Helldivers are having a great day! On March 18, the Helldivers 2 developers announced the new Warbond, but they also issued a patch that buffed quite a lot of weapons and Stratagems. It’s been a while since a patch balanced so many items, so this patch will certainly bring a breath of fresh air to the game.
Helldivers 2 Devs Discuss the Patch Notes
The Arrowhead Community Manager, Baskinator, took to the official Helldivers 2 Discord to announce the patch. She noted: “SUPPORT INCOMING! Incoming! Major update! Buffs! Performance fixes! More!“. She also attached a link to the YouTube video in which two Arrowhead devs, Niklas Malmborg and Lennart Holmgren, discussed the biggest changes in the patch notes.
Buffed Weapons and Stratagems
Now, the patch itself isn’t huge, but it holds some impressive upgrades and well thought-out fixes. So, let’s dive into it! First up, the spread decreased for the SMG-32 Reprimand (50 to 40) and the SG-8S Slugger (20 to 6). However the Slugger received a buff as well, the damage increased from 250 to 280.
Next up, the Helldivers 2 devs buffed a hole array of weapons in this patch. Including: the AR-23C Liberator Concussive, the R-63 Diligence, the MP-98 Knight, the StA-11 SMG, the SMG-37 Defender, the SMG-72 Pummeler, the AR-23 Liberator, the StA-52 Assault Rifle, the BR-14 Adjudicator, and the AR-61 Tenderizer.
Of course, we have to single out the beloved R-36 Eruptor. This weapon received a buff, and it’s now heavy pen. The devs noted: “Projectile armor penetration increased from Medium (3) to Heavy (4). Projectile lifetime increased from 0.7 to 1 sec”.
As for the Stratagems, several received some buffs, most notably the mechs. The number of uses for the EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit and the EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit has been increased from 2 to 3. The same applies to Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods, you now get 3 uses instead of 2.
Enemies, Gameplay, and Other Fixes
Botdivers, get ready! The patch introduced some exciting changes to the Automatons. According to the patch notes: “A recent software autopsy has revealed an update to the Automatons’ situational awareness protocol. They are now less distracted by each other, increasing their reaction speed in large groups. We’ve increased the number of AI calculations the game can perform. This primarily impacts scenarios with a high number of spawned enemies, improving their response times in those situations”.
Also, the newly-produced Automaton dropships’ main body health was increased from 2500 to 3500. As for the Illuminate Warp Ships, they’ll utilize the same shield as the ones that have landed. Also, the Barrager Tank Turret has been fixed, and it now features weak spots at the front and back, each with 750 HP and an armor value of 3.
As for the gameplay, well, the devs made one significant change! The Stratagem loadout menu has undergone an updated categorization of the different stratagem groupings, it’s now much easier to navigate. The devs also added new separate settings for inverting the gyro input instead of using the Invert Look settings.
Of course, there’s been a lot of fixes as well. Most notably, some Helldivers will be heartbroken to learn that sliding around on the ground after exiting the ragdoll state will no longer happen. Say goodbye to snake divers.
Helldivers Love the Buffed-Up Patch
So far, the Helldivers are loving all the changes. Well, with the exception of snake divers. According to the majority of players, the balancing was done just right, and the game will be much interesting to play.
One player, AxelWiden, noted: “Looks small but lots of huge stuff. Eruptor heavy pen. Damage buffs for SMGs and ARs. Shotgun and Reprimand accuracy. More Rocket pods. More Walkers. Dropship armor and smarter bots. This will be really interesting and could present a difficulty increase”.
Altruistic-Feed-4604 added: “Another round of buffs to Assault Rifles and SMGs wasn’t something I would have expected, but it is definitely welcome. Even less reason to switch out the Liberator now. Also, Slugger finally receiving some love”.
So, dear Helldiver, how do you like the patch? The best way to find out if you like it is to go and try everything out! We think Helldivers 2 has a bright future, and we can’t wait to see what the devs have in store for all of us! For Liberty and Super Earth.
