Update: Rirga Bay is now available to play, featuring the new Illuminate enemies.
Update 2: The Void Piercer major order is now live. Helldivers must hold Rirga Bay to defend the Void Warp Relay and complete 100,000 Terminid operations on Omicron.
Arrowhead Game Studios released the big Helldivers 2 update early Wednesday morning, with patch 7.0.0, officially titled Devoid of Liberty, going live at 2:01 a.m. PT. The download weighs in at 5.46 GB on PS5.
This is the update that opens the Void, and it lands alongside the Warhammer 40,000 crossover warbond, a real-world merch program, and a doubled level cap.
There are also a couple of launch-morning gotchas to know about before you dive, both of which I ran into firsthand.
Helldivers 2 Enters The Void
The in-game Ministry of Expansion bulletin puts the Illuminate front and center, warning that innocent worlds are dying inside an expanding zone of reality-warping distortion.
Helldiver exploratory insertions have been approved, with new missions sending squads through a chain of terrorized colonies to “break the heart of the Void.”
The official patch notes tease “new, hideously mutated organisms” waiting along the way, so expect fresh enemy types as you push toward the anomaly.
Level Cap Raised To 300
The update also doubles the level cap from 150 to 300.
I can confirm the new progression is live, as my own Helldiver came out of the update sitting at Level 203 with the XP bar already tracking toward the new ceiling.
Helldivers 2 levels are updated. I’m 203 out of 300 now. pic.twitter.com/TrAYoVJA2l
— Cosmic Book News (@cosmicbooknews) August 12, 2026
Super Merch Is Real, Physical Merchandise
The wildest addition might be Super Merch, an in-game program that unlocks real-world merchandise for playing.
The announcement screen tells players who distinguished themselves in the name of Super Earth that they are now eligible to purchase commemorative, Super Earth-approved goods, with a QR code pointing to the store.
Two items are up first: the Hell Commander Pin at $25 and the Private Teddy Snuggles Plush at $40. Both list an earn deadline of February 28, 2027 and a purchase deadline of March 31, 2027, which points to a months-long campaign rather than a one-off drop.
Demand is already heavy enough that the merch site is running a virtual queue with a 10-minute entry window once your turn comes up.
Worth noting: Arrowhead’s recent “Face the Unknown” teaser showed a Helldiver teddy bear getting pulled into the Void. That exact bear is now the Teddy Snuggles plush, meaning the teaser doubled as a merch reveal hiding in plain sight.
Warhammer 40K Castellan’s Creed Warbond
Today also marks the launch of the Helldivers 2 x Warhammer 40,000 Castellan’s Creed Legendary Warbond, inspired by the Cadian Kasrkin of the Astra Militarum.
It runs 1,500 Super Credits, can’t be claimed with an existing Premium Warbond token, and follows the Halo: ODST and Killzone crossovers in the Legendary format.
Access Token Error Fix
Fair warning if you close the game after updating. When I tried to get back in, I was hit with a Network Error reading “Access token is expired” alongside JSON error code 2097666.
I did just issue a passkey for my PS account prior to closing and relaunching, which may have been the culprit.
The fix that worked: fully restart your PS5, then sign back in when prompted with the QR code.
That forces a fresh authentication token and got me straight back into the game. With servers getting hammered on launch morning, expect plenty of players to hit this one.
The Update Resets Your Loadout Like A Fresh Install
One more heads-up before you drop.
The update wipes your equipped loadout, so armor, weapons, helmet, and cape all revert. Re-equip everything before queueing up, or you’ll be diving without your usual kit.
It actually goes beyond the loadout. It’s like the entire game has been reset, as Matar Bay is unlocked and open.
The game also throws all kinds of directions at you as if you just installed it for the first time.
The first major order is now live. Void Piercer tasks Helldivers with holding Rirga Bay to defend the Void Warp Relay, completing 100,000 Terminid operations on Omicron, and collecting the new E-711 resource, all for 30 medals. See you planetside, Helldivers.
