Nestled on web page eight of Helldivers 2’s free warbond is an assuming gun—the SG-85 Slugger. I did not pay a lot thoughts to the Slugger for a very long time, and even hassle unlocking it, as a result of it is a variant of the Punisher, a shotgun I do not like. That modified when my pal knowledgeable me that the Slugger is not actually a shotgun—it is a shotgun-shaped rifle that fires slugs that may unalive something in seconds. It is so good at killing that I really feel like I am dishonest after I use it.
So I wasn’t stunned when the Slugger acquired the largest nerfs in yesterday’s Helldivers 2 patch that additionally buffed sniper rifles, flame harm, and heavy armor. Arrowhead hit the favored gun the place it hurts:
- Lowered stagger.
- Lowered harm from 280 to 250.
- Lowered demolition pressure.
Responding to suggestions on the Helldivers Discord server, senior sport designer Alexus Kravchenko stated the Slugger modifications got here all the way down to the truth that it was a shotgun that did not behave like a shotgun.
“The reality is, [the] Slugger was simply fingers down one of the best sniper rifle on the market, which isn’t becoming for, you realize, a shotgun,” Kravchenko wrote.
It is true: The Slugger cannot equip a scope, however its excessive accuracy and low harm dropoff made it a greater choice for precision shooters than, say, the Diligence Counter-Sniper rifle that is particularly designed for the function. Is smart to me, but when the objective was to make the Slugger much less of a long-range gun, I’m wondering why Arrowhead selected to scale back its total harm as a substitute of accelerating its harm dropoff. I suppose an throughout the board harm nerf accomplishes the identical factor so long as the Slugger nonetheless feels sturdy at its meant ranges (short-to-medium, apparently).
Some followers identified to Kravchenko that, as a substitute of nerfing the Slugger for being too sniper-like, it’d make extra sense to buff the snipers to be extra Slugger-like. Arrowhead has talked up to now about why “Do not Nerf, Solely Buff” is a foul design philosophy for a PvE sport, however on this case, Arrowhead is doing each.
“We’re wanting into the sniper rifles as properly. We buffed the [Diligence Counter-Sniper], Dominator, and [Anti-Materiel Rifle] on this patch, so I would say we’re getting there,” he wrote, reinforcing his earlier level. “A sniper rifle should not match a shotgun, these have completely completely different use instances.”
These sniper rifle modifications refer to 2 huge buffs in yesterday’s patch that elevated the AMR assist weapon’s harm by a whopping 30% and upgraded the Counter-Sniper main weapon to medium armor piercing. I am having much more enjoyable with snipers now.
As for what’s on the docket for Helldivers 2’s subsequent balancing patch, which is probably going weeks away if the present sample persists: Kravchenko says to anticipate modifications to the Punisher Plasma.
