Home News Helldivers 2 Board Game: Exclusive Hands-On Preview

Helldivers 2 Board Game: Exclusive Hands-On Preview

Author: Andrew May 16,2025

Last year, Arrowhead’s *Helldivers 2* took the multiplayer gaming world by storm, captivating players with its mission to spread democracy across the galaxy through intense battles against aliens and robots. Now, following their successful adaptation of *Elden Ring* into a board game, Steamforged Games is bringing the fast-paced, chaotic experience of *Helldivers 2* to the tabletop. This new board game is currently available for backing on Gamefound. IGN had the opportunity to dive into a prototype of the game and engage in a detailed discussion with the designers, Jamie Perkins, Derek Funkhouser, and Nicholas Yu, about this thrilling new adaptation.

Helldivers 2: The Board Game

17 ImagesDevelopment on Helldivers 2: The Board Game began shortly after the video game's launch last year. The board game successfully captures the essence of what made the video game so engaging, including tense firefights, unpredictable challenges, and the importance of teamwork, while introducing unique tweaks to enhance the tabletop experience.

Helldivers 2 remains a cooperative, objective-based skirmish game designed for one to four players, with the designers suggesting solo players use two characters. Players assume the roles of different Helldiver classes, each with unique perks, action cards, and a powerful "Act of Valor" ability that can be used once per game. The prototype featured classes like Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, and Captain. Players customize their kits with primary, secondary, and support weapons, grenades, and three strategems, with class cards offering recommended loadouts for beginners.

Gameplay occurs on grid-based boards that expand as players explore, revealing sub-objectives and primary mission locations, such as Terminid hatcheries in the prototype. As players advance, increasingly difficult enemies spawn, and a mission timer adds urgency, keeping the gameplay tense and fast-paced. While the prototype focused on destroying Terminid hatcheries, the final game will offer various objectives. The base game includes two major factions, the Terminids and the robotic Automatons, each with 10 unit types. Although not confirmed, expansions might introduce the Illuminate faction, a hallmark of Steamforged's crowdfunding campaigns.

A key aspect of the adaptation was how it would replicate the video game’s feeling of being overwhelmed. Unlike games like Zombicide that rely on sheer numbers, Helldivers 2 opts for a more tactical approach with fewer but stronger enemies, enhancing the strategic depth of the gameplay.

Turns involve players and enemies adding their action cards to a pool, which are then shuffled and placed on an initiative tracker, similar to Steamforged's Elden Ring game. Combat is dice-based, with each weapon specifying the type and number of dice to roll. Damage is calculated based on the total value of the roll, with every five points inflicting a wound on an enemy. This streamlined damage system eliminates the complexity of modifiers and defense values, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience. However, friendly fire can occur, especially with area attacks, adding a strategic layer where sacrificing a teammate might be necessary to take down a formidable foe.

The designers introduced a novel 'Massed Fire' mechanic, inspired by the video game's cooperative shooting dynamics. As Nic explained, "In the video game, you're encouraged to work together as a team. With heavily armored enemies, you need to flank and target weak points if you don't have a support weapon. In the board game, 'massed fire' allows other Helldivers within range to join the attack, rewarding teamwork and reducing player downtime."

Enemies, on the other hand, have straightforward effects dictated by their cards, causing players to draw wound cards. Each wound imposes a detrimental effect, and three wounds result in a character's death. However, players can respawn based on the chosen difficulty level, returning with a full loadout.

One notable exclusion from the board game is the galactic war feature from the video game. Jamie shared a playful piece of lore: "We're positioning it as a training simulation. You get this board game as a Helldiver to learn how to be a better Helldiver." This approach ensures the board game feels unique while staying true to the Helldivers spirit.

Despite this omission, the designers have focused on maintaining the Helldivers feel through unexpected events, stratagems that can backfire, and a dwindling pool of reinforcements. As Nic mentioned, "We want to have unexpected things you have to deal with from turn to turn, stratagems that could go awry, and a pool of reinforcements that dwindles as you go through the game."

Currently, the game's core mechanics are about 75-80% finalized, allowing room for community feedback and potential adjustments. Jamie emphasized that recent tariff issues won't impact their plans, ensuring a smooth launch.

After experiencing the prototype, the game's systems, including random events and the 'Massed Fire' mechanic, promise epic moments. However, while the tactical focus with fewer, stronger enemies is appreciated, I personally wish for more smaller enemies to clear out, mirroring my preference for the video game's action-packed style. Enemy attacks could also benefit from added variability to match the game's chaotic nature.

I eagerly await further developments from Steamforged Games for Helldivers 2. The prototype has left me excited to explore new Helldiver classes, mission types, and diverse enemies and biomes. My friends and I are already planning our next drop.