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Helldivers 2: Everything New in the Omens of Tyranny Update

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7 hours ago

December 17, 2024

The fight for freedom, justice, and democracy intensifies for Helldivers 2 with a brand-new content update called Omens of Tyranny. Similar to the Escalation of Freedom update from a few months back, which introduced a mountain of weapon changes and balances, Omens of Tyranny raises the bar with equally massive additions and exciting features.

From a new, third faction with new enemies to beat to drivable jeeps in all-new city environments, the new update promises to deliver everything players have been wishing for months now, at least most of them. Here is everything new that was added in Helldivers 2 with the Omens of Tyranny update.

Helldivers 2: How to Destroy the Illuminate Warp Ships

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The Illuminate Warp Ships may look immune to all damage, but they have a weak spot that you can exploit to destroy them in Helldivers 2. Here’s how.

The Illuminate Faction

The biggest change with the Omens of Tyranny update is the long-rumored return of the Illuminate in Helldivers 2. The highly advanced alien civilization disappeared into deep space after the events of Helldivers 1. They are now back, serving as a third (purple) enemy faction in the ongoing Galactic War against the Automatons and the Terminids.

The Illuminate excel in both melee and ranged attacks. Overseers, for example, will rush you with massive staffs that deal a ton of melee damage. Harvesters, on the other hand, are like helldivers 2 bile titan 2 3 Bile Titans, slow-moving behemoths with a long laser projectile that can fry anything in its path. The Illuminate also use shielding technology, so you must always drain their shields before hacking away at their health bars.

It is no secret that player counts have been plummeting in recent months. However, the arrival of the Illuminate brings new content that has convinced players to return to the front lines, as evident from the massive player spike at the release of the Omens of Tyranny update.

Urban Maps for Close-Quarters Combat

Since launch, Helldivers 2 has only featured maps with wide open spaces. While you often encounter abandoned facility buildings and laboratories, the environments are largely desolate with plenty of room to maneuver. The Omens of Tyranny update changes that by introducing urban environments in Helldivers 2, allowing players to explore cities with actual roads and mid-rise concrete buildings.

You can now literally bring the fight for democracy to the streets. The new focus on close-quarters combat means you can now duck into alleys or behind buildings for cover, find alternate routes through the city, and most importantly, experiment with new weapon loadouts that can deal with the Illuminate threat.

Since the call for having maps that look beyond traditional planets has finally been answered, you can also look forward to relying more on stealth to avoid unnecessary combat.

Helldivers 2: How to Get the TR-117 Alpha Commander Armor Set

Your wish has come true. The highly coveted Master Chief-inspired TR-117 Alpha Commander armor set can now be yours in Helldivers 2. Here’s how.

Vehicles to Carry the Entire Squad

The closest thing to vehicles you had until now was the Exosuit Mechs in Helldivers 2. While they can be piloted manually to rain down chaos on the battlefield, the Exosuits are terrible at offering quick transportation across the map.

With the release of the Omens of Tyranny update, you can now drive your very own Fast Recon Vehicle (FRV) in Helldivers 2. It is a “reconnaissance and combat vehicle”, which is just a fancy term given to a jeep with a bolted HMG Turret.

An FRV can carry your entire squad. One drives the jeep and another takes up the HMG Turret in the back. The rest of the passengers can lean out to use their weapons as needed, including anti-tank weapons such as the helldivers 2 gr 8 recoilless rifle 2 GR-8 Recoilless Rifleand the helldivers 2 ml5 4x commando 2 ML5-4X Commando. We are not saying that the FRV is akin to an armored tank, but your entire squad does get to drive fast across the map to save precious time.

The FRV has anything but a smooth drive. Its manual transmission should probably get a few quality-of-life updates later on to make the vehicle easier to drive.

Melee Weapons to Get Personal

Another new addition to Helldivers 2 is melee weapons, which can be equipped as secondary weapons. They are technically part of the Urban Legends Warbond, but since the Superstore has also started selling them, you can thank the Omens of Tyranny update for this one.

Currently, there are only two options: the Stun Lance from the Urban Legends Warbond, and the Stun Baton from the Superstore. Surprisingly, both have slightly different stats. The Stun Baton has a shorter range than the Stun Lance, but its increased attack speed and area of effect make it deadly against groups of light enemies.

This also means it is only a matter of time before a new Helldivers 2 mod gives you lightsabers to fulfill your dream of becoming a Jedi in the Galactic War.

Actionable Emotes

The Urban Legends Warbond features a new emote called “This is Democracy” that can actually be used on enemies. Inspired by Leonidas’ iconic Spartan kick from the movie 300, the emote is a new stylish way of dispatching enemies in Helldivers 2. You can try it out on the Terminid Hunters, taking around four kicks per kill. However, do be careful about accidentally using the emote on your squad members.