Firstly, we have been listening to your feedback as we develop our Warbonds in general. The idea behind each Warbond is to allow our Helldivers to roleplay their favorite soldier fantasies within our universe, but it’s important that these are fantasies that actually appeal to our players.
Based on player input, we’re changing our approach to Warbonds moving forward in a couple of ways. Firstly, we’re slowing down the pace at which we release Warbonds to give us a little bit more time to polish these designs before they’re released. We don’t want to rush anything out of the oven before it’s fully baked.
Secondly, we are changing the arrangement of items in each Warbond to make room for new item types, and also higher quality armor and weapons. This will prevent us from simply adding more of everything, which can lead to weapons that feel redundant and uninteresting armor. It’s time to focus on quality over quantity.When we started researching items for Viper Commandos, we wanted to be sure we answered our player calls for stronger theming that coordinates across all the items, more emotes, unique armor passives, and more thoughtful designs rather than simply giving more of the same. We can’t wait for players to get a hold our latest addition, so let’s dive into what’s in store.Play Video
Think jungle. Think swamp. Think about a hot, humid trek through an untamed, marshy wilderness to do reconnaissance on some unliberated scum.
If you ask me, this is our strongest themed Warbond yet, with Helldivers equipped from head to boots with the finest tools to live out their jungle combat dreams.
What kind of tools, you ask?
Weapons
The items in the Viper Commandos set really sell that fantasy of “up close and personal.”
For a primary, we’re giving you a new version of the Liberator, the AR-23A Liberator Carbine, but this one has a modified, shortened form-factor that handles differently from the true classic, with a bit higher recoil, but faster handling that feels perfect for spraying and praying up close.
You can combine carrying that with the new SG-22 Bushwhacker triple-barrel, sawed-off shotgun with two different firing modes, including one that fires all three barrels at once.
Yes, you read that right. This shotgun is a secondary weapon. Meaning you can equip your favorite AR primary, or your favorite shotgun primary, and keep the Bushwhacker handy for close encounters.
Armor
And the armors are nothing short of inspired. Catch me in the PH-9 Predator, inspired by a veteran of the Viper Commandos who was said to have held off an entire Terminid brood with nothing but a machine gun, pocket knife, and Orbital Laser. The headpiece has a beret, and it looks devastatingly cool when combined with the Mark of the Crimson Fang cape.
We also have the PH-202 Twigsnapper for your jungle heavy, which looks awesome with the Executioner’s Canopy cape. Although, mixing and matching works great for both of these sets.
Both armors in this Warbond feature the Peak Physique passive, which improves melee damage and weapon handling. They both also feature bare arms (and bulging biceps, with a variety of randomized skin tones) to keep you sweat-free when diving in the humid atmosphere.
Patterns, boosters, and more
Another exciting addition to this Warbond is new skins for your hellpods, Exosuits, and Pelican-1, inspired by the classic woodland and tiger stripe camouflage patterns. This pushes that customizable fantasy just a little bit further, for a really cohesive look for your squad.
One of my things in Viper Commandos is our new utility item: the throwing knife. Imagine mowing down a crowd of Terminids and running out of ammo with only one bug remaining, no time to reload, so you dive backward and throw a hunting knife into its carapace right before it descends on you.
There’s also a new booster called Experimental Infusion, which gives your stims the added bonus of boosting your movement speed and reducing the damage you take for a short time.
We’ve also got capes, player cards, and emotes, too. Check out the rest of the items in the Viper Commandos Warbond:
The Viper Commandos Warbond releases on June 13. Welcome to the jungle, Helldivers.
