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Helldivers 2 players have finally found an in-game quirk they don't want Arrowhead to patch out - lifesaving mid-air salutes and hugs

"It's a mechanic now."

Two helldivers hugging in Helldivers 2.
Image credit: Arrowhead

You won't believe this, but there's one bug in Helldivers 2 that players aren't planning on spending hours asking Arrowhead to fix, as has been the case a lot over the past few months. What makes this one different? Well, it's funny, basically.

Yup, unlike with the spear's troubles, or the Superior Packing Methodology not doing what it was supposed to, or the various performance issues folks have reported, this little quirk is getting off lightly. I suppose you will do if you give folks something to meme about that isn't just the fact they don't want some anti-tank mines they feared Arrowhead would sneakily give them the other day.

While it's been known for at least a couple of months now that helldivers who get launched up into the sky can emote in mid-air - dropping a salute or offering a hug when they should be ragdolling, players have recently discovered that doing so is seemingly a pretty reliable method of decreasing the amount of damage you take from falls.

After a video of someone testing this by yeeting themselves off of high objects a number of times gained a bunch of attention, it's become the thing to do on the game's subreddit - understandably so, as watching your character's body suddenly snap into a rigid salute or T-pose as they hurtle towards the ground is quite funny.

Attention Helldivers, using an emote mid-fall may SAVE YOUR LIFE!
by u/21471824781 in Helldivers

If you're wondering how it works, the current theory seems to be a simple one. If you're ragdolling, your diver's body flops to earth and is more likely to take damage to your head, while if you're rigid, you're seemingly more likely to end up landing in less fatal fashion on another body part. Odds are there's more going on under the hood, but that's the gist of folks' observations.

While this is all well and good, the surge in attention the strategy's been getting has set off some folks paranoia sensors, with them suddenly concerned that Arrowhead might well catch wind of it and patch it out, since it does stop your diver from taking the damage they should from the galaxy's greatest enemy - gravity.

Enter some folks calling on the developer to do the opposite and not only leave this quirk along but go one step further by making it canon. "Super Earth's Helldivers have shown to be so dedicated to their cause that they are relying on the power of Managed Democracy to keep them in the fight," is one player's suggestion of how this acknowledgement could look, "Our heroic warriors have on numerous occasions been observed surviving otherwise fatal falls simply by virtue of a show of unwaivering patriotism."

Are you hoping Arrowhead makes this fun little bug part of Helldivers 2's often hilarious lore? Let us know below and make sure to stay tuned for updates on what's happening in the Galactic War - with not much time currently being left on an MO that could lead Super Earth to land a "powerful interplanetary battle station"!

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