Helldivers 2 Cheater Pretends to Be Game Master Joel, Drops Unreleased APC in Random Group, Leaves

A viral Helldivers 2 gameplay clip seemingly showing Arrowhead Game Master Joel dropping into a random group’s game, spawning the unreleased armored personnel carrier, then leaving, certainly set the cat among the pigeons within the shooter’s community this week. Was Joel, dubbed the Dungeon Master of Helldivers 2, really bestowing such gifts upon players of the game? Turns out, no, he wasn’t.

"Joel: Please take this"

WHAT?!!#Helldivers2 #HelldiversII pic.twitter.com/zoOSpd1I57

— Helldivers 2 Media (@Helldiversmedia) March 24, 2024

According to RPS, a source familiar with Joel’s goings on confirmed the player posing as '[AH] Joel' in-game is in fact an imposter. So what’s going on? As IGN has reported, Helldivers 2 has seen a glut of gameplay leaks showing off unavailable stratagems, vehicles, and weapons (we saw a lot of the mech before it was officially released). They’re undoubtedly called in by players who are working around Helldivers 2’s anti-cheat to unlock the use of some of these normally unavailable features in live lobbies. Apparently unavailable stratagems such as unreleased vehicles are already in the game itself, but not officially enabled. Knowing this, some players are going into the files of the game to unlock their use in any lobby.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has yet to directly respond to these allegations, but according to RPS, the real Joel doesn’t sound too bothered. According to the site: “Real Joel is, however, seemingly glad that the impersonator wanted ‘other people to have fun’ as it's a goal that they ‘both share’.”

It looks increasingly likely that Helldivers 2 will get these so far unannounced vehicles at some point, which means players will be able to get around the map a lot faster. Players also expect the arrival (invasion?) of a third faction, after hints from Arrowhead about mysterious blue lasers.

If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others. Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it's still growing. Check out IGN's Helldivers 2 review to find out why it's going down so well.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.