Super Earth is in a constant state of arms race against the Terminid, Automaton, and – potentially – the Illuminate.
Arrowhead Studios’ rebalancing of key small arms and support weapons in Helldivers 2 makes perfect sense, then, as the Helldivers’ arsenal changes with patches. As it currently stands, things are looking up!
More specifically, Helldivers 2‘s first major rebalancing update arguably knee-capped the game’s strongest and most user-friendly weapon: the Railgun, and players were quickly forced to adapt by relying on a variety of other support weapons and Stratagems. Now, weeks after the nerf, we’re looking at a surprisingly healthy and varied meta, with weapons such as the one-off anti-tank launchers, the luger-esque autocannon, and the Railgun itself each enjoying a niche all of its own. Heck, everyone seems to have their own idea of what the best support weapon is in a given situation, and these discussions are remarkably entertaining.
Helldivers 2’s meta is far more varied and healthy following the Railgun nerf
While some players feel that the Railgun was a “premature, kneejerk response to the weapon’s overuse,” other Helldivers are quick to point out that the weapon simply isn’t the be-all-end-all that it once was. Even though it’s now overshadowed when facing off against the Terminids, many agree that the Railgun is downright invaluable when duking it out with the Automatons. Similarly, though the EAT is an easy choice in many situations due to its rapid deployment, ease-of-use, and near-limitless availability, Arrowhead has successfully made weapons such as the flamethrower a ridiculously efficient manner of dealing with all manner of enemies. To say nothing of the autocannon, the arc thrower, or the Stalwart machine gun, each of which can dish out some serious punishment when handled correctly.
Even on the explosive side of things, it’s not immediately obvious what the most effective tactics may be in a given situation. For example, some swear by the recoilless rifle’s ability to reload and lug around multiple rounds, while others feel that the disposable launcher is the handier option overall due to it coming back online every minute or so. How do you kill a tank, then? The answer, as it currently stands, is however you wish.
Some Helldivers have even gone so far as to establish a list of handy support weapons to lug around against the Terminid, and examples even include the currently iffy SPEAR launcher and the ever-reliable grenade launcher. The only thing that the person actually using these weapons needs to know, then, is their respective niche, which speaks to Arrowhead Studios’ ability to balance such a substantial number of items competing for the same role and equipment slot.
This is where that Helldivers 2 Super Destroyer firing range would come in handy, of course, but we don’t have it just yet. Being able to train with and understand a given piece of kit is what drives the game’s meta, and the fact that the community is so fired up over discussing which option is best tells us that Helldivers 2 is currently in a really good spot in this regard.
And, in the end, we’d like to remind you that the Railgun’s unsafe mode wasn’t even meaningfully nerfed. You can still spam it around willy-nilly if you so desire. It’s just that you don’t have to, with almost all of the game’s support weapons being fairly well-balanced at this time. Will this hold? We don’t know. And it’s not like Arrowhead is doing a bang-up job across the board, as the majority of the actual primary small arms are arguably useless when push comes to shove.
Not a perfect meta, then, but the Stratagems and support gear are, at the very least, so good that it’s usually hard to choose what you’ll take. A solid effort, for sure.
