Out of nowhere, Arrowhead Game Studios has released an extensive balance patch for Helldivers 2. While it reduces burning damage by 15 percent and reduces headshot damage on those with armor ratings above 100, it offers many changes to existing weapons and Stratagems.
For example, the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow has a slightly smaller explosion and maximum mags (from 12 to eight) but increased stagger and more mags received from resupplying (eight instead of six). The LAS-99 Quasar Cannon has an increased recharge time of five seconds, while the LAS-98 Laser Cannon deals slightly more damage, though damage is less against “large volume bodies.”
The ARC-12 Blitzer is now considered an Energy weapon with 45 shots per minute instead of 30. The LAS-5 Scythe now deals 350 damage instead of 300, but its max magazines have dropped from six to four. Meanwhile, the AX/AR-23 Guard Dog deals 30 percent less damage, and the new RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher has a reduced proximity radius but won’t detonate when shot near Stratagems or other players.
There are several other changes and nerfs, not to mention bug fixes, so check out the full patch notes here. Helldivers 2 is available for PS5 and PC. Check out our review for the base game here.
Patch 01.000.300
Overview
For this patch, we have made improvements and changes to the following areas:
- Balance changes to weapons, stratagems, and enemies
- Change to the Spread Democracy mission
Balancing
General
- Armors with armor rating above 100 now also reduce damage on headshots.
- Victory poses will now only play for the extracted. (No stolen valor on my ship.)
- Burning damage reduced by 15%
Primary, Secondary and Support Weapons
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow
- Slightly smaller explosion
- Increased stagger
- Decreased number of maximum mags from 12 to 8
- Increased number of magazines received from resupply from 6 to 8
- Slight reduction in ergonomics
- Muzzle velocity increased
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
- Increased recharge time by 5 seconds
BR-14 Adjudicator
- Full auto is now the default fire mode
- Reduced recoil
- Increased maximum mags from 6 to 8
- Increased number of magazines received from resupply from 6 to 8
- Now placed amongst assault rifles
LAS-98 Laser Cannon
- Slightly increased damage
- Slightly reduced damage versus large volume bodies
SG-8P Punisher Plasma
- Decreased maximum mags from 12 to 8
- Increased amount of magazines received from resupply from 6 to 8
- Increased projectile speed, but will still keep a similar range
- Decreased damage falloff on the explosion
Now placed in the energy weapons category
ARC-12 Blitzer
- Increased shots per minute from 30 to 45
- Now placed in the energy weapons category
R-36 Eruptor
- Decreased number of maximum mags from 12 to 6
- Explosion damage drops off slightly faster
LAS-16 Sickle
- Decreased amount of magazines from 6 down to 3
LAS-5 Scythe
- Increased damage from 300 to 350
- Decreased max number of mags from 6 down to 4
RS-422 Railgun
- Increased armor penetration in both safe mode and unsafe mode
- Stagger force slightly reduced
MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun
- Third person crosshair enabled
63CS Diligence Counter Sniper
- Damage increased from 128 to 140
- Ergonomics improved
R-63 Diligence
- Damage increased from 112 to 125
P-19 Redeemer
- Slight increase in recoil
P-2 Peacemaker
- Increased damage from 60 to 75
P-8 Senator
- Increased damage from 150 to 175
- Speedloader added when reloading on an empty cylinder–speeds up reload on empty considerably
LAS-7 Dagger
- Increased damage from 150 to 200
AR-19 Liberator
- Damage increased from 55 to 60
AR-23C Liberator Concussive
- Damage increased from 55 to 65
JAR-5 Dominator
- Damage decreased from 300 to 275
AX/AR-23 Guard Dog
- Decreased damage by 30%
RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher
- Airburst Rocket Launcher will no longer detonate when shot near stratagems (HMG turret, Sentries, Resupplies) and other Helldivers
- Reduced proximity radius
Stratagems
A/MG-43 Machinegun Sentry
- Increased health to match other Sentries
A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower
- Increased health by 33%
FAF-14 Spear
- Added reload stage reload after the spent missile had been discarded
Enemies
- Bile Spewer and Nursing Spewers movespeed slightly reduced
- Hulks: Force required for them to stagger slightly increased
- Hulk Scorcher direct flamethrower damage reduced by 20%
- Devastator fire rate slightly increased (only the standard devastator)
- Gunships sideways movement slightly increased
- Scout strider Riders now less vulnerable to explosions
- Fog Generators health and armor increased
- Gunship spawners now have a much lower cap on how many gunships they can have active at the same time