They fly now?! Helldivers 2 update adds new aerial threats

Spreading democracy just got a bit more difficult. Helldivers 2 received a new update today and it seems a new threat has arrived.

While not officially mentioned by developer Arrowhead in the patch notes, players have discovered a new type of flying Terminid enemy. These new winged monsters are called Shriekers, and they are angry little beasts.

According to Windows Central, they aren't in every map — only the ones in which a "Shrieker Lair" side objective is available.

If you do happen to see one of these maps, prepare for these winged menaces to divebomb you from the air and attempt to rip you to pieces with their large talons.

Arrowhead has not acknowledged the arrival of these Shriekers and the company's CEO has been playing coy on social media.

But the proof is out there. There are numerous videos of Shriekers in action and more popping up every minute.

Aerial enemies are another new addition to the Helldivers franchise thanks to the shift from the top-down view to the third-person. With the skies now free game, who knows what other dastardly enemies may fly into combat.

Maybe we'll get some new gear to help us better fight off these new enemies. The Shriekers come just a few days after the community unlocked mechs. But the general consensus among the community is that the mechs pretty much suck and aren't worth it.

Helldivers 2 has been out since February now and continues to receive updates regularly. Not every update adds something as exciting as new enemies, but it is a good sign that the game is still healthy. Helldivers 2 sold over one million copies in its first month of release and it doesn't seem like the hype has tapered off one bit. Social media is still flooded with fanmade videos that highlight the memorable emergent gameplay moments. I can only imagine what we'll see now with these Shriekers.