Helldivers 2’s Orbital Stratagems could be so much better with one perk from first game

Helldivers 2’s Orbital Stratagems need cooldown changes, but the original game already figured out the perfect solution with a specific Perk.

The Helldivers sequel plays host to about half a dozen Orbital Cannon Stratagems, each one capable of turning the tide of battle in an instant. They all come with at least one shortcoming, too: incredibly long cooldown times.

Using the Orbital Walking Barrage forces a wait time of 240 seconds before it’s ready again, for example. The cooldown on the Orbital Laser lasts even longer at 300 seconds. Meanwhile, most of the Eagle strikes only have 15-second cooldowns, making these attacks ideal for most loadouts.

But would reducing the cooldowns on Helldivers 2’s Orbital Stratagems really improve the action, as some players believe? As someone who’s lost Divers multiple times in the same match to over-eager allies repeatedly calling in Orbital attacks, I’d have to disagree.

If Arrowhead does eventually oblige requests for an Orbital Stratagem overhaul, it should look no further than the original Helldivers for the blueprint.

The first title included Perks, bonuses that enhanced Divers on an individual level as opposed to boosting the whole squad. Only one Perk could be equipped at a time, their accessibility contingent on Rank-based unlocks. One such Perk included Stratagem Priority, which reduced all Stratagem cooldowns by 40%.

Thanks to Stratagem Priority, game-changers like the Orbital Laser Strike had their cooldowns decreased from 180 seconds to 108 seconds. A similar feature could work wonders in Helldivers 2, improving Stratagems without forcing sweeping changes to the core gameplay structure.

Limited access to a Stratagem Priority would provide more veteran players with a cooldown buff, thus reducing the chances of all-out chaos if everyone were to receive the same improvement.

It would make sense for such an ability to become a Helldivers 2 Booster, which more or less works like the classic Perks. Arrowhead would have to work around the modifier’s squad effects since each player’s Booster currently buffs the whole team, but such a change would be a great improvement to Helldivers 2 overall.