Helldivers 2: Into the Unjust Brings Hive Worlds, New Enemies, and Major Fixes

Helldivers 2 has received update 01.004.000, titled Into the Unjust. This is one of the most significant patches to date, bringing new worlds, enemies, and missions, while also rebalancing the game and fixing numerous issues.

The centerpiece of the update is the introduction of Hive Worlds—massive procedurally generated cave systems filled with acid lakes, eerie flora, and advanced Terminid forms. Inside, players will encounter destructible walls and ceiling openings that allow for stratagem deployment. Missions include destroying the Spore Lung to stop the spread of the Gloom, operating the mobile GATER rig to extract a mysterious substance from the surface, and harvesting resources while taking down enemy forces deep within the Hive Worlds. Developers recommend one essential tool—bring a flashlight, as navigating these dark labyrinths won’t be easy without it.

The update also introduces new enemies. Among them is the Rupture Spewer, which bursts from the ground to drench players in acid, said to be fueled by consuming its own dead. The Rupture Warrior, a mutated Terminid stripped of its protective chitin, tends to remain underground rather than expose itself. The Rupture Charger dives deep beneath the surface only to reemerge in sudden, violent assaults on the defenders of Liberty, while the Dragonroach soars above the battlefield, raining down acid from the skies.

Balancing changes have been applied across several areas. All non-explosive orbital strikes now share the same damage, armor penetration, and demolition values. For example, Orbital Smoke no longer deals 0 damage but 300, with its armor penetration raised from 0 to 7 and demolition strength increased from 30 to 50. Orbital E.M.S. was also buffed, with its damage increased from 250 to 300, armor penetration from 3 to 7, and demolition strength from 30 to 50.

Another noteworthy adjustment concerns stun effects. These now function uniformly—enemies are instantly stunned and staggered, but players are no longer ragdolled when caught in the blast. As a result, the use of Orbital E.M.S. and Mortar E.M.S. has become more predictable and reliable.

To avoid getting lost in the details, here are the key numbers from the balancing changes:

• Stun Grenade: stagger strength increased from 0 → 50.
• Urchin: stagger impulse removed, changed from 15 → 0.
• Orbital E.M.S.: stagger strength raised from 10 → 50, impulse reduced from 40 → 0.
• Mortar E.M.S.: stagger strength raised from 10 → 50, impulse reduced from 40 → 0.
• Stun Hellpod: stagger strength increased from 10 → 50, impulse decreased from 20 → 0.

The update also delivered a wide range of fixes. Developers resolved several rare crashes, including those caused by the MA5C AR on the Super Destroyer, during hot-joining, and when dropping backpacks. Audio issues were corrected for the AX/LAS-5 GUARD DOG ROVER and other weapons, with proper reverb now applied. Stratagems were adjusted as well: Hellpods can no longer be targeted by guidance systems, the GL-52 De-Escalator input code now correctly begins with a down arrow, the Motivational Shocks Booster no longer applies to enemies, and the WASP Launcher no longer gets stuck in Semi-Auto mode after switching from Artillery. Guidance systems now also properly target tanks.

Enemy behavior received important tweaks. Automatons no longer take damage when deployed from dropships, their city outpost pathing has been improved, and Illuminate units are less likely to warp onto destroyed outpost rubble. Mission objectives have been refined too—city evacuations now work as intended, “ghost” objectives no longer appear on the mission complete screen, dropships in the Sabotage Airbase objective behave correctly, and Charger pathing around bug rocks has been fixed.

Finally, a host of smaller improvements help polish the experience. Flickering shadows have been eliminated, odd falling and marching animations corrected, and Helldivers now use their writing pads instead of clumsy “fat finger” gestures when typing chat. The Adreno-Defibrillator once again functions for Helldivers inside combat walkers, and Hellbombs no longer appear to explode twice when hit by a GL-21 grenade from the shooter’s perspective.