Helldivers 2

The Penitent Crusade, known to the 9th Hellraisers as “Death Watch,” is a sacred trial for the most resolute and courageous. It’s an honor and a burden; few return unchanged. Death Watch is about atonement and endurance. Squads on this crusade are stripped of identifiers, bearing only a black armband until they earn the Death Watch badge, a symbol of survival and will. They operate as ghosts, loyal only to the cause, proving themselves through fire. These squads are sent into hostile territories with minimal support, outdated gear, and limited supplies. They must adapt and survive off the land. Missions vary but share one tenet: complete the mission or perish. Each Crusade is handpicked by Command, testing limits physically, mentally, and spiritually. They face harrowing conditions: radioactive wastelands, mega nests infestations, or near suicidal infiltrations. Endurance, not victory, is the measure of success. Survivors return with respect and the Death Watch badge, a permanent mark of their ordeal. They are living proof of unbreakable resolve. Many do not return. Those lost are remembered without grave or ceremony. Within the 9th, the meaning of a black armband and a vanished squad is well understood. Death Watch is the crucible for the purest iron. Only the unyielding return.

They dive in silence, and emerge victorious, or not at all. This is their reckoning. This is their Penitent Crusade.

In order to appease High Command and be rewarded for your efforts, you must complete each mission with the maximum amount of stars.

If you don't complete a mission with the maximum amount of stars, you do not earn a reward for that mission.

In either case, press the "Mission Complete" button, and follow the prompts.

NOTE: High-tier equipment and stratagems are more likely to appear as you progress through your crusade.

The equipment you see in the background is what you currently have unlocked. Any items you earn through mission rewards will appear there as well.

While you're in-mission, you may not use any stratagems that are available for free (e.g. experimental weapons testing, arsenal augmentations, etc). Only the stratagems you have unlocked and objective-specific stratagems (e.g. Hellbomb, SSSD, SEAF Artillery, SOS, etc.) may be used. However, you're free to pick up and use any stratagems found in your environment (such as those that can be looted at Points of Interest).

Additionally, you may share equipment with your squadmates.

If your squad fails a mission, you must start a new operation on the difficulty that you failed to complete. Furthermore, you must choose an item to be removed from your inventory.

Press the "Mission Failed" button, then choose an item to be taken from you.

Your progress is saved in your browser's local storage. If you clear your browser's local storage, your progress will be lost. If you want to start a new run, you may do so by pressing the yellow "Restart" button. Your run will be saved and accessible in the save menu.

This mode is unlocked after completing the Penitent Crusade. It is a more difficult version of the Penitent Crusade. The same rules apply.