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Following its release on February 8, 2024, “Helldivers 2” quickly became a favorite amongst PS5 and PC players. The game won multiple awards, including BAFTA’s Best Multiplayer Game, TIGA’s Game of the Year, and the Golden Joystick’s Multiplayer and Console Game of the Year.
With its Player versus Environment (PvE) format, collaborative objectives, and murderous swarms of undemocratic alien enemies, “Helldivers 2” encourages teamwork and bonds players in the crucible of digital combat. While Xbox players have been left out for over a year, they have now joined the fight and bring with them new content from the “Halo” franchise.
Read: A video game might usher in an era of peace and unity in the digital world
“Helldivers” doesn’t try to hide its references to other franchises. “Starship Troopers” and “Terminator” come to mind with the Terminid bug and Automaton robot enemies, but “Halo” has always been on the minds of players. The green TR-117 Alpha Commander armor is a not-so-subtle tribute to everyone’s favorite Spartan, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Of course, Helldivers dropping in Hellpods are awfully similar to Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs), nicknamed Helljumpers, going into combat in drop pods.
On August 26, 2025, Arrowhead Studios brought “Halo” fully into the universe with the Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond. The new content includes “Halo” weapons, such as the iconic MA5C Assault Rifle and M90A Shotgun.
For a full ODST experience, players can pair the A-9 Helljumper Armor with the suppressed MS7 SMG and M6C/SOCOM Pistol. The Warbond even includes skins for the vehicles, like the Mean Green Shuttle for Pelican-1, another obvious Halo reference.
Aside from the new weapons, Xbox players will find some familiar weapons already in the “Helldivers” arsenal. The APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle features similar performance to the SRS99-AM sniper rifle, and the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon has to be charged up like a certain M-6 Spartan Laser.
The “Halo” crossover is not the first time “Helldivers 2” has brought in an entirely different franchise. In December 2024, Arrowhead released content from the “Killzone games,” previously touted as the Sony-exclusive answer to Microsoft’s “Halo.” However, the new “Helldivers” drop represents Sony’s first direct release of a major PlayStation Studios title on the Xbox.
Before this historic collaboration, Helldivers 2 was even recognized by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. for uniting players across borders. With humanity united to defend Super Earth against freedom-hating aliens, it’s easy for gamers to set aside real-world differences and work toward a common goal of slaughtering bugs, clankers, and squids. It might not resolve the Russo-Ukrainian War or the tensions in the South China Sea, but “Helldivers 2” does give humanity a bit of hope for a better future.
For Xbox players dropping into the world of “Helldivers” for the first time, welcome. Your contribution to the galactic war effort is greatly appreciated, and your inevitable sacrifice on the battlefield will be in the name of Managed Democracy.
Like all video games, “Helldivers 2” has some griefers who will troll you with teamkills, but the community is largely positive and helpful. Experienced players often share advanced weapons and gear with newer players, and communication, even across languages, is made easier with the communication wheel.
Just remember that you’re LARPing as an ODST, not a Spartan. Enemy swarms can easily overrun you, and you don’t have MJOLNIR armor with a recharging shield. So, work with your squad mates, call in those strategems, hit a non-addictive stim or two, and when you inevitably die, dive again. Managed Democracy calls for aid. Only you can answer, Helldiver… or Helljumper.
While the Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST Warbond doesn’t include the iconic ODST soundtrack by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, you can still drop into the ruined city of a human colony to battle alien invaders with “Overture” or “Deference for Darkness” playing from your phone. Let the raindrops fall on your helmet as you cut down Liberty’s foes to the tune of a lonely saxophone.
