Arrowhead Game Studios moved Helldivers 2 from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat on October 20, and warned that some mods will stop working as a result. The studio set out the change in an announcement on the game's Steam page.
Arrowhead said it is doing two things: adding security measures aimed at cheat mods that have been circulating, and making the move to Easy Anti-Cheat "with additional security tools in place to enhance its effectiveness and improve game integrity protection." Asked in its own FAQ why it was switching, the studio said GameGuard's implementation in Helldivers 2 "wasn't as effective as it could have been," and described Easy Anti-Cheat as an industry standard used in more than 200 games.
Helldivers 2 has no official modding support, and PC Gamer reported that most of the mods in circulation are cosmetic or audio replacements. Arrowhead said it had not previously taken a position on modding beyond warning that it cannot guarantee mods are safe or usable, and that a recent rise in cheat mods prompted it to act.
Where we need to improve is how we protect players against modifications that create unfair advantages or negatively impact others, which goes beyond software manipulation to tamper with our game.
What breaks, and what does not
The studio said mods that affect other players' experience may no longer function, and that some non-malicious cosmetic mods will need updates from their individual creators before they work again. Because mod use is at the player's own discretion, Arrowhead said it cannot determine which mods are safe, and asked players who believe Easy Anti-Cheat is blocking a non-destructive mod to contact its support on Zendesk.
Arrowhead also confirmed that the switch imposes no new hardware requirements, and that Steam Deck and Linux compatibility is unchanged.
Player response
PC Gamer reported that the announcement drew more than 1,500 replies on the Steam discussion thread, and that 846 negative user reviews were posted on the day of the switch against 146 positive ones.
Eurogamer noted that the Steam post is not available in the United Kingdom, where players remain unable to play Helldivers 2 because of an unresolved issue. Sony has said it will address that with Valve, and Eurogamer reported that there had been no resolution as of its writing.