Helldivers 2 Board Game: Exclusive Hands-On Preview

Last year's breakout success in the multiplayer gaming world, Arrowhead’s *Helldivers 2*, captivated players with its mission to spread democracy through high-octane combat against aliens and robots. Now, following the release of their expansive *Elden Ring* board game, Steamforged Games is bringing the fast-paced, frenetic action of *Helldivers 2* to the tabletop. The board game is now available for backing on Gamefound. IGN had the privilege of playing a prototype and discussing it with designers Jamie Perkins, Derek Funkhouser, and Nicholas Yu, gaining insights into this thrilling adaptation.

Helldivers 2: The Board Game

17 ImagesDeveloped shortly after the video game's launch, Helldivers 2: The Board Game captures the essence of what made the original so compelling. It recreates the tense firefights, chaotic surprises, and cooperative teamwork while introducing its own unique twists to the formula.

Helldivers 2 remains a cooperative, objective-based skirmish game where one to four players (solo players are advised to control two characters) collaborate to complete objectives while surviving enemy mobs and unexpected events. Each player assumes the role of a different Helldiver class, featuring unique perks, action cards, and a powerful "Act of Valor" ability usable once per game. The demo showcased the Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, and Captain classes, each equipped with primary, secondary, and support weapons, grenades, and three strategems, with recommended loadouts on their class cards but customizable once players are familiar with the game.

Gameplay unfolds on grid-based boards that expand as you explore, revealing sub-objectives and the locations of primary objectives, such as Terminid hatcheries to destroy in the prototype. As exploration progresses, increasingly difficult enemies spawn, and a mission timer adds urgency, keeping the game frenetic and tense. While the prototype focused on destroying hatcheries, the full release will offer various objectives. The base game includes two of the three main factions – Terminids and Automatons – each with 10 unit types, and there's potential for an Illuminate expansion, given Steamforged's history with stretch goals.

A key curiosity was how the board game would replicate the video game's sense of being overwhelmed. Unlike games like Zombicide that rely on sheer numbers, Helldivers opts for fewer, more challenging enemies, fostering tactical close-up combat.

Turns involve players and enemies adding action cards to a shuffled pool, which are then placed on an initiative tracker, similar to Steamforged’s Elden Ring game. Combat relies on dice rolls, with every four action cards triggering a random event, adding unpredictability and excitement. Players roll dice based on their weapons, with damage determined by the total value, simplifying combat mechanics by ensuring hits but varying damage output. Friendly fire is a risk, adding strategic depth and occasional humor.

A standout feature is the 'Massed Fire' mechanic, designed to replicate the video game's team-based shooting. Nic Yu explained, "In the video game, you're encouraged to work together as a team. You have a heavily armored enemy, you need to flank and shoot at weak points. But without facing and armor mechanics in the board game, we implemented 'massed fire,' where if a target is within range of another Helldiver's weapons, they can join in, rewarding teamwork." This mechanic reduces downtime and encourages group play.

Enemy attacks, however, feel somewhat static, with set damage or effects causing players to draw wound cards, which impose detrimental effects. Death isn't permanent; players can respawn based on the chosen difficulty level, regaining their full loadout.

One notable omission from the video game is the galactic war, dropped to ensure the board game feels unique. Jamie Perkins shared a fun piece of lore: "We're positioning it as a training simulation. You'd get this board game as a Helldiver to learn how to be better." This adds a fun meta-narrative to the game.

The designers, Nic, Jamie, and Derek, have ensured the game retains the Helldivers feel despite the new medium. Nic stated, "We wanted to ensure it felt like Helldivers, with unexpected challenges, stratagems that could go awry, and a dwindling pool of reinforcements." Derek added, "We kept the core loop of mission objectives and the thrill of uncovering new challenges while battling enemies."

Currently, the game's core mechanics are about 75-80% finalized, allowing for community feedback and further refinement. Jamie emphasized that despite recent tariff concerns in the board gaming industry, their plans remain unchanged, with adjustments handled by their team if necessary.

Having played the prototype, I found the systems engaging, especially the random events and 'Massed Fire' mechanic, which created epic moments. However, I wished for more smaller enemies to add to the chaos and more dynamic enemy attacks, perhaps with varied outcomes based on dice rolls. I'm eager to see what other surprises Steamforged has in store, excited to try new classes, game types, and mix-and-match scenarios. My friends and I are already planning our next drop.