October edit: Okay now other guns too feel actually viable. I'm kinda liking this game again

Let me preface by saying that it's fun, it's insane fun. But I don't think it needs nProtect Gameguard. All of the progression worries the devs talk about can be handled server side. It doesn't need an invasive AC. And a quick search on the Helldivers subreddit shows hackers are still there. So by principle I can't recommend it.

100 hour update: Maybe it deserves a revised rating after all I've played, considering even with the AC. Fwiw, it is really fun - I do believe with your buddies you can draw out at least 50-70 hours of fun and bullshittery.

But I must add, that in its current state at least, it kind of starts feeling like a grind/chore eventually. I think the main thing to blame is not the gameplay loop, but the overall balancing - you mostly feel compelled to take the same weapons/stratagems depending on the frontier - there's little room for experimentation unless you like to keep dying. Though that is all my humble opinion, which I feel eventually slows down the fun.

Maybe those things change with the new difficulty 10 update. But I do hope the devs eventually do revise the weapons

Escalation of Freedom update: Hope AH is happy now with their balancing :)

October edit: Okay now other guns too feel actually viable. I'm kinda liking this game again Let me preface by saying that it's fun, it's insane fun. But I don't think it needs nProtect Gameguard. All of the progression worries the devs talk about can be handled server side. It doesn't need an invasive AC. And a quick search on the Helldivers subreddit shows hackers are still there. So by principle I can't recommend it. 100 hour update: Maybe it deserves a revised rating after all I've played, considering even with the AC. Fwiw, it is really fun - I do believe with your buddies you can draw out at least 50-70 hours of fun and bullshittery. But I must add, that in its current state at least, it kind of starts feeling like a grind/chore eventually. I think the main thing to blame is not the gameplay loop, but the overall balancing - you mostly feel compelled to take the same weapons/stratagems depending on the frontier - there's little room for experimentation unless you like to keep dying. Though that is all my humble opinion, which I feel eventually slows down the fun. Maybe those things change with the new difficulty 10 update. But I do hope the devs eventually do revise the weapons Escalation of Freedom update: Hope AH is happy now with their balancing :)