With Helldivers 2 balance patch incoming, the game's CEO says weapons that score more kills aren't always "overrepresented" in successful missions

Arrowhead Studios previously announced that the team is working on a balance patch for co-op shooter Helldivers 2, but doing so has proven to be trickier than expected since weapons with higher kill rates don't always lead to successful missions.

Now that long queue times have been thoroughly squashed in Helldivers 2, the community is turning its sights to other areas of improvement. Some players nagged CEO Johan Pilestedt about a possible primary weapon adjustment since weapons like the SMG, starting assault rifle, and specifically the Breaker shotgun were dishing out more kills than others.

"We are looking at data and doing a balance patch," writes Pilestedt in a response on social media. But he also reveals that even though the Breaker "scores more kills, it is not overrepresented in missions that end in success." So, nerfing the shotgun's bug-squashing potential or buffing the damage on other weapons isn't a surefire way to reach this unattainable 'balance.' 

What makes things more complicated is that Helldivers 2 weapons also carry 46 hidden stats. Weapons normally display four main stats in menus: damage, ammo capacity, recoil, and fire rate. But Pilestedt recently shared that "each gun has maybe 50 stats in total," meaning there's a lot of under-the-hood information that we’re not privy to. 

That all leads Pilestedt to a sage nugget of wisdom, encouraging everyone to simply "use the one you like the most," rather than trying to mix max a game that, at its best, is a comedic riot. Spread democracy and enjoy. 

Arrowhead Studios was previously occupied with the improving server issues as droves of players flocked to the game en masse, but the studio is now free to focus on other improvements. Players recently found evidence of the upcoming playable mechs and AI reinforcements, for example.

Can’t wait? Check out the upcoming Helldivers 2 roadmap, content, and leaked future updates .