Last weekend, Helldivers 2 players were left twiddling their thumbs while waiting for a new Major Order that wouldn’t come until the following Monday.
When it arrived the objective was not just to clear a planet, but two entire sectors in Terminid space. The community quickly rallied to the cause and is now strategizing against its enemy using the game’s supply lines mechanic for the first time.
Players are using supply lines to defeat the Terminids in Helldivers 2
The latest Major Order in Helldivers 2 tasks players with liberating the Zagon Prime and Fori Prime sectors. With a full weekend of making up its own objectives behind it, the community quickly banded together to put out clear messaging as to how this could be achieved on the game’s Subreddit.
You see, liberating a planet is easy, for the most part. Helldivers just need to hammer it with bodies until they’ve managed to push back the enemy faction through sheer numbers. This is much easier over the weekend when most of the player base is online and jumping into sessions that can last for hours without the interruption and annoyance of things like jobs.
This new Major Order is different, though. It was released on a Monday with a three-day time limit. This means it must be completed with far fewer players than most Major Orders have had at their disposal. These sectors must also be cleared within three days. I don’t think I need to point out quite how challenging that is, but just to drive it home, there are seven planets across these sectors that need dealing with.
Those Helldivers 2 players who are clued up on how supply lines work knew immediately that this Major Order wouldn’t be possible without exploring the mechanic. So they’ve been spreading the word on which planets to hit and in which order to hit them. As you can see in the image above, players are being encouraged to first liberate Estanu and then Fori Prime in the Draco Sector. Then, in the Miri Sector, we need to hit Hellmire before Nivel 43 and, finally, Zagon Prime.
At the time of writing, with just under two days left to complete the Major Order, Helldivers have liberated Estanu. Fori Prime still needs liberating, but players are working on that as I write. Crimsica has been abandoned as per the advice, which is great to see. In the Mirin Sector, Hellmire is still yet to be liberated, but that’s no surprise considering we must work on Fori Prime first.
It’s amazing to see a community coordinate in this way in what is a fairly hectic co-op multiplayer game. The results speak for themselves, with the campaign going smoothly, though I’d like to see it move faster. The supply lines resource is a great way to keep track of which sectors and planets should be defended or conquered next. It shows how planets are connected and reveals which will be cut off if others aren’t under our control or an enemy faction’s control. This is how players can craft an optimized route to free a sector, as they have with this Major Order.
We’re a few weeks from Helldivers 2‘s peak concurrent player count now. Players are settling in to play every weekend among all the other incredible games on offer. Teamwork makes the dream work, and this community is showing that. However, there’s still plenty of space for us to lose the fight and a few planets to the Terminids. We also don’t know when more enemy factions might arrive, meaning if players don’t manage to complete this Major Order, they could be pushed back all the way to Super Earth with the surprises that might be in store.
