Helldivers 2 has received yet another nerf to a popular weapon, but players have now realized who is to blame.
In Helldivers 2, nerfs to weapons and tactical equipment are a tiresome topic that keeps resurfacing. The community settles on what is currently strongest and plays it extensively. The developers see that certain weapons and equipment are played more than others and nerf them. And players are annoyed because their favorite weapons are constantly being weakened.
We have already experienced this cycle multiple times in the short life of Helldivers 2:
- It all started with the first major balance changes in March.
- It worsened when a patch made changes to 24 weapons in April.
- Generally, whenever there were major weapon nerfs, players were upset. Criticism followed.
Ultimately, in May, even the former CEO of Helldivers developer Arrowhead addressed the community and stated that they had gone too far with the nerfs and had patched the fun out of the game. That was supposed to change. But then, with the new update, another nerf hit a popular weapon: the flamethrower.
Community finds the culprit for the nerfs
Who is to blame for the nerfs? After the latest nerf, an observant Helldiver on Reddit made a discovery. He found out that a specific bug is responsible for all the nerfs: the Charger.
Chargers are large armored bugs that charge at you like a bull and try to trample you. They have a weak spot on their rear that can burst. Alternatively, you can shoot strong, explosive projectiles at their head or destroy the armor on their legs to reveal a new weak spot.
The player now believes that every major annoying nerf was due to the Chargers: “What caused the first round of nerfs? Players used the railgun too often because of Charger spam,” he elaborates further, “The Quasar cannon, the bow thrower, the flamethrower, EVERY nerfed weapon is a direct result of being used to deal with the abundance of Chargers on higher difficulties.”
This keeps the community from the theory: Many players find the theory plausible and agree with the Reddit user. In just under 24 hours, the post gathered over 8,700 upvotes and 1,100 comments.
One player mentions in the comments that when he plays bug missions, he exclusively chooses anti-Charger equipment. After all, he only has the choice to get rid of them or try to dodge up to three Chargers at the same time before ultimately being completely overwhelmed. This comment also received over 4,400 upvotes from the community.
Many players believe that Chargers need a nerf: less health on their legs; greater effectiveness of explosive weapons, regardless of where they hit; or that the weak spot on the rear bursts faster.
If you have not yet engaged with the new update of Helldivers 2 and its innovations or changes, you can take a look at the patch notes for “Escalation of Freedom” on MeinMMO: Helldivers 2: Patch Notes 01.001.002 – The largest update of the shooter is live
