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

Helldivers 2 Board Game: Exclusive Hands-On Preview

Author : Skylar May 14,2025

Last year, Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 became a standout hit in the multiplayer gaming world, captivating players with its mission to spread democracy through intense battles against aliens and robots. Now, Steamforged Games, fresh from their successful adaptation of Elden Ring into a board game, is bringing the fast-paced, action-packed experience of Helldivers 2 to the tabletop. This new board game is currently available for backing on Gamefound. IGN had the opportunity to play a prototype and discuss it with designers Jamie Perkins, Derek Funkhouser, and Nicholas Yu.

Helldivers 2: The Board Game

17 ImagesDeveloped shortly after the video game's launch, Helldivers 2: The Board Game successfully captures the essence of what made the video game a fan favorite. It recreates the tension of firefights, the chaos of unexpected events, and the teamwork-driven gameplay, while introducing unique tweaks to enhance the experience.

Helldivers 2 remains a cooperative, objective-based skirmish game designed for one to four players. The designers suggest solo players use two characters. Players assume different classes of Helldivers, each equipped with a unique perk, a set of action cards, and a powerful one-per-game "Act of Valor" ability. The demo showcased the Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, and Captain classes. Players customize their kits with primary, secondary, and support weapons, grenades, and three strategems, with recommended loadouts provided on their class cards, allowing for personalized choices once familiar with the game.

Gameplay unfolds on expanding grid-based boards, where exploration reveals sub-objectives and primary objectives, such as destroying Terminid hatcheries in the prototype. As players progress, more challenging enemies spawn, and a mission timer adds urgency, keeping the gameplay fast and intense.

The prototype focused on destroying a set number of Terminid hatcheries, but the full release will offer diverse objectives. Jamie mentioned that the base game includes two main factions: Terminids and robotic Automatons, each with ten unit types. While not confirmed, an expansion might introduce the Illuminate, given Steamforged's history with stretch goals.

Curiosity about how the board game would handle the video game's sense of being overwhelmed led to a tactical approach, featuring fewer but stronger enemies as missions progress, similar to Nemesis rather than Zombicide's horde strategy.

Turns involve players and enemies adding action cards to a pool, which are shuffled and placed on an initiative tracker, akin to Steamforged's Elden Ring game. Combat relies on dice rolls, with a twist: every four action cards trigger a random event, adding unpredictability and excitement.

Combat for Helldivers is streamlined, using dice rolls where each weapon's dice type and count determine damage. Every five points rolled inflict a wound on an enemy, simplifying damage calculation. Friendly fire is a risk, but reinforcements are available, adding strategic depth.

A standout feature is the 'Massed Fire' mechanic, designed to replicate the cooperative shooting experience from the video game. Nic explained, "In the video game, you're encouraged to work together as a team. If you have a heavily armored enemy, you need to flank and target weak points. We implemented 'massed fire,' allowing other Helldivers to join in attacking the same target, incentivizing teamwork." This mechanic reduces player downtime and enhances group play.

Enemy interactions are straightforward, with set damage or effects causing players to draw wound cards. Three wounds lead to character death, but players can respawn with a full loadout, depending on chosen difficulty.

One notable omission from the board game is the galactic war element from the video game. Jamie shared an amusing piece of lore: "We're positioning the board game as a training simulation for Helldivers, enhancing their skills." This adds a fun narrative layer to the game.

The designers, Nic, Jamie, and Derek, aimed to preserve the feel of Helldivers despite the medium change. Nic emphasized, "Even with different mechanics, it should feel like Helldivers, with unexpected events and stratagems that can go awry." Derek added, "We focused on the core loop of mission objectives and dealing with enemies trying to eat you."

Currently, the game's core mechanics are about 75-80% finalized, allowing room for community feedback and balance adjustments. Despite recent concerns about tariffs affecting the board game industry, Jamie assured that their plans remain on track.

My experience with the prototype was enjoyable, with random events and the Massed Fire mechanic creating epic moments. However, I longed for more smaller enemies to shoot, akin to the video game's style. Enemy attacks felt somewhat static, and adding varied outcomes via dice rolls could enhance this aspect.

I'm excited about what Steamforged Games has in store for Helldivers 2. The prototype has me eager to explore new classes, game types, and mix them with different enemies and biomes. My friends and I are already planning our next drop.