Helldivers 2 is the new shooter hit on Steam. Thousands of players dive into galactic warfare daily. The weapon they use to spread democracy in the universe is based on 4 stats – now the director explains why it’s not worth it.
How do weapons work in Helldivers 2? In the co-op shooter, players can currently unlock 15 primary weapons and 3 secondary weapons. There are reportedly up to 59 weapons available. New players may wonder which weapon is best to take into the galactic war.
Many Helldivers primarily focus on 4 stats: damage, rate of fire, ammunition capacity, and recoil of a weapon. Now, studio head Johan Pilestedt personally comments on why this is only partly worthwhile.
You can see how the weapons look in action in our gameplay video:
Director says: Use what you enjoy
Why shouldn’t you rely on 4 stats? As Pilestedt explains in a post on X/Twitter, the visible stats of a weapon are just the tip of the iceberg: In reality, each weapon could have up to 50 different values, most of which players cannot see.
While some clever Helldivers had suspected this, there is now official confirmation. The stated numbers are a guideline, according to Pilestedt, but do not paint a complete picture. “Use [the weapon] you like best,” advises the studio head to the players.
Additionally, Pilestedt shows an earlier version of the weapon stats page: Originally, two pages were planned, with the second page revealing further details like reload time, muzzle velocity, and a graph of expected recoil.
In reality, according to Pilestedt, it is the ammunition that influences most of a weapon’s stats. However, this is not the only aspect of Helldivers 2 that is not immediately obvious: 9 hidden mechanics in Helldivers 2 that you probably don’t know.
Why are the stats hidden? Some comments from Pilestedt under his post provide insight into the exact reasoning. He responds to a user: “Looking back, it may have been a bad decision. It was deemed too complex for players.” (via X)
In other comments, the studio head agrees with players who point out how overloaded a user interface can become if everything is shown or who fear that additional stats would only lead to unnecessary meta.
So if your favorite weapon doesn’t appear in the top ranks of our tier list of the best weapons in Helldivers 2, you can still use it with a good conscience.
Players demand numbers and balancing
What do the players say? On X/Twitter, many players are demanding the return of the lost second page or the introduction of an “Advanced” tab to display the exact stats of a weapon. “Please, I need the numbers, I need the info,” writes one player (via X).
In the Helldivers forum on Reddit, players are already speculating about what the hidden stats might be. Here are some assumptions we have gathered for you:
- KillerXDLZ: “I’m pretty sure that headshot multiplier is one of them. Some weapons just deal a ton of damage on headshots compared to body shots.” (via Reddit)
- Aloe_Balm: “Probably some sort of weight stat, turning radius, reload time, projectile deviation, and a lot of smaller things that you discover intuitively while playing.” (via Reddit)
- SweetLMG: “Probably different multipliers depending on where you aim. But that doesn’t change the fact that many of the weapons feel sluggish.” (via Reddit)
Many players also seem to agree that there is still room for improvement in weapon balancing. Hidden stats or not, most weapons simply do not feel good.
What do you think? Can you understand the studio’s decision, or would you like more numbers? Feel free to tell us in the comments what your favorite weapon in Helldivers 2 is and why it is the Breaker.
For the min-maxers among you, here is the Best Loadout – The strongest build for solo players.
