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With Helldivers 2's first balance patch upon us with nerfs for some of the democracy 'em ups best gear, the developers behind it all have taken a moment to talk weapon philosophy.
Designer Alex K explains on the game's dedicated Discord that this patch is "the first round in a never-ending series of balance changes" and that the team wants to be transparent regarding their approach to game balance, "especially when it comes to weapons and stratagems that you have strong opinions about."
"Our goal is to give you a wide range of weapon choices, where each gun has its purpose and none is strictly better than another," they say. "Sure, you will have your own favorite, but it should come from your personal preference, not from the universally agreed knowledge of which gun is the strongest.
"Generally, we balance each item according to its quirks, so if a weapon is very effective at what it does, it should come with significant disadvantages to balance its power."
The developer points to the AC-8 Autocannon as a good example of the team's philosophy working as intended – the gun packs a powerful punch and works well at range but requires friendly assistance or an ammo backpack to balance it out. What the team doesn't want, though, are weapons that become a "no-brainer choice" during the selection phase as they're both powerful and versatile.
"It robs you of your own agency, as stale 'meta' builds force you to make an unfair choice between a fun weapon and an effective one," they say. "In short: Powerful weapons can't be too versatile, versatile weapons can't be too powerful."
With all that in mind, the team considered the player data and found the SG-225 Breaker, RS-422 Railgun, and SH-32 Shield Generator Backpack to be the "biggest offenders of that principle." As such, they've each been tweaked to ensure that selecting one is a considered choice, one where you look at the downsides and say that using the weapon is still worth it as it compliments your gameplay approach.
"On a more personal note, I know that having your favorite toy nerfed absolutely sucks," Alex K says. "Investing countless hours into mastering a weapon is an incredible dedication from you. which is the main reason we're making this game in the first place. And then having that weapon weakened feels like a punishment for being too good at the game.
"But I implore you not to compare a changed item with its older version, but to evaluate the existing one as it is and see if it still has a place in your heart."
When you consider that the Helldivers 2 director has also shut down rumors that the studio has been acquired by Sony, it's been a busy day.
