Helldivers 2's first big balance patch targets the game's most OP weapons with ammo and armor piercing deductions

Helldivers 2 weapons
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2's first big balance patch is out today, and it's bringing adjustments to the two most overpowered and commonly used weapons in the entire game.

So far, the Breaker shotgun and Railgun Stratagem have chiefly been used as two of the better weapons in Helldivers 2. Plenty of players use the two weapons because of their superior firepower and armor penetration, leading to them being largely dubbed as "overpowered" by the Helldivers 2 player base.

Today, March 6, developer Arrowhead has released the first full Helldivers 2 balance patch, as seen in the tweet below. Primarily, the patch notes explain that "adjustments" have been made to various primary, secondary, and support weapons, including the Breaker shotgun and Railgun Stratagem. 

Talking specifics, the Breaker has seen its magazine capacity decrease from 16 to 13, with increased recoil from 30 to 55. The Railgun has decreased armor penetration and decreased damage against durable enemy parts. These are some pretty significant changes for the two weapons, even if they weren't the most-used guns in Helldivers 2.

Elsewhere, though, the Flamethrower and Laser Canon have both seen adjustments, as have the Punisher and the Breaker Spray and Pray weapons. We'll have to wait and see how these adjustments actually play out in the game itself, but right now, it seems like the Helldivers 2 balance patch has targeted some of the more popular weapons in the game.

Earlier today, Helldivers 2's director shut down rumors that Arrowhead had been acquired by Sony. The director himself didn't even know where the speculation had originated from, which is a pretty solid indicator that the entire thing was plain old false.

Get ready for the next huge update for Arrowhead's game with our big Helldivers 2 mechs guide.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.