Helldivers 2's Fallout-grade Ultimatum mini nuke has been nerfed, but maintains its "core identity as a powerhouse" because the devs are "huge fans of big booms booming big"

A Helldiver holding a flag in a promotional image for Helldivers 2.

(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2's new Fallout-grade secondary weapon, which lets you stroll around delivering managed democracy with 4,500-damage explosions, has slightly unsurprisingly been hit with a nerf in the third-person shooter's latest patch, making it slightly less easy to vaporize anything in your path.

I say "slightly" because Arrowhead hasn't actually altered the power of the GP-31 Ultimatum at all. The explosive-launching delete button was only just added to the game in Helldivers 2's Servants of Freedom Warbond last week, and the devs have made it clear that "it's not our intent to release Warbond items that need immediate balancing, and we understand that any changes we make can evoke strong feelings." However, with the single-shot Ultimatum able to gain "extra ammo from the previously-a-bug-but-now-a-feature Siege Ready armor passive," Arrowhead thought "this specific combination is too strong."

In the latest patch notes, Arrowhead's release manager Max Carlberg (AKA Release Captain Carlberg) explains: "We're huge fans of big booms booming big (to quote our fabulous design director) so we didn't want to make the weapon less satisfying to use – we still want it to bring democratic tears to your eyes every time you use it, like it does for us. However, we will be addressing how easy it is to access extra ammunition for it, ensuring it requires a bit more effort to use it to the full effect."

It's not just the Siege Ready passive that won't work on the Ultimatum anymore – the Hellpod Optimization Booster is now ineffective, too. So, it'll no longer be so easy to fire out loads of shots, but it does seem like a solid approach to a nerf that still allows the weapon to keep its "core identity as a powerhouse" while dealing with "mixed" feedback about its strength.

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

Elsewhere, the patch irons out some crashes and an issue "where the scope aim-center was misaligned with the projectile's fire trajectory," and rebalances the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle – another new Servants of Freedom addition. "The goal is to ensure it feels like a truly powerful weapon while properly balancing the self-damage mechanics to reflect its high-risk nature," Carlberg writes. "In the current live version, we felt it lacked both the punch and the level of risk we wanted and we didn't feel it really lived up to our intent."

Now, the Double-Edge Sickle's armor penetration only builds up to the medium level (AP3) once the weapon has surpassed 25% heat, and after you pass 50%, you'll deal 70 damage rather than 55. However, you'll also be more vulnerable yourself, at 20 damage per second rather than 10 between 51% and 90% heat. From 91% heat onwards, the damage to enemies is still 70, but you'll go all the way to armor penetration level four. That is, of course, if you're willing to stand the 50 damage per second to yourself, which remains unchanged (along with the fire status effect).

For fellow fans of big booms booming big, you'll be pleased to know that the new Portable Hellbomb stratagem remains unchanged – other than the fact that you'll no longer be able to accidentally arm it when entering the Fast Recon Vehicle (FRV).

To celebrate Helldivers 2's first birthday, GM Joel recalls his favorite community moments that are now "canon" and "part of Helldiver lore."