Helldivers 2 players think Anti-Material Rifle buff makes this weapon useless

Despite the game only being two months old, Helldivers 2 has seen many updates and changes, with the recent 01.000.200 update bringing many balancing changes, new hazards, buffs, and nerfs. Many of these changes have added a new level of fun to the game as players jump in to try out any new weapons as well as figure out use cases for each gun whether it is against enemies or the environment. However, there is one weapon that Arrowhead Game Studios has gotten it wrong with time and time again and now it is completely nonviable as it gets outmatched by multiple weapons in the game.

In a post on Reddit, u/TwevOWNED pointed out that the recent buff to the Anti-Material Rifle has made the Railgun a non-viable weapon due to its recent nerf which took away its last main use-case. Recently, the Anti-Material Rifle was buffed with a 30% damage increase which now allows it to one shot Devastators by hitting them in the mid-section rather than needing to land a head shot. Previously, the Railgun was able to achieve this but due to the recent nerf it is no longer able to. U/TwevOWNED joked about this change saying “The precision weapon with a charge meter that raises as quickly as a geriatric staircase lift has now been fully outclassed by fast-firing semiautomatic weapon with twice the ammo capacity.”

Previously, the Railgun was a great weapon to use and one that was part of the meta, but now it has been outclassed in every category by other weapons due to many weapons receiving buffs in recent weeks, whereas the Railgun has received a nerf to damage and penetration ability, limiting its use in-game. This is something that Helldivers 2 has struggled with as it has now created an imbalance with certain weapons which have pushed them out of the meta.

Balancing weapons is a never-ending task for developers because if they buff the weapons too much then the game becomes too easy and players lose interest as they are not challenged. On the other hand, if weapons are nerfed too much then the game becomes too challenging and players also stop playing. So finding the sweet spot is crucial for all games, and Arrowhead Game Studios has largely gotten it correct so far, but mistakes do happen. Thankfully, the developers do release a steady flow of updates and hot fixes so changes can be made rapidly if needed.

Although Arrowhead Game Studios gets balancing weapons in Helldivers 2 wrong from time to time, there are still plenty of great ones to choose from so you can eradicate every Automaton and Terminid that stands in the way of your quest to spread democracy. In order to be as efficient as possible, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you can be suitably kitted out next time you and your squad bring democracy to the galaxy.