Helldivers 2 Review Bombed Again Amid Super Earth Battle

The battle for Super Earth in *Helldivers 2* has reached a fever pitch, with players locked in an intense struggle to repel the invading Illuminate fleet. However, what should be a triumphant moment in the game’s evolving narrative has sparked controversy, leading to widespread frustration and a wave of negative reviews.

The latest update, Heart of Democracy, brought months of storyline buildup to a dramatic climax. The Meridian Singularity — a black hole created during a prior operation against the Terminids — was hurled toward Super Earth as the vanguard of the Illuminate invasion. As the "Great Host" poured through the resulting wormhole, the planet became the central warzone.

Since the update launched, players have fought desperately to defend the Mega Cities of Super Earth, each representing a real-world metropolis. York Supreme symbolizes New York, Remembrance mirrors Buenos Aires, and currently only Equality-On-Sea (representing Shanghai) and the capital, Prosperity City (Stockholm), remain standing.

As the conflict neared what seemed like its final act, community engagement surged. Helldivers often embrace the Major Orders, rallying behind collective goals to overcome challenges set by developer Arrowhead. Some even redirected efforts to other fronts, such as launching a campaign against Automaton forces to recover the DSS — a massive military orbital station — which was later deployed to reinforce Super Earth's defenses.

EOS. WILL NOT. FALL.
byu/Gabry2 inHelldivers

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }With the Illuminate advancing and seizing Mega Cities, the community rallied around Equality-On-Sea as a last stand. During this time, international camaraderie flourished, with players from around the globe uniting to bolster the city’s defense percentage. Memes, support posts, and coordinated drops kept morale high, even as the enemy pressed forward.

Some Chinese memes
byu/leoooooooow inHelldivers

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }It’s been a deeply engaging and emotionally resonant experience — exactly the kind of emergent storytelling Helldivers 2 excels at. When player-driven narratives, developer-planned arcs, and community collaboration align, the result is a powerful sense of shared struggle and triumph.

However, a critical issue arose: Equality-On-Sea never reached 100% completion.

Players made a united push to defend the city, yet the arc concluded with the meter stuck at 99.9783%. This seemingly minor gap has fueled significant backlash, particularly among players who expected a full victory. In most Major Orders, objectives are binary — success or failure. But in this case, the nature of the mission was different: it wasn’t about liberating a city, but holding it. Since the Illuminate continue to invade, reaching 100% may not have been feasible — or even intended.

This nuance, combined with speculation that the final confrontation would occur in Prosperity City, has led to a surge of negative Steam reviews. Over the past 24 hours, approximately 2,312 negative reviews were submitted, compared to just 324 positive ones.

Many of these reviews originate from Chinese players. Although machine translations are imperfect, recurring themes are clear: frustration over perceived narrative manipulation, suspicion of developer interference, and repeated references to the infamous “99.9783%” figure.

This game is being review bombed for not letting players liberate EoS
byu/ImpossibleWorld5563 inHelldivers

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }> #Helldivers2 | #Helldivers

Here we go again! pic.twitter.com/z86PuaKvKd

— Helldivers NOW (@Helldivers_NOW) May 29, 2025

It’s important to provide context. While the recent negativity is notable, it doesn’t match the scale of the infamous review-bombing incident from May 2024, which centered on controversial PlayStation Network requirements.

Still, player frustration is understandable. This moment was meant to be a peak in Helldivers 2’s history — a convergence of long-term storytelling and dynamic in-game events. Having spent time defending Super Earth myself, I can attest to the thrilling intensity of these battles. Arrowhead has masterfully captured the desperation and heroism of holding out against overwhelming odds.

Unfortunately, because the conflict involves cities tied to real-world nations, the earlier spirit of global unity has been somewhat overshadowed. Despite calls from moderators and fan communities to avoid nationalistic tensions, the situation has left a sour note on an otherwise extraordinary event.

As of now, Helldivers still hold the line in both Equality-On-Sea and Prosperity City, with the former maintaining a higher defense percentage. The battle for Super Earth appears to be entering its final phase, and the current directive remains clear: Hold Super Earth.

Let’s hope players can push through the controversy, achieve victory, and once again celebrate the strength of their collective resolve.