“More buffs than nerfs” Full Helldivers 2 early patch notes for major update coming soon

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A huge Helldivers 2 update is on the way, and Arrowhead has been hyping its arrival every day now. It’s the first part of their 60 day roadmap in a huge effort to please the community who have been disappointed over the past few months with balance changes and lack of new content. The developer has promised “more buffs than nerfs,” and here are the full Helldivers 2 early patch notes for the update coming next week.

The next update is coming out on September 17th, but aside from that we also have a new Warbond to anticipate. Its called Chemical Agents, and it looks fantastic. Some of the new weapons and gadgets part of the upcoming Warbond include a hip-wielded TX-41 Sterilizer as well as the AX/TX-13 Dog Breath. This Warbond is set to release on September 19th.

While the new Warbond is exciting, we are getting Arrowhead’s major update a couple of days earlier. Not all of the details have been revealed to the Helldivers 2 community yet, but we can compile some early patch notes.

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Helldivers 2 early patch notes for next update

Below are the early patch notes for the next Helldivers 2 update:

  • 33% damage buff to the flamethrower
    • Flamer mechanics getting reverted back to before Escalation of Freedom – flamable weapons can now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers and Hulks
  • Railgun durable buff damage from 60 to 225
  • Railgun overcharging buff damage from 50% to 150%
  • Breaker increased magazine size – 16 shells
  • Break stagger buff from 10 to 15 seconds
  • Rocket Devastators have limited number of rockets – you can see them disappear when they are spent
  • Rocket Devastator reload mechanic is added from backpack to replenish the rockets
  • Rocket physics collision is now smaller, making them easier to avoid.
  • The Eruptor – replaced the original shrapnel with the Frag Grenade shrapnel to no longer instantly one-shot Helldivers with the exception of the occasional unlucky headshot
  • The amount of Eruptor shrapnel is also increased and explosion radius increased by 33%
  • Arc Thrower – moderate stun effect is added that builds up on its targets and the range got an increase from 35 to 55
  • Eagle 500kg bomb explosion radius is now increased to match visuals better

All of the above early patch notes come from Arrowhead’s announcements so far. We will update this article after Arrowhead announces even more.


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In addition to all of the above, below is everything that was originally announced for the update by Arrowhead on Steam:

  • We are reworking Armor Penetration, Anti-Tank weapons and enemy armor and health values. As a key part of the rework we have done an initial balancing pass on over 30 weapons and stratagems.
  • We are overhauling a number of different enemies to make them feel more rewarding to kill when you use the proper tools to handle them but ensure they still feel formidable. Enemy bots, including Hulks, will have lower armor, and the number of rockets fired by enemies like the Devastator and Gunship will be limited, making combat more balanced. The armor values of particularly tough bug enemies like the Charger, Impaler, and Bile Titan will also be reduced.
  • Weapons such as the Autocannon, Heavy Machine Gun, and Anti-Material Rifle will be more effective, providing greater loadout versatility. We are also working towards additional improvements for the flamethrower weapons.
  • We’re taking this opportunity to consider new player fantasies and design goals for these weapons and stratagems based on the feedback we’ve received and the trends we’re observing during gameplay.

While Arrowhead has only announced buffs so far, on the Helldivers Discord community manager Twinbeard has stated there will be some nerfs. However, he has promised “More buffs than nerfs”.

Image credit: Helldivers Discord

For more Helldivers 2, check out our guide to the best Warbonds along with the best loadouts in the game.

About the Author

Callum Smith

Callum Smith is a freelance gaming writer for Videogamer. He covers news for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and he has over five years experience covering the video games industry.

Helldivers 2

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