Helldivers 2 has had no shortage of ambitious ideas floating around its community, but few have sparked as much conversation as the possibility of fully customizable Stratagems. The topic resurfaced recently when Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, made a candid remark in the official Helldivers 2 Discord — one that immediately captured the attention of thousands of players.
His comment didn’t confirm any new feature, and it wasn’t framed as an official announcement. But it was enough to ignite speculation and raise hopes for one of the most-requested expansions to the game’s arsenal system.
The Conversation That Reignited the Idea
The discussion began when a player brought up a highly specific theoretical change: the option to switch the HMG mounted on the Fast Reconnaissance Vehicle (FRV) with something entirely different, such as a Maxigun or even a grenade launcher. Their suggestion wasn’t outrageous. In fact, it was a detailed, practical idea grounded in the current structure of Stratagems — small tweaks that don’t reinvent the wheel, but offer meaningful personal differences in how squads approach missions.
Jorjani’s reply was brief but loaded with implication:
“I’m 100% for more customization. Personally speaking.”
Those five words — “100% for more customization” — circulated through the community almost instantly. And while he did clarify that this was his personal view, not a formal development promise, it was still notable that the head of the studio openly supported such a transformative idea.
The Weight of a CEO’s Words
Most large game studios avoid promising or implying features until they’re deep in production. Yet Arrowhead has been unusually open, especially as Helldivers 2 has navigated moments of turbulence over the past year. For players, hearing the CEO himself advocate for customization sends a clear signal: the studio understands what players want.
Jorjani has consistently engaged with the community on Discord, sometimes stepping into challenging discussions during periods of criticism, performance issues, or frustration over balance changes. His presence has earned respect, and his willingness to respond directly gives his comments — even casual ones — far more weight.
Players know he’s not just tossing out ideas. His words indicate what the leadership wants the game to become, even if timing remains uncertain.
Why Stratagem Customization Is a Big Deal
Stratagems are the beating heart of Helldivers 2. They define the player experience as strongly as weapons or armor sets. Each Stratagem offers a highly specialized function, and part of the fun comes from combining them creatively in squad play.
Currently, however, Stratagems are locked designs:
- Every vehicle comes with its default loadout
- Every turret has fixed stats
- Every support item behaves the same from mission to mission
- Tactical equipment cannot be adjusted or reconfigured
Players can choose which Stratagems to take on a mission, but they cannot modify the internal components or behaviors of these tools. For a game with this much tactical potential, the lack of depth in this area has become a recurring discussion point.
Imagine if players could:
- Equip different primary weapons on support vehicles
- Alternate between lighter or heavier armor plates
- Swap turret projectile types
- Convert explosive Stratagems into stun or disruption variants
- Add attachments or modules to orbital weapons
Even modest adjustments could vastly expand the game’s meta, allowing squads to build specialized roles around their preferred mission style.
What This Feature Would Mean for Gameplay
If Arrowhead greenlit Stratagem customization, it would open doors to entirely new mission strategies. You could assemble loadouts for:
- Heavy anti-armor vehicle setups
- Crowd-control builds for bug-heavy missions
- High-mobility tactical kits for fast extraction runs
- Support-focused builds where one player manages all utility functions
In short, customization would create identity for players within missions. Instead of everyone having roughly the same tools, squads could form unique compositions designed around their favorite approaches.
This is something Helldivers 2 already flirts with, but hasn’t fully embraced.
The Challenges Standing in the Way
Even though customization sounds like a dream feature, implementing it would be a major undertaking — one that might explain why Arrowhead hasn’t confirmed anything yet.
Challenges include:
1. Balance Overhaul
Helldivers 2’s balance depends heavily on predictable Stratagem behavior. Change one value too drastically and a Stratagem could become overpowered, useless, or exploitable.
2. Code System Complexity
Many Stratagems rely on specific animations, physics interactions, or scripted sequences. Swapping components could break existing logic or require entirely new animations.
3. Testing and Stability
Given the game’s previously documented performance struggles, Arrowhead is focusing on structural improvement. Introducing flexible Stratagem variants too early might strain the engine further.
4. Development Priority Reset
The studio is still restructuring how it works, planning updates more carefully to avoid the patch‑crisis cycles seen earlier in the year.
Despite the challenges, customization remains one of the most desired features among players — and Jorjani’s support keeps the idea alive.
The Current Scope of Customization in Helldivers 2
As things stand, customization is limited mostly to:
- Weapons
- Armor sets
- Character appearance
While useful, these systems are far more superficial than the kind of mechanical depth players want. There have been whispers about planned ship customization, suggesting that Arrowhead may already be exploring ways to give players a richer sense of ownership.
But Stratagem customization would be on another level entirely — something that touches core gameplay loops, not just aesthetics.
The Reality of Helldivers 2’s Development Cycle
Helldivers 2 has gone through a turbulent evolution since launch. A mixture of performance dips, server strain, and technical problems forced the studio to shift into a reactive posture earlier in the year. Since then, Arrowhead has emphasized stability, optimization, and long-term planning.
This means that while exciting new features are absolutely possible, they need to be introduced at the right time. A huge system like Stratagem customization can only thrive if the game’s foundations are secure.
Jorjani’s comment, then, should be interpreted as:
“We want to do this, but we need to be ready first.”
And that’s a reasonable stance for a game still finding its rhythm.
Listening to the Community Matters
One thing that separates Helldivers 2 from many modern live‑service shooters is the closeness between the developers and the players. Arrowhead listens — sometimes painfully closely — to feedback, criticisms, and suggestions. Many gameplay changes have been directly influenced by persistent player requests.
Stratagem customization fits perfectly into this tradition. It’s not a random idea from a niche group, but a feature many players have been requesting since the game’s earliest weeks.
Hearing the CEO express enthusiasm reinforces the sense that Arrowhead genuinely cares about the community’s vision for the future.
What Comes Next?
The big question is whether this feature will ever materialize. Jorjani’s comment shows interest, but no commitment. The studio will almost certainly focus on:
- Performance polish
- Codebase stability
- Bug reduction
- Smoother updates
- Strategic long-term planning
Only after these foundations settle is a massive overhaul like Stratagem customization likely to move into the spotlight.
Still, the seed is planted — and the studio’s leadership appears eager to see it grow when the time is right.
Final Thoughts
The idea of customizable Stratagems is no longer just a dream whispered by dedicated Helldivers. With the CEO of Arrowhead expressing unambiguous enthusiasm for expanding customization, the possibility feels more real than ever.
Even if implementation is months — or years — away, this moment has already energized the community. It signals that Arrowhead is open to exploring deeper systems, new tactical layers, and player-driven creativity.
And for a game built on cooperation, adaptation, and choice, that direction feels like a natural and promising evolution.