History YMMV / HelldiversII

** '''DEMOCRACY WINS!'''[[labelnote:Explanation]] The reversal of the PSN login requirement was met with far more positivity, and relief that the login requirement would no longer bar players who could not access the game. Such celebrations included an IronicEcho where Helldivers engaged in ''actual'' democracy by treating the entire debacle as a Major Order.[[/labelnote]]

** DEMOCRACY WINS[[labelnote:Explanation]] The reversal of the PSN login requirement was met with far more positivity, and relief that the login requirement would no longer bar players who could not access the game. Such celebrations included an IronicEcho where Helldivers engaged in ''actual'' democracy.[[/labelnote]]

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, treating it as optional. This was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase with many pointing out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1cjtvcd/sony_entertainment_are_breaking_eu_law/ effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. This isn't even for cross-play either, and it was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s had changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. Making things worse is that out of all the countries where Steam is accessible, roughly 60 of these (eg. The Philippines) are among the over 160 countries that '''do not have access to PSN''', and thus players residing in any of these countries and territories ''can't actually make'' PSN accounts, effectively [[NoExportForYou rendering the game unplayable]], losing their hundreds of hours of playtime with it. When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc most of them were found out and had their account banned]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, treating it as optional. This was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase with many pointing out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1cjtvcd/sony_entertainment_are_breaking_eu_law/ effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. This isn't even for cross-play either, and it was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s had changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. Making things worse is that in certain countries (such as the Philippines), players ''can't actually make'' PSN accounts, effectively [[NoExportForYou rendering the game from those territories unplayable]], losing their hundreds of hours of playtime with it. When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc most of them were found out and had their account banned]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, treating it as optional. This was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase with many pointing out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1cjtvcd/sony_entertainment_are_breaking_eu_law/ effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. This isn't even for cross-play either, and it was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s had changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. Making things worse is that in certain countries (such as the Philippines), players ''can't actually make'' [=PSN=] accounts, effectively [[NoExportForYou rendering the game from those territories unplayable]], losing their hundreds of hours of playtime with it. When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc most of them were found out and had their account banned]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, treating it as optional. This was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase with many pointing out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1cjtvcd/sony_entertainment_are_breaking_eu_law/ effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. This isn't even for cross-play either, and it was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s had changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. Making things worse is that in certain countries (such as the Philippines), players ''can't actually make'' [=PSN=] accounts, effectively rendering the game from those territories unplayable, losing their hundreds of hours of playtime with it. When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc most of them were found out and had their account banned]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, treating it as optional. This was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase with many pointing out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1cjtvcd/sony_entertainment_are_breaking_eu_law/ effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. This isn't even for cross-play either, and it was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s had changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. Making things worse is that in certain countries (such as the Philippines), players ''can't actually make'' [=PSN=] accounts, effectively rendering the game from those territories unplayable, losing their hundreds of hours of playtime with it. When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc most of them were found out and had their account banned]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, treating it as optional. This was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbasem with many pointing out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1cjtvcd/sony_entertainment_are_breaking_eu_law/ effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. This isn't even for cross-play either, and it was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s had changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. Making things worse is that in certain countries (such as the Philippines), players ''can't actually make'' [=PSN=] accounts, effectively rendering the game from those territories unplayable, losing their hundreds of hours of playtime with it. When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc most of them were found out and had their account banned]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, treating it as optional. This was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbasem with many pointing out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1cjtvcd/sony_entertainment_are_breaking_eu_law/ effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. This isn't even for cross-play either, and it was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s had changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. Making things worse is that in certain countries (such as the Philippines), players ''can't actually make'' [=PSN=] accounts, effectively rendering the game from those territories unplayable, losing their hundreds of hours of playtime with it. When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc most of them were found out and had their account banned]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
** The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase. Many pointed out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=UgxPp4buY5AQyF7-1J14AaABAg effectively violating data protection laws for European players]]. Others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. It was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. The real kicker though is certain countries, such as the Philippines, can't actually ''make'' Playstation Network accounts, effectively rendering the game that many players from those territories had put dozens if not, hundreds of hours into completely unplayable without a VPN. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=Ugwcl03VosfL3Dx2BMh4AaABAg When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, most of them were found out and had their account banned]], effectively losing ''everything''.

** The announcement that the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase. Many pointed out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=UgxPp4buY5AQyF7-1J14AaABAg effectively violating data protection laws for European players]], while others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. It was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. The real kicker though is certain countries, such as the Philippines, can't actually ''make'' Playstation Network accounts, effectively rendering the game that many players from those territories had put hours into completely unplayable without a VPN. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=Ugwcl03VosfL3Dx2BMh4AaABAg When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, most of them were found out and had their account banned]], effectively losing ''everything''.

** Outside of the actual gameplay, the announcement the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase. Many pointed out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=UgxPp4buY5AQyF7-1J14AaABAg effectively violating data protection laws for European players]], while others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. It was soon discovered after the announcement that Sony [[https://archive.ph/XDd9s changed the wording]] in their FAQ that previously stated a Playstation account was optional. The real kicker though is certain countries, such as the Philippines, can't actually ''make'' Playstation Network accounts, effectively rendering the game that many players from those territories had put hours into completely unplayable without a VPN. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=Ugwcl03VosfL3Dx2BMh4AaABAg When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, most of them were found out and had their account banned]], effectively losing ''everything''.

** Outside of the actual gameplay, the announcement the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase. Many pointed out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=UgxPp4buY5AQyF7-1J14AaABAg effectively violating data protection laws for European players]], while others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. The real kicker though is certain countries, such as the Philippines, can't actually ''make'' Playstation Network accounts, effectively rendering the game that many players from those territories had put hours into completely unplayable without a VPN. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZncKrViHU&lc=Ugwcl03VosfL3Dx2BMh4AaABAg When desperate players resorted to using a VPN to create a PSN account in response, most of them were found out and had their account banned]], effectively losing ''everything''.

** Outside of the actual gameplay, the announcement the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase. Many pointed out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were wary about needing to provide that information to them, while others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. The real kicker though is certain countries, such as the Philippines, can't actually ''make'' Playstation Network accounts, effectively rendering the game that many players from those territories had put hours into completely unplayable without a VPN.

** Outside of the actual gameplay, the announcement the game would require a Playstation Network account to play even on the PC version, which lacked the requirement beforehand, was met with effectively ''open revolt'' by the playerbase. Many pointed out Sony's history of being hacked and having personal information on their accounts stolen and were weary about needing to provide that information to them, while others simply complained about how ridiculous it was to need a Playstation account even if you weren't playing it on a Playstation. The real kicker though is certain countries, such as the Philippines, can't actually ''make'' Playstation Network accounts, effectively rendering the game that many players from those territories had put hours into completely unplayable without a VPN.

** Like its [[VideoGame/{{Helldivers}} prequel]], there are plenty of fans who unironically celebrate Super Earth's government as a democratic utopia. More troubling, fascists, Nazis and other authoritarians don't care that the game is supposed to be satire, or claim that the game is somehow satirizing modern democracy as a whole. The over-the-top nature of the propaganda and the LargeHam lines from the Helldivers themselves are meant to be funny in how [[HamAndCheese enthusiastically they're delivered]], with most of the humor deriving from the fact that the player can clearly get that this is all a big joke at the expense of warmongering authoritarian governments. [[WeHaveReserves The expendable nature of the Helldivers]], [[OrwellianEditor the hand-waving of discrepancies in the propaganda]], and [[BigBrotherIsWatching the virulent culling of anyone who even slightly dissents]] make it clear that this is a CrapsackWorld with a nice coat of paint. Even if some players are going along with the idea of Super Earth being awesome, it's done [[PlayAlongMeme in a tongue-in-cheek way where it's meant to be understood that they're just kidding]]. The fact that some players miss how over-the-top and silly this all is means that they are, rather ironically, demonstrating that such propaganda can actually work.

** The crossbow got thrown down into this trope during a patch which reduced its splash damage dramatically, cut the reserve magazines in half, and the only compensation was more flinch affliction. Given that it cant destory spawners, has a slow rate of fire, flinching being difficult to use if not impossible during a pitched battle, shots being affected hy gravity, and taking up a primary slot that could have gone to the Eruptor many consider the crossbow to have made the worst primary you can use due to being useless at just about everything else another weapon could do better.

** The preview version of the Airburst Rocket Launcher was met with much derision by the playerbase due to how overly sensitive and unreliable the proximity fuse of its rockets are. You essentially ''cannot'' fire the weapon with your teammates ''anywhere'' in your line of sight because there is a high chance of the airburst rocket fusing on them and blowing up your team (and in many cases, yourself as well) instead of the enemy. Even when you have a clear lane of fire, the airburst rocket is prone to simply just exploding spontaneously in the air or triggering on random terrain, destructible objects, or a different enemy instead of your intended target. And this comes with the typical drawbacks of low ammo count, long reload, and the requirement for a backpack that are common among all heavy launchers. Most damning of all, however, is that in addition to all of these drawbacks, the airburst rockets simply don't do any real damage, only being effective against basic mooks while being useless against anything even vaguely armored, even if you manage to hit their weakspots.

** The preview version of the Airburst Rocket Launcher was met with much derision by the playerbase due to how overly sensitive and unreliable the proximity fuse of its rockets are. You essentially ''cannot'' fire the weapon with your teammates ''anywhere'' in your line of sight because there is a high chance of the airburst rocket fusing on them and blowing up your team (and in many cases, yourself as well) instead of the enemy. Even when you have a clear lane of fire, the airburst rocket is prone to simply just exploding spontaneously in the air or triggering on random terrain, destructible objects, or a different enemy instead of your intended target. And this comes with the typical drawbacks of low ammo count, long reload, and the requirement for a backpack that all heavy launchers require. Most damning of all, however, is taht in addition to all of these drawbacks, the airburst rockets simply don't do any real damage, only being effective against basic mooks while being useless against anything even vaguely armored.

** The preview version of the Airburst Rocket Launcher was met with much derision by the playerbase due to how overly sensitive and unreliable the proximity fuse of its rockets are. You essentially ''cannot'' fire the weapon with your teammates ''anywhere'' in your line of sight because there is a high chance of the airburst rocket fusing on them and blowing up your team (and in many cases, yourself as well) instead of the enemy. Even when you have a clear lane of fire, the airburst rocket is prone to simply just exploding spontaneously in the air or triggering on a different enemy instead of your intended target. And most damning of all, in addition to all of these drawbacks, the airburst rockets simply don't do any real damage, only being effective against basic mooks while being useless against anything even vaguely armored.

* EvilIsCool:
** The Automatons. Unlike the Terminids, the Automatons are more sophisticated, have their own society, have a slick [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black aesthetic]], are shown to attack the Helldiver Dreadnaughts in space, and even have their own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5KOgaE3FG4&t=0s marching chant]]. This, combined with their intimidating appearance and a [[VillainHasAPoint level of sympathy]] given how they are [[UndyingLoyalty fighting Super Earth to avenge and liberate their creators, the Cyborgs]], make them insanely cool and threatening, becoming a bit of a WorthyOpponent for much of the fanbase. So much so that when the Automatons were (seemingly) eradicated, a number of fans have expressed [[AntagonistInMourning melancholy over it]].

* CommonKnowledge: While Arrowhead Game Studios is ''technically'' an "indie" game studio, basically all of their games have had larger publishers, Sony Interactive in this case. Overall the game has a lot more in common with AAA releases than it does with small-team indie games in terms of budget and promotion. Despite this, there are frequently claims made that the game's runaway success is somehow "Indie devs sticking it to AAA gaming" and "setting an industry standard" even though the game is literally being financed by the group it's supposedly rebelling against.

* MisaimedFandom: Like its [[VideoGame/{{Helldivers}} prequel]], there are plenty of fans who unironically celebrate Super Earth's government as a democratic utopia. More troubling, fascists, Nazis and other authoritarians don't care that the game is supposed to be satire, or claim that the game is somehow satirizing modern democracy as a whole. The over-the-top nature of the propaganda and the LargeHam lines from the Helldivers themselves are meant to be funny in how [[HamAndCheese enthusiastically they're delivered]], with most of the humor deriving from the fact that the player can clearly get that this is all a big joke at the expense of warmongering authoritarian governments. [[WeHaveReserves The expendable nature of the Helldivers]], [[OrwellianEditor the hand-waving of discrepancies in the propaganda]], and [[BigBrotherIsWatching the virulent culling of anyone who even slightly dissents]] make it clear that this is a CrapsackWorld with a nice coat of paint. Even if some players are going along with the idea of Super Earth being awesome, it's done [[PlayAlongMeme in a tongue-in-cheek way where it's meant to be understood that they're just kidding]]. The fact that some players miss how over-the-top and silly this all is means that they are, rather ironically, demonstrating that such propaganda can actually work.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: On late April 2024, a Major Order dropped in which two planets were slated for liberation, but the players could only choose one of them, while the other planet would be lost. Even more interesting, each planet had a stratagem linked to it that would be unlocked for players once the planet was liberated: planet Choohe would unlock an Anti-Tank Mine Layer, while planet Penta would unlock an Airburst Rocket Launcher. [[TeamKiller Because of mine stratagems' reputation with players]], the fanbase overwhelmingly chose Penta to be liberated... [[TotalPartyKill only to finally use the Airburst Rocket Launcher]] and realize [[WhatCouldHaveBeen it might have been a better idea to pick the mines]]. Many players are thinking [[KillerGameMaster this was Joel's plan all along]].