Helldivers 2’s New Rapid Acquisition Mission Reveals a Maxigun Plothole Players Can’t Unsee

Helldivers 2 quietly dropped a spicy little lore bomb with the surprise Magma Worlds update, and it says more about our caped space-marines than any stat screen ever has. Also: it accidentally makes one new gun look kind of ridiculous.

The platinum bars that broke my brain (a little)

The update added six new Automaton missions. Two of them have you stealing platinum bars the bots clearly mined for themselves. Nothing new there… until a player zoomed in on the engraving and posted it on Reddit. Shoutout to user Ok-Bug-1451 for catching this detail.

"PLATINA. 500 KG"

That’s not flavor text. That’s the weight. Each bar is half a metric ton — about 1,100 pounds — of pure platinum. And Helldivers are casually tossing those from point A to point B while sprinting across volcanic hellscapes. No stamina issues, no problem. Just a light jog with a motorcycle-and-a-half worth of precious metal under one arm.

Meanwhile, the Maxigun makes you plant your feet

Enter the M-1000 Maxigun from the Python Commandos warbond. It’s a belt-fed crowd pleaser that pins you in place when you fire. You have to brace for recoil. Which is hilarious, considering your soldier can shoulder a 500 kg ingot through a lava storm while getting shot at — but apparently cannot walk and hold down the trigger at the same time.

The current line is balance. And sure, video games need rules. But when the same game lets you juggle objects heavier than most bikes, it’s hard not to squint. Either these soldiers have the strength to manage recoil on the move, or those platinum blocks should require two teammates and a forklift. Right now, the math does not add up.

So what does this say about Helldivers, exactly?

If you’ve tanked a Bile Titan stomp or eaten a Hulk haymaker and kept moving, you already suspected it: Super Earth is not deploying regular humans. The platinum engraving kind of seals it. We’re playing genetically or mechanically enhanced super soldiers with oddly specific limits — rock-solid under 500 kg of metal, but delicate when you pull the Maxigun’s trigger. Someone at the Ministry of Enhancement forgot to spec-in recoil compensation.

How players cracked the Automaton writing (and how you can, too)

If you’re wondering how anyone knew what the platinum bar says, that’s thanks to the community. Just weeks after launch, players decoded the Automaton script you see on signs, terminals, and cargo all over their bases. The language is basically Swedish, dressed up as custom glyphs. Once you learn the mapping, you start spotting little in-universe jokes and labels everywhere.

• Grab a screenshot of any Automaton text in missions — on tech, signage, interior walls, containers.
• Match each glyph to its Swedish letter using the community-made Automaton alphabet chart.
• Run the Swedish through any standard translator to get the English meaning.
• Or skip the manual work with a fan-built Automaton translator app; it converts glyphs to letters and back the other way, fast.

Fans have dug up hidden notes, system labels, and worldbuilding bits with this DIY linguistics project. The platinum bar engraving is just the newest find — and it opens up a dozen new questions the longer you stare at it.

Final thought

If Helldivers can shoulder 500 kg platinum bricks through lava, maybe they should also be allowed to walk and chew Maxigun at the same time. Or we accept that managed democracy runs on vibes and call it a day. Your move, Super Earth.