giant automaton in helldivers 2
Screenshot via PlayStation's YouTube channel

Helldivers 2’s latest Major Order has finally exhausted players

It's a war of attrition, and we're losing.

For the last four days, Helldivers 2 players have been engaged in a Major Order that seems designed to be incredibly difficult and force them to lose ground, and it’s finally getting to them.

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Helldivers 2 players have been struggling against the current Major Order since last week. It tasks Helldivers with successfully defending a total of 10 planets, pushing back against the enemy faction’s attacks. However, the constant onslaught and ever-encroaching presence of the Automatons are finally getting to everyone. With just over a day left, players are only halfway through the Major Order and showing signs of wanting to give up already.

Arrowhead Game Studios has finally broken Helldivers 2 players and could wipe us out once this Major Order ends

exhausting major order in helldivers 2
Screenshot by Destructoid

Last week, Arrowhead Game Studios tasked Helldivers with killing 2 billion Terminids in Helldivers 2, and players completed that task within a few hours. Hot on the heels of that success, everyone threw themselves at the new Major Order to defend 10 planets, but quickly realized how difficult it would be.

Many players on the game’s subreddit have been discussing this Major Order today and the majority of them are just exhausted. We battled our way through Operation Swift Disassembly against the Automatons, had a quick fight with the bugs, and now we’re back to needing to battle bots. As user Ubergoober166 puts it, “I think a big part of it is just people being burnt out on fighting bots coupled with the fact that it seems impossible to win at the moment.”

To defend planets, players must liberate them completely within a 24-hour time limit. But this time, the catch has been that players have had to defend planets in both the Terminid and Automaton sectors simultaneously. Early on, players attempted to work the supply lines system to help them achieve multiple wins, but the endless influx of planets to defend is still proving to be too much.

I’ve seen discussions about how the community fails when an actual plan is required for a Major Order, but I don’t think that’s fair. My take is that Arrowhead Game Studios made this Major Order to put players on the back foot and have enemy factions retake ground. The outcome is meant to demoralize us because war isn’t all victory.

I’m hopeful we can make a big push on the final day to win the Major Order. As you can see in the galaxy image above, though, things don’t look pretty on the Automaton side. This is the heart of what’s so disheartening in Helldivers 2 for so many players. We just took all that territory, and now it’s gone.

I don’t think this Major Order is bad or even unfair. Super Earth has been fighting its enemies all the way back to the edges of the galaxy, and this is an aggressive attack on an army that isn’t built to defend itself on all fronts just yet. It’s completely natural that we’re tired and eager to return to civilian life. The real victory will be having the motivation to fight after the Major Order ends.


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Author
Image of Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp
Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp
Jamie is a Staff Writer on Destructoid who has been playing video games for the better part of the last three decades. He adores indie titles with unique and interesting mechanics and stories, but is also a sucker for big name franchises, especially if they happen to lean into the horror genre.