Helldivers 2 Patch Makes Big Balance and Gameplay Changes, New Warbond Has a Space Cowboy Theme

Helldivers 2's latest patch, 01.002.200, delivers significant balance adjustments and bug fixes to enhance the co-op shooter experience. This update refines the performance of numerous weapons and stratagems. Arrowhead Game Studios has also boosted the game's AI processing power, resulting in more responsive enemy behavior, especially in densely populated combat scenarios. While this improvement enhances enemy AI, it may slightly impact overall game performance.

This change most notably affects Automatons, who now exhibit heightened reaction speeds and improved decision-making, particularly in larger groups. Prepare for a more challenging encounter with these enhanced robotic foes. The stratagem loadout menu has also received a welcome update, featuring improved categorization for easier navigation.

Helldivers 2: Borderline Justice Warbond Screenshots

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Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced the next Helldivers 2 Warbond, "Borderline Justice," launching March 20th. This "space cowboy"-themed Warbond introduces exciting new weaponry, including the R-6 Deadeye lever-action rifle, the LAS-58 Talon revolver, and the explosive TED-63 Dynamite. Complementing these additions are the GS-17 Frontier Marshal medium Helldiver set and the GS-66 Lawmaker heavy armor, both reflecting the space cowboy aesthetic. The Gunslinger armor passive enhances secondary weapon reload and draw speeds while reducing recoil.

The ongoing Galactic War continues its focus on the Illuminate, who relentlessly push a black hole towards Super Earth. Speculation abounds regarding the future of the conflict, with possibilities ranging from an assault on the Illuminate homeworld to a desperate defense of Super Earth itself.

Helldivers 2 Update 01.002.200 Patch Notes:

Balancing

Primary Weapons:

• SMG-32 Reprimand: Spread reduced (50 to 40).
• SG-8S Slugger: Spread reduced (20 to 6), damage increased (250 to 280).
• AR-23C Liberator Concussive: Fire rate increased (320 to 400).
• R-63 Diligence: Magazine capacity increased (20 to 25).
• MP-98 Knight: Damage increased (65 to 70).
• STA-11 SMG: Damage increased (65 to 70).
• SMG-37 Defender: Damage increased (75 to 80).
• SMG-72 Pummeler: Damage increased (65 to 70), stun value increased (1.0 to 1.25 per bullet), requires fewer shots to stun.
• AR-23 Liberator: Damage increased (70 to 80).
• STA-52 Assault Rifle: Damage increased (70 to 80).
• BR-14 Adjudicator: Damage increased (90 to 95).
• AR-61 Tenderizer: Damage increased (95 to 105).
• R-36 Eruptor: Projectile armor penetration increased (Medium to Heavy), projectile lifetime increased (0.7 to 1 sec).

Stratagems:

• Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods: Uses increased (2 to 3).
• EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit: Uses increased (2 to 3).
• EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit: Uses increased (2 to 3).
• TX-41 Sterilizer: Ergonomics increased (5 to 20).
• M-105 Stalwart: Damage increased (70 to 80).
• MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun: Improved armor penetration at wider angles.

Enemies:

• Automatons: Increased reaction speed in groups; less easily distracted by each other.
• General AI: Increased AI calculation capacity for improved responsiveness in large enemy encounters (minor performance trade-off).
• Automaton Dropships: Main body health increased (2500 to 3500).
• Illuminate Dropships: Now utilize the same shields as landed dropships.
• Barrager Tank Turret: Armor value corrected (0 to 5), weak points added (front and back, 750 HP each, armor value 3).

Gameplay

Settings: Added separate gyro inversion settings. Stratagem Loadout Menu: Updated categorization.

Fixes

Top Priority Issues Resolved: Fixed unreachable extraction beacon issue. General colony environment optimizations.

Crash Fixes, Hangs, and Soft-Locks: Various crash fixes related to Terminids, game shutdown, particle effects, and objective completion.

Weapons and Stratagems: Fixed issues with G-123 Thermite Grenade, LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle, and CB-9 Exploding Crossbow.

Social & Multiplayer Fixes: Numerous fixes addressing lobby visibility, player joining, disconnections, emotes, friend list display, muting/kicking players, and Steam profile names.

Miscellaneous Fixes: Memory leak fixes, text chat message reappearance, Democracy Space Station progress bar, language selection, raise weapon emote, and Helldiver sliding.

Known Issues

Top Priority: Black box mission terminal clipping, stratagem ball unpredictability, DSSP pathfinding, Evacuate Colonists mission pathfinding, Dolby Atmos on PS5.

Medium Priority: Player getting stuck on Pelican-1 ramp, cape display issues, "This is Democracy" emote causing unintended spacewalks, AX/TX-13 ammo indicator, LAS-5 Scythe zoom, charge-up weapon firing behavior.