Helldivers 2 players at last liberate Malevelon Creek mere hours after it appears as a Major Order

It happened. Malevelon Creek, the planet that was once the site of a major failure for the Helldivers 2 community, has been liberated — and it only took players hours after Arrowhead Games issued a Major Order for its capture.

On the morning of April 1, Helldivers 2 players got a new Major Order as a part of Operation Swift Disassembly: Liberate Malevelon Creek. The order arrived not long after the operation hit a major snag. Tibit, the planet divers needed to take for Phase II of the operation, fell. The loss was a bitter one for the community. During the weekend, players were desperately trying to organize a united front as the hard decisions that needed to be made caused discord among the ranks.

But Arrowhead then threw a curve ball: A new Major Order to liberate Malevelon Creek was issued to Helldivers 2 players. Roughly four hours later, the planet was ours.

Helldivers 2 players liberate Malevelon Creek a month after crushing defeat

For those not up to date on Helldivers 2 lore, Malevelon Creek is a planet that’s been held in the grips of Automaton forces since the game’s launch. In late February, the community suffered a major loss at the Creek as it fell fully under bot rule. Some of those who have come to lovingly refer to the dark, jungle planet as “Space Vietnam” never really forgot. It was and still is the inspiration behind some of the most popular Helldivers 2 memes, especially with the takes on Thomas Lea’s The 2,000 Yard Stare.

After the battle resumed, some in the Helldivers 2 community kept fighting for Malevelon Creek — albeit in lower numbers. Over the last month, the back-and-forth battle had been a Sisyphean task. Attempts to gather troops on Reddit and take back the Creek rarely met with success, yet the “Creekers” continued their fight.

The war of attrition seemed to finally come to a head over the weekend. Players on Reddit and the official Helldivers 2 Discord implored those fighting bugs or on the Creek to help liberate Tibit before Phase II expired on Monday. Sadly, things went awry, but Arrowhead was swift to let all players vent their frustrations by dogpiling the planet. Nothing brings divers together like spilling oil. Am I right, lads?

Phase III of Operation Swift Disassembly begins, but what’s next?

With Malevelon Creek now liberated, Helldivers 2 players have been tasked with Phase III of the operation: Hold Ground. The bots are counterattacking, and now it’s up to the divers to keep them from retaking the planets. With the bots losing almost all control of their sector, one wonders what’s next for them and Helldivers 2.

The appearance of mysterious blue lasers RKO-ing Helldivers out of nowhere is keeping many on pins and needles. Is the Illuminate, the third faction in the original game, on its way back? Will the Automatons end their campaign, or will they push back harder with their rumored flying gunships? Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how the Helldivers 2 story continues to change and evolve. Hopefully, with a bit more jolly cooperation from here on.