IMPERFECTLY BALANCED

Arrowhead says HELLDIVERS 2 balancing patches have 'gone too far'

- Morgan Park

I don’t envy the folks at Arrowhead charged with balancing Helldivers 2 guns fans have grown attached to. The studio has rolled out some balance patches in the last few months, which I believe made the game better by buffing weak guns less often, and nerfing a weapon that’s too dominant.

But there’s an argument to be made that balancing shouldn’t be taken so seriously in a PvE shooter like Helldivers 2, and that it’s OK if one gun is dealing more damage than the rest. Replying to a player who said recent patches have made the game “unplayable” Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt conceded that he’s not satisfied with his studio’s current balancing approach. “I think we’ve gone too far in some areas. Will talk to the team about the approach to balance,” he wrote. “It feels like every time someone finds something fun, the fun is removed.”