Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom update: All new missions, bugs, hazards, and more

Freedom never sleeps, and Helldivers 2 has announced its biggest update yet, the Escalation of Freedom. This update adds many new challenges for Helldivers to face, so here’s everything coming in the Escalation of Freedom update.

Everything included in Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom update

Take on a greater challenge

The Escalation of Freedom update introduces a new level of difficulty to Helldivers 2—Super Helldive. Combat Rating 10 features more enemies than you’ve ever seen and is meant to feel like a progression from the Helldive difficulty.

Alongside the new difficulty come larger outposts on both war fronts. These are massive strongholds that are tough to contest but also yield greater rewards, including Super Samples.

Fight new enemies

Both Terminids and Automatons are getting reinforcements in the Escalation of Freedom. On the Terminid front, expect to see the return of the Impaler from the original Helldivers game. Spore Charger is a new type of Charger that emits fog wherever it goes, like the Spore Spewers. Finally, there’s also the Terminid Alpha Commander, a deadlier variation of a Brood Commander that calls in new enemies for help.

The Automatons are bringing more rockets to the battlefield with the Rocket Rank that can fire a barrage from both up close and from afar. In the update trailer, we also got a sneak peek of a new Scout Strider that is fully armored and equipped with multiple rockets.

Explore new environments and weather effects

When it comes to planets, the update adds a spooky version of the swamp environment. It’s a dark, overgrown place with rolling fog and limited visibility.

The Acid Storm also received a rework. It now reduces armor for both you and your enemies, so expect to deal and receive more damage than usual.

Complete new missions

Escalating Freedom means assigning new missions to the Helldivers. So far, the developer revealed one new mission—larva retrieval. In this mission, you have to secure and extract a backpack with a baby bug. The bug doesn’t always behave itself and can attract other Terminids for you to fight.

This isn’t everything that’s coming to Helldivers 2 in the Escalation of Freedom update. According to Arrowhead, more surprises await us as we get closer to the update’s launch on Aug. 6.