Highlights

  • Helldivers 2's recent update brought balance changes and new hazards but increased fire damage, to the frustration of some players.
  • Fans have criticized the nerfs to the Slugger shotgun in the April 2 update, making it less effective compared to the Dominator.
  • While new enemies like Factory Striders and Gunships have impressed fans, some players were left wanting more fire damage counters.

Helldivers 2 players have expressed their disapproval over a recent change that buffed incoming fire damage, which can often lead to quick and frustrating deaths. The damage adjustment came as part of a recent Helldivers 2 patch that introduced an assortment of changes.

Helldivers 2's April 2 update increased the level cap to 150, added hazards like blizzards and sandstorms, and made balance changes to missions, weapons, and enemies. Arrowhead Game Studios' recent update also added features not mentioned in the patch notes, like new enemies in Factory Striders and Gunships as well as a quality-of-life improvement to the Quasar Cannon. While most of these additions were well received, one change has not been popular among many Helldivers 2 fans.

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Reddit user raw_copium posted a thread to the Helldivers subreddit titled "The fire damage after the update is just stupid." They further explained that catching fire can result in what feels like an unfair death, especially when fighting a tough enemy who has a long-range flamethrower equipped. The new frustration is due to Arrowhead increasing incoming fire damage per tick by 50%, resulting in sometimes severe damage-over-time effects. At the time of writing, the Reddit post has accrued over three thousand upvotes with plenty of Helldivers 2 fans agreeing with raw_copium's complaint in the comments. Players explained that the usual counters to fire damage, like diving or healing, often can't be performed before a user succumbs to fire.

Seeing the significant outcry from Helldivers 2 fans regarding this issue, it's certainly possible that Arrowhead will partially roll back this change or add more counters to fire damage in future updates. One user called for a fire-resistant suit to be added to Helldivers 2's heavy armor category that would allow for 50% fire damage reduction along with other fire-related upgrades.

Some fans were also frustrated with the April 2 update's nerf to the Slugger, as the shotgun is now almost a pointless choice according to many players, especially when compared to the Dominator. The Slugger's nerfs included a reduction in damage, stagger effects, and demolition force.

Helldivers 2's New Enemies

While certain aspects of the recent update have been criticized, other changes like Helldivers 2's new enemies have impressed fans, although they are quite difficult to defeat. Factory Striders look straight out of Star Wars and are large, walking factories that target players with cannons and deploy Automatons. The update's second new enemy are Gunships, which are repeatedly spawned by nearby Gunship Facilities that can be destroyed.