Skip To...
If you got a chance to get into Helldivers 2, you are probably aware of the epic war against the Terminids and the machines. But aside from banding together in the name of democracy and slaying the menaces that plague so many planets, you might have come across a certain character by the name of Joel. That might have raised the question, who is this Joel character in Helldivers 2? And what role does he play in the galactic war? Well, hereโs everything you need to know about Joel, the Game Master in Helldivers 2.
Since the explosive release of Helldivers 2, players have banded together to rid the galaxy of the bugs and the automatons, but every time players achieve a victory in one part of the overarching map, they lose a previously taken region. This back-and-forth tug of war seems too scripted to be a coincidence, and turns out, it is not.
Who Is Joel & What Does He Do In Helldivers 2?
Joel is the man who is pulling the strings behind the scenes, controlling the overall state of the war. This seems similar to the role of Game Master in a DnD game. And that is exactly the case, and this isnโt some fan theory. According to the director of Helldivers 2, Johan Pilestedt, Joel is indeed the Game Master of Helldivers 2.
The Game Master of Helldivers 2 pays attention to what the players are focused on, and in turn, decides where the bad guys will make their move next. But Joel doesnโt only nudge the Terminids and Automatons in different directions, he also decides the most important objectives that the humans need to complete. So whenever youโre pushing for an objective, know that it was set out by Joel.
Like many things, the Game Master of Helldivers 2 has become something of a meme in the Helldivers 2 community. If you saw his name floating around on Reddit or Twitter, now you know what it means. Players often refer to Joel when they find themselves in impossible situations they canโt shoot their way out of.
Does The Helldivers 2 Game Master Decide Who Wins?
This may seem like a problem at first glance, and make you think that Joel is controlling what percentage of a planet is liberated and that your efforts are in vain. But thankfully, that is not the case. Planets are constantly under siege by both players and Terminids and when the player count on any planet is lower than that of the bugs or automatons, the enemy takes the lead. The opposite also happens when more players join a certain planet and the total number of Helldivers crosses the number of bad guys.
We donโt know who Joel actually is, and we likely wonโt ever know, and that may be a good thing. But it is good to know that the narrative of the game canโt be controlled by one man, but players themselves.
