Introduce Weapon Upgrades in Helldivers 2: A Possible Solution for Balance Issues.
Helldivers 2 has been struggling with balance issues. It is getting increasingly difficult to satisfy everyone with weapon balance, but one player claims to have a solution: weapon upgrades similar to those seen in the first Helldivers game.
The player described what they discovered in Helldivers 1, which the bulk of Helldivers 2 players may be unfamiliar with, and stated that the prequel contained one feature that resolved all primary weapon issues. “This is the exact solution that we need for the sequel,” the player wrote in a May 14 Reddit thread and posted a list of upgrades for the Liberator AR, Sorcher Plas, and the Sickle. For example, the Liberator AR might be modified to increase melee damage and range, improve recoil when shooting in full auto, and enhance magazine capacity.
“Having perks to upgrade the weapons further would allow the primaries to gain greater strength over time, and we could use our requisition slips to upgrade them,” the thread’s writer wrote. And it makes sense: Weapons might have base versions that are not overly powerful or perhaps unviable in high-level gameplay. Then, players might grind through challenges or possibly developer-created unique Major Operations geared at gathering weapon parts or blueprints, allowing those weapons to become viable through gaming.
A player replying to the thread said the addition of a weapon upgrade system would astronomically increase their play time for at least a month. Grinding weapon upgrades may appear to be a tedious idea at first, but if done well, it has the potential to add another reason to try out new things and keep you coming back to the game.
Helldivers 2 weapons are getting increasingly difficult to balance, with contentious tweaks to popular firearms appearing with each release. Most recently, players were disappointed to learn how the R-36 Eruptor and Crossbow were significantly nerfed. Those are not the only examples, and Arrowhead is working hard to please everyone, with even the studio’s CEO making a “internal push” for improved balancing.