Rejecting Cowboy Hats: Helldivers 2 Director Upholds Arrowhead’s Stance, Declaring “Helmets Aren’t for Hats”

By now, you’ve probably heard us chat about it this week, but Helldivers 2 just launched a new cowboy-themed Warbond called Borderline Justice. It’s missing one thing, though—a cowboy hat. Arrowhead studios decided it didn’t quite fit the Helldiver uniform regulations.

Many players beg to differ, and some have even taken matters into their own hands, heading out to grab mods that let them pair the new armor with a ten-gallon hat. Johan Pilestedt, the Helldivers 2 director who’s currently on a break, shared his thoughts about this cowboy hat situation on Twitter while attending GDC and participating in discussions onsite.

Players were quick to voice their opinions on the Borderline Justice gear, repeatedly asking when the cowboy hat might make an appearance in the game. Pilestedt responded to these questions, noting he hadn’t heard any discussions about such a design yet. “I believe it doesn’t quite match the Helldivers’ essence, which I concur with,” he tweeted. “I’ll check in with the team next time I’m at the office.” To another curious player, he mentioned, “I agree it would look cool, but it would ruin the Helldivers’ vibe… People don’t wear hats on helmets.”

This response left a few players a bit frustrated, especially since they pointed out that last year’s Viper Commandos Warbond included a beret on the PH-9 Predators armor, defying the same uniform restrictions. It all boils down to what counts as military-appropriate headgear. Do cowboy hats belong in battle, or are cavalry hats in a different league?

Despite this cowboy hat drama, Pilestedt hinted at something exciting that might be in the pipeline: a perk allowing players to use sidearms as primary weapons and even dual-wield them. However, he admitted the animations would require considerable work, so it could be a while before we see this feature.

So, do you sport a helmet with a hat like this in real life? And which helmet are we talking about? Share your thoughts with us below!