Helldivers 2: Scope of Authority Warbond Launches October 20

Arrowhead Game Studios is sending a new batch of long-range firepower to the front lines of Helldivers 2. The Scope of Authority Premium Warbond was unveiled on October 13 via the game's official Steam news post and the PlayStation Blog, and it launches on October 20 for PC and PlayStation 5. Where recent Warbonds leaned on heavy ordnance and crossover theming, this one is built entirely around precision: new sniper tools, stealth armor, and a stratagem designed to slow enemies down before you line up the shot.

01What's in the Scope of Authority Warbond

Arrowhead frames Scope of Authority as "the next leap forward in long-range and clandestine combat solutions," and the Warbond's page count backs that up. It ships with four new weapons, one throwable stratagem, two armor sets with a shared passive, a cape and player card for each armor, an emote, and a title. Like every Premium Warbond before it, Scope of Authority requires the base game, Super Credits, and enough game progression to unlock — Arrowhead has not changed that structure for this release.

The headline piece is the R-40 Sightliner, a bolt-action primary sniper rifle that Arrowhead describes as balancing stability with armor-piercing power for long-range precision. It's paired with the P-44 Mist, a compact one-handed machine pistol meant for close encounters once an Automaton patrol closes the distance on you.

02The Anti-Materiel Rifle and Energy Weapon

For Helldivers who want more than a scoped rifle, the Warbond adds the AMW-20 Apex, a backpack-fed, colossal anti-materiel rifle with assisted reload that Arrowhead says can bring down even heavily armored targets. The fourth weapon, the LAS-44 Nova, extends the existing LAS energy-weapon line with a high-precision, non-explosive thermal projectile fired after a short charge cycle — and, like other LAS-series guns, it draws from the backpack's infinite ammo supply rather than a magazine.

Rounding out the offensive kit is the G-11 Caltrops stratagem, a throwable that scatters a wide field of proximity-detonated submunitions. Rather than dealing heavy damage outright, it's meant to slow and stun approaching enemies, buying a sniper team the extra second it needs to land a shot on something advancing through cover.

03Armor, Passive and Cosmetics

Two new armor sets ship alongside the weapons. The SS-33 Mimetic Marshal is a light armor styled after a traditional ghillie suit, built with light-diffusing netting and adaptive fiber technology, and it pairs with a matching Mimetic Mesh cape and player card. The SS-15 Focal Point is a medium armor with integrated adaptive camouflage and an asymmetrical visor, designed for Helldivers who move and shoot rather than hold a static position; it's meant to be worn with the Boundary Banner cape and player card.

Both sets carry the same new passive, Stationary Shroud, which reduces weapon sway and shrinks your detection range while crouched or prone — effectively rewarding players who set up and hold a firing position instead of running and gunning. The Warbond also includes the Manual Ballistic Projection emote and the Longshot title for players who want to show off their new specialty in the extraction zone.

04Release Date, Platforms and What to Know Before October 20

Scope of Authority goes live on October 20 on PC via Steam and on PlayStation 5, the two platforms Helldivers 2 currently supports. Arrowhead has not published exact Super Credit or Medal costs for unlocking individual pages ahead of launch, so treat specific prices as unconfirmed until the Warbond is live and purchasable on the Steam store page. As with every Premium Warbond, none of its contents require a real-money purchase on top of the credits you've already earned or bought — Super Credits are the only currency involved, and the page never expires once it's added to your collection.

If your squad's current loadout leans on close-range shotguns and explosives, Scope of Authority is a chance to build a dedicated long-range or overwatch role instead of asking everyone to run the same aggressive kit. The Stationary Shroud passive in particular changes how viable it is to hold a ridge line or a rooftop against an Automaton patrol, since previous armor passives rarely did much to reduce your visibility to enemies at range.

PlayStation's official reveal video for the Scope of Authority Warbond, posted alongside the October 13 announcement.

05What's Next for Helldivers 2

Arrowhead hasn't detailed what comes after Scope of Authority, and the studio traditionally reveals its next Warbond only a week or so ahead of release, so expect the next announcement sometime after October 20. In the meantime, the studio's Steam and PlayStation Blog news pages remain the most reliable places to confirm exact contents and pricing once the Warbond actually unlocks, rather than relying on pre-launch previews for numbers that could still change.