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Helldivers 2 has faced its first rocky patch since being released in February 2024. Following the controversy surrounding the mandatory PSN account linking, which thankfully was later reverted, the developers are now under fire for its constant nerfing of weapons in Helldivers 2. Players have been taking to social media to express their frustration at the recent decisions to nerf any weapon that is considered viable, rather than buffing weaker weapons to make them a viable weapon to add to your loadout.
Like with the PSN controversy, it seems that the developers are beginning to take note of the backlash, but many are worried that Helldivers 2 will continue to be put in a worse state and become less fun to play if this direction doesn’t change soon.
U/Sheriffthtptrl took to Reddit to discuss the recent nerfs that have seen the likes of the Eruptor go from a fun weapon to use to not very viable compared to other choices saying,
“Players are not just mad because “the nerfs ruin guns”, the problem is that the nerfs suck the fun out of the game. The past nerfs, while having reasonable changes, have also been irritating. It does not feel like the balancing devs play their own game.”
This comes after a developer known as Alexus took to the official Discord server to discuss the reasonings for nerfing some weapons, which was met with backlash by the community. The Reddit user continued by saying,
“The reason that a “meta” exists is because players will find the most efficient weapons in the game and come up with the best combination of them. Players are going to play the game and choose gear that works for them based on their experience.
They also noted what many others have been echoing recently in that it makes more sense to buff lesser-used weapons than nerfing the meta.
“If you want players to use a wider variety, make the other options more viable. They should be sidegrades, having both advantages and disadvantages, then players will choose what weapons to use based off of their preferences. If players are not using certain weapons as often, it’s because either the weapon is niche or it’s just not as good as other weapons. Buff those weapons. Stop nerfing strong weapons. You nerf weapons that people use, but the other weapons are still not as good, so they put up with the nerfed weapons. You encourage meta.”
The user concluded their post with a great point in that Helldivers 2 is a PvE game, so having any weapons that are slightly overpowered doesn’t really affect anything. If the game was a PvP game it would make sense to keep the loot pool more balanced, which is something games such as Fortnite are constantly working on. But Helldivers 2 doesn’t have that problem.
“No weapon should completely overshadow other weapons, but it is fine to have some weapons that absolutely shred enemies. So what if a weapon is a bit op? This is a PvE game about killing hordes of bugs and bots it does not matter.”
With Arrowhead Game Studios regularly nerfing and buffing weapons, it likely won’t be long until the new Polar Patriots Warbond is tweaked. Speaking of the new Warbond, Polar Patriots released today which added new weapons, armor, utilities, and more to the game. This comes at the perfect time as the Terminids are now stronger than ever and posing a threat to Super Earth, so grab the new weapons and get serving Liber-tea. To ensure victory against the Terminids, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you and your squad can bring democracy to every enemy that stands in the way of freedom.
