“All the complaining worked lmao” — Helldivers 2’s new Rupture Strain enemies have been taken offline for weeks to fix balance issues, but I’m sad to see them go

by

Earlier this month, the popular co-op shooter Helldivers 2 launched a major new operation called ‘Into the Unjust,’ challenging players to fight off a massive wave of Terminids. The update not only sent Helldivers on a dangerous mission into the murky ‘Gloom’ area of space, but also added several new and challenging bug types for players to encounter.

The update introduced massive new enemies like the Hive Lord worms and giant, flying Dragonroaches – basically Bile Titans with wings. It also added a new enemy group called the Rupture Strain, featuring bugs that can dig underground. However, the Rupture Strain was removed from the game after only a few weeks.

I noticed on Wednesday morning that a particular group within the game was taken offline. Arrowhead, the game’s developer, said they’re temporarily removing it so they can work on making the enemies within that group better.

We discovered that a recent update, along with some existing balance problems, caused the Rupture Strain to work differently than we intended. We’re temporarily removing it from the game. This won’t affect any other units, and we expect to have a fixed version of the Rupture Strain back online in about five weeks, according to a message on the official Helldivers Discord.

As an analyst, I’ve been closely tracking player feedback, and the Rupture Strain is receiving a lot of criticism. The biggest complaint centers around the Rupture Warriors – those common bugs that burrow underground, then pop up and attack Helldivers’ legs. It’s clearly a frustrating tactic for players.

This attack from enemies in Helldivers 2 was unusually difficult to avoid. Unlike other attacks, skillful dodging or diving didn’t work, and the bugs could even use their jetpacks to follow players in mid-air while performing it.

Previously, players who weren’t hosting a match could sometimes avoid a difficult situation. However, a recent game update-the one Arrowhead Game Studios announced-changed the Rupture Warrior’s attack, making it almost impossible to dodge for all players on the team.

As a researcher studying Helldivers 2, I’ve found this new enemy attack particularly challenging. Unlike other attacks, simply using skillful movement or a combat dive doesn’t seem to work to avoid it. What’s even more frustrating is that the bugs can use their Jet Packs or Hover Packs to pursue players mid-air while performing this leap, making it incredibly difficult to escape.

The best way to deal with Rupture Warriors and other burrowing bugs is to use explosives near them. This makes them surface, leaving them vulnerable.

This feature has also proven controversial because it’s difficult to carry enough explosives to effectively fight large groups of burrowers. The bugs also don’t stay above ground for long, quickly tunneling back underground, which leaves players with very little time to eliminate them. Considering how much running and maneuvering is already involved in fighting the Terminids, these short opportunities to attack can be really frustrating.

Generally, it’s a positive step that the Rupture Strain is being temporarily removed from the Galactic War so it can be improved, and players seem to agree. One player even jokingly commented, “All the complaining actually worked!” after the announcement.

Someone commented that this is the first time they’ve seen an opponent be so disruptive that the game developers temporarily removed them, which is pretty unusual.

It’s really frustrating that the new Rupture Strain sub-faction, which was a major highlight of the recent update, won’t be playable for over a month after it was just released. Even though it had some issues, I was really enjoying the unique challenges and building different strategies with them – it made fighting bugs a lot more interesting.

Even though it could be challenging at times, I really enjoyed experimenting with and creating different builds for the Rupture Strain. It made killing bugs much more interesting.

So, Arrowhead saying it’ll take a full five weeks to fix the Rupture Strain issue? That really makes me think there’s something more going on under the hood than just a few easy adjustments. Honestly, with how much Helldivers 2 has struggled with stability lately, it doesn’t surprise me at all. It feels like a deeper technical problem they’re tackling.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see how Arrowhead adjusts the Rupture Strain to make battles more balanced and enjoyable next month. But don’t expect things to be quiet while that strain is temporarily gone – the Stalker-filled Predator Strain is still active and just as challenging as ever.

Helldivers 2 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, PC (via Steam), and PlayStation 5. The game normally costs $39.99, but you can get it for $34.39 at Loaded (previously known as CDKeys) with a special offer.

Read More

2025-09-19 00:40