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

Helldivers 2 has released a new patch, 01.002.200, which introduces significant balance adjustments and bug fixes to Sony's engaging third-person co-op shooter. This update fine-tunes several weapons and stratagems to enhance gameplay experience.

Developer Arrowhead has increased the number of AI calculations the game can handle, which primarily affects scenarios with a high number of spawned enemies. This improvement boosts enemy response times in such situations, although it comes with a slight trade-off in game performance, according to Arrowhead.

One notable change from this update is that the Automatons will now pose a tougher challenge, as they exhibit increased reaction speeds in large groups. This means that the already formidable bots in Helldivers 2 will now act smarter and make quicker decisions, intensifying the gameplay.

Another useful enhancement is the updated categorization of the stratagem loadout menu, making it easier for players to navigate and select their preferred stratagems.

Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond Screenshots

6 Images

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

Complementing the theme, the GS-17 Frontier Marshal medium Helldiver set and the GS-66 Lawmaker heavy armor, complete with a cowboy holster and bandolier, are also part of this Warbond. The Gunslinger armor passive enhances secondary weapons by increasing reload speed, draw/holster speed, and reducing recoil. The Borderline Justice Warbond will be available starting March 20.

The ongoing Galactic War in Helldivers 2 is currently focused on the Illuminate alien faction, which is gradually pushing a black hole towards Super Earth. While the outcome remains uncertain, speculation suggests potential scenarios like confronting the Illuminate on their home world or 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