Arrowhead CEO and mastermind behind Helldivers 2, Johan Pilestedt, has acknowledged that the development team may have been overzealous in their efforts to fine-tune the gameplay balance.
Pilestedt's remarks were prompted by a Helldivers 2 enthusiast who expressed discontent, stating that recent balancing modifications had sapped the enjoyment of the game, rendering it essentially unplayable.
"Indeed, I believe we've exceeded our mandate in certain respects," Pilestedt conceded, revealing plans to engage in dialogue with the team regarding their calibration strategy. "It appears that whenever a player discovers an enjoyable element, it gets stripped away," Pilestedt observed.
When another user voiced their frustration over the apparent weakening of every armament in the game, hence diminishing the overall pleasure, Pilestedt recognized that creating such an experience is far from ideal.
Elsewhere in the online discourse, Pilestedt pointed out an overreliance on adjusting damage levels rather than exploring alternatives like weapon kick, reloading duration, precision, projectile velocity, and readiness time. He suggested that relying solely on damage modification is an unsophisticated method.
In spite of avoiding details on particular armament modifications, Pilestedt’s conversation indicated recent debates over the Helldivers 2 R-36 Eruptor and its dispersion damage on Discord. A recent update from the Helldivers 2 developers had eliminated dispersion from the R-36 Eruptor, with the aim of preventing unintentional eliminations of oneself or fellow squad members within a wide blast radius. However, this alteration didn't resonate well with all players, prompting vocal feedback.
Alexus Kravchenko, the game's lead designer who proudly bears the title 'Bringer of Balance,' weighed in on the debate, affirming recognition of the community's desire for clear-cut answers while noting that the realities are more nuanced in regards to weapon adjustments.
According to Kravchenko: "We cannot revert the dispersion to its original state. We don't intend for it to eliminate heavy units inadvertently, nor do we desire it to pose a threat of eliminating you or your allies—that's what the cluster eagle is designed for. My conviction stands that the Eruptor is better served by offering reduced, more consistent damage output. Therefore, it represents a decrement if exploited or by chance, but otherwise, it's an increment.
"Nevertheless, we are assessing whether this amendment has altered any performance thresholds against mid-tier foes, and it's something we're examining. There's no guarantee of a power enhancement, as the current iteration of the weapon is quite operable. It's a matter we continuously monitor."