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Balancing games is a never-ending challenge for developers, and it is no different for Arrowhead Game Studios and Helldivers 2. Some weapons have been too overpowered when released, while some have been too weak. Since the game was released we’ve seen various balance changes to prevent one load out from becoming the meta, which was the case with the Railgun prior to the 1.000.104 update. Many Helldivers disliked the decision to nerf the Railgun, but in hindsight it was one of the best decisions that Arrowhead Game Studios made.
U/xxmuntunustutunusxx took to Reddit to discuss the railgun nerf that happened as part of the 1.000.104 update on March 26th. The initial response was that the nerf ruined the Railgun and made it not a viable stratagem to use. The Reddit post highlights that despite the nerf ruining the railgun it turned out to be a good thing for the game as it has led to people trying out new stratagems and discovering new use cases that has driven the meta forward, especially as the Automatons are waging war and lots of exciting new content and missions are coming to Helldivers 2.
The Reddit user shared their thoughts on the railgun nerf saying “In the early days, I was the only guy packing Expendable Anti-Tank or Anti-Material Rifle for bugs or bots. It’s so refreshing to see people talking about how awesome the autocannon is, or how much they love the AMR, and even these days I see people talking about the HMG or Grenade Launcher and supply pack.”
They then went on to remember what Helldivers 2 was like pre-railgun nerf and how different the game is now that players are carrying unique loadouts rather than everyone carrying the same stratagems, “I used to load into a game, And all 4 members of the team had Shield, Railgun, and 2 stragatems of their choice. Every time. And here we are now, I load in and I see Quasar, Autocannon, Stalwart, EAT, HMG, Grenade Launcher, a variety of backpacks or no backpack at all. And not to mention, they’re ALL viable.”
It was noted in the comments that the Quasar Cannon and Shield are now the most common stratagems and many players carry this combination now instead of the old Railgun meta. But, there are plenty of players that don’t use either item and most of the time when playing you will have a team of players using different weapons and stratagems, with each playing to their strengths in certain situations.
There are many different weapons and stratagems to use in Helldivers 2, each with its own strengths and weaknesses to suit various playstyles. To make sure you are in the best position to take on the Automatons and take them out once and for all before they set their sights on Super Earth, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you and your squad can serve a hot cup or Liber-tea to everyone standing in the way of democracy.
