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The latest Helldivers 2 update, the 01.000.100 patch, has arrived, and with it comes a slew of balance changes. While many of the tweaks are fairly slight, there are a few major changes that are going to have a huge impact on how players play the game, so you might want to think about changing up your playstyle if this affects you.
Major changes
The Breaker shotgun has probably had the biggest change, with it receiving a pretty massive nerf. Its magazine capacity has been reduced from 16 to 13, and its recoil has been almost doubled, from 30 to 55. It will no doubt still be viable, but after this nerf we wouldn’t be surprised if many players drop it in favour of other weapons.
In exchange, the Breaker Spray & Pray has received a pretty substantial buff. It now has increased armor penetration, increased fire rate from 300 to 330, and now fires 16 pellets instead of 12. Its magazine size has been reduced from 32 to 26, but it’s hard to see this as anything other than a massive buff.
The Railgun has also had a pretty major nerf. Decreased armor penetration while in Safe Mode makes it all but necessary to use it in Unsafe mode when fighting certain enemies. In addition to that, it deals decreased damage against durable enemy parts too. If you’ve got great aim, this might not be a big deal, but the railgun will require a lot more precision from here on out.
The last major change is a huge buff to the Flamethrower. While it’s had its share of dedicated fans, most players have steered well clear of the Flamethrower, but that might change with this patch. An whopping 50% increase to damage per second is massive, and might put the Flamethrower right up there with some of the best weapons around.
Other changes
As well as those changes above, the Laser Cannons has had a buff, dealing increased damage against durable enemy parts, more armor penetration, and better ergonomics. This is likely as a means of bringing it more in line with the likes of the Railgun.
There have been a couple of Stratagem updates, too. The Energy Shield Backpack now has an increased delay before charging, while the 380mm and 120mm Orbital Barrages now have a decreased spread, but make up for it with a longer duration.
It’s not just weapon changes. As expected, there are a raft of bug fixes coming to the game, making things much smoother for players. The team at Arrowhead Game Studios have also acknowledged a series of other bugs which they are working hard to fix as soon as possible.
This is just the latest step in the Helldivers 2 roadmap, and there’s plenty more to come. With a new Warbond over the horizon and the confirmation of mechs coming to the game, it sure is an exciting time to be a Helldiver.
