossover. The developers at Ghost Ship Games live-streamed themselves playing Helldivers 2 with the hopes of getting the attention of the Arrowhead devs. It got to the point that the official Twitter/X accounts of both games got involved in the back-and-forth. There have been no developments since then but hope remains for a potential surprise event.
I can’t think of any armor sets that may look good on our Helldivers. Maybe the armor set from the Dark Future DLC pack or perhaps the ones used by corporate security forces. But other than that, I have no clue.
If we can gain access to the Scout’s grappling hook, it would go a long way to increasing battlefield survivability by whole minutes. A support backpack with a BOSCO repair drone would come in handy in keeping walkers and vehicles functional for longer periods. And if you know anything about Deep Rock’s overclocking system, you’d be familiar with some of their hilarious “updates”. We could very well see that introduced for an April Fools event one of these days.
Resistance
The Resistance franchise has been on ice for far too long at this point. Unlike Killzone, the series never got a sequel on the PlayStation 4 and was seemingly forgotten by the greater community. But this could be an opportunity to right some wrongs and hopefully pave the way for a whole new story in the war between humans and the Chimera. Also, we will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Resistance: Fall of Man in November of next year. Sony! You know what to do!
The M5A2 Folsom Carbine is the first weapon that comes to mind for a crossover. It is a solid workhorse that can be introduced as a refurbished weapon, much like the ceremonial rifles we got during last year’s Liberty Day celebration. The Chimera rifle is also good for abnormally high damage and tennis ball-sized energy projectiles.
The Sentinels’ armor set from Resistance 2 is the only armor set I would like to see in Helldivers 2. It’s not hard to imagine why. The Sentinels are an elite force dedicated to stopping the Chimera at all costs. But above all else, they look extremely cool. That’s more than enough reason to make me buy everything in the collaboration.
Aliens
Aside from me wanting to get the Pulse Rifle in the game, the Aliens franchise is surprisingly seeing a resurgence as of late. The success of Alien Romulus proves that the Alien brand can still draw in audiences with its unique blend of space horror. Let’s also not forget that Alien Isolation 2 is also around the corner and a timely collaboration with the Helldivers can increase interest in the game faster than you can say, “Game over, man!”
You know I’ll be looking forward to seeing the game’s take on the Colonial Marines armor set. Bonus style points if it comes with the Vietnam War style slogans and stencils we’ve seen in the Aliens movie. We of course cannot complete the look without the sweet, sweet sound of that Armat M41A2 Pulse Rifle. If it’s not too much, I’d also like to have the Weyland-Yutani L56A3 Smartgun added as well. I might as well shoot for the stars, right?
Titanfall
The final game on this list is going to be Titanfall. I know that the Titanfall games have amassed a following over the years as players discover the charms of Titanfall 2’s campaign and multiplayer. Apex Legends’ continued success also played a part in people’s renewed interest in the series albeit without the Titans running around. An announcement of Titanfall 3 would be the perfect excuse to have the mercenary mechs grace us with their presence.
As for weapons, I’d like to see the G2A5 scout rifle added to the Helldivers’ arsenal. I initially wanted to have the R-201 carbine or the R-97 SMG but they both function similarly to what we already have in the game.
Unfortunately, we can’t have Titans running around the map. So I’ll settle for having BT-7274’s core uploaded to our walkers and then giving us words of encouragement.
Secret No. 7:
Star Wars
Look, I know Pilestedt shot down the idea of having a Star Wars collaboration. But hear me out. We already had a well-intentioned mod for PC with Captain Rex as the go-to model that actually looks good enough to be officially added to the game. I prefer the Generation 1 ARC Trooper armor myself and I would fight the bugs with nothing more than the shock spear to have it officially added to our armories. But alas, it doesn’t seem possible anymore. Maybe that can change one day. But in the meantime, I’ll have to let it be. I don’t want to risk getting banned after playing hundreds of hours on Steam.
The Killzone collaboration is undoubtedly a huge step forward for Helldivers 2. Admittedly, they dropped the ball in the initial offerings when it fell flat due to the steep asking price. Thankfully, the devs made it up for everyone by giving the second part to all divers free of charge. I fully expect the dev team to learn from this experience and hopefully give us a much better value proposition the next time around. Whenever that may be.
