{
  "id": 17060171,
  "title": "Helldivers 2 Review Bombed on Steam After Anti-Cheat Friendly Fire",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/helldivers-2-review-bombed-on-steam-after-anti-cheat-friendly-fire",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T11:17:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/helldivers-2-review-bombed-on-steam-anti-cheat"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Arrowhead has transitioned to using Easy Anti-Cheat in Helldivers 2 in an attempt to curb cheaters and mods that provide unfair advantages. However, this shift has sparked controversy on Steam, as the new anti-cheat system has inadvertently blocked legitimate mods that many players rely on to enhance their gaming experience. Mods such as hellpod steering fixes, smoother vaulting and climbing mechanics, AI improvements, and more have been labeled as a nuisance by the anti-cheat software, which does not distinguish between harmless mods and those that offer unfair advantages.\n\nThe studio acknowledged the importance of mods to PC gaming and communities, appreciating the creativity behind cosmetic and non-gameplay mods. However, Arrowhead aimed to improve its protection against modifications that negatively impact other players, going beyond mere software manipulation to tamper with the game itself. After the change, recent reviews on Steam dropped to \"Mostly Negative,\" while overall reviews remain \"Mostly Positive.\" Some players have criticized Arrowhead for penalizing users who utilize mods to fix issues the developers themselves have failed to address.\n\nUseful mods include steering fixes, smoother movement mechanics, AI enhancements, and more. The anti-cheat system's lack of differentiation between these beneficial mods and those that provide invincibility has led to frustration among players. In the UK, the game is now unavailable on Steam. A Steam reviewer remarked, \"Arrowhead could have embraced the mods. There could have been Workshop support, similar to how Left 4 Dead 2 thrives today. Arrowhead could have had public vanilla lobbies separate from modded ones. Baldur’s Gate 3 has this!\"\n\nHelldivers 2 is a cooperative game where players team up to combat various alien races across the galaxy, facing overwhelming odds with bullets flying and squadmates often meeting tragic, yet humorous, fates.",
  "summary": "Arrowhead has switched to Easy Anti-Cheat to cut down on cheaters in Helldivers 2, but that decision has proven controversial on Steam. The new anti-cheat was supposed to prevent mods that give players unfair advantages, but it’s broken mods players use to tidy up the game.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}