Helldivers II X Halo: Why It Had to Be ODST

Feet First Into Hell and Beyond 

Launched from low orbit, the atmosphere burns around the drop pod. Beside you, other drop pods plummet, encased in flames. Below you, a planet ravaged by war. Crashing into the cityscape, you eject from your drop pod into danger. The enemy is all around you, and the world erupts into violence. This is because humanity is at war, and we are losing. But we haven’t lost. 

On August 26th, 2025, Arrowhead Games’ hit co-op shooter, Helldivers II, released for the Xbox Series X/S. The arrival of the game on Xbox was met with an astounding near-million sales, bringing a whole host of new recruits to the war effort. Yet, alongside the arrival of the affectionately named “Box-Divers” came a new Warbond that featured a beloved IP to gamers everywhere. Of course, the game that Helldivers crossed over with was Halo: ODST. 

ODST was an obvious choice for a crossover. The famed Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST) align perfectly with the core concept of Helldivers’ gameplay loop. As a Helldiver, you are launched from orbit in a drop pod and you plummet directly into battle as the frontline of humanity’s defense against tyranny. Does that sound familiar? It’s probably because that is basically the life of an ODST. But the perfection of the Helldivers X ODST crossover goes deeper than the fact that both types of soldiers deploy to the battlefield by being shot out of a spaceship. 

The crossover had to be the ODST because they represent the same things as the Helldivers. No, not the fascistic need to spread managed democracy throughout the galaxy. Beyond the tyrannical coat of paint the Helldivers don, both the Divers and the ODST show what humans are capable of when it seems all hope has gone out. Let’s explore why the crossover had to be the ODST. 

Humanity: Unbreakable, Unshakable, Undaunted

In both Helldivers and Halo, Earth falls under siege by forces technologically superior and vastly outnumbering humanity’s own. In both universes, Earth is not the first planet to be attacked, but it is a planet that withstands the weight of the enemy. It’s important to understand that, despite minor successes, in both universes humanity is losing ground. The fact that the Helldivers and ODST (amongst Spartans and marines) manage to save Earth is nothing short of amazing. 

Obviously, it’s easy to look at Halo’s Spartans like Master Chief and say humanity was never in any real trouble. Yet, the fact remains that the Master Chief is not just a human. Master Chief and the Spartans in general are the ace-in-the-hole for humanity. What makes the story of ODST and the struggles of the Helldivers so comparable is that, for all of their elite training and gear, they are just humans. The crossover had to be ODST because of who they are fundamentally. They represent humanity at its brightest when it’s in its darkest night. They are the human embodiment of our refusal to roll over and die.

Both the Helldivers and the ODST jump into hell feet first because, as much as we want to look to the Spartans to save us, or some super weapon like the DSS, sometimes all we have to look to is each other. 

Sometimes, no super soldier is coming to save the day. More often than not, inside and out of these universes, it’s only through the grit, luck, and sheer determination of humanity that we scrape by. In fact, even when we don’t, in both Helldivers and ODST we choose how we lose and make sure our enemies pay for it tenfold. For every dead Helldiver, they took one hundred bots at the Creek. For every loss, the ODST made sure the Covenant felt it in New Mombasa. 

The crossover had to be ODST because the Shock Troopers hold the same theme as the Divers. They both exist to show the universe that humanity will not break even when the odds are stacked against us. 

War As A Brutal Reality

The odds are especially brutal when it comes to the actual fighting. One thing everyone who has played ODST knows is that you don’t have shields. Unlike when playing as Master Chief or Noble Six, or Locke, the damage you take as Rookie and the other ODSTs doesn’t just regenerate. This is deliberate. If you don’t find healing supplies, you stay hurting. That is, until the hurting stops one way or another.

It’s the reality of war as a normal human being. Despite the armor of the ODST or the Helldivers, when you get hurt, you hurt. This is just the perspective of a soldier fighting in these sci-fi settings. It isn’t the slaughterfest of playing as a Spartan; it’s dangerous business. 

Now, obviously, Helldivers and ODST are both extremely good at killing things. They exist in video games, it would suck if they weren’t. Yet, the fact remains that the average lifespan of an active Helldiver is 2 minutes in the game’s lore. The horrific reality is that you aren’t a Spartan. Here, you aren’t some super soldier, the plot-armoured hero who finishes the fight. You are a Helldiver, you die in uncountable droves. You are Rookie, you skulk the streets of New Mombasa in fear of a brute’s gravity hammer ending your life. 

This Halo crossover needed to be ODST because only the Shock Troopers can share the same perspective as the divers. The impact of the crossover would be lessened by the inclusion of Spartans because it simply wouldn’t make sense. Part of the charm of Helldivers is the idea that you’re Earth’s finest but still a human being in a horrific war. A war in which millions upon millions, if not more, die daily. A war in which you and your squadmates, your friends, are likely to die horribly upon first contact with the enemy. An ODST would understand that better than a Spartan would, despite the Spartans’ own bravery. 

Persistence and Unity 

The ODST and the Helldivers also deliver two sides of the human experience. As touched upon earlier, both the Shock Troopers and Helldivers demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit. Yet, they also manage to show this in two ways that interlock with one another. 

In Halo 3: ODST, Rookie’s drop pod doesn’t make it to the same point as his squad. Knocked off course and forced to fight their way through the darkened streets of New Mombasa, players will feel the encroaching loneliness of the abandoned city, finding only enemies in their path. Obviously, everyone remembers the soundtrack as players hunt the Covenant and search for their friends. 

Yet, this lonely trial is the extent of what it means to persist as a human being. The vicious need to survive, to finish the mission. It is something that carries over into Helldivers II. Any player diving with their friends knows that adrenaline-pumping firefight waiting for Pelican One to land. Despite different experiences, it’s the same overall message. One is about a lonely fight to find their allies, while the other groups a squad together and thrusts them into the bloodiest of situations and demands they overcome.

The crossover had to be ODST because both capture that human drive to overcome, to survive, to finish the mission for their fellow humans. It goes beyond a Spartan’s programmed drive to follow orders. It’s instinctual, it’s indomitable, it’s the reason we dive feet first into Hell. 

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

• For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
• Follow us on Twitter HERE.
• Our Facebook page HERE.
• Our Instagram page HERE.
• Listen to our podcast on Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
• If you are a fan of cosplay, check out more of our cosplay features HERE.