Helldivers 2's controversial Killzone Warbond returns, this time with better pricing, more items, and less FOMO

Nothing angers me more than an illogical, out-of-place videogame crossover - as a long-suffering Call of Duty fan, I've got my fair share of scars from this already. However, a genuinely great crossover, where the tone and aesthetics match up to great effect, always fills me with joy. The Helldivers 2 Killzone crossover last year was meant to be just that - weapons and armor sets that celebrate Guerrilla Game's shooter series while fitting into the galactic battles of Arrowhead's excellent co-op game. However, the limited-time Killzone set ended up being shrouded in controversy before disappearing into the ether. Now, 12 months on, it's returning, and it'll be sticking around for good.

"It seems fitting that a year after their initial launch, we bring back this iconic content but now in a new and improved format and pricing - yes, we totally heard you all!" declares Arrowhead's community manager, Mitchell Ayre, in a new Playstation Blog post. For the unaware, Helldivers 2's last attempt at this Killzone collab was blasted for costing way too much. Arrowhead was also criticized for making it a limited-time run, with fans accusing it of trying to whip up FOMO. The pressure got so intense, the studio ended up giving the second batch of Killzone cosmetics away for free to those that had forked out for the first.

Well, with its re-release, those concerns have been put to bed. The two separate Killzone packs have now been combined into one Legendary Warbond that'll set you back 1,500 Super Credits. For reference, a bundle of 2,100 Super Credits costs $19.99 / £15.99. What's more, the Killzone Warbond throws in a few extras, such as patterns for Exosuits and vehicles, making it even better value.

All of the content previously offered up in the two Killzone packs returns, so this Warbond will get you the AC-1 and AC-2 armor sets, three weapons, two capes, two player banners, one armor passive, and one title, plus those aforementioned patterns.

If you were one of those lured into buying these items last year and feel a vengeful rage building within you, then don't worry, Arrowhead's got you. "Players who have previously purchased any (even one) of the Killzone items, will have the whole Helldivers 2 x Killzone Legendary Warbond unlocked at no extra cost!" it says in the blog post. "Additionally, there is no medal vacuum here! The items previously purchased (and those which were gifted last December) will be medal unlocked. So no need to spend medals on the items you already own!"

As mentioned, this is also not going to be another limited-time offering. The Helldivers 2 Killzone Warbond will become available on Thursday, December 18 at 7am PST / 10am EST / 2pm GMT / 3pm CEST and will remain purchasable for good.

It's great to see this crossover return in a form that is far more accessible and much better value. Arrowhead has proven it's good at learning from criticism and bouncing back from mistakes (it's had a lot of practise at this point) and this is yet more proof of that.