Experimental Stratagems Explained: Dominate the Helldivers 2 Festival of Reckoning

Helldivers 2 just dropped its holiday event, Festival of Reckoning, and it is cheerfully chaotic in all the right ways. Yes, you can pelt your squad with snowballs. More importantly: there are three new Experimental Stratagems to toy with, each designed to make managed democracy a little more efficient.

The new toys (and what they actually do)

• 120MM EMS Projectile with Stun – Think your standard 120mm barrage, but add an electromagnetic pulse on impact. Enemies get stunned, which is especially nasty for Automatons. This one can shut down their Detector Towers, Command Bunkers, and Anti-Air Emplacements, while also locking up bot units for easy cleanup.
• Gatling Barrage Fire Projectiles – Same Gatling Barrage pattern, swapped ammo. These shells light the ground on fire, and incendiary damage in Helldivers 2 burns over time. Translation: this shreds Terminids, particularly Warriors, and turns bug swarms into barbecue.
• Walking Barrage with Smoke – A two-part problem solver: heavy explosives marched across an area, plus a smoke screen for cover. Great for cracking Terminid Nests and Automaton Fortresses while giving your team some concealment to retreat or reposition. Also clutch during extraction if the hordes are getting cute.

How to get them (and why you don't have to spend anything)

All three Experimental Stratagems are free for everyone. No Premium Warbonds required. They rotate in waves, so only certain ones will be available at a time, and the game will ping you when a particular Stratagem is up for temporary use. If that sounds a bit experimental-by-design, it is.

The holiday Major Order (yes, the end date is that far out)

Arrowhead paired the event with a new Major Order: liberate more planets during the Festival of Reckoning. The timeline runs until December 31, 2025, at 2:59 PM PST. That is not a typo; that is the stated end time.

Every planet you free gives Super Earth more leverage in the war effort. Come up short, and the game threatens a penalty called the 'Patriotic VAT Surcharge' to offset the losses. Finish the Major Order and you score 100 Medals. Simple, loud, and very on-brand.

Bottom line

Festival of Reckoning adds snowballs for the vibe and three Stratagems that actually change how you tackle both bots and bugs. They cost nothing, rotate in, and the current Major Order pays out if you put in the work. Arrowhead also hints more Major Orders are lined up for the season, so expect the cadence to continue. In the meantime: light up the bugs, stun the bots, and extract with style through a wall of smoke.