Helldivers 2 - New update available with tons of requested buffs for most weapons, nerfs for annoying enemies and fixes

[Vertigo]

incorrect about Destiny. It’s not tracker estimates. They share api data

 

[arvfab]

Yeah, it might do Astrobot numbers then.

You mean like a 94 Metacritic?

 

[Gods&Monsters]

Helldivers.io says 96k CCU so 60k on PC and 30k on console. Really solid numbers for a balance patch lol

I don't think that number is accurate. Even the one in-game doesn't seem to match with Steam. I don't know how it's counted.

 

[Vertigo]

I don't think that number is accurate. Even the one in-game doesn't seem to match with Steam. I don't know how it's counted.

In-game number no? Don’t they feature that. Steamdb updates at like 15 min intervals so it’s a good idea if such.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

Fortnite is a PvP game from the largest Engine developer in the world.

How do you explain the sustained success of Roblox?

Or even how MS has not taken over the console market, and that Halo is not the biggest MP franchise? they are the biggest.


fortnite has its audience and it keeps them pleased and interested.

The Helldivers 2 team made a series of bad decisions, farmed their "community management" style to a bunch of crazy woke people, changed the game's balance and a few other things... Nothing that can't be fixed, but that will never bring back the special magic that was there in the beggining.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

How do you explain the sustained success of Roblox?

Game stays incredibly fresh due to to user created content.

Or even how MS has not taken over the console market, and that Halo is not the biggest MP franchise? they are the biggest.

MS hasn't made the right games over the last 10 - 20 years to take over the industry.
Halo lost relevance because it catered to fans too much over the years while getting passed by competitors.

The Helldivers 2 team made a series of bad decisions, farmed their "community management" style to a bunch of crazy woke people, changed the game's balance and a few other things... Nothing that can't be fixed, but that will never bring back the special magic that was there in the beggining.

I agree with you here and this is why I consider Helldivers 2 a gen 1 GAAS title. There's so many problems to solve with Helldivers 3.

 

[Yurinka]

I agree with you here and this is why I consider Helldivers 2 a gen 1 GAAS title. There's so many problems to solve with Helldivers 3.

If we apply "generations" to GaaS, what a "gen 2" GaaS needs to have to be different from the over two decades long "gen 1" GaaS -which includes a gazillion different GaaS types- we had until now?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

If we apply "generations" to GaaS, what a "gen 2" GaaS needs to have to be different from the over two decades long "gen 1" GaaS we had until now?

Technology, model understanding, scope etc...

Most of todays GAAS giants were "lucked" into. Many of them stumbled on their success with minimal starting budgets.

Over the last 10 years, institutional knowledge has been built to an insane degree, technology is being built for the medium, and budgets are being appropriately set for Gen 2 GAAS.

The next 10 years will see crazy growth in this space because we're understanding the medium better.

 

[Yurinka]

Technology, model understanding, scope etc...

Most of todays GAAS giants were "lucked" into. Many of them stumbled on their success with minimal starting budgets.

Over the last 10 years, institutional knowledge has been built to an insane degree, technology is being built for the medium, and budgets are being appropriately set for Gen 2 GAAS.

The next 10 years will see crazy growth in this space because we're understanding the medium better.

Now I remember I started to work in GaaS 16/17 years ago.

Like in any successful company, we were using as reference several similar super successful projects that were released before us (in this case other GaaS). Back then there several super successful MMORPGs -mostly in PC-, casual web browser F2P, and I think we started with mobile F2P not sure if a couple years or so later.

Since then there has been small innovations here and there in this or that game. I'd say the most important ones have been GaaS -and as part of it F2P- getting popular on console after happening first in PC and later in mobile. The second would be the evolution of MP modes or "a few DLCs" to MP focused games with seasons and season passes in AAA and later its evolution to battle pass or equivalents. The third would be the loot boxes / gatcha. The fourth, which is happening right now but still only a few games so still isn't important but I think might end being the most important one of all, is to turn the games platform agnostic (having PC+mobile+console versions) as happens in Fortnite or Mihoyo.

As we also do in non-GaaS games, we kept evolving tweaking our games depending on what it did or didnt work, in our games or in somewhat similar ones, and also considering player feedback and suggestions but not relying on them. Little by little, update by update, game by game.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Now I remember I started to work in GaaS 16/17 years ago.

Like in any successful company, we were using as reference several similar super successful projects that were released before us (in this case other GaaS). Back then there several super successful MMORPGs -mostly in PC-, casual web browser F2P, and I think we started with mobile F2P not sure if a couple years or so later.

There's a difference between a small number of PC centric companies working on early GAAS and literally 96% of studios working on GAAS today.

The Model T was not the first automobile, but it did represent the gen 1 of cars.

Since then there has been small innovations here and there in this or that game. I'd say the most important ones have been GaaS -and as part of it F2P- getting popular on console after happening first in PC and later in mobile. The second would be the evolution of MP modes or "a few DLCs" to MP focused games with seasons and season passes in AAA and later its evolution to battle pass or equivalents. The third would be the loot boxes / gatcha. The fourth, which is happening right now but still only a few games so still isn't important but I think might end being the most important one of all, is to turn the games platform agnostic (having PC+mobile+console versions) as happens in Fortnite or Mihoyo.

The biggest innovation in GAAS is simply the recognition and measurement of engagement. People like to suggest multiplayer of old was early GAAS but it was not. The majority of early multiplayer worked on the pay up front model. That meant 0 resources were used on keeping players engaged but rather getting their money up front. Gen 1 GAAS kind of slipped on engagement. Gen 2 GAAS will be the result of intense study of engagement.

Brenden Greene understands what the next generation of GAAS looks like...

As we also do in non-GaaS games, we kept evolving tweaking our games depending on what it did or didnt work, in our games or in somewhat similar ones, and also considering player feedback and suggestions but not relying on them. Little by little, update by update, game by game.

I think the purpose of non-GAAS is really scaffolding for the next phase of videogames. Its purpose was to find genres and sand genre rough edges down until the genre is ready to go GAAS.

 

[Yurinka]

The new update is live!

They shared a video detailing the new game update, and it includes many great buffs and improvements. It sounds great, seems it's #Buffdivers update part 2:

Overview
The final part of our 60 day commitment is here!
This patch marks the last set of changes we aimed to implement for the 60 day community commitment while also addressing issues we previously didn’t have time to fix.

So what does this patch contain?
We have made changes to the remaining weapons and stratagems we weren't able to finish for the patch on September 17th, ensuring they’re now more interesting and effective. We have also dedicated some time and we’ve looked over some key core systems like enemy spawning as well as targeting and vision for the Automatons. Based on your feedback, we’ve fine-tuned the Automaton experience to hopefully make them feel less frustrating to play against. Additionally, we have also adjusted the Helldivers durability to make your armor choices feel more impactful.

Finally, we've introduced new functionality to certain items to give players more depth in mastering their equipment. For example, the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle and the AC-8 Autocannon now have programmable ammunition, and drones that come with backpacks can be toggled on or off for added control.

We hope you enjoy these changes! The team at Arrowhead has been thrilled to work on this 60-day commitment for you, our community and players and seeing your reactions to the work we’ve done! Together, we aim to ensure Helldivers 2 delivers on its core fantasy and remains a game we all love to play.


Balancing

General changes

Additional Supply Items are now visible on the minimap

• Exosuits
• Support Stratagems

Removed ricochets from Orbital Stratagem projectiles, Eagle-1 bombs and FAF-14 Spear missiles

• They can no longer ricochet off of targets

Helldiver armor tweaks, both Heavy and Light armor are now more effective

Heavy armor reduces damage taken by 25%, up from 20%

• 5% more damage reduction

Light armor increases damage taken by 25%, down from 33%

• 8% less damage taken

Stratagems and Weapon tag description updates, they now show more information and are also categorized

• Armor penetration 2 is classified as Light armor penetrating
• Armor penetration 3 is classified as Medium armor penetrating
• Armor penetration 4 is classified as Heavy armor penetrating
• Armor penetration 5+ is classified as Anti tank

Primary Weapons

Plasma projectile behavior

• We’ve standardized the behavior of Plasma projectiles, which previously had varying characteristics in how they traveled through the air. Now, all Plasma projectiles experience high drag, causing them to slow down faster. However, each plasma weapon still fires projectiles at different speeds and calibers, so their effective ranges will remain distinct. For most weapons, this change won’t be very noticeable
• With the SG-8P Punisher Plasma you’ll see a less pronounced arc in its projectile path. Instead, it will start off faster and lose speed more rapidly, keeping its effective range about the same

PLAS-101 Purifier
Projectiles can now be charged up with a damage multiplier that scales

• Minimum charge of 0.1 sec gives a 50% damage multiplier
• Maximum charge of 1 sec gives a 100% damage multiplier
• Maximum charge projectile damage increased from 100 to 200
• Maximum charge projectile durable damage increased from 50 to 100
• Maximum charge explosion damage increased from 150 to 300
• The explosion doesn’t scale, but a fully charged shot has a different explosion effect:
• Minimum charge (0.1–0.99 sec): Inner radius 1m, outer radius 2m, explosion damage 75
• Maximum charge (1 sec): Inner radius 2.9m, outer radius 3m, explosion damage 300

PLAS-1 Scorcher

• New weapon function: Auto fire mode
• Fire rate increased from 250 to 350
• Magazine capacity increased from 15 to 20
• Spare magazines decreased from 6 to 5

SG-8P Punisher Plasma

• Reduced recoil
• Fire rate increased from 80 to 100

AR-23 Liberator

• Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator

• Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%
• Increased magazine capacity from 30 to 45
• Spare magazines decreased from 10 to 7

AR-23A Liberator Carbine

• Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%
• Ergonomics increased from 65 to 70
• Reload duration decreased from 3 to 2.5 sec

BR-14 Adjudicator

• Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%
• Projectile damage increased from 80 to 90
• Projectile durable damage increased from 16 to 23
• Magazine capacity increased from 25 to 30

AR-61 Tenderizer

• New weapon function: 600/850 RPM

JAR-5 Dominator

• Moved from the Explosive weapon category to the Special weapon category

Sidearms

P-113 Verdict

• Armor penetration increased from 2 to 3
• Projectile durable damage increased from 13 to 32
• Stagger strength increased from 13 to 15

P-4 Senator

• Armor penetration increased from 3 to 4
• Projectile damage increased from 175 to 200
• Projectile durable damage increased from 35 to 70

P-11 Stim Pistol

• Spread decreased from 30 to 5
• Muzzle velocity increased from 80 to 200

Throwables

K-2 Throwing Knives

• Uses increased from 8 to 20

G-12 High Explosive Grenade

• Damage increased from 400 to 800

G-6 Frag Grenade

• Damage increased from 250 to 500

G-10 Incendiary Grenade

• Damage increased from 150 to 300

Stratagem Support Weapons

AC-8 Autocannon
New weapon function: Programmable ammunition now allows you to switch between normal and and flak projectiles

• Flak projectiles are proximity triggered shrapnel explosions with a larger explosion radius

GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
New weapon function: Programmable ammunition now allows you to switch between normal projectiles and High Explosive rounds

• High Explosive rounds have a larger explosion radius, deal more explosion damage, less projectile damage and are less effective against tanks

RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher

• Reload duration reduced from 7 to 5 sec

M-105 LMG Stalwart

• Ergonomics increased from 25 to 40

MG-43 Machine Gun

• Magazine capacity increased from 150 to 175
• Starting spare magazines increased from 1 to 2

MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun

• Magazine capacity increased from 75 to 100

Backpacks

LIFT-850 Jump Pack

• Cooldown reduced from 20 to 15 sec
• Stronger thrust force
• Thrust vector has been tweaked. Will have a slightly higher jump and more forward momentum

AX/AR-23 “Guard Dog”

• Switch from AR-23 Liberator rounds to AR-23P Liberator Penetrator rounds.
• Armor penetration increased from 2 to 3
• Damage decreased from 70 to 60
• Magazine capacity increased from 30 to 45

Drone Backpacks now has a new toggle drone function

• Activate: The drone leaves the backpack and starts to perform its tasks
• Deactivate: The drone returns to the backpack into a passive standby state

Stratagems

Eagle Strafing Run

• Explosion radius slightly increased
• Explosion damage increased from 250 to 350

Orbital Airburst Strike

• Salvoes increased from 3 to 4
• Duration between salvoes increased from 3 to 4 sec

A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry

• Magazine capacity increased from 125 to 175
• Cooldown reduced from 120 to 90 sec
• Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

A/G-16 Gatling Sentry

• Magazine capacity increased from 400 to 500
• Cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 sec
• Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry

• Cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 sec
• Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry

• Cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 sec
• Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

MD-17 Anti Tank Mines
We are working on changes to the Anti-Personnel and Incendiary Mines, however we are not yet happy with the fixes, as we feel they introduced too many new problems. We will continue working on these changes and include them in a future patch

• The mines are now only triggered by heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, Hulks
• Damage increased from 800 to 2000
• Explosion radius decreased

A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower

• Reduced charge-up shots cooldown from 3 to 1 sec
• Cooldown reduced from 150 to 120 sec
• Lifetime reduced from 180 to 150 sec

FX-12 Shield Generator Relay

• Removed charge delay between damage taken
• Increased charge rate from 300 to 400 health/sec
• Radius increased from 8 to 15m
• Once the shield is down, it will no longer regenerate

Gameplay

Patrol Spawning

• Previously, once the mission was completed but before extraction, we significantly increased patrol spawns across the entire map.
  Now,
  the increased patrol spawns are concentrated around the extraction site, with more patrols appearing the closer you are to it. This change should make patrol spawning feel more logical and reduce the penalty for players who complete the mission but still want to explore the map or collect samples. Please let us know if you still experience issues with the patrol spawning!

Terminids

Bile Spewers

• Legs health reduced from 300 to 200

Nursing Spewers

• Legs health reduced from 300 to 200

Hunters

• Have a short shared area cooldown for their pounce ability
• Can now totally blow up if affected with enough damage

Scavengers

• Can blow up if affected with enough damage

Automatons

Automaton Targeting

• Some enemies were able to shoot at you without needing proper line of sight, which caused them to fire into or through walls, track you even when hidden, and ignore smoke effects. We've addressed these issues, so now you should be able to use stealth more effectively against the Automatons, and they won’t be able to shoot through walls or see you when they shouldn’t. Please let us know if you still encounter issues like these!

Automaton projectiles

• Normal small projectiles damage reduced from 40 to 35, used by enemies like the Devastators, Emplacements and Conscripts
• Heavy projectiles damage reduced from 65 to 60, used by enemies like the Heavy Emplacements and Scout Striders

Hulk Bruiser

• In response to their disapproval of a newly installed cannon on the Automaton Hulk Bruisers, Super Earth High Command sent a crack commando to sabotage their production facilities. The skilled operative promptly escaped into the shadows after completing their mission. Today, still wanted by the Automatons, they survive as a soldier of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can enlist… John Helldiver
• As a result the Automatons had to revert back to using rocket launchers for their Hulk Bruisers

All Devastators

• Head armor decreased from 2 to 1
• Head health increased from 100 to 110

Berserkers

• Head health decreased from 125 to 110

Heavy Devastator

• The pause between their salvoes has been slightly increased, providing Helldivers with a better opportunity to counterattack

All Tanks

• Front armor reduced from 6 to 5, our previous tweak didn't have the intended effect on gameplay that we expected so we’ve reverted this back
• The rear weak spots of the Tank's body now have their own health pool, which matches the Tank's previous total health. Once this health pool is depleted, the Tank will be destroyed. Additionally, these weak spots also deal 150% damage to the Tank's main health

Annihilator Tank Turrets & Shredder Tank Turrets

• The rear weak spots of the Tank's body now have their own health pool, which matches the Tank's previous total health. Once this health pool is depleted, the Tank will be destroyed. Additionally, these weak spots also deal 200% damage to the Tank's main health

Barrager Tank Turret

• The Turret is now destroyed if the Tank body is destroyed

Fixes

Resolved Top Priority issues:

• Not enough enemies spawn to complete Eradicate missions
• Some enemies were able to shoot at you without needing proper line of sight, which caused them to fire into or through walls, track you even when hidden, and ignore smoke effects
• Patrol Spawning should now feel more logical and reduce the penalty for players who complete the mission but still want to explore the map or collect samples

Crash Fixes and Soft-locks:

• Fixed crash that could occur when getting knock backed while wearing the energy shield backpack
• Fixed potential crash when a peer leaves with unique armor customization
• Various crash fixes

Miscellaneous Fixes

• Fixed bug where helldivers wearing heavy armors would be immune to gas status effect
• General Brasch returns from holiday retreat in foggy hillside town

Known Issues

These are issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed.
Top Priority:

• The hive breaker drill may be inaccessible when called in
• Players may not receive Friend Requests sent from another platform
• Terminals may lose functionality blocking completion of a mission
• Social menu is stuck on ‘Please Wait Democratically’ for some players
• Title may crash during intro cinematic or title screen
• Friends "Invite only" games can still be seen on the Galactic War Map but cannot be joined

Medium Priority:

• Players are unable to shoot properly while in the air using a jetpack
• Stratagem balls bounce unpredictably off cliffs and some spots
• Some Eagle Stratagems may not drop when deployed on a swamp planet
• Reinforcement may not be available for players who join a game in progress
• Pelican-1 may sometimes be launched away if hit with an impaler tentacle
• Supply packs may be incorrectly used if pressing down on a controller while calling in a stratagem
• High damage weapons will not detonate hellbombs already present on the map
• Some enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missions
• QWERTY keyboard numpad bindings does not save correctly after the Title restart

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/7291982050853715743

 

[anonpuffs]

The new update is live!

They shared a video detailing the new game update, and it includes many great buffs and improvements. It sounds great, seems it's #Buffdivers update part 2:

Overview
The final part of our 60 day commitment is here!
This patch marks the last set of changes we aimed to implement for the 60 day community commitment while also addressing issues we previously didn’t have time to fix.

So what does this patch contain?
We have made changes to the remaining weapons and stratagems we weren't able to finish for the patch on September 17th, ensuring they’re now more interesting and effective. We have also dedicated some time and we’ve looked over some key core systems like enemy spawning as well as targeting and vision for the Automatons. Based on your feedback, we’ve fine-tuned the Automaton experience to hopefully make them feel less frustrating to play against. Additionally, we have also adjusted the Helldivers durability to make your armor choices feel more impactful.

Finally, we've introduced new functionality to certain items to give players more depth in mastering their equipment. For example, the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle and the AC-8 Autocannon now have programmable ammunition, and drones that come with backpacks can be toggled on or off for added control.

We hope you enjoy these changes! The team at Arrowhead has been thrilled to work on this 60-day commitment for you, our community and players and seeing your reactions to the work we’ve done! Together, we aim to ensure Helldivers 2 delivers on its core fantasy and remains a game we all love to play.


Balancing

General changes


Primary Weapons


Sidearms


Stratagem Support Weapons


Backpacks


Stratagems


Gameplay


Fixes


Known Issues



https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/7291982050853715743

Tested it a little bit this morning. I need to get used to playing with things that i never used before like the AR guard dog

 

[voke]

I’m just glad AH is back in the communities good side for now…. Helldivers 2 was way too awesome to be the center of negativity tbh.

 

[Muddasar]

67,000 playing right now on Steam.

Space Marines 2 is already half that. Supposedly it was the Helldivers killer.

 

[Vertigo]

Warhammer doesn’t really have a compelling online component. It’s still mostly just a one and done. That comparison doesn’t make sense.

This is the biggest comeback for helldivers yet.

 

[Muddasar]

Warhammer doesn’t really have a compelling online component. It’s still mostly just a one and done. That comparison doesn’t make sense.

This is the biggest comeback for helldivers yet.

A certain crowd seem to be pitting it against Helldivers 2.

Helldivers at 75,000 on Steam last time I checked.

 

[anonpuffs]

67,000 playing right now on Steam.

Space Marines 2 is already half that. Supposedly it was the Helldivers killer.

The problem with space marine is that it's a tryhard simulator. It's dark souls + gears of war. People who want to play that kind of game aren't a whole lot. Most people enjoyed the campaign and peaced out.

 

[MrAss]

67,000 playing right now on Steam.

Space Marines 2 is already half that. Supposedly it was the Helldivers killer.

Helldivers is here to stay. And they can still grow it in a lot of different ways.