Helldivers 2 has made an enormous splash within the 2024 dwell service panorama. Delivering enjoyable, fast-paced motion with explosions so far as the attention can see, there’s lots to like in Helldivers 2 (assuming you are capable of make it by means of the server queue unscathed). There are such a lot of superior weapons and stratagems to make use of on this recreation, and every one brings one thing distinctive to the battlefield. They are not all created equally, although.
As the sport continues to balloon in recognition and divers proceed to climb the problem ranks, a clearer image of the state of stratagem and weapon balancing is coming into focus — and we want buffs! Some weapons, just like the Flamethrower, really feel like trap-choices, and when it takes your hard-earned sources to unlock a brand new stratagem/weapon to check out, it may be an enormous bummer to make the improper selection. This divide grows extra dramatic when you climb into the very best issue tier, the place you begin to see everybody utilizing just about the identical weapons and stratagems.
That is anticipated in this type of on-line recreation, the place you start to see a meta start to emerge in these increased, extra grueling difficulties, and it is smart that not each weapon or stratagem is supposed to be viable within the higher echelon of Excessive, Suicide Mission, and Unimaginable issue settings. However if you begin to see each Helldiver operating round with the identical main weapon (SG-225 Breaker shotgun), the identical secondary weapon (P-19 Redeemer), and the identical few stratagems (Protect Generator Pack, Railgun, Mortar Sentry, and Orbital Laser), a little bit of staleness can slowly creep into your expertise mission to mission.
The reply, nevertheless, is not to nerf these admittedly wonderful weapons and stratagems. They work precisely how they need to — they really feel good to make use of, look superior, and you may nonetheless get torn aside by Terminids or blown aside by Automatons in case you aren’t being too cautious. Nerfing weapons in a PvE recreation feels simply anti-fun, particularly after they aren’t trivializing any content material.
Deliver On The Growth
The reply is clearly and unequivocally to start out buffing different weapons and stratagems to present viable alternate options that really feel simply nearly as good as the present meta loadout.
And this does not simply apply to high-level play. Even at decrease difficulties like Trivial or Simple, there are a lot underwhelming stratagems and weapons. The Flamethrower was considered one of my first unlocks as a result of raining hellfire down on swarms of bugs looks like a sound technique, and but it feels so underwhelming to the purpose the place I regretted the acquisition after making an attempt it out for a handful of missions. It wants greater than a injury tweak, it wants a little bit of a rework — make it shoot out an actual stream of flame (give it some vary), and let the flames cling to surfaces, creating some lingering flames that the enemies will not simply stomp by means of with nary a twitch.
The Flamethrower would not have to be as highly effective because the Railgun in Unsafe Mode or something, however it ought to be higher at one thing than the Railgun. Certain, the Flamethrower can put a cease to a number of the small bugs, however so can my default Assault Rifle. The primary Helldivers did an exceptional job at balancing out the weapons. Not each weapon had the identical effectiveness for each mission sort, however each weapon excelled at one thing. We want an equal balancing act right here.
Now, do not take this as me simply complaining into the void. Helldivers 2 simply dropped, and it is an unbelievable recreation (I simply reviewed it and gave it a 9.1 for simply how superior it’s). A lot of the sport nails the house marine expertise, and even the undertuned weapons are nonetheless a blast to play with — so long as you do not blindly take them into the upper difficulties. I’ve full confidence that the builders over at Arrowhead are engaged on weapon and stratagem balancing as we communicate. They have been extremely communicative about their server capability points because of the unprecedented success of this recreation.
Till the server points are resolved, I do not count on weapon balancing to be a excessive precedence. However I have been seeing an increasing number of calls from some voices in the neighborhood calling for nerfs to a number of the highest performing weapons and stratagems within the recreation, and there must be extra voices cautioning in opposition to that. There isn’t any want for nerfs in a PvE recreation like this. Energy up the weaker loadouts, do not make every part underwhelming.. We would like larger explosions, not smaller ones!
