Helldivers 2 Players Celebrate the First Anniversary With the First Episode of Chronicles of J.O.E.L and Carefully Placed Hints

Today, February 8, 2025, marks the first anniversary of this amazing game. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen issues with the PSN, it seems that the in-game festivities have been put on hold. As of the time of writing this article, there is no anniversary Major Order, Special Event, or, any large-scale development. However, the Helldivers 2 developers did treat their devoted player base with the first episode of a new series called Chronicles of J.O.E.L. Eagle-eyed Helldivers immediately picked up on some interesting details.

Developers Present a New Series – Chronicles of J.O.E.L

The official YouTube channel of Helldivers 2 posted the very special first episode of Chronicles of J.O.E.L. In this new series, J.O.E.L (or simply Joel) will be talking about the biggest battles of the past year.

The description reads: “The Game Master speaks! To celebrate our first anniversary, Game Master Joel sat down to share his favorite community moments from the past year in the Galactic War—the wins, the losses, and everything in between”.

The opening lines of the video are blood-chilling. J.O.E.L states: “I am Super Earth High Command, I am the Terminid swarm, I am the socialist Automatons, I am the elusive Illuminates. The Game Master plays all sides. I am J.O.E.L”.

J.O.E.L goes on to explain how much of an impact players have on the game’s lore. The Game Master then shares one of their favorite battles so far – the battle of Mort. This defense mission lasted for 48 hours, and it was won during the last minutes.

As a refresher, this defense was meant to fail at the start, however, Helldivers gathered in huge numbers and managed to flip the projection. In a simply ludicrous twist, Helldivers still almost failed, as the Steam maintenance foiled their amazing feat. Yup, the regular Tuesday Steam maintenance almost ruined Helldivers’ attempt to keep the bots away. During the maintenance, the PlayStation players stood their ground, and soon after, the PC players were able to join them and successfully finish the defense with three minutes to spare.

Helldivers 2 Players Think J.O.E.L Gave Them a Hint

Now, don’t get us wrong, Helldivers 2 players were quite happy with the Chronicles of J.O.E.L, however, they were ecstatic once they noticed a possible clue. If you compare the map that is in the background while J.O.E.L talks, you can see a major hint about what’s about to happen.

First of all, Meridia has made a lot of progress. Second, in the top left corner, you can see something is happening on the bot front, maybe another effort of the Jet Brigade? Finally, the bright spot on the bug sector might indicate a Major Order is in progress. That’s quite a lot happening all at the same time.

Players loved the simplicity of this hint, and it raised quite a lot of hype in the community. Historical_View1359 noted: “This game leaks so much I love it”. Another player, HellhamerX, stated: “J.O.E.L about to give me the most violent birthday present ever”.

Even though things have been quiet so far, maybe it’s just the quiet before the storm. So, stay vigilant, dear Helldiver! We wish you a very happy anniversary, and may you slay bugs, bots, and Squids for years to come. For Liberty and Super Earth.