Helldivers 2 grunts are tasked with squashing 1 billion bugs, and High Command hints that Terminid aggression and expansion could potentially increase as a consequence.
Helldivers 2 has introduced a new Major Order that commands players to eliminate one billion bugs in a span of five days, with a possibility that the Terminids might become more aggressive after the mission concludes. The players are instructed to terminate the designated number of Terminids to ensure ongoing support for the Ministry of Science's continuous Terminid Research Initiative. With the initiation of the mission just a day before, players now have only four days left to complete the task.
However, there is more to the story. Junior community manager Mitchell Ayre elaborates on the Major Order in the Helldivers 2 Discord with an in-character briefing. Following the Helldivers' swift support of the Terminid Research Initiative, the Ministry of Science has called for a second, more extensive research trial. The first research phase revealed that Terminid E-710 yield significantly increases when harvested after periods of extreme stress. To explore the relationship between the method of extermination and E-710 production, the Ministry of Science has requested a variety of extermination techniques to be used.
High Command has sanctioned a rotating series of augmenting Stratagems throughout this trial, aiming to advance scientific progress. The Terminid biomass required for meaningful data totals 1,000,000,000 dead Terminid bugs. It's important to be aware that Terminid aggression and expansion could rise in response to these efforts.
The challenge is made harder by the fact that Helldivers 2 players have only just finished beating a Major Order with merely 43 minutes to spare. The developer, Arrowhead, had graciously allowed everyone to use one of the massive mechs for free for a while. After liberating Charbal-VII, Charon Prime, and Choepessa IV, there's a hope that Super Earth's troops are prepared for an encounter with some emboldened bugs in the near future.
The big update for Helldivers 2, dubbed "Escalation of Freedom," introduces new and returning bots and bugs, additional missions, expanded outposts, and a difficulty ten "Super-Helldive."