Helldivers 2 has a new bug problem, and this one bites back with venom. Arrowhead Game Studios has added the Noxious strain of Terminids to the galaxy, along with a wider spread of bug caves, in a change that went live on 3 November.
The details come from a PlayStation Blog post by Mitchell Ayre, community manager at Arrowhead, who describes the new strain as "fast, venomous, and fundamentally opposed to Managed Democracy." Push Square, which reported the update the same day, sums up the trade-off neatly: these bugs move faster than regular Terminids but are more fragile.
Meet the Noxious strain
Two new enemy types lead the way.
The Noxious Scavenger looks like a standard Scavenger, but Arrowhead says it is noticeably faster and harder to track. Every bite poisons, and it can bite again almost immediately. The upside is that it is fragile, so the post recommends shotguns, flamethrowers and grenades, with the reminder that "ammunition is cheaper than antivenom."
The Noxious Spewer is the bigger threat. Arrowhead says it is a large enemy that moves with surprising speed and is responsible for the webs you'll find on the battlefield. Its Web Spit works at medium range and takes away a Helldiver's ability to sprint after a single hit. Its bite has surprising reach and carries a stronger dose of venom than the Scavenger's.
There is a weak spot. The Spewer's head has medium armour, but its web-filled abdomen has none. Pop that abdominal sac, though, and it bursts in a Web Explosion that snares every nearby Helldiver and bug, so where you are standing matters.
How poison works
Poison gets a new icon on the HUD and comes in two stages, according to the post.
- Lightly poisoned: your vision starts to haze and the poison eats away at your health.
- Heavily poisoned: the damage over time increases, sprinting is disabled and your vision hazes.
Push Square puts it in one line: "Light poison steadily chips away at your health, while heavy poison stacks over time." The cure is one you already carry. Arrowhead says stims clear poisoning, and advises rationing them and using them on poisoned squadmates, not just yourself.
Caves spread across the galaxy
The second half of the update changes where you'll fight. Bug caves are no longer limited to a handful of worlds. The post says they "now have a chance to appear across more biomes on the Galactic map," with cave networks under deserts and tundras, and adds that "Every planet may have a hive beneath it."
Caves bring short sightlines and blind corners, so Arrowhead's advice is close-range firepower, sticking with your squad and keeping a stim in reserve. That lines up with the Noxious strain's design: fast, fragile enemies are exactly what you don't want appearing around a corner when your squad has scattered.
What isn't in this update
Arrowhead's post is about the new enemies, poison and caves. It doesn't announce new weapons, armour, stratagems or a Warbond to go with them, and it gives no patch number or figures such as damage values or cave spawn rates. Arrowhead hasn't said how long the Noxious strain will stay on the front line, or what comes next.
Beau's take: This is a smart pairing. Poison that kills your sprint, webs that slow you down and snare whole squads, and caves that cut your sightlines all push the same lesson: stay close to your squad and share your stims. A shotgun and a teammate who watches the corners are going to do more here than any heavy weapon. Squads that spread out to cover ground are going to have a rough first week underground, and that sounds like the point.
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