How does Helldivers 2 balance everything?
Helldivers 2 is a co-op horde shooter where every weapon and Stratagem has a specific role in combat. Long-range weapons excel at dealing with distant enemies, while short-range weapons are better for close encounters. Some weapons are designed to clear out groups of weaker enemies, while others specialize in taking down heavily armored elite targets. This balance ensures that every weapon has a place in the game’s sandbox and that players will find each one fun to use.
However, when one weapon becomes too powerful and overshadows others, it disrupts the balance. This is why it’s important to ensure that every weapon excels in its intended purpose.
Helldivers 2’s First Nerf: The Railgun
The Railgun support weapon was initially considered the best weapon in the game due to its excellent armor-piercing capabilities, ammo economy, and ease of use. It could easily eliminate Chargers, Bile Titans, and many heavy Automaton units. Its dominance led to Arrowhead Studios nerfing its armor-piercing capabilities, a decision that was met with mixed reactions from the community.
While some players felt the nerf was justified, it emphasized the need for weaker weapons to receive buffs to make them more relevant in the game.
Slugger Nerf
The Slugger is a precision slug shotgun that excels at taking down Automaton units with its innate armor-piercing capabilities. Compared to the Diligence and Diligence Counter Sniper, the Slugger outperformed the dedicated marksman rifles in its intended role. This led to Arrowhead nerfing the Slugger’s damage, destruction value, and stagger value.
The community responded by requesting buffs to the DMRs to compensate for the Slugger nerf. While they were buffed, it wasn’t enough to make them as compelling as the Slugger.
Eruptor Nerf
The Eruptor, a slow bolt action sniper rifle with AoE shrapnel, was nerfed by removing its AoE shrapnel, significantly impacting its effectiveness against both Automaton and Terminid units. This nerf was poorly received by the community as the Eruptor had carved a niche for itself with its AoE damage.
The nerf made the Eruptor less viable against Terminids, as its power was reliant on clearing both Chargers and smaller targets at close range.
Fire Damage Nerfs
Flame weapons in Helldivers were indirectly nerfed with the introduction of realistic projectile blocking. Previously, flamethrowers could penetrate Charger armor, making them effective against Terminids. This change rendered flamethrowers less viable against Terminids as their strength relied on clearing both Chargers and smaller targets at close range.
While not intentional, the fire damage nerf was perceived as a knee-jerk reaction to the Freedom’s Flame Warbond, which featured new flame weapons.
Arrowhead Games promises change
Following the backlash from the community, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani acknowledged that the studio had been too heavy-handed with weapon nerfs. The new Escalation of Freedom update, which introduced a harder difficulty with less viable weapons, further fueled the community’s discontent. Jorjani promised on social media platforms that the developers would listen to player feedback and make changes in the future.
The future of Helldivers 2’s balance remains uncertain, but it’s clear that Arrowhead must find a better approach to balancing weapons and satisfying the player base. This means striking a balance between maintaining the game’s core gameplay and ensuring that all weapons have a place in the sandbox.
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