New Helldivers 2 Update Improves a Ton of Weapons and Stratagems

You get a Helldiverse 2 buff, and you get a Improved Helldivers 2. There are plenty of improvements in Helldivers 2's latest update as developer Arrowhead releases a host of improvements to some of the co-op game's most popular weapons and stratagems. With a huge list of changes across the board and basically all positive, it's almost certain that at least one of your favorite loadout items just got better, so keep reading for a rundown of all the changes.

Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt thanks the Helldivers 2 community “for clearly expressing your opinions and concerns regarding the balance and enjoyment of the game.” As such, the new patch includes a whole bunch of upgrades that could mean we're about to get another evaluation of Helldivers 2's best weapons and stratagems across the hit co-op game.

“With these balance changes, we wanted to improve some of the weaker stratagems to make them more viable and add more opportunity for variety in loadouts,” Pilestedt explains. “We also tweaked a few to make them more consistent, but the goal was to maintain a similar or higher power level. We are investigating the schemes further to see if there are other schemes that might need improvement or modification to make them more viable.

So what has changed? Let's start with the Helldivers 2 stratagems that have seen adjustments. The defensive options get a lot of love – all Sentry Turrets are now more resistant to small arms fire, with the Rocket Sentry getting better ammo economy to make it more consistent against larger enemies and the Machine Gun Sentry whose cooldown is reduced to make it a viable alternative to the Gatling Sentry if you like to stay on the move.

The mounted HMG slot has its rotation speed significantly improved – while it is a powerful tool, the need for a player to use it combined with its nerve-wracking mobility made it a somewhat unpopular choice, but now its simple DPS can make it a nice addition to your loadout. Landmines and incendiary mines are both getting damage buffs, though Pilestedt says future buffs are in the works to make them more effective in their ability to block paths while active.

Classic Orbital Precision Strike now has a reduced cooldown and call time, making it easier to use against moving targets and more competitive thanks to the availability of Eagle Stratagems. The Orbital Gatling Barrage will saturate its target area better and should now soften heavily armored targets a bit more, and it and the Orbital Airburst Strike will also have their cooldowns reduced to encourage greater usage.

Eagle 110mm rocket pods are perhaps one of the most reliable answers to auto tanks, but they are a bit inconsistent on heavily armored targets that move more. This should be improved now, although Pilestedt notes that while the ploy should still have some impact, “it's still not going to be a surefire way to kill them outright.”

On support weapon stratagems. The grenade launcher gets a more powerful explosion to help clear out crowds. The Heavy Machine Gun's rate of fire is reduced but with increased damage and lag, making it more powerful and more efficient with its ammo. The standard machine gun benefits from a shorter reload time and an extra magazine to help compensate for its annoying downtime. Damage has also been slightly increased for 8mm machine guns (which include the MG-43 and its sentry equivalent, the Gatling Sentry and the EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit).

On the weapon side, rifle bullets have been made slightly more effective against durable enemy body parts. Pilestedt explains: “In general, the higher the caliber of your weapon, the better the effect against durable body parts. Explosions also have very high effectiveness against durable body parts, as the shockwaves travel through whatever you hit. Some weapons are more effective than others or have special exceptions, although this should follow the same logic as above.

A few weapons also benefit from specific adjustments. The Adjudicator Assault Rifle benefits from an increased magazine capacity to provide a little more margin for error. The Tenderizer assault rifle has been brought back “to its intended design” with powerful but low-penetration rounds that reward precise shots.

The Purifier's armor penetration has been improved and explosion damage decay has been reduced, making it “an exotic option” for those who can handle its charge times. The Explosive Crossbow is seeing similar changes and will now penetrate medium armor to improve its consistency against groups. Finally, the damage on the Eruptor has been increased to compensate for the recent removal of its unpredictable shrapnel mechanic.

There is one final change to note: the knockback modifiers have been slightly tweaked. This means you should see slightly more consistent performance when crouched or prone, with an additional increase in the recoil reduction you'll see when prone, as a trade-off for reduced mobility. Remember to lean in for this coordinated ambush attack, and you'll see much more effective results.

“I want to end by saying that we are not finished,” Pilestedt concludes. “We will continue to refine and improve the gaming experience to keep the game fresh! On behalf of the team, we appreciate your feedback and hope you have an exciting time checking out these adjustments.

The next Helldivers 2 Warbond is also arriving today, Thursday June 13th, so keep an eye out for the Viper Commandos gear arriving very soon. We also have a roundup of the best Helldivers 2 armor to ensure you and your team are intact.

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