As Helldivers 2 Players Digest Dramatic Nerfs, Dev Says ‘Rely on Your Stratagems’ to Deal With Tough Enemies

ign.com:

It’s been a dramatic 24 hours for Helldivers 2 players after the game’s first balance patch set the cat among the pigeons with its nerf to the best loadout.

Patch 01.000.100 nerfs the Breaker, Railgun, and Shield Generator Backpack, three items considered essential to higher difficulty play and Helldivers 2’s best loadouts. But it also buffs weaker weapons and stratagems, including the Flamethrower (more on that later), Laser Cannon, Punisher, and the 380mm and 120mm Orbital Barrages.

It’s the nerfs to the Breaker, Railgun, and Shield Generator Backpack that have sparked the most vociferous discussion within the Helldivers 2 community, given their popularity. On higher difficulties, Helldivers 2 throws an often overwhelming number of powerful enemies at you, many of which require hard-hitting weapons and stratagems to deal with. The Railgun in particular was a popular option for taking on Helldivers 2’s toughest enemies, such as the heavily armored Bile Titan and Charger.

Developer Arrowhead had already discussed the thinking behind these changes, admitting ‘having your favorite toy nerfed absolutely sucks’, but called on players to give the nerfed items a chance. Now it’s gone into more detail in a blog post by Patrik Lasota, the designer on the first Helldivers and currently Head of Product Testing at Arrowhead.

In discussing the nerf to the Breaker, a shotgun considered the best primary weapon in the game, Lasota commented on primary weapons in general, revealing that their lack of power and inability to deal with all the enemies is entirely intentional.

“This is very much intentional, you need to rely on your stratagems, and the stratagems of your team to deal with all the enemies effectively,” Lasota said. “Either by Eagle Airstrikes, Orbitals, Support Weapons, or Turrets, some of your loadout/team should be tailoring their loadout to killing the weaker stuff more efficiently.

“This doesn’t mean that your primary weapon shouldn’t feel good to use, but please