Helldivers 2 Adds Utility Belt in Early December Update
Arrowhead's developer blog confirms a utility belt, pack changes and new terminal puzzles for early December, while hotfix 7.2.3 restores cosmetic mods.
Arrowhead Game Studios has locked in a set of changes for the next major Helldivers 2 update, due in early December 2026, including a utility belt for small handheld items, pack changes and new terminal puzzles. The developer listed them in its November developer blog on Steam on November 10, 2026.
The developer blog also answers criticism of the October roadmap and the Easy Anti-Cheat switch, and a 7.2.3 hotfix followed on November 11. Here is what Helldivers 2 players can expect and what Arrowhead says is not ready yet.
Jump, Hover and Warp packs will work with two-handed items
According to Arrowhead, Jump, Hover and Warp packs will become usable while carrying two-handed items, which was not possible before. The studio says this allows new loadout combinations. The Hellbomb backpack can also be armed or picked up from the ground with a long-press interact.
The new utility belt lets players carry small handheld items such as remotes and detonators alongside a support weapon, so they no longer occupy the hands or the backpack. Arrowhead says this makes the Solo Silo and the C4 much easier to use, and the sample pouch can still be thrown.
Gas clouds stop slowing Helldivers and new terminal puzzles arrive
All gas clouds will no longer slow the march of the Helldivers. New terminal puzzles are also coming because Super Earth's foes “were starting to learn by watching Helldivers solve them,” according to the blog.
The Super Earth Armed Forces will also be able to open bunkers with you. Arrowhead lists all of these changes as locked in for the release, but the blog does not give patch notes yet.
Hotfix 7.2.3 lets cosmetic mods run again, gameplay mods stay banned
On PC, hotfix 7.2.3 fixed an issue that prevented certain cosmetic mods from functioning. Gameplay mods remain prohibited, because Arrowhead says anything that touches game code or memory can affect stability for everyone in a lobby.
“Running any mod that affects the game itself presents a risk to your account and, from a technical perspective, is indistinguishable from an attempt to cheat.”
- Arrowhead Game Studios, November developer blog on Steam
For cosmetic mods, the studio's steps are to reinstall the game, verify the game files through Steam and add mods one at a time, verifying again after each. Non-gameplay mods remain unsupported and may cause crashes or poor performance, and Arrowhead is tracking reports that virtual machines can no longer access the game.
The hotfix notes also list crash fixes, including one for poison or gas status effects in Hive World caves, as well as a fix for fire not working inside caves. Those caves are the subject of our report on the poison bug caves.
Hellpod steering fixes will likely miss the December update
Arrowhead says its Hellpod steering and Stratagem ball bouncing fixes need more playtesting and will likely not go live with the next major update. The team's confidence in the designs is high, according to the blog.
The studio also clarified that Update 7.2 arrived on October 20 and that patches run roughly six weeks apart, which is why content from the roadmap is still unfolding. It apologized for calling the caves a “new biome.”
Arrowhead has not given an exact release date or patch notes for the December update, and it has not announced a date for its next roadmap.
Helldivers 2 is a cooperative third-person shooter in which squads of up to four players are deployed from orbit onto hostile planets to complete strategic missions.
