Is Helldivers 2 Pay to Win?

There has been some controversy that Helldivers 2 is pay-to-win due to the option to purchase gear with actual mechanical stats for real money. Furthermore, the game allows you to purchase the Warbond progression system for real money as well. So is Helldivers 2 pay to win?

Does Helldivers 2 Have Pay to Win Mechanics?

The short answer is no: Helldivers 2 isn’t pay-to-win. While buying the premium Warbond allows faster access to certain things, you can also get similar gear through the free Warbond. You get that simply by playing the game and completing missions for medals. The gear in the Premium Warbond is simply accessible slightly faster than with the free version. In fact, the gear included in the free Warbond is arguably better later on than the Premium Warbond gear.

For example, the Steel Trooper armor you get on Page 1 of the Premium Warbond is exactly the same as the SA-12 Servo Assisted armor from the free Warbond on Page 2. It only looks different. The same goes for weapons and other gear. At the end of the day, it comes down to grinding medals through missions in both Warbonds and free players and those who purchased the premium version will come out of the grind equalized.

Furthermore, Helldivers 2 isn’t pay-to-win since you can get the premium Super currency just by playing the game. Even the Pre-order armor sets don’t differ much from the standard ones you get from the free Warbond. You can pretty much unlock everything without spending any real money. You also can’t buy samples for real money to upgrade gear but have to get them through gameplay. Last but not least, there’s no PvP in the game so there isn’t a risk of someone overshadowing you just because they bought and accessed something faster.

In short, Helldivers 2 isn’t pay-to-win. For more HD2 guides, check out how to claim Twitch Drop and Pre-order armor sets.