Latest Helldivers 2 patch notes introduce new balance changes, and players aren’t happy

If you’re one of the many Helldivers who love using the Railgun and Breaker combo, we have some sad news for you. The first major balance update for Helldivers 2 has been released. While it brought impressive features to the fray, like environmental hazards, it also introduced adjustments for stratagems and weapons. Patch 01.000.100, in particular, brought some serious nerfs to fan-favorite weapons like the Railgun and Breaker, as well as the Energy Shield Backpack.

Arrowhead’s Perspective

According to Alex K—one of the developers working at Arrowhead—this patch marks the first round in a never-ending series of balance changes. He went on to say in the Helldivers 2 Discord channel that the team wants to be as transparent as possible regarding their approach to game balancing, especially regarding stratagems and weapons.

The Helldivers 2 Nerfs Are Met With A Negative Reception

If you’re running one of the game’s go-to builds (Railgun + Breaker + Energy Shield Backpack combo), you’ll be gutted to hear Arrowhead has nerfed these to oblivion so much so that they’re not viable anymore, especially in higher difficulties. 

Arrowhead’s developers stated that the nerfs aren’t intended to sap the fun out of the game’s best guns but to make “everything else shine” instead. Alex K said he knew how disappointing these balance changes can be for those who have spent hours mastering a specific weapon. While he addressed the player sentiment that it “feels like a punishment” for being too good at the game, it isn’t necessarily the case.

The Helldivers 2 New Meta Makes it Harder to Tackle Higher Difficulty Missions

The latest patch was intended to offer a wider range of weapon choices in Helldivers 2, where each gun has its own purpose, and none are seen as significantly superior. Developers cited the AC-8 Autocannon as an example of their philosophy, which deals a large amount of damage and works well at a distance but requires assistance from teammates or an ammo backpack. Based on the player data, the RS-422 Railgun, SH-32 Shield Generator Backpack, and SG-225 Breaker are the biggest offenders of that principle. The three have been extremely powerful, resulting in many Helldivers turning to them by default and not properly tailoring their gameplay tactics.

While we understand their sentiments about letting the other weapons shine instead of always going with ol’ reliable, why didn’t they just buff all of the “useless” weapons to make them viable options instead of downgrading the only weapons that can deal decent armor penetration? The R-63 Diligence Marksman Rifle is collecting dust, and so is the R112 Recoilless Rifle. Taking down one Charger is as time-consuming as it is, but what about when you’re doing a mission in Helldive difficulty, where 6 Bile Titans and 10 Chargers are heading straight toward you? You’re already dead when you get a charged shot ready for your Arc Thrower.

What Major Updates Are in the Helldivers 2 Patch Notes?

Here are some of the major changes from Helldivers 2’s patch notes:

Stratagems

• 120mm and 380mm Orbital Barrages: Decreased spread and increased duration of the bombardment.
• Energy Shield Backpack: Increased delay before recharging.

Weapons (Primary, Secondary, and Support Weapons)

• Punisher: Increased stagger force, increased damage from 40 to 45 per bullet, and increased total ammo capacity from 40 to 60.
• Breaker: Increased recoil from 30 to 55, decreased magazine capacity from 16 to 13.
• Laser Cannon: Increased armor penetration, damage against durable enemy parts, and improved ergonomics.
• Railgun: Decreased damage against enemy parts and decreased armor penetration in Safe Mode.
• Flamethrower: Increased DPS by 50%.
• Breaker Spray & Pray: Increased fire rate from 300 to 330, decreased magazine size from 32 to 26, increased armor penetration, and increased number of pellets from 12 to 16 pellets per shot.

Funnily enough, we still haven’t gotten any balancing for armor, which needs a total rework. Wearing Heavy Armor is still considered a meme; it’s useless to run, and an inconvenience since it only lets you tank one or two more shots. What’s the point of being able to tank two extra shots if you can’t run from a Bile Titan or Charger and mobs or still get swarmed?

Is the Breaker Spray & Pray the Best Primary Weapon Now?

Now that the regular Breaker’s not necessarily the best option, players are leaning towards the Breaker Spray & Pray to kill Automatons and bugs. It’s definitely a good pick, but there’s a catch: it’s only effective in short to mid-range. Anything else beyond that means your pellets will fly everywhere and you’ll only get inaccurate shots.

On the other hand, the Flamethrower is an absolute menace now. You have to watch your positioning since you’re liable to burn yourself (and other Helldivers caught within the flames). Check out this user on Reddit killing a Charger in just a few seconds.