Some Helldivers 2 Players Find Mechs Early as Liberation of Tien Kwan Inches Closer

It looks like some Helldivers 2 players are accessing the hotly anticipated mechs early — and this time it may well be official.

This week, Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead seemingly locked the release of mechs behind the liberation of a planet, sending hundreds of thousands of players off to fight back against the Automatons on Tien Kwan.

While the battle to liberate Tien Kwan rages on, some players have provided footage on the Helldivers subreddit and Discord showing what looks like mechs on the planet. They’re able to then jump in and play around with Helldivers 2’s new exosuits, although based on the reports from players who claim to have found the mechs, they are extremely rare.

You can now find mech suits in Helldivers 2 pic.twitter.com/AY5pcXlYcx

— HELLDIVERS 2 Updates (@Helldivers2HQ) March 8, 2024

I found a mech , it didn’t last long.#Helldivers2 pic.twitter.com/I8WbjMSxuI

— Helldivers Alerts (@HelldiversAlert) March 8, 2024

It’s hard to discern what’s legit and what’s cheating in Helldivers 2, after a glut of gameplay leaks revealed officially unavailable stratagems, including of the upcoming mechs. The community had a number of explanations for this, including that cheaters were accessing datamined stratagems and bypassing Helldivers 2’s anti-cheat to call them in on live lobbies.

But the latest reports are in keeping with Helldivers 2’s lore. A fresh in-game message had said the Automatons (Helldivers 2’s evil alien robots) had captured Tien Kwan, the planet solely responsible for the manufacture of the mechs. So it makes sense that a few would be laying around.

The question now is whether Arrowhead will unlock mechs for general use when Tien Kwan is liberated — and it very much looks like a question of when, not if, with the planet over 90% liberated at the time of this article’s publication.

If not, perhaps mechs will go live on March 14, when Helldivers 2’s new premium Warbond, dubbed Cutting Edge, comes out. It includes new armor sets, new guns, new capes, and new emotes, all with high-voltage vibes.

It’s been a tumultuous week in the world of Helldivers 2, which saw the game’s first balance patch nerf its best loadout, an associated backlash, and a subsequent response from Arrowhead. Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it’s still growing. Check out IGN’s Helldivers 2 review to find out why it’s going down so well, as well as the best loadouts.

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.