Helldivers 2 player crafts a fully functional stealth build thanks to the Viper Commandos Warbond

Since Helldivers 2 was first released, players have been trying to put together the perfect stealth build that will let them sneak through the thick jungles like futuristic sci-fi stealth operatives on planets such as Malevelon Creek. Now that we have the Viper Commandos Warbond, one player has gotten us one step closer to making this dream a reality.

While it’s been possible to put together certain pieces of gear in Helldivers 2 to create a build that looks like it should be stealthy, nothing has actually worked in practice until very recently. Over on the Helldivers 2 subreddit, user CalypsoThePython has crafted a build that hides your character from enemies even when right up close to them. While there are limitations, they’ve included a video showing just how well the build works against bugs and bots.

Now you too can hide in plain sight from Terminids or Automatons in Helldivers 2 and quietly spread managed democracy

This build consists of the Ballistic Shield Backpack Stratagem, which you’ll need to call down at the start of a mission, and the K-2 Throwing Knife from the Viper Commandos Warbond in Helldivers 2. As you can see, the shield makes you pretty much invisible to enemies. You can walk up to Automatons without them noticing you.

Even if the bots do see you, there’s a tiny window of time in which you can pull up your shield to hide your Helldiver and make them forget they saw anything. Of course, all this hiding makes it hard to kill anything, which is where the new silent grenade alternative comes in.

The K-2 Throwing Knife might not be the most powerful weapon in Helldivers 2, but it packs enough of a punch when hitting an enemy in the right location that it’ll make short work of them. In the video demonstration, we can see automatons being downed before they have a chance to react.

However, Terminids are a slightly different matter. You can kill one of them, but it’ll alert the other bugs nearby and probably bring a swarm down on your position. However, this doesn’t make the build useless because it’s still a great way to sneak past bug patrols. I can’t help but think of how many more kids the community could have saved if we’d had this build sooner.

The key to this almost perfect stealth build is always keeping your shield up and your eyes on your enemies. It’s one step closer to active camouflage, which I hope we get in the future. Sneaking their way through hordes of enemies instead of failing to shoot their way through them should help players struggling on higher difficulties survive for longer.