Ever been roundhouse-kicked in the head by a cybertron bruiser? Helldivers 2’s new update makes that possible, alongside more Automaton fun

Helldivers 2 continues developing its overarching, player-driven narrative, with a new major update dropping on Feb. 10. After spending over a week pushing out in-character binary-code messages across its social media channels, Arrowhead Studios has finally revealed what it had been cooking (or processing) all this time: Machinery of Oppression.

This new patch brings us to Cyberstan, one of the Automatons’ major strongholds that players of Helldivers 1 will fondly (or solemnly) remember. Helldivers are tasked with assaulting this socialist hellscape and bringing freedom to it once and for all. The Automatons won’t be waiting with their arms crossed, though, and have brought three new and powerful cyborgs to defend their home turf: the Vox Engine tank, the Radicals, and the Agitators.

The Vox Engine is the perfect thing to drop into the game after giving players the Bastion tank stratagem earlier in the year. We can now reenact the Battle of Kursk in the game, and the participating ideologies are just about the same as then! Wait, don’t tell my CO I just compared the freedom-infused Managed Democracy with the 1940s moustache guy.

Anyhow, the Radicals and the Agitators are more standard Automaton units, the former having less armor but quicker, more lethal martial arts attacks and roundhouse kicks, while the latter are armed to the teeth and serve as commanders to the Automatons you’ll encounter on Cyberstan.

This huge update is going to fundamentally reshape the galaxy and the Galactic War happening within. So, before anyone sees you’ve exceeded your 60-second break, go back into the shooting range to ensure you’re ready once the rise against the machines finally begins on Feb. 10.

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ARC Raiders could be answering the calls for one of the most-requested additions to the game since launch, and even before it, in a new limited time mode this week.

Embark Studios announced the new event today, called Shared Watch, although details are scant so far. The video the company used to tease it, though, sure sounds like players will be teaming up together, and not against each other, in the fight against ARC.

“You watch my back, I’ll watch yours – that’s how Speranza keeps ticking,” the company said. “Join your fellow Raiders in celebrating the Shared Watch; team up with strangers, turn your barrels on the machines, and earn rewards in the process.”

And that’s all there is to go on, for now, other than some potential new baseball helmet-themed gear teased in the key art. If it truly is a PvE-only experience, then many players will be thrilled to try it out. ARC Raiders players have been asking for something like this for a while, and if it’s here, it should be a big hit.

The game’s usage of an “aggression-based matchmaking” system means a PvE experience is entirely possible to foster, but this being a true co-op experience where players can team up with others to fight against the AI ARC enemies may be a fun addition to the game’s existing style.

Shared Watch is scheduled to run from Feb. 10 to 24, so it’s for a limited time for now. But, anything can change, and if the mode proves as popular as it has the potential to, then Embark may have no choice but to consider a more permanent solution.

For now, though, players can queue up when the event goes live and see what it has to offer in the early morning hours tomorrow.

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