Helldivers 2 Update: Major Gameplay and Balance Overhaul, New Space Cowboy-Themed Warbond

Helldivers 2, Sony's gripping third-person co-op shooter, has just rolled out a new patch, 01.002.200, that brings a host of key balance changes and bug fixes to the game. This update tweaks the balance on various weapons and stratagems, making for a more refined and challenging experience on the battlefield.

Developer Arrowhead has upped the ante by increasing the number of AI calculations the game can handle. This enhancement primarily affects scenarios with a high number of spawned enemies, significantly improving their response times. However, Arrowhead notes that this comes with a slight trade-off in overall game performance.

One of the most notable changes is that the Automatons now present a tougher challenge. With increased reaction speeds in large groups, these already formidable bots are set to become smarter and faster in their decision-making. Players should brace themselves for a more intense combat experience against these mechanical foes.

Another useful improvement in this patch is the updated categorization of the stratagem loadout menu. This makes it easier for players to navigate and select their preferred stratagems, enhancing the overall user experience.

Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond Screenshots

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Meanwhile, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced the next Warbond for Helldivers 2, dubbed Borderline Justice. Embracing a 'space cowboy' theme, this Warbond introduces exciting new weapons such as the R-6 Deadeye lever-action hunting rifle, the LAS-58 Talon "revolver" secondary, and the TED-63 Dynamite.

To complement the theme, players can don the GS-17 Frontier Marshal medium Helldiver set and the GS-66 Lawmaker heavy armor, complete with a cowboy holster and bandolier. The Gunslinger armor passive enhances your secondary weapon's performance by increasing reload speed, draw/holster speed, and reducing recoil. The Borderline Justice Warbond is set to launch on March 20.

In the ongoing Galactic War, the focus is currently on the Illuminate alien faction, which is slowly pushing a black hole towards Super Earth. This development has sparked speculation about potential future missions to the Illuminate’s home world or even defending Super Earth itself.

Helldivers 2 update 01.002.200 patch notes:

Balancing

Primary weapons
SMG-32 Reprimand

Spread decreased from 50 to 40

SG-8S Slugger

Spread decreased from 20 to 6
Damage increased from 250 to 280

AR-23C Liberator Concussive

Fire rate increased from 320 to 400

R-63 Diligence

Magazine capacity increased from 20 to 25

MP-98 Knight

Damage increased from 65 to 70

STA-11 SMG

Damage increased from 65 to 70

SMG-37 Defender

Damage increased from 75 to 80

SMG-72 Pummeler

Damage increased from 65 to 70
Now requires less shots to apply stun on applicable targets, stun value increased from 1.0 to 1.25 per bullet

AR-23 Liberator

Damage increased from 70 to 80

STA-52 Assault Rifle

Damage increased from 70 to 80

BR-14 Adjudicator

Damage increased from 90 to 95

AR-61 Tenderizer

Damage increased from 95 to 105

R-36 Eruptor

Projectile armor penetration increased from Medium (3) to Heavy (4)
Projectile lifetime increased from 0.7 to 1 sec

Stratagems

Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods

Uses increased from 2 to 3

EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit

Uses increased from 2 to 3

EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit

Uses increased from 2 to 3

TX-41 Sterilizer

Ergonomics increased from 5 to 20

M-105 Stalwart

Damage increased from 70 to 80

MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun

Improved armor penetration across a wider range of angles before transitioning to glancing shots

Enemies:

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. However, this comes with a slight trade-off in game performance. According to recent intel, the enemies of Freedom are attempting to counter the Helldivers' anti-air capabilities. Newly-produced Automaton dropships show clear signs of hull reinforcement, allowing the main body to absorb significantly more damage. Illuminate Warp Ships have been observed deploying their shields mid-flight. Automaton Dropships: Main body health increased from 2500 to 3500. Illuminate Dropships: Utilizes the same shield as the ones that have landed.

Barrager Tank Turret

Resolved an issue introduced recently where the armor value was incorrectly set to 0. Now has the correct armor value of 5. Additionally, the turret now features weak spots at the front and back, each with 750 HP and an armor value of 3.

Gameplay

Settings:

Added new separate settings for inverting the gyro input instead of using the Invert Look settings. The Stratagem loadout menu has undergone an updated categorization of the different stratagem groupings.

Fixes

Resolved Top Priority issues:

Fixed an issue with the extraction beacon sometimes being unreachable when landing on top of enemies. General optimization improvements in the colonies environments.

Crash Fixes, Hangs and Soft-locks:

Fixed a crash when playing against Terminids in poor network scenarios. Fixed a rare crash that happened during game shut down on PC. Fixed a crash that could occur when there was a high amount of particles on the screen at once. Fixed an issue where players could be blocked from completing objectives requiring called-down equipment due to the required stratagem being unavailable.

Weapons and Stratagems

Fixed the G-123 Thermite Grenade sometimes not arming. Fixed a rare crash when using the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle. Fixed a bug where switching weapons while reloading the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow would sometimes discard an entire magazine without actually reloading.

Social & Multiplayer Fixes

Fixed an issue causing players in low-activity regions to see fewer lobbies on the planet hologram than expected. Fixed an issue in low-activity regions where lobbies were not seeing players join as frequently or quickly as before. Fixed an issue on low-activity planets where Quickplay would always join your friends game, even if they were not playing on the same difficulty. Fixed a disconnection issue that could happen when playing Gloom missions with poor connection to the host. Fixed some interactions not working properly after canceling the Raise Weapon emote. Fixed an issue where adding, removing, blocking, or unblocking friends caused player cards in the friend list to display with white text and missing information until you close and open the panel again. Fixed an issue that made it impossible to mute or kick players who were in the loadout when joining a squad. Fixed an issue that caused some new Steam players' latest profile names to not display correctly in-game.

Miscellaneous Fixes

Fixed some memory leaks to improve performance. Fixed old text chat messages from re-appearing. Fixed an issue with the Democracy Space Station progress bars being unintentionally curved in appearance. Fixed a bug that prevented progression through the menus when the initial language selection was set to English (US). Fixed the raise weapon emote to properly fire projectiles in the direction of the weapon. Fixed Helldivers sliding around on the ground after exiting the ragdoll state.

Known Issues

Top Priority:

Black box mission terminal may be unusable if it spawns clipped into the ground. Stratagem balls bounce unpredictably off cliffs and some spots. Balancing and functionality adjustments for DSS. Pathfinding issues in Evacuate Colonists Illuminate missions. Dolby Atmos does not work on PS5.

Medium Priority:

Players can get stuck on Pelican-1’s ramp during extraction. Currently equipped capes don't display properly and show a blank grey cape in Armory tab. Players who use the “This is Democracy” emote on their ship might unintentionally send their fellow Helldivers on unauthorized unscheduled spacewalks. AX/TX-13 “Guard Dog” Dog Breath does not show when it is out of ammo. Higher zoom functions do not zoom the camera in through the scope on the LAS-5 Scythe. Weapons with a Charge-up mechanic can exhibit unintended behavior when firing faster than the RPM (Rounds Per Minute) limit.