Highlights
- Patch 01.000.300 in Helldivers 2 brought nerfs to burning damage, weapon adjustments, and quality-of-life improvements for missions.
- Some players are unhappy with the ricochet changes in Helldivers 2, claiming accidental deaths due to bullets reflecting back.
- Arrowhead Game Studios clarified that the ricochet changes were intentional, but there may be a bug with the R-36 Eruptor causing issues.
Some Helldivers 2 players are unhappy with the bullet ricochet changes implemented with Update 01.000.300. Patch days have always been somewhat contentious within the Helldivers 2 community, often because of the introduced balance changes included with the patch along with the wave of bug reports that follow in the wake of every update. Its latest patch was, unfortunately, no exception to the established pattern, and many players have since flocked to social media to call for a quick fix to what appears to be a problem with the game’s ricochet mechanic.
To developer Arrowhead Game Studios’ credit, many of the changes implemented by Patch 01.000.300 were intended to address the concerns of the player base. The patch introduced several key adjustments. Notably, burning damage has been given a much-needed nerf and will now deal 15% less damage to players, a change many Hellmire veterans will likely welcome. There were also balance changes for a variety of weapons from the Helldivers 2 arsenal, fixes for the patrol spawning rate for groups with less than four players, and several quality-of-life improvements for missions in general.
Rumor: Helldivers 2 Leak Shows New Plasma Pistol
A recent Helldivers 2 leak shows the in-game model of a plasma pistol, which may be added to the popular shooter in the future.
With that said, not all the changes introduced with Helldivers 2‘s Patch 01.000.300 were welcomed. Specifically, Helldivers 2 players have flocked to the subreddit, claiming the adjustments made to the ricochet system have caused a notable spike of accidental in-game deaths. Several users posted clips showcasing footage of such incidents, with the players firing into an enemy or object only for the target to seemingly reflect the bullets right back into an unfortunate Helldiver.
Helldivers 2 Players Argue Over Ricochet Changes
However, a post from another user speculated the problem wasn’t caused by the ricochet changes and might instead lie in a possible bug with the players’ choice of armament. For context, the bolt-action R-36 Eruptor, which was used in several of the clips criticizing the ricochet changes, is a powerful marksman rifle designed to eliminate armored targets with its highly explosive ammo, which is notorious for sending dangerous shrapnel shooting in every direction after the initial explosion. Developers later supported the claim in another post, clarifying that the ricochet changes were working as intended and that there was indeed a bug with the shrapnel from the R-36 Eruptor which would soon be fixed.
Balance changes always carry the possibility of upsetting both the players and meta, and Arrowhead Game Studios in particular is known for nerfing some of the most popular weapons and stratagems in Helldivers 2 in an attempt to keep every option viable. While monthly major updates can keep the game feeling fresh, they might also dishearten some players who devote themselves to finding the best way to thrive in Helldivers 2‘s Galactic War.
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 is a third-person cooperative shooter developed by Arrowhead Games Studios for the PC and PlayStation 5 where players take control of a Helldiver set to protect the citizens of Super Earth by traveling to hostile alien worlds and destroying threats. Players undergo missions, defeat enemies, and use special items called Stratagems to help turn the tide of battle in this punishing release.
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC & PS5