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 this thrilling third-person co-op shooter. The update fine-tunes numerous weapons and stratagems, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. A key improvement involves boosting the game's AI processing power, leading to more responsive enemy behavior, especially in densely populated combat scenarios. While this enhancement improves enemy AI reaction times, it does come with a minor performance trade-off. This means you can expect a more challenging encounter, particularly with Automatons, who now react faster and smarter in larger groups. The stratagem loadout menu also benefits from a revamped categorization system, making it easier to manage your strategic options.

Helldivers 2: Borderline Justice Warbond Screenshots

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Sony Interactive Entertainment has also announced Helldivers 2's next 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 weapons are the GS-17 Frontier Marshal medium Helldiver set and the GS-66 Lawmaker heavy armor, both boasting a distinct space cowboy aesthetic. The Gunslinger armor passive further enhances gameplay with increased reload and draw/holster speeds, and reduced recoil.

The ongoing Galactic War in Helldivers 2 currently focuses on the Illuminate, who are relentlessly pushing a black hole towards Super Earth. The future of this conflict remains uncertain, with speculation suggesting a potential assault on the Illuminate's homeworld or a decisive battle on 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 for 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, improving enemy response times in large groups (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 optimization.

Crash Fixes, Hangs, and Soft-locks: Fixed various crashes related to network conditions, 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: Fixed various issues related to lobby visibility, player joining, disconnections, emotes, friend lists, and muting/kicking players.

Miscellaneous Fixes: Fixed memory leaks, reappearing text chat messages, progress bar appearance, 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 unintended spacewalks, AX/TX-13 ammo indicator, LAS-5 Scythe zoom, charge-up weapon firing behavior.