Helldivers 2 Launches Scope of Authority Warbond and Switches to Easy Anti-Cheat

Helldivers 2 is getting two changes on the same day. Arrowhead Game Studios is launching the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond, a sniper and stealth-themed gear pack, while also flipping the game's anti-cheat system from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat. Both moves went live October 20, turning what was shaping up as a routine content drop into one of the bigger platform days in the game's post-launch run.

A Warbond built for distance

Arrowhead first detailed the Warbond on October 13, giving players an early breakdown of its sniper and stealth gear a week ahead of today's launch. The centerpiece is the R-40 Sightliner, a bolt-action primary rifle built around armor-piercing rounds and long-range precision. It's paired with the P-44 Mist, a compact one-handed machine pistol meant for close-range escapes when a target closes the distance.

For players who want to go bigger, the Warbond adds the AMW-20 Apex, a backpack-fed anti-materiel rifle with an assisted reload that trades subtlety for raw stopping power against heavily armored targets. Rounding out the weapons is the LAS-44 Nova, a new entry in the game's LAS energy-rifle line that draws on infinite ammo but fires a charged, non-explosive thermal shot rather than a continuous beam. A new throwable, the G-11 Caltrops, scatters proximity-triggered submunitions that slow and stun anything that walks through them.

Camouflage armor and the Stationary Shroud passive

Two armor sets ship alongside the weapons. The SS-33 Mimetic Marshal is a light-armor set modeled on a ghillie suit, while the SS-15 Focal Point is a medium-armor option built around an integrated optic visor for players who favor a more mobile playstyle. Both carry the new Stationary Shroud passive, which cuts weapon sway and shrinks how far enemies can detect the wearer while crouched or prone. The Warbond also includes the Manual Ballistic Projection emote and a new title, Longshot, for players who want to show off their range game.

Unlocking the full Warbond isn't automatic: it requires the base game, Super Credits and in-game progression, the same structure Arrowhead has used for past premium Warbonds rather than a flat one-time purchase.

Arrowhead swaps anti-cheat systems the same day

Separately, and on the same release date, Arrowhead is replacing GameGuard with Easy Anti-Cheat across Helldivers 2. In a studio post, Arrowhead said the GameGuard integration "wasn't as effective as it could have been," and that the team chose Easy Anti-Cheat instead because it's "an industry standard used in over 200 games" and should better protect "the Galactic War" and the integrity of matches. Easy Anti-Cheat already runs underneath games like Elden Ring, Fortnite, Rust and the recently launched Gears of War: E-Day.

Arrowhead is pairing the switch with what it calls additional security tools aimed at cheat mods currently circulating in the community, specifically ones that affect other players rather than just the user running them.

What it means for modders and PC players

The studio was careful to separate cosmetic modding from the mods it's targeting. Arrowhead says it still appreciates "the creativity behind cosmetic and non-gameplay mods," but that some non-malicious mods, particularly ones touching the game's files directly, may stop working until their creators update them. Players who believe a safe mod or program got wrongly flagged are being directed to Arrowhead's support channel on Zendesk rather than left to troubleshoot alone.

Arrowhead also confirmed the change doesn't raise Helldivers 2's hardware requirements, and that Steam Deck and Linux compatibility are unaffected, heading off one of the more common worries anytime a live-service shooter swaps its anti-cheat middleware.

Why today's double release matters

Bundling a premium content drop with an anti-cheat migration is an unusual pairing, but it fits the pattern Arrowhead has leaned on since Helldivers 2's 2024 launch: ship new Warbonds on a steady cadence while using the same release windows to quietly tighten the game's backend. With Scope of Authority giving long-range squads new tools and Easy Anti-Cheat now standing between the Galactic War and the cheat mods Arrowhead flagged, today's update touches both how players fight and how fairly those fights play out.