Helldivers 2has churned out yet another free cosmetic for players to enjoy: the Ingress-81 commemorative cape. This new fashion statement is a stunning royal purple and depicts a series of braille characters over a dark circle, making it a striking but esoteric piece of gear. But the story behind this flashy accessory is something that someHelldivers 2fans might not know about.
The Ingress-81 cape references an ARG, or alternate reality game, that began in the officialHelldivers 2Discordearlier this year. For the uninitiated, an ARG is a method of storytelling wherein the audience is an active participant in every way, whether that’s by uncovering clues, deciphering codes, or visiting locations in the real world for more intel. It requires the audience to become detectives, uncovering evidence and secrets as they dissect the narrative that the ARG creator has spun up. It’s a rather fitting medium for the gaming community for obvious reasons, and other video games, likeHalo 3andThe Binding of Isaac, have gotten official ARGs as part of broader marketing campaigns.
How Helldivers 2’s Ingress-81 Cape Relates to Its Station-81 ARG
Helldivers 2 Sent Players On a Wild Goose Chase Earlier This Year
Back in May, Arrowhead Studios surprised the members of its Discord by creating two new channels: Station-81 Input and Station-81 Output. As their names suggest, players were meant to send data through the Input channel and receive relevant feedback in the Output channel. TheHelldivers 2communitylaunched into a wide-scale investigation, which quickly revealed that Arrowhead staff members had changed their profile pictures to include messages encoded in braille. By cross-referencing these messages with the string of numbers found in the transmission that followed the destruction of Moradesh, players were able to crack the code and enter the correct inputs in the Station-81 Input channel, and ultimately gain access to four in-game cameras surveilling different stations around Super Earth.
Players were then tasked with calibrating antennae on three stations by entering the inputs of “left” or “right.” Players were quickly able to come together to complete this task, for which they were rewarded with the first of four datablocks. After completing a series of other minigames and challenges,Helldivers 2playerseventually gained access to all four datablocks, and subsequently, the final surveillance camera.
This footage revealed that theMeridian Wormhole was orbiting Super Earth, and that a fleet of Illuminate ships were planning an invasion of the planet. By chipping away at this nebulous and multifaceted ARG, the audience was able to bring this story to its final stage: the invasion of Super Earth by the Illuminate, which the defenders of democracy would then rebel against. Now, two months later, the Ingress-81 cape has arrived to commemorate those who helped carry this story arc to the finish line.
Although the Ingress-81 cape is meant to celebrate the ARG and those who participated in it, it’s available to allHelldivers 2fans—not just those who had a hand in uncovering the Illuminate plot.
Helldivers 2 Once Again Demonstrates the Power of Its Community
The Ingress-81 cape serves as a reminder of thebattle for Super Earth, but also to highlight the strong community-building thatHelldivers 2has become so well-known for. As a live-service game,Helldivers 2must keep its audience engaged and entertained, sometimes in unique and unexpected ways. A Discord-wide ARG, which encourages participation from everyone, is an ingenious way to do that, and other GaaS developers may want to take a leaf out of Arrowhead’s playbook in this respect.
Helldivers 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Do you believe in freedom? Can you stand in the face of oppression – and defend the defenceless? Wage war for peace. Die for democracy.Join forces with up to three friends and wreak havoc on an alien scourge threatening the safety of your home planet, Super Earth, in this multiplayer co-op shooter for PS5 and PC from Arrowhead Game Studios.Step into the boots of the Helldivers, an elite class of soldiers whose mission is to spread peace, liberty and Managed Democracy using the biggest, baddest and most explosive tools in the galaxy.Helldivers don’t go planet side without proper backup, but it’s up to you to decide how and when to call it in. Not only do you have a host of superpowered primary weapons and customizable loadouts, you also have the ability to call on stratagems during play.Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead’s best cooperative gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital: Teams will synergize on loadouts, strategize their approach for each mission and complete objectives together.1Enlist in Super Earth’s premier military peacekeeping force today. We are heroes… we are legends… WE ARE HELLDIVERS.
