《Helldivers 2》反作弊从 GameGuard 换为 Easy Anti-Cheat，Steam Deck 与 Linux 游玩不变

Arrowhead Game Studios moved Helldivers 2 from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat on October 20, pairing the change with new security measures aimed at cheat mods. In a Steam announcement, the studio framed the change as a defense of the Galactic War, the shared meta-game that every Helldivers 2 player contributes to.

The announcement also gives Helldivers 2 a modding policy it had never spelled out before. Arrowhead welcomes cosmetic and non-gameplay mods, targets mods that create unfair advantages, and leaves the safety call to players. The studio made two changes at once, a crackdown on circulating cheat mods and the move from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat, each reinforced by extra security tools.

The change lands on a packed October 20, the same day Arrowhead released the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond. Arrowhead said the transition happens “today, October 20th,” so the new anti-cheat and modding policy apply to the current build immediately.

Why the Galactic War Makes Cheating Everyone’s Problem

Arrowhead grounds the change in “fairness and honor,” which it calls the long-standing foundation of Helldivers in the Galactic War. The studio’s complaint is that rule-bending players have moved past their own sessions and into “the battles of those who play alongside them.”

Arrowhead describes cheating as “affecting not only their own games but also the battles of those who play alongside them, affecting pick-up rates, and even going so far as to manipulate the war itself, breaking the unfolding story and dragging down innocent players with it.”

Helldivers 2 is built around co-op, so a cheater drags down teammates and the shared war. The studio said it has watched rule-bending happen “for too long.”

Helldivers 2 is a set of missions feeding one galaxy-wide campaign. Mission results move planets toward liberation or back toward enemy control, and every squad’s performance writes to the same shared map. A cheat that inflates liberation, samples, or mission success shifts that strategic map for every player, including people who never installed a mod. Arrowhead uses “pick-up rates” for in-mission resource collection and “manipulate the war itself” for the global campaign, and it treats both as one integrity problem.

GameGuard Out, Easy Anti-Cheat In

Before October 20, Helldivers 2 used GameGuard. Arrowhead now says that implementation “wasn’t as effective as it could have been.” The replacement is Easy Anti-Cheat, which the studio describes as “an industry standard used in over 200 games.” Arrowhead pairs EAC with additional, unspecified security tools. Easy Anti-Cheat replaces GameGuard as the anti-cheat platform across the game, while the additional measures go after the recent cheat mods specifically. Arrowhead also pointed players to EAC’s own support page for more information about the system.

The modding stance shifted in the same post. Arrowhead said it had not previously commented on modding “other than to warn that from a technical perspective, we can’t guarantee their safety or usability for players.” Now it separates cosmetic and non-gameplay mods, which it welcomes, from mods that create unfair advantages, which the new measures target. The FAQ answer reads “Using mods is done at your own discretion, and so we cannot determine what’s safe vs. unsafe to use.” Players should check for updated mod files after October 20, because an old version may no longer run.

Arrowhead also frames the change as a first step. The announcement introduces the two measures as “a stepping stone on this journey,” with further security work to come. The studio ties both to a longer goal of “a consistent and fair experience” and says it wants to “strengthen trust with our dedicated community.” This follows a stretch of direct communication from Arrowhead that GamerHeadlines covered in a Helldivers 2 retrospective.

Steam Deck and Linux Keep Working

For Steam Deck and Linux players, the FAQ answer reads “Yes, you can still play. Steam Deck and Linux compatibility remains unchanged.” Arrowhead also confirmed no new hardware requirements and pointed players to its Zendesk article for the minimum specifications. Deck owners do not need to change anything to keep playing.

Steam Deck runs games through Proton, a compatibility layer that translates Windows game calls to Linux, and an anti-cheat system that does not support that layer can stop a game from launching. Arrowhead did not say how EAC’s Linux support is configured, whether specific Proton versions are preferred, or how long the compatibility promise holds through future updates.

What Changes for Mod Users

The split runs between malicious mods and cosmetic ones. Arrowhead says the new measures target “recent cheat mods that have been circulating,” and mods that affect other players “may no longer function.” Cosmetic and non-gameplay mods get a softer line. Some may keep working, some may stop, and some “may require updates from their individual creators.” A player whose cosmetic mod breaks should contact its creator. If EAC or another system is blocking “a non-destructive mod or other software,” Arrowhead asks players to reach its official Zendesk support. Players who run the game unmodified see the benefit on the shared map, where war progress reflects what squads completed.

Arrowhead publishes no approved-mod list. Its appreciation for cosmetic mods does not guarantee any specific mod will keep running under the new tools. A cosmetic mod that stops working stays broken until its author updates it, and Arrowhead’s only remedy is the Zendesk support path.

Confirmed Versus Open Questions

Arrowhead answered the immediate player questions in its FAQ and left a few technical points open. The post runs through five questions covering the switch, mods, hardware, and Steam Deck support.

Arrowhead closed the post by inviting continued feedback from Helldivers players.