Summary
An intrepidHelldivers 2player made a bold move during the battle for Super Earth by managing to “surf” on an Illuminate Leviathan, one of the game’s new and deadly enemy types. The Leviathan was added during theHelldivers 2Heart of Democracy update, which bulked up the roster of enemies available to fight from the alien Illuminate faction.
The players ofHelldivers 2are currently undergoing their toughest challenge yet. The latest update, Heart of Democracy, brought a full-scale invasion to Super Earth itself, withHelldivers teaming up with NPC soldiersto defeat the alien menace in the streets of Super Earth’s urban centers. The urban combat emphasized by the invasion has also brought new challenges to the game, as Super Earth’s skyscraper-covered terrain and its masses of civilians needing protection can limit players' ability to use their most powerful stratagems.
However, the same skyscrapers also allow for some creative stunt work, such as when Reddit user Beautiful-Injury7738 somehow managed to intercept and mount an Illuminate Leviathan, “surfing” on its back. In a clip shared on the game’s subreddit, they managed to leap from the top of one of Super Earth’s skyscrapers and use the hover pack from theHelldivers 2Borderline Justice War Bondto land on the back of the flying alien war machine. They managed to keep their position on the Leviathan as it flew through the air for more than two full minutes, and could’ve stayed longer, had it not left the combat zone and triggered the automated punishment for “desertion.”
Helldivers 2 Player Mounts and Rides an Illuminate Leviathan
Though Beautiful-Injury7738’s long ride was more of a stunt than anything else, it did expose some notable weaknesses on the otherwisenightmareish Illluminate Leviathan. For example, the Leviathan is completely vulnerable to attacks that hit its exposed back. Though it typically flies too high for all but the most daring players to get above it, proper placement of stratagems like the Eagle Strafing Run or Orbital Gatling Barrage can ensure that the projectiles hit it on the top side as it flies overhead, killing it faster than concentrated fire from the ground.
Players also heavily praised Beautiful-Injury7738 for their bravery, responding with references toFremen worm riders from theDuneseries. One player even recalled the iconic 13th Colossus boss fromShadow of the Colossus, which hovers over the landscape much like the Leviathan does inHelldivers 2. Some pointed out that it’s unusual for the Leviathan to be interactable. In most games, they said, enemies that are placed “out of bounds” for most players are typically impossible to stand on or mount, but that the Leviathan being an interactable object speaks to developer Arrowhead’s attention to detail.
