Summary
- Helldivers 2 Patch 01.002.103 fixes bugs and addresses overpowered Warbonds weapons while aiming to keep players happy.
- Developers rebalanced the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle and GP-31 Ultimatum for more risk to maintain fun gameplay.
- Helldivers 2 is also celebrating its 1-year anniversary by offering a new cape for players.
Helldivers 2 launches Patch 01.002.103, which not only fixes more bugs and issues, but attempts to address the accidental power given to recently added Warbonds weapons. Helldivers 2 has managed to find itself in a good place with players after a rollercoaster first few months, and this latest update is an attempt to fix an unintended issue while keeping fans happy.
In the past, Arrowhead Game Studios tended to react quickly to things that were perceived as overpowered, even when players were having fun. Naturally, this led to friction between Helldivers 2 players and developers, though after many ups and downs, things have reached a much better place. In fact, recent reports show that recent weapons added in the Servants of Freedom update are much stronger than intended, though instead of nerfing them, Arrowhead is taking things in a different direction.
Helldivers 2 Gets Surprise PS5 Pro Upgrade
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios stealthily issues a PS5 Pro upgrade for the frenetic co-op multiplayer shooter.
The Helldivers 2: Servants of Freedom Warbond added a variety of hard-hitting gear including a grenade pistol and laser rifle that can be charged for more damage at the cost of self-damage. While players found new fun and destructive toys to play with, Arrowhead Game Studios' latest update sees the developers admitting that this latest Warbond features some files that were accidentally shipped, leading to both weapons being more powerful than they should have been.
Specifically, the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle has been rebalanced to give the gun a stronger risk/reward element to using it. The new values add another fire range and self-damage value, letting players hit harder at the cost of additional damage. In addition, the weapon now has slightly more ammo to work with.
The other big element to this update is Helldivers 2's GP-31 Ultimatum pistol, which has already become a big hit with players. Balancing this weapon posed a challenge, as Arrowhead admitted it was too strong, but didn't want to risk removing the fun for those who enjoyed it. As such, the GP-31 is no longer impacted by the Hellpod Optimization Booster or the Siege Ready armor passive, so while the weapon will still hit very hard, players will need to utilize a bit more skill to get the most out of it.
Alongside this new update, Helldivers 2 is celebrating its 1-year anniversary, with a recent PlayStation Blog post recapping the journey the game has been on. In addition, Arrowhead also revealed a special cape that players can pick up in celebration of the game's birthday.
Helldivers 2 Update 01.002.103 Patch Notes
Balancing
Primary Weapons
LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle
We’ve rebalanced the weapon to make the risk/reward dynamic more impactful. The goal is to ensure it feels like a truly powerful weapon while properly balancing the self-damage mechanics to reflect its high-risk nature. In the current live version, we felt it lacked both the punch and the level of risk we wanted and we didn’t feel it really lived up to our intent.
OLD
- 0-25% heat: AP3 55 damage - Deals 0 damage/second to players
- 26-90% heat: AP3 55 damage - Deals 10 damage/second to players
- +91% heat: AP3 55 damage - Deals 50 damage/second to players + fire status effect
NEW
- 0-25% heat: AP2 55 damage - Deals 0 damage/second to players
- 26-50% heat: AP3 55 damage - Deals 10 damage/second to players
- 51-90% heat: AP3 70 damage - Deals 20 damage/second to players
- +91% heat: AP4 70 damage - Deals 50 damage/second to players + fire status effect
Magazines
- Starting magazines increased from 1 to 2
- Spare magazines increased from 2 to 3
Sidearms
GP-31 Ultimatum
We have seen a lot of mixed player feedback for this weapon and how certain players feel it trivializes some of the harder content whilst others feel it plays just fine and is a great addition to the game. We have carefully opted for an approach where we’d like to reduce the ease of access to additional ammunition while maintaining the weapon’s core identity as a powerhouse. This means players will need to put in more effort and strategy to maximize its effectiveness at the cost of some armor and booster synergy for this specific weapon.
We will continue to monitor these changes so please keep providing us more feedback!
- The GP-31 Ultimatum is no longer influenced by the Hellpod Optimization Booster or the Siege Ready armor passive
Fixes
Resolved Top Priority issues:
- Fixed a bug where the scope aim-center was misaligned with the projectile's fire trajectory, affecting all weapons but most noticeable when aiming down sights (ADS)
Crash Fixes, Hangs and Soft-locks:
- Fixed a rare crash that could occur when joining someone who is swapping weapons
- Fixed a rare crash that could occur when hot joining a mission with the SEAF artillery objective present on the planet
- Fixed a crash when subtitles were shown and the language was changed
- Fixed a crash when shutting down the game while in a cutscene with the Democracy Space Station
- Fixed a crash when changing language during a mission
- Fixed a crash related to switching languages
- Fixed a crash that could occur for other players after a player disconnects from the session
- Fixed a crash caused by emoting right after dropping a support weapon
Weapons and Stratagems
- Fixed an issue where you could accidentally arm the B-100 Portable Hellbomb backpack when entering the FRV
Miscellaneous Fixes
- Fixed an issue with the level generation where some objective terminals could become non-interactable
- Fixed an issue with the Integrated Explosives armor passive sometimes not triggering
Helldivers 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter.
URGENT BROADCAST – SUPER EARTH ARMED FORCES
Freedom. Peace. Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization. Of our very existence. But the war rages on. And everything is once again under threat.
Join the greatest military force the galaxy has ever seen and make this a safe and free place to live.
BECOME A LEGEND
You will be assembled into squads of up to four Helldivers and assigned strategic missions. Watch each other’s back – friendly fire is an unfortunate certainty of war, but victory without teamwork is impossible.
LOADOUTS
Rain down freedom from above, sneak through enemy territory, or grit your teeth and charge head-first into the jaws of combat. How you deliver liberty is your choice; you’ll have access to a wide array of explosive firepower, life-saving armor and battle-changing stratagems… the jewel in every Helldiver’s arsenal.
REQUISITION
Super Earth recognises your hard work with valuable Requisition. Use it to access different rewards that benefit you, your squad, your destroyer ship and our overall war effort.
THREATS
Everything on every planet wants you dead. That’s what we’re dealing with. Each enemy has distinct and unpredictable characteristics, tactics, and behavior – but they all fight ferociously and without fear or morality.
THE GALACTIC WAR
Capturing enemy planets, defending against invasions, and completing missions will contribute to our overall effort. This war will be won or lost depending on the actions of everyone involved.
We stand together, or we fall apart.
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
