Helldivers 2 devs asked 58,000 players what they think of the new Warbond and weapons…they suck

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Earlier this week, a new Helldivers 2 Premium Warbond was released titled Democratic Detonation. Included in it are three new armor sets, three new weapons, three new utility items, and numerous cosmetics such as Capes. So far, the reception of the newest Warbond hasn’t been positive, with some players calling one of the weapons “absolutely garbage.”

The Helldivers 2 developer, Arrowhead Game Studios, is very in tune with the community and has taken to Discord to ask for player feedback on both the latest Premium Warbond and the Marksman Rifle, with the aim and making changes if needed. Over 58,000 people voted, check out the results below.

Screenshot of a Discord poll where Helldivers 2 devs asked 56,000 players about marksman rifles, showing most voters think they are underpowered.
Image via Discord, captured by VideoGamer

Question: What do you think about Marksman Rifles in Helldivers 2?

  • They need a rebalance because they’re underpowered – 46,132 votes (79%)
  • They need a rebalance because they’re overpowered – 148 votes (0%)
  • They feel fine to me – 3,698 votes (6%)
  • I wouldn’t know because I never use them – 8,650 votes (15%)
Screenshot of a Discord poll asking "How do you feel about the new Democratic Detonation Warbond?" with most respondents selecting "It's good, but I feel like something is missing.
Image via Discord, captured by VideoGamer

Question: How do you feel about the new Democratic Detonation Warbond?

  • I love it – 15,248 votes (27%)
  • I hate it – 1,386 votes (2%)
  • It’s good, but I feel like something is missing – 38,243 votes (68%)
  • It’s good, but I feel overwhelmed by content – 1,717 votes (3%)

As a Marksman Rifle user, I find the weapons to be fine, but I will not complain if this vote leads to a buff because it will make my playing experience even better. For Automaton missions, which have been the focal point of Helldivers 2 for the past month or so, I use the R-63 Diligence Marksman Rifle from the free Warbond included with the game. When it comes to the Automatons, I find the single-shot style of the Marksman Rifle to work better as quite often you can take out the grunt-type Trooper enemies with one shot, and for enemies such as the Berserker, Devastator, and Scout Strider you can often snipe the Trooper from the machine if they haven’t seen you, this would be more difficult with the erratic Assault Rifles.

If you haven’t checked out the Marksman Rifles yet, I highly recommend trying one for the Automaton missions and seeing if it suits your playstyle. For the Terminid missions, I prefer an Assault Rifle but some also like using Submachine Guns and Shotguns.

Here is the description and stats for the R-64 Diligence Marksman Rifle:

Screen from a video game showing a weapon selection menu with a marksman rifle highlighted, displaying stats such as damage and fire rate. Helldivers 2 devs asked 58,000 players
Image captured by VideoGamer

“This high-caliber marksman rifle trades magazine capacity and rate of fire for powerful, accurate shots.”

  • Damage – 112
  • Capacity – 20
  • Recoil – 35
  • Fire Rate – 360
  • Weapon Trait – Light Armor Penetrating

With the arrival of the Democratic Detonation Premium Warbond also came the return of the Automatons, who were eradicated for just one day before reappearing with tens of thousands of warships after the robots had been building a stronger army in secret. This has put the Helldivers on the back foot and fighting to defend its planets, with players failing their second Major Order of the month after being unable to successfully defend five different planets. The future of Super Earth has never been more threatened than it is right now, so to ensure democracy keeps being spread across the galaxy, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you and your team can be suitably equipped to tackle whatever threat stands in the way of freedom.

About the Author

David Coulson

David is a gaming news writer here at VideoGamer His favorite franchises include Resident Evil and Final Fantasy. Despite being a gaming boomer, he still enjoys cranking 90s in Fortnite.

Helldivers 2

  • Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5
  • Genre(s): Action, Shooter, Third Person
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