Helldivers 2 Dev Concludes 60-Day Plan With Patch 01.001.104, Makes Automatons 'Feel Less Frustrating'
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released patch 01.001.104, which concludes its ‘60-day plan’ to improve pretty much all aspects of the third-person co-op PC and PS5 shooter.
Arrowhead said the patch marks the last set of changes it wanted to make as part of the 60-day plan. It makes changes to the remaining weapons and stratagems the developer wasn’t able to finish for the game-changing patch released on September 17, with the hope that they’re now “more interesting and effective.”
Elsewhere, Arrowhead said it’s “fine-tuned the Automaton experience to hopefully make them feel less frustrating to play against.” It’s also adjusted the Helldivers durability “to make your armor choices feel more impactful.”
Some items now have new functionality to give players “more depth in mastering their equipment.” Arrowhead singled out the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle and the AC-8 Autocannon, which now have programmable ammunition, and drones that come with backpacks which can be toggled on or off for added control.
Separately, game director Mikael Eriksson issued a note to fans summing up the work Arrowhead has done as part of the 60-day plan, and insisted Arrowhead remains committed to updating the game.
“On behalf of the team at Arrowhead, I want to thank you for your patience, your insights, and your passion for our game. We’ve genuinely enjoyed seeing your reactions to our latest updates, and we’re excited to continue developing the game while ensuring that it delivers on its core fantasy and remains a game we all love to play.
“Together, we are shaping the future of Helldivers 2, and we can’t wait to show you what’s next for the core game experience and the next chapters of the Galactic War.”
There is no mention today of the potential addition of a third alien faction to fight against, with the community expecting the Illuminate to arrive sooner rather than later. Nor is there any word on Helldivers 2’s PSN review bomb cape, which Arrowhead is still sitting on.
Helldivers 2 received a shot in the arm last month with the release of update 01.001.100, a patch that completely reworked weapon balance, added a new Galactic War feature, and made loads more changes aimed at making the game easier and more fun (some Helldivers 2 players and even some of the developers wondered whether it was too easy).
The update came after a troubling period for the game and for developer Arrowhead that saw its disgruntled playerbase complain that nerfs had gone too far and as a result had stripped the fun out of Helldivers 2.
The patch seems to have done the trick and brought fans back on-side. It even sparked a modest increase in concurrent players on Steam (Sony does not make PlayStation player numbers publicly available).
Helldivers 2 update 01.001.104 patch notes:
Balancing
General changes
Additional Supply Items are now visible on the minimap
ExosuitsSupport Stratagems
Removed ricochets from Orbital Stratagem projectiles, Eagle-1 bombs and FAF-14 Spear missiles
They can no longer ricochet off of targets
Helldiver armor tweaks, both Heavy and Light armor are now more effective
Heavy armor reduces damage taken by 25%, up from 20%
5% more damage reduction
Light armor increases damage taken by 25%, down from 33%
8% less damage taken
Stratagems and Weapon tag description updates, they now show more information and are also categorized
Armor penetration 2 is classified as Light armor penetratingArmor penetration 3 is classified as Medium armor penetratingArmor penetration 4 is classified as Heavy armor penetratingArmor penetration 5+ is classified as Anti tank
Primary Weapons
Plasma projectile behavior
We’ve standardized the behavior of Plasma projectiles, which previously had varying characteristics in how they traveled through the air. Now, all Plasma projectiles experience high drag, causing them to slow down faster. However, each plasma weapon still fires projectiles at different speeds and calibers, so their effective ranges will remain distinct. For most weapons, this change won’t be very noticeableWith the SG-8P Punisher Plasma you’ll see a less pronounced arc in its projectile path. Instead, it will start off faster and lose speed more rapidly, keeping its effective range about the same
PLAS-101 Purifier
Projectiles can now be charged up with a damage multiplier that scales
Minimum charge of 0.1 sec gives a 50% damage multiplierMaximum charge of 1 sec gives a 100% damage multiplierMaximum charge projectile damage increased from 100 to 200Maximum charge projectile durable damage increased from 50 to 100Maximum charge explosion damage increased from 150 to 300The explosion doesn’t scale, but a fully charged shot has a different explosion effect:Minimum charge (0.1–0.99 sec): Inner radius 1m, outer radius 2m, explosion damage 75Maximum charge (1 sec): Inner radius 2.9m, outer radius 3m, explosion damage 300
PLAS-1 Scorcher
New weapon function: Auto fire modeFire rate increased from 250 to 350Magazine capacity increased from 15 to 20Spare magazines decreased from 6 to 5
SG-8P Punisher Plasma
Reduced recoilFire rate increased from 80 to 100
AR-23 Liberator
Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%
AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%Increased magazine capacity from 30 to 45Spare magazines decreased from 10 to 7
AR-23A Liberator Carbine
Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%Ergonomics increased from 65 to 70Reload duration decreased from 3 to 2.5 sec
BR-14 Adjudicator
Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%Projectile damage increased from 80 to 90Projectile durable damage increased from 16 to 23Magazine capacity increased from 25 to 30
AR-61 Tenderizer
New weapon function: 600/850 RPM
JAR-5 Dominator
Moved from the Explosive weapon category to the Special weapon category
Sidearms
P-113 Verdict
Armor penetration increased from 2 to 3Projectile durable damage increased from 13 to 32Stagger strength increased from 13 to 15
P-4 Senator
Armor penetration increased from 3 to 4Projectile damage increased from 175 to 200Projectile durable damage increased from 35 to 70
P-11 Stim Pistol
Spread decreased from 30 to 5Muzzle velocity increased from 80 to 200
Throwables
K-2 Throwing Knives
Uses increased from 8 to 20
G-12 High Explosive Grenade
Damage increased from 400 to 800
G-6 Frag Grenade
Damage increased from 250 to 500
G-10 Incendiary Grenade
Damage increased from 150 to 300
Stratagem Support Weapons
AC-8 Autocannon
New weapon function: Programmable ammunition now allows you to switch between normal and and flak projectiles
Flak projectiles are proximity triggered shrapnel explosions with a larger explosion radius
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
New weapon function: Programmable ammunition now allows you to switch between normal projectiles and High Explosive rounds
High Explosive rounds have a larger explosion radius, deal more explosion damage, less projectile damage and are less effective against tanks
RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher
Reload duration reduced from 7 to 5 sec
M-105 LMG Stalwart
Ergonomics increased from 25 to 40
MG-43 Machine Gun
Magazine capacity increased from 150 to 175Starting spare magazines increased from 1 to 2
MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun
Magazine capacity increased from 75 to 100
Backpacks
LIFT-850 Jump Pack
Cooldown reduced from 20 to 15 secStronger thrust forceThrust vector has been tweaked. Will have a slightly higher jump and more forward momentum
AX/AR-23 “Guard Dog”
Switch from AR-23 Liberator rounds to AR-23P Liberator Penetrator rounds.Armor penetration increased from 2 to 3Damage decreased from 70 to 60Magazine capacity increased from 30 to 45Drone Backpacks now has a new toggle drone functionActivate: The drone leaves the backpack and starts to perform its tasksDeactivate: The drone returns to the backpack into a passive standby state
Stratagems
Eagle Strafing RunExplosion radius slightly increasedExplosion damage increased from 250 to 350Orbital Airburst StrikeSalvoes increased from 3 to 4Duration between salvoes increased from 3 to 4 secA/MG-43 Machine Gun SentryMagazine capacity increased from 125 to 175Cooldown reduced from 120 to 90 secLife time reduced from 180 to 150 secA/G-16 Gatling SentryMagazine capacity increased from 400 to 500Cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 secLife time reduced from 180 to 150 secA/MLS-4X Rocket SentryCooldown reduced from 180 to 150 secLife time reduced from 180 to 150 secA/AC-8 Autocannon SentryCooldown reduced from 180 to 150 secLife time reduced from 180 to 150 secMD-17 Anti Tank Mines
We are working on changes to the Anti-Personnel and Incendiary Mines, however we are not yet happy with the fixes, as we feel they introduced too many new problems. We will continue working on these changes and include them in a future patch
The mines are now only triggered by heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, HulksDamage increased from 800 to 2000Explosion radius decreasedA/ARC-3 Tesla TowerReduced charge-up shots cooldown from 3 to 1 secCooldown reduced from 150 to 120 secLifetime reduced from 180 to 150 secFX-12 Shield Generator RelayRemoved charge delay between damage takenIncreased charge rate from 300 to 400 health/secRadius increased from 8 to 15mOnce the shield is down, it will no longer regenerate
Gameplay
Patrol Spawning
Previously, once the mission was completed but before extraction, we significantly increased patrol spawns across the entire map.
Now, the increased patrol spawns are concentrated around the extraction site, with more patrols appearing the closer you are to it. This change should make patrol spawning feel more logical and reduce the penalty for players who complete the mission but still want to explore the map or collect samples. Please let us know if you still experience issues with the patrol spawning!
Terminids
Bile Spewers
Legs health reduced from 300 to 200Nursing SpewersLegs health reduced from 300 to 200
Hunters
Have a short shared area cooldown for their pounce abilityCan now totally blow up if affected with enough damage
Scavengers
Can blow up if affected with enough damage
Automatons
Automaton Targeting
Some enemies were able to shoot at you without needing proper line of sight, which caused them to fire into or through walls, track you even when hidden, and ignore smoke effects. We’ve addressed these issues, so now you should be able to use stealth more effectively against the Automatons, and they won’t be able to shoot through walls or see you when they shouldn’t. Please let us know if you still encounter issues like these!Automaton projectilesNormal small projectiles damage reduced from 40 to 35, used by enemies like the Devastators, Emplacements and ConscriptsHeavy projectiles damage reduced from 65 to 60, used by enemies like the Heavy Emplacements and Scout StridersHulk BruiserIn response to their disapproval of a newly installed cannon on the Automaton Hulk Bruisers, Super Earth High Command sent a crack commando to sabotage their production facilities. The skilled operative promptly escaped into the shadows after completing their mission. Today, still wanted by the Automatons, they survive as a soldier of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can enlist… John HelldiverAs a result the Automatons had to revert back to using rocket launchers for their Hulk BruisersAll DevastatorsHead armor decreased from 2 to 1Head health increased from 100 to 110BerserkersHead health decreased from 125 to 110Heavy DevastatorThe pause between their salvoes has been slightly increased, providing Helldivers with a better opportunity to counterattackAll TanksFront armor reduced from 6 to 5, our previous tweak didn’t have the intended effect on gameplay that we expected so we’ve reverted this backThe rear weak spots of the Tank’s body now have their own health pool, which matches the Tank’s previous total health. Once this health pool is depleted, the Tank will be destroyed. Additionally, these weak spots also deal 150% damage to the Tank’s main healthAnnihilator Tank Turrets & Shredder Tank TurretsThe rear weak spots of the Tank’s body now have their own health pool, which matches the Tank’s previous total health. Once this health pool is depleted, the Tank will be destroyed. Additionally, these weak spots also deal 200% damage to the Tank’s main healthBarrager Tank TurretThe Turret is now destroyed if the Tank body is destroyedFixesResolved Top Priority issues:Not enough enemies spawn to complete Eradicate missionsSome enemies were able to shoot at you without needing proper line of sight, which caused them to fire into or through walls, track you even when hidden, and ignore smoke effectsPatrol Spawning should now feel more logical and reduce the penalty for players who complete the mission but still want to explore the map or collect samplesCrash Fixes and Soft-locks:Fixed crash that could occur when getting knock backed while wearing the energy shield backpackFixed potential crash when a peer leaves with unique armor customizationVarious crash fixesMiscellaneous FixesFixed bug where helldivers wearing heavy armors would be immune to gas status effectGeneral Brasch returns from holiday retreat in foggy hillside town
Known Issues
These are 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.
Top Priority:
The hive breaker drill may be inaccessible when called inPlayers may not receive Friend Requests sent from another platformTerminals may lose functionality blocking completion of a missionSocial menu is stuck on ‘Please Wait Democratically’ for some playersTitle may crash during intro cinematic or title screenFriends “Invite only” games can still be seen on the Galactic War Map but cannot be joined
Medium Priority:
Players are unable to shoot properly while in the air using a jetpackStratagem balls bounce unpredictably off cliffs and some spotsSome Eagle Stratagems may not drop when deployed on a swamp planetReinforcement may not be available for players who join a game in progressPelican-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 stratagemHigh damage weapons will not detonate hellbombs already present on the mapSome enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missionsQWERTY keyboard numpad bindings does not save correctly after the Title restart
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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