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

Helldivers 2 Board Game: Exclusive Hands-On Preview

Author : Hazel Update : May 14,2025

Last year's breakout multiplayer game, Arrowhead's Helldivers 2, captivated players with its mission to spread democracy across the cosmos through intense battles against aliens and robots. Now, following the success of their Elden Ring board game adaptation, Steamforged Games has embarked on another ambitious project: transforming the fast-paced, frenetic action of Helldivers 2 into a tabletop experience. Currently available for backing on Gamefound, IGN had the opportunity to play a prototype of the game and discuss it with the talented designers Jamie Perkins, Derek Funkhouser, and Nicholas Yu.

Helldivers 2: The Board Game

17 ImagesLaunched shortly after the video game's release last year, Helldivers 2: The Board Game successfully captures the essence of its digital counterpart, delivering tense firefights, chaotic surprises, and a cooperative gameplay experience. The board game introduces subtle tweaks to enhance the original formula while maintaining the core excitement that made the video game a hit.

Helldivers 2 remains a cooperative, objective-based skirmish game, designed for one to four players (with a recommendation for solo players to control two characters). Each player assumes the role of a unique Helldiver class, equipped with a special perk, a set of action cards, and a powerful one-per-game "Act of Valor" ability. The prototype showcased the Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, and Captain classes, each outfitted with a customizable kit featuring primary, secondary, and support weapons, grenades, and three strategems. While class cards suggest recommended loadouts, players can tailor their gear once familiar with the game.

Gameplay unfolds on grid-based boards that expand as players explore, revealing sub-objectives and primary objectives like Terminid hatcheries to destroy. As the mission progresses, increasingly challenging enemies spawn, and a mission timer adds urgency, keeping the gameplay tense and frenetic. The final game will offer multiple objectives, and while the prototype focused on destroying Terminid hatcheries, the base game will feature two main factions: Terminids and robotic Automatons, each with ten unit types. There's potential for the Illuminate faction to be introduced via an expansion, given Steamforged's history with stretch goals.

A key curiosity was how the board game would replicate the video game's feeling of being overwhelmed. Unlike games like Zombicide, which rely on sheer numbers, Helldivers 2 opts for fewer, stronger enemies for a more tactical experience. Turns involve players and enemies adding action cards to a pool, which are shuffled and placed on an initiative tracker, reminiscent of Steamforged's Elden Ring game. Every fourth action card triggers a random event, adding unpredictability and excitement to the gameplay.

Combat for Helldivers is dice-based, with weapons dictating the type and number of dice rolled. Damage is calculated from the total roll, with every five points inflicting a wound on enemies. This straightforward system eliminates the need for complex modifiers and ensures that players always hit, though they might inadvertently harm allies with area attacks. Reinforcements provide a second chance, making friendly fire less punishing.

A standout feature is the 'Massed Fire' mechanic, designed to emulate the cooperative shooting seen in the video game. Nic Yu explained, "In the video game, obviously, you're encouraged to work together as a team... So what we implemented was 'massed fire,' so when anyone shoots at a target, if that's within range of another Helldiver's primary or secondary weapon, they can also focus fire with you at that time, explicitly rewarding and incentivizing teamwork." This mechanic not only promotes cooperation but also reduces player downtime, allowing for more engagement during others' turns.

Enemy mechanics are more straightforward, with damage and effects dictated by their cards, leading to players drawing wound cards. A character dies after accumulating three wounds but can respawn depending on the chosen difficulty level, fully restocked with ammo and resources.

One notable omission from the board game is the galactic war feature of the video game. Jamie Perkins shared a creative piece of lore, positioning the board game as a "training simulation" for Helldivers, adding a unique flavor to the tabletop experience.

Despite the new medium, the designers have ensured that the game retains the essence of Helldivers. Nic emphasized, "We wanted to make sure that even though it had different mechanics, it felt like Helldivers – like we want to have unexpected things that you have to deal with from turn to turn. We want to have stratagems that could go awry and actually blow up your friends in addition to the enemies." Derek added, "We knew we needed to keep the core loop of what Helldivers is with the mission objectives, and just being able to chase the shiny, right?"

Currently, the game's core mechanics are about 75-80% finalized, leaving room for community feedback and further refinement. Jamie addressed concerns about recent tariffs impacting the board gaming industry, stating that Steamforged is moving forward with their plans without delay.

After playing the prototype, the game's systems, including random events and the Massed Fire mechanic, delivered epic moments. However, I found myself wishing for more smaller, weaker enemies to clear out, reflecting my preference for the video game's style. Enemy combat could benefit from more dynamic outcomes to match the game's overall chaos.

I'm excited to see what other surprises Steamforged has in store for Helldivers 2. The prototype has left me eager to explore new classes, mission types, and combinations of enemies and biomes. My friends and I are already planning our next drop.