Helldivers 2 tweaked one of its most popular Stratagems because players weren't using it as Arrowhead intended

Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation Warbond diving
(Image credit: Sony)

Developer Arrowhead Game Studio recently deployed a mega-patch for Helldivers 2, bringing in over 100 changes, tweaks, and buffs to everything from weapons to the Galactic War Table. But one of the game's most popular Stratagems was changed to better fit how players were using it, rather than how Arrowhead intended for it to be used.

Helldivers 2's Orbital Precision Strike is a Stratagem that calls down - you guessed it - an orbital strike onto a single location. Unlike the Orbital Laser, the tool doesn't sweep through the battlefield but simply blasts your chosen location before disappearing. Arrowhead's "original intent" was for players to use it on "fixed positions" - like bot factories or bug nests - but that hasn't stopped divers from "using it against pretty much everything," according to a recent blog post.

Rather than making changes to nudge players into using the Stratagem how the team originally wanted it to be used, Arrowhead has instead buffed the Stratagem to accommodate what players are already doing. As part of the new patch, the Orbital Precision Strike has both a lowered call in time and a decreased cooldown, making it more effective against moving targets and "more competitive in comparison to Eagle Stratagems."

Helldivers 2 won’t be getting a story mode because “that’s like building an entirely new game,” according to the CEO.

Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.