Helldivers 2 players successfully unlock mechs after liberating Tien Kwan in just one day

Another planet has been successfully liberated from the Automaton menace in Helldivers 2, but the latest success has paved the way for the long-waited arrival of mechs.

Yesterday morning, the developers at Arrowhead Studios revealed the latest development in the galactic war effort, as the Automatons had taken over the Exo-45 Patriot Exosuit factories on the planet of Tien Kwan, halting the deployment of the mech suits. Players were tasked with liberating the planet before Sunday morning in order to prevent the mechs from falling into enemy robotic hands.

But thousands of Helldivers rushed to the frontlines on Tien Kwan, liberating the icy and mossy planet in roughly 24 hours. The heavy Automaton presence, the extreme cold effects, and the daunting Meteor Storms hardly slowed down the legion of Helldivers who would not be denied to opportunity to pilot a mech suit.

With the Major Order complete, the Exo-45 Patriot Exosuit is now available to be unlocked from your Super Destroyer and deployed in battle. The mech suit is a level 25 unlock, and it costs 20,000 Requisition Slips to purchase. The Exo-45 Patriot Exosuit can be used twice in a single mission, but there’s a 10 minute cooldown between deployments.

The Exo-45 Patriot Exosuit is “heavily armored,” and is equipped with a rocket launcher and a heavy machine gun, but early footage suggests it’s a lot squishier than it looks. Both weapons appear to have a finite amount of ammo, and you can also wear a shield backpack that works while you’re piloting the suit, giving you a little extra protection. Sadly there is no melee option while wearing the Exosuit, but you can trample the smaller Terminid bugs while you walk over them.

While you have to reach level 25 and unlock the Exosuit in order to call one in, you can also find some abandoned mech suits that spawn onto the planet’s surface.