Helldivers 2 Viper Commandos Warbond adds throwing knives and the very first vehicle customizations next week

Arrowhead Game Studios has announced the next Warbond coming to Helldivers 2, Viper Commandos. This one is jungle warfare-themed and will arrive early next week, bringing brand new elements to the game that we’ve never seen before.

The Viper Commandos Warbond launches in Helldivers 2 on June 13, 2024, adding a slew of interesting new weapons and vehicle cosmetics for the first time. Any players who purchase it can unlock new skins for their Pelican, Hellpod, and Exosuits, all of which will look fantastic when you’re battling through thick foliage on Terminid worlds in search of objectives to complete.

The Viper Commandos Warbond in Helldivers 2 brings galactic jungle warfare to life

The moment I saw this Warbond’s trailer I was transported into the original Predator movie in the best way possible. The gear you can unlock here screams Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to sneak up on an intergalactic hunter with little more than a bow and arrow and his massive muscles. The fact that one of the armor sets is called PH-9 Predator seals the deal on what it was inspired by.

Looking the part isn’t enough, though, which is why the Warbond also offers the first throwing knife in Helldivers 2. Interestingly, this will be a Utility and not a primary or secondary weapon, so I’m curious to see how it’ll work in action. Based on the PlayStation Blog post accompanying the announcement, it sounds like it will replace your melee attack when equipped.

At this point, I thought we knew what we were going to get with every Warbond. Usually, there are new armor sets, weapons, and cosmetics like emotes, capes, and banners. Arrowhead Game Studios has pushed the boat out here, though, with patterns for the Pelican, your Hellpod, and any Exosuits you call into battle.

Obviously, these will have no impact on gameplay, but they look brilliant. Seeing the Pelican drop in to save you and your team on a jungle world with camo paint or an Exosuit emerge from the trees where it was hidden while it stood still has been a fantasy in Helldivers 2 until now.

Arrowhead Game Studios added that with the release of this Waerbond, it’s going to spread them out a little so that each one can be launched when it’s ready and polished instead of trying to meet a deadline. This should help avoid any broken items making it into the game.

The Viper Commandos Warbond is the first step in the developer’s experimentation with the arrangement of this battle pass system’s offerings. The developer wants to give players more of what they want with each Warbond, so it’s going to lean toward stronger theming as time goes on.

I think this Warbond probably has the best theme we’ve seen in Helldivers 2 to date. Until now, themes have felt like they matched the armor styles, while the weapons and other items were more general. I’d like to see more Warbonds that stick to a theme like this in the future, especially if there’s one that leans into something like an in-universe energy drink.