Helldivers 2’s Crucial 01.001.100 Update Completely Reworks Weapons, Adds New Galactic War Feature, and Changes Much More in Bid to Make the Game Easier
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released the long-awaited update 01.001.100, which tweaks the game balance, weapons, and stratagems as part of a significant overhaul that aims to bring lapsed fans back into the game by making it easier.
The PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter has changed anti-tank, armor penetration, health, and armor values, rebalanced weapons and stratagems, reworked enemies, tweaked Helldiver health and damage mechanics, reworked gas, added a new Galactic War feature and emote wheel feature, and fixed a long list of bugs.
The Galactic War map can now display the location of strategically important assets. Arrowhead said this will make it much easier for players to take them into consideration when deciding their next move. The new emote wheel feature lets players equip up to four emotes in the armory and access them using the new emote wheel feature by holding the emote button.
Patch 01.001.100 arrives two days before the next Premium Warbond, dubbed Chemical Agents, launches on September 19. While Chemical Agents does not include any new weapons, it adds two stratagem variants — the TX-41 Sterilizer, which lets you spray a gas at the Terminids and Automatons, and the Guard Dog’s ‘Dog Breath,’ which is a corrosive gas sprayer — and, in keeping with the alien exterminator theme, the G-4 Gas grenade, which covers the whole area in a cloud of noxious fumes.
“Thank you for your valuable feedback,” Arrowhead said in the patch notes, below. “Many players have expressed feeling constrained in how they approach challenges, often relying on a limited set of tools while other options seem less effective. This has impacted your ability to play the game in a way that suits your preferences.
“So, what’s changing? For all the bugdivers out there, many situations were previously either resolved with your primary weapon or anti-tank weapons, which haven’t always performed as expected. With the overwhelming presence of Bile Titans and Chargers, many weapon choices therefore became invalid.
“To address this, we’ve reworked armor penetration, anti-tank weapons, enemy armor and health values. Our goal is to improve the effectiveness of weapons such as the Autocannon, Heavy Machine Gun, Flamethrower, and Anti-Materiel Rifle against heavily armored enemies. Although they may not be as effective as specialized anti-tank weapons, they are now more viable choices making your loadouts more versatile, fostering better team collaboration and planning.
“On the Bot front, Hulks have also had their armor reduced, making them more vulnerable to a wider range of weapons. Additionally, to improve the gameplay experience, the Devastator and Gunship will now have a limited supply of rockets, and those rockets won’t hit as frequently as before. This comes alongside the previously updated smaller impact radius for rockets, reducing excessive ragdolling.
“We’ve also made improvements to many primary weapons, bringing them closer in effectiveness to the most popular choices. This should offer more variety and flavor during your play sessions.
“We are adjusting damage mechanics to make the damage Helldivers receive more consistent over time by reducing 100% extra headshot damage to 50%. To maintain the overall challenge of the game, we’ve slightly increased the damage taken to other parts of the body. Our intent is to preserve the intensity of the gameplay while minimizing frustrating situations where sudden headshots cause large damage spikes.
“With these changes, along with an upgraded Helldiver arsenal, enemy adjustments, and more consistent damage, the overall difficulty may slightly decrease. We’ll be monitoring this closely and will listen to the community on how you think it feels.
“We want to assure you that your feedback remains essential to us. Please share your thoughts on these updates, as we are actively listening. We plan to conduct another balance pass by Day 60 of our commitment to ensure we’re aligning with what you need for the best possible experience and to address any concerns or adjustments required. Your insights will be invaluable in refining these changes and making sure the game remains engaging and enjoyable for everyone.”
Helldivers 2 update 01.001.100 patch notes in full:
Balancing
General
Previously, partial damage dealt 50% of full damage, which we found to be overly punishing and reduced effectiveness too much, leading to an excessive reliance on high armor penetration weapons. We’ve now increased partial damage to 65% of full damage to address this issue.The Helldiver now takes less damage from headshots, which previously dealt 100% extra damage but now inflict only 50% extra damage. Damage from hits to other body parts has been slightly increased depending on the area hit. This adjustment aims to normalize overall damage while maintaining detailed damage zones, reducing spike damage.
Primary Weapons
Liberator & Liberator Carbine
Damage is increased from 60 to 70Durable damage increased from 14 to 17Stagger force increased from 10 to 15Max spare magazines increased from 7 to 8Starting spare magazines increased from 5 to 6
Knight
Damage is increased from 50 to 65Durable damage increased from 5 to 7Magazines now fully refill when picking up resupplyReduced recoil
Liberator Concussive
Now comes with a drum magazine which holds 60 roundsNumber of mags reduced from 10 to 6. The number of mags have been reduced due to larger magazine capacity
Tenderizer
Number of rounds in its magazine increased from 30 to 35Starting magazines increased from 4 to 5
Breaker
Now comes with an extended magazine which holds 16 shellsStagger force increased from 10 to 15
Spray and Pray
Now has a duckbill muzzle making its spread very horizontal but less verticalTotal Damage increased from 192 to 240
Scythe
Cooldown is fasterAdjustments to the heat VFXScope changed to a low powered scopeRemoved recoilSets enemies on fire faster
Crossbow
Explosion radius increased by 50%Explosion damage increased from 150 to 350
Eruptor
Shrapnel is back! We heard your feedback and re-introduced the shrapnel. We have replaced the original shrapnel with the Frag Grenade shrapnel to no longer instantly one-shot Helldivers with the exception of the occasional unlucky headshot.
Shrapnel projectiles amount are set to 30Shrapnel damage is set to 110Explosion damage decreased from 340 to 225We also increased the amount of shrapnelExplosion radius increased by 33% (17% for inner radius and 50% for outer radius)
Defender
Damage increased from 70 to 75Durable damage increased from 7 to 8
Liberator Penetrator
Damage increased from 45 to 60
Diligence
Damage increased from 125 to 165Durable damage increased from 32 to 42
Counter Sniper
Damage increased from 140 to 200Durable damage increased from 14 to 50Stagger force increased from 15 to 20
Blitzer
Now has a weak stun effect that builds up per shot on its targets
Torcher
Damage increased by 50%Flamer mechanics reverted to before the Escalation of Freedom updateIncreased AP from 3 to 4
Sidearms
Peacemaker
Increased max spare magazines from 5 to 6
Dagger
Gains heat more slowlyRemoved recoilDamage increased from 200 to 250Sets enemies on fire fasterAdjustments to the heat VFX
Crisper
Damage increased by 50%Flamer mechanics reverted to before the Escalation of Freedom updateIncreased AP from 3 to 4
Support Weapons
Dedicated anti-tank weapons like the Recoilless Rifle, Quasar, Commando, Expendable Anti-Tank, SPEAR, and Patriot Exosuit rockets have all received significant damage boosts to enhance their effectiveness.
These weapons generally fall into three categories:
Strong and Reliable: The Recoilless Rifle and SPEAR can afford to be less accurate when firing at armored targets since most hits will eliminate enemies the size of a Charger
Strong: The Expendable Anti-Tank and Quasar are highly effective, often killing targets with a single hit to a weak spot; otherwise, two solid shots will handle a Charger, or one shot for a Hulk
Less Strong: The Commando and Patriot Exosuit Rockets typically require 1-3 shots to take down a Charger or Hulk, depending on your aim
Grenade Launcher
Starting spare magazines increased from 1 to 2Max spare magazines increased from 2 to 3Explosion radius slightly increased
Laser Cannon
Cooldown is slightly fasterRemoved recoilSets enemies on fire fasterCan now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, HulksAdjustments to the heat VFX
Arc Thrower
Range increased from 35 to 55Now has a moderate stun effect that builds up on its targetsJumps additional timesDurable damage increased from 50 to 100
Railgun
Durable damage increased from 60 to 225Fully overcharging damage increased from 150% to 250%
Stalwart
Damage is increased from 60 to 70Durable damage increased from 14 to 17Stagger force increased from 10 to 15
Machine Gun
Stagger force increased from 15 to 20
Anti-Materiel Rifle
Durable damage increased from 135 to 180Can now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, HulksStagger force increased from 20 to 25
Heavy Machine Gun
Stagger force increased from 20 to 25Can now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, Hulks
Commando
Demolition strength against structures has been reduced; it can no longer destroy Automaton Fabricators in a single shot. However, since the fabricators now have health, it can still take them out with two shots
Flamethrower
Damage increased by 33%Flamer mechanics reverted to before the Escalation of Freedom updateIncreased armor penetration from 3 to 4Can now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, Hulks
Autocannon
Can now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, Hulks
Grenades
Frag Grenade
Shrapnel damage increased by roughly 50%Max amount increased from 4 to 5Refill increased from 2 to 3Explosion radius increased
Thermite Grenade
Explosion damage increased from 100 to 2000Shorter time until it ignites the thermiteTime until it explodes slightly reducedMax number decreased from 4 to 3
Stratagems
Every Stratagem capable of damaging heavily armored enemies has had their damage increased to account for the increased health of heavier enemies. The goal with this change is to have the Stratagems on a similar or higher power level than before. In addition to that, we have made the following changes as well.
Eagle 500kg bomb
Explosion radius increased to match visuals better
Eagle Rockets
Damage slightly increased
Gatling Sentry
Stagger force increased from 15 to 20
Machine Gun Sentry
Stagger force increased from 15 to 20
Tesla Tower
Increased stagger force to match other Arc weaponsNow has a moderate stun effect that builds up per hit on its targets
Heavy Machine Gun Emplacement
Stagger force increased from 20 to 25Can now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, Hulks
Patriot Exosuit
Gatling stagger force increased from 15 to 20
Emancipator Exosuit
Autocannon durable damage increased from 60 to 150Rate of fire on its weapons increased from 125 to 175Ammo increased from 75 to 100 per arm
Orbital Laser
Damage slightly increased
Orbital Railcannon
Damage slightly increased
Orbital Gas Strike
We are reworking the gas gameplay mechanics to become more crowd control focused in preparation for the Chemical Agents WarbondThe gas effect has been reworked to cause blindness and confuse enemies and Helldivers alike at the expense of reduced damage over time
Gameplay
General
New Galactic War Feature
The Galactic War map can now display the location of strategically important assets. This will make it much easier for the Helldivers to take them into consideration when deciding on their next move.
Emote Wheel feature
Players can now equip up to four emotes in the armory and access them using the new Emote Wheel feature by holding the Emote button. Additional separate key binding options are available for the Emote Wheel in the settings.Added Dolby Atmos support on PS5
Enemies
Automaton Fabricators
Automaton Fabricators now have health and armor in addition to their existing destruction system. This means that while many high armor penetration weapons can still destroy them, it may take multiple hits to do so, depending on the weapon usedAdded effects to clearer showcase their health state
Hulks (All versions)
Armor reduced from 5 to 4Back weak spot slightly more durableBack weak spot health decreased from 1000 to 800
Hulk Bruiser
Replaced the rocket launcher for an energy based cannonIncreased how frequently the Hulk Bruiser shoots
Tank
Front armor increased from 5 to 6
Berserker
Head health reduced from 150 to 125Main health reduced from 1000 to 750Abdomen is now a weak spotChainsaw damage increased
Devastators (All versions)
Main health reduced from 800 to 750Devastators now flinch when hit, causing their aim to worsen, similar to the Conscripts. The intent is to make them easier to manage if you keep applying damage
Rocket Devastators
Now has a limited number of rockets, and you can see them disappear when they are spentAdded a reload mechanic from their backpack to replenish their rockets onceRocket physics collision is smaller, making them easier to avoid
Gunships
Gunships now have a limited amount of rocketsRocket physics collision is smaller, making them easier to avoid
Charger (All versions)
Armor reduced from 5 to 4The butt weak spot health is decreased from 1100 to 950The butt weak spot is slightly less durableThe belly armor reduced from 4 to 2A damage multiplier has been added to the Charger’s exposed flesh of the main body, now dealing 300% damageNow turn slightly slower, when charging and moving normallyNow charge less oftenCharge damage increased by 50%Sideattack damage increased by 50%
Charger Behemoth
The butt weak spot health is decreased from 1200 to 950
Hunter
Health is reduced from 175 to 160
Scavengers
Health is reduced from 80 to 60
Bile Titan
Armor reduced from 5 to 4We have reworked the Bile Titan’s belly gameplayBelly armor reduced from 4 to 2Introduced a separate belly health pool once the outer belly layer has been destroyedDestroying the exposed belly health pool kills the Bile Titan
Impaler
Armor reduced from 5 to 4Previously the Impaler could only retract its tentacles once during its entire lifetime when threatened, now it can do it several timesIts tentacles pursue you over a shorter distance from the impaler and prioritize players nearer to the impalerIf the impaler can’t see an enemy it will retract its tentacles after a brief period
Impaler Tentacles
Tentacle damage is increasedReduced camera shake of the tentacle attackThe tentacles require less damage inflicted on them to retract
Planets and Modifiers
The Intense Heat and Extreme Cold modifiers are no longer static throughout the entire mission, and may now change based on time of day or different weather conditionsSome desert planets will now only have the Intense Heat modifier active during the day. This means that during night the planet will either have no modifier, or in some cases have the Extreme Cold modifierArid planets (similar to the Hellmire planet) will now only have the Intense Heat modifier active during fire tornado storms
Fixes
Fixed per weapon aim mode not saving correctly – NOTE: This patch will clear all the saved aim modes but everything should work correctly afterwards
Crash Fixes and Soft-locks:
Fixed a crash that could occur if shutting down the game during bootFixed a crash caused by players with unique skins timing outFixed a crash when vehicle skins are not properly syncedFixed a crash caused by players leaving the game shortly after being reinforced while using unique hellpod skinsFixed a rare crash produced by Bile Spewers attacksFixed a crash when interacting with the galactic war hologramFixed a crash when joining another super destroyerFixed a crash that could happen when you were participating in a secondary objectiveFixes crash when booting the game on PS5 with an unsupported systems language (such as French-Canadian)Fixed a potential crash when new players hotjoinFixed a potential crash when other players were leaving the gameFixed a rare crash when using the Hologram map and looking at the operationsYou should no longer crash when interacting with the Galactic War Map when an update is requiredFixed a rare crash which could occur when joining a game session which has cycled through at least 32 unique playersFixed an issue where objective stratagems cannot be completed if host migration happensFixed an issue where already joined players would be getting kicked when other players join the gameFixed a bug where closing Steam overlay in the middle of the super credits purchase would stay in a broken state for any purchase after that (it previously needed a game restart to work again)Fixed inaccessible shuttles after hosts leaving the game right before its landingFixed soft-lock during mission summary if the host left the gameFixed an issue where emotes would not exit properly if you canceled them using sprint
Social Menu Fixes
Fixes to PS5 friends list
Miscellaneous fixes:
Evacuate High-Value Assets Objective
Fixed issue where enemies would spawn on top of the extractionEnemies can no longer shoot generators from spawn points or from far awayFixed enemy pathing where they would sometimes try to enter the base from the mountain on the sideAdded more protection for the generators to prevent enemies shooting them from far awayHeavy and flying enemies now prioritize attacking the player before the generators and the gatesFixed an issue where enemies would stop spawning for a period of time when the host leaves the mission
Conduct Geological Survey Objective
Fixed issue in “Conduct Geological Survey” mission in which the Seismic Probe could become inoperable if a player called it in and left the game or disconnectedTweaked enemy spawns
Impaler
Fixed a bug where Impalers didn’t receive explosive damage in their exposed weak areasFixed Impaler’s tentacles not being pingable
The three following instances have been largely resolved, and the issues are now mostly fixed. Although rare occurrences may still happen with the Impaler in exceptional cases, they should be significantly less common.
Fixed a bug where standing near the Impaler’s head during the tentacle retraction could cause Helldivers to be launched high into the airFixed a bug where tentacles spawning beneath players could occasionally launch Helldivers into the airFixed a bug where the Impaler’s tentacles could sometimes launch the Exosuits into the air when the player was inside
Fixed enemies not receiving damage properly when more than 10m away from the playerFixed issue where Bile Titans may sometimes not take damage to the headFixed issue causing most weapons to shoot below the crosshair when using aim down sightFixed cases where the Hive Breaker drill might become inaccessible after being called inFixed issue where first-person view was misaligned with weapon sights when using the Ballistics Shield StratagemHMG scope is no longer misalignedFixed lens cutting issues in scopesFixed bug where multiple confidential data pickups could spawn in the same stronghold when only one is intendedFixed two-person emotes getting players stuck in an animation lockFixed intro cinematic missing audio in GermanFixed an instance of Automatons shooting through wallsFixed a bug where sometimes prerequisite objectives would be shown above the primary objective in the HUDFixed broken menus when opening the main menu right before entering the Hellpod (when the Loadout menu opens)Fixed weapon preview in loadout not being visible right after inspecting armors/helmets/capesFixed Eagle payloads sometimes not blowing up in swamp biomeFixed stronghold outposts giving (only visually) 0 rewards on the mission summary objectives screenFixed time-outed players still visible on the UI with the white player colorFixed long player title names text now scrolling instead of overlapping with other textsFixed Reinforced Scout Strider showing the wrong nameRemoved the deprecated Orbital Flare Stratagem from Stratagem heroFixed a bug where some of the stratagems did not have data being shown in the LoadoutFixed reinforcements called and stratagems used numbers on mission endFixed issue of drill objective floating in air when hot joining an ongoing ‘Nuke Nursery’ missionDisabled invite/join functionality when players are playing in a different game versionFixed player names not showing on ship after a missionFixed a desync issue in how many civilians have been extracted in “Emergency Evacuation” missionFixed unexploded Hellbombs on the terrain not being pingableFixed not seeing teammates equipment when hot-joining a missionFixed ‘Failed to Extract’ text incorrectly shown when extracting with the shuttle sceneSolved the issue where the player will not unlock the new difficulties after fulfilling the requirements for itBinding Stratagem inputs to other buttons should not block terminal inputsFixed other players helldivers showing over the weapons/armors when they are joining and the player is selecting equipment selection in LoadoutFixed a bug when starting the mission even if exiting loadout. Going back to the briefing screen will now unready the playerFixed the issue where the players can click on entries through the tabs on the bindings menuPinged enemies and objects now display correctly after changing languageFixed stratagem canceling purchase experience where moving mouse up and releasing the mouse button would not stop filling the button and the purchase processFixed an issue in our ragdoll optimizations where the wrong collision filters were used for some physics actors, leading to queries hitting unintended shapesFixed a bug in our ragdoll optimization code which caused some explosion types to deal incorrect damageAn incorrect message about removing a friend will no longer be displayed in the player information popupFixed multiline text sometimes being misalignedFixed issue where it scrolled down/up 2 Warbonds in the Acquisitions menu when scrolling with the left controller stickFixed motion controls while aiming when the “Motion Sensor Enable Mode” option is set to “Aiming” regardless of Aim input typeFixed a bug where the player can change tabs while changing the ship’s nameFixed no final ready up sound played when rejoining a missionMap markers on objectives will follow the objective if it changes position, as in the case of SSSD drivesFixed issue where the player can throw an unlimited amount of grenades/throwing knives after diving into shallow water while holding and then throwing the last throwableFixed another issue where players could be stuck holding the stratagem ball if they open the stratagem menu directly after the previous actionNow the game client displays a proper error message with useful information when the PlayFab login failsFixed ADS projectile misalignmentsFixed aim block raycast issues in ADSFixed aim position misalignments that happen from repeatedly entering and exiting ADSFixed displayed incendiary mines icon and anti-tank mine label when the mine racks for these stratagems were marked/pingedFixed issue when changing tab in Armory while scrolling clears the scroll viewFixed a bug that allowed players to bypass heat build-up for both the Scythe and Sickle when switching weapons during their reload animationsFixed an issue where the 500kg bomb impact explosion was not being triggeredFixed an issue where you could find several Confidential Data assets in Fortress locationsIncreased the red zone size during drop select for Fortress locationsImproved error reporting on the splash screen to provide better supportEnemies now spawn during “Spread Democracy” objectivesAdded another visual effect to the orbital cannonFixed Automaton projectiles clipping through assetsFixed an issue where the Combat Walker bumping into a big building would destroy itFixed some assets bouncing flamethrower flames backFixed an issue where incorrect SFX audio for weapons with custom fire modes were being playedFixed extraction timer not showing in landing beacon when mission time is overFixed health not synced correctly after the duration of stim heal (especially in friendly fire situations)Fixed audio SFX cutouts when switching between weapons
Known Issues
These are the highest priority issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed. This is not a comprehensive list.
Top Priority:
Players may not receive Friend Requests sent from another platformLarge units have no audio cues, allowing them to sneak up on playersEnemies will try to shoot the generators through walls in the Rescue High-Value Assets missionEnemies are sometimes capable of shooting through wallsSocial menu is stuck on ‘Please Wait Democratically’ for some playersDead bodies of Chargers can launch the Helldiver into the airStratagem balls bounce unpredictably off cliffs and some spotsPlayers may sometimes be unable to join specific friends, or are returned to ship when joined
Medium Priority:
Reinforcement may not be available for players who join a game in progressMines may become invisible or may disappear in Multiplayer lobbiesPelican-1 may sometimes be launched away if hit with an impaler tentacleSupply packs may be incorrectly used if pressing down on a controller while calling in a stratagemFriends “Invite only” games can still be seen on the Galactic War Map but cannot be joinedHigh damage weapons will not detonate hellbombsSome enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missions
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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