Arrowhead Game Studios has transitioned Helldivers 2 from its previous anti-cheat system, GameGuard, to Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC), a move intended to combat a recent rise in cheat mods. The developer warned that this transition, which occurred on October 20, could render existing mods, including those with only cosmetic or audio alterations, non-functional.
While Helldivers 2 does not officially support modding, a variety of community-created modifications exist, primarily for cosmetic changes or audio replacements. Arrowhead acknowledged the creativity of PC gaming modding but stated that the increase in mods providing unfair advantages necessitated stricter security measures. The studio noted that GameGuard had not been as effective as desired, leading to the adoption of EAC, an industry standard expected to better protect game integrity.
The studio advised that players using mods do so at their own discretion and directed those encountering issues potentially related to EAC to contact support. The primary solution for mod compatibility problems will be for mod creators to update their work.
The decision has been met with considerable opposition from the Helldivers 2 player base. Following the announcement, the game's Steam reviews saw a significant influx of negative feedback, with over 1,500 replies posted to the relevant discussion thread. In the 24 hours following the announcement, the game accumulated 846 negative user reviews, compared to 146 positive ones.
