Helldivers 2 poses the ultimate moral dilemma in its new Major Order

Hell divers 2 players have just completed a campaign against the Terminid threat, culminating in the destruction of Meridia. The supercolony – and the ominous black hole it left behind – will likely lead to even more consequences. But while we wait for all this to be resolved, why not take up a moral issue about orphans as a treat?

The latest Major Order is aptly named Operation Trolley Problem, a reference to a long-standing philosophical puzzle: do you let five die on the titular trolley by doing nothing, or do you pull a switch and kill one? Except this is the over-the-top world of Hell divers 2so the question is: are you going to save a bunch of sick kids from total destruction by killer robots, or are you going to get some cool anti-tank mines?

There are two planets in need of liberation: Vernen Wells, host of Super Citizen Anne’s Hospital for Very Sick Children, or the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines on Marfark. The Major Order text in the game reads: “Only the first liberated planet is likely to be saved. It is up to the Helldivers to determine which course of action – saving the children, or the AT mines – will ultimately save the most freedom.”

At first glance, this may seem pretty bad! You might think that there is only one obvious “right” choice, and that is to save the children. But has it occurred to you that the Helldivers have now been denied access to these mines twice? Helldivers once had to choose between the Airburst Rocket Launcher and we chose the latter. Another time we had to cut a minimum number of bots to get the mines – a goal we missed.

Also, as a wise philosopher once asked – what if these children have a bad atmosphere? We haven’t seen or heard anything about their plight, other than to say it’s a miracle they’re still alive. At the moment, both planets are completely untouched by the conquest of Helldivers, so this Order could go either way when it comes to what players will decide. The game sets the parameters of our decision: we must try to do what has the most associated freedom. Personally, I’m eager to finally get my hands on those mines. But those children could be very useful, considering that Super Earth has policies that promote child labor. Really, the latest Major Order offers a lot to think about.