The official announcement of Helldivers 2 × Warhammer 40K Warbond quickly became one of the hottest topics in the community. As the first Legendary Warbond released, this crossover represents a significant step for Helldivers 2 towards larger-scale IP collaborations.
Based on the currently released content, this Legendary Warbond does indeed include some highly attractive new equipment. Not only do they faithfully recreate Warhammer 40K style in appearance, but their powerful damage and effects have also satisfied players.
However, many Helldivers 2 players believe that since this is a higher-level Legendary Warbond, it should offer richer rewards. This debate about price, content volume, and licensing costs has become the biggest focus of the community.
Legendary Warbonds Need More Content
The most controversial point among players is that the price of Legendary Warbonds has increased, but the rewards have not been significantly improved. Many players say they understand why Helldivers 2 Legendary Warbonds are more expensive than regular Warbonds.
Because of the involvement of third-party IP licensing, such as collaborations with Warhammer 40K, Halo, or Killzone, the official team needs to share profits with the copyright holders. This cost is naturally reflected in the price, and they don't offer the same Super Credits rewards as regular Warbonds.
However, the real source of player dissatisfaction isn't the price itself, but the feeling of paying more without receiving quality content. Currently, a regular Helldivers 2 Warbond typically includes three pages of rewards, while Legendary Warbond costs nearly twice as much, yet maintains a similar size.
Community players have suggested that if Legendary Warbond is positioned as a higher-tier item, it should have more content, such as increasing to four pages of rewards, or adding more armor, weapon skins, and extra gear. After all, players are choosing a higher-level Warbond, not just buying a licensed tag.
For many Warhammer 40K fans, this type of Warbond is not just a regular gear pack, but a collectible experience. I believe that since this is a large-scale IP collaboration, the content design should be more tailored to the needs of the fans. For example, adding more classic equipment designs, more color schemes, or more details consistent with the original game's background would be beneficial.
For instance, adding more Cadian-style equipment, such as a complete 122nd Division Cadian color scheme or more Astra Militarum-style armor options, would make the higher price more acceptable.
However, some players have pointed out that licensing Warhammer 40K is not as simple as licensing regular original content. Helldivers 2 not only needs to design and create the equipment but also requires review by Games Workshop.
Many designs may undergo multiple rounds of revisions to finally meet IP requirements; it's not simply a matter of copying a few models. Under licensing restrictions, it's difficult to perfectly satisfy everyone's needs.
Why is It Difficult to Add More Rewards?
Regarding why Legendary Warbonds isn't more comprehensive, different opinions have emerged in the community. Some players believe that adding more content might cause Legendary Warbonds' price to continue rising.
Some players have analyzed that the extra 500 Helldivers 2 Super Credits are likely due to licensing fees paid to IP owner. If the reward continues to increase, the ultimate price could rise to 1,700 or 1,800 Super Credits.
Meanwhile, creating Warbond is not as simple as players imagine. New weapons, animations, models, balance adjustments, and testing all require significant development time. Even what appears to be just re-skinned weapons involves a large production process.
Besides development costs, some players have raised another issue: if Warbond continues to add large amounts of new content, it could lead to an ever-expanding game file size. More weapons mean more models, animations, sound effects, and data to load, increasing not only the game's size but also the probability of bugs.
Helldivers 2 already has many stability issues, so endlessly increasing the number of equipment pieces is not necessarily the best solution. Some players believe that instead of simply increasing the number of weapons, the developers should focus on optimizing existing content, giving each piece of equipment more distinct characteristics while ensuring the game doesn't crash.
Also Read: Helldivers 2 Castellan's Creed Warbond Is More Than Just a Warhammer 40K Crossover
Armor Design Sparks Controversy
Besides the price, the appearance of Warhammer 40K Warbond armor has also sparked considerable discussion. Some Helldivers 2 players feel the new armor doesn't look like Warhammer 40K enough, even appearing too smooth and plastic. Compared to collaborations with Halo or Killzone, this Warhammer style shift hasn't met expectations.
However, some players counter this view. They point out that the camouflage patterns are actually derived from official Warhammer 40K designs, such as Kasrkin style and Cadian 122nd Division color scheme, and weren't just arbitrary designs by Arrowhead.
Some players believe these criticisms come from those only familiar with Space Marine 2 who don't understand the authentic style of Astra Militarum's equipment. In reality, Imperial Guard equipment isn't as extravagant as Space Marine's; it leans more towards standard soldier gear, so adjustments based on Helldivers 2 style are reasonable.
New Weapons Need Testing
Besides armor, the new weapons in Warbond have become a major focus of discussion within Helldivers 2 community. Some players worry that P/40-K Bolt Pistol, R/40-K Hot-Shot Lasgun, Meltagun, or Lasgun might have poor handling, especially considering that Warhammer 40K weapons are typically quite bulky.
However, other players believe it's too early to evaluate weapon performance. They point out that many past Warbond releases faced similar skepticism before launch. For example, players were initially worried about certain weapons performing poorly, only to find them surprisingly effective in-game. Therefore, discussions about weapons before actual testing are largely speculative and should be viewed with caution.
In fact, this debate isn't just about the price of Warbond. It reflects the growing expectations of Helldivers 2 players for game content; they want a more complete and genuine crossover experience.
If the weapons are of high quality and the passive effects are useful, Warbond could still be a very popular crossover in H2. What players are truly looking forward to isn't free content; if Warbond is to be considered Legendary content, then it needs to deliver a Legendary experience.
