All Hail Joel, the Helldivers 2 Developer Steering the Galactic War Like a D&D Dungeon Master

The timing couldn’t be better. Just days after the Helldivers 2 community mourned the loss of fan-favourite map Malevelon Creek, it has emerged there is a single developer at Arrowhead pulling the strings of the galactic war like a D&D dungeon master.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt pulled back the curtain ever so slightly on Helldivers 2’s hugely popular meta narrative that sees the forces of Super Earth (players) battle against alien bugs and bots for control of the galaxy, revealing a developer called Joel is steering the ship from behind the scenes.

“We have an actual person [Joel] with the job title of Game Master,” Pilestedt said. “We have a lot of systems built into the game where the Game Master has a lot of control over the play experience. It’s something that we’re continuously evolving based on what’s happening in the game. And as part of the roadmap, there are things that we want to keep secret because we want to surprise and delight.”

Ever since launch, Helldivers 2 players have wondered to what extent community actions direct the “liberation” of the galaxy. While players can see the status of planets and even sectors change as they play, and can even see their tiny positive contribution when they complete operations, what’s clear now is Joel is the brains behind the ongoing campaign, and even steps in to change things when they go in unexpected directions.

“There have been some sudden moments where maybe one planet was too easy or one was too hard and [Joel] had to get up in the middle of the night to give the Automatons a bit of reinforcements so the players don’t take [the planet] too quickly,” Pilestedt revealed.

The Helldivers 2 community has reacted to this revelation in typical fashion: by memeing the hell out of it. And, coming so soon after the shock fall of Malevelon Creek, Joel is now in the firing line. Players had wondered why the planet, dubbed ‘Space Vietnam’ by the community, was miraculously made available to play again after it had became inaccessible by falling to the Automatons. Perhaps that was another middle of the night alarm for poor Joel.

“I lost 30,000 troopers in Malevelon Creek and the Game Master just fucking watched.” pic.twitter.com/VT97bdYP7o

— ✨🇺🇸PrinceofNature🇺🇸✨ (@PrinceofNature9) February 29, 2024

Joel when he sees Helldivers have reached a 99.97% conquered status on Malevelon Creek pic.twitter.com/QMoPVWwawY

— 𝕏ANDER (@actionxander) February 29, 2024

Helldivers 2’s galactic war is a single, ongoing meta narrative fans have had fun role-playing with since the game’s explosive launch. Currently there are no meaningful rewards directly tied to the liberation of sectors (all players get 12,500 Requisition if eight defend campaigns are won against the Automatons, but that’s not much of an incentive), so it’s all just a bit of fun.

But what happens if Super Earth loses the current major order, which expires today? Will Malevelon Creek and other planets in the sector go dark? Will Super Earth issue a retreat order? Will the Automatons inch closer to Super Earth, opening up new sectors to play? Finding out is all part of the fun.

In a tweet, Pilestedt followed up to explain a bit more about Joel’s role, which revolves around deciding which major order takes place, what daily is active, and where the enemies attack. “The war fought and liberation of planets – that’s all you!” Pilestedt clarified.

“We can also reinforce planets if needed and give temporary equipment to the entire community! Pilestedt continued, “and other stuff we haven’t revealed yet.”

Now Arrowhead appears to have sorted out Helldivers 2’s server issues, it has time to return to its original post-launch plan, so hopefully we’ll get an idea of what to expect in terms of new content soon. If you’re playing, be sure to check out IGN’s comprehensive Helldivers 2 guide.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.