The Helldivers have once again found themselves at the center of an intergalactic crisis—but this time, it’s not just the Automatons and Terminids threatening democracy. A backend bug has thrown the ongoing Major Order into disarray, leading to an unprecedented pause in the Galactic War and an explosion of memes from the community.
The Major Order: Duma Tyr vs. Julheim
Helldivers 2’s latest Major Order tasked divers with defending one of two critical planets from the Automaton invasion: Duma Tyr, home to the strategically significant MD-8 Gas Mines, or Julheim, where thousands of “moderately feeble young adults” were trapped in the ruins of Good Citizen Andrews’ School. The stakes were clear—whichever planet remained in Helldiver control by the order’s expiration would be saved, while the other would be lost to the Automatons.
However, things didn’t go quite as planned.
“About those liberation rates…
Today we updated our backend and we have encountered an error that is affecting planet liberation rates, causing them to skyrocket. While we know this is fun, we also know that it is breaking the Galactic War mechanic itself. In short, this is harming the game experience and will have detrimental effects on the war mechanic in the future.
We have made the decision to pause the Galactic War temporarily until this is fixed. We’re already starting the process, but we do not yet have an ETA for this fix. You will still be able to play Helldivers 2, but you cannot make any contributions to liberating planets or advancing the War. This is our mistake and we own it. We are not going to revert any of the damage done by this error, however, so your major order victory is still secure. We will keep you updated as soon as we have more information! As always, thank you for being patient and understanding, Helldivers.”
– Baskinator, a Community Manager at Arrowhead
Shortly after the Major Order began, a backend update inadvertently caused liberation rates to skyrocket, allowing Helldivers to push back enemy forces at an unprecedented pace. What should have been a tense, drawn-out battle for planetary control instead became an effortless landslide victory. Within hours, it became clear that both planets might actually survive—an outcome that was never intended.
Realizing the unintended consequences, Arrowhead Game Studios made the difficult decision to pause the Galactic War entirely. In an official statement, a community manager acknowledged the bug, stating that while the rapid liberation was amusing, it was also breaking the long-term balance of the war mechanic. Effective immediately, no further contributions to planetary liberation would count until the issue was resolved.
The Community’s Reaction: “WE WON!”
Phrases like “WAR IS OVER”, “TOO MUCH LIBERTY”, and “WE WERE SO GOOD AT WAR THAT WE BROKE ARROWHEAD” spread like wildfire. One user joked that the robots must have simply “run out of battery,” while another suggested the backend bug should be retconned into the lore as a false flag operation by the Automatons.
The Helldivers community took the news in stride—by spamming memes and celebrating victory in the Helldivers 2 Official Discord.
What Happens Next?
Arrowhead has yet to announce an official ETA for the fix, leaving divers in a strange limbo where they can still play Helldivers 2, but their efforts will not contribute to the war. The developers have assured divers that no previous progress will be rolled back, meaning that the major order victory remains secure despite the chaos.
For now, Helldivers will have to wait—and continue spamming memes—until the Galactic War resumes.