As Helldivers 2 Continues to Struggle on Steam, Developer Hints at Major Weapon Change Coming

Helldivers 2 There’s one crucial detail missing from the original: multiple weapon loadouts. Whether you’re dealing with bugs or bots, having a loadout to equip is something many of us want, and Arrowhead has heard our cries. That doesn’t mean the feature will be added permanently, but given the decline in Steam player numbers, I’m holding out hope.

As Helldivers 2’s active player count continues to decline, Arrowhead has noticed that players want to have multiple loadouts. Currently, you have to choose all of your Helldivers 2 weapons and strategies every time you start a game, but the team recognizes that players want to save their choices in co-op play, making it easier to jump right into the action.

“Things are subject to change,” says community manager Thomas “Twinbeard” Petersson in response to questions about saved loadouts. “This is a live service game after all. We’ll continue to monitor this as it’s a frequent request.”

“I know one of the reasons for this decision is that we want players to test and use as much gear as possible, and gear could get in the way of that. However, you could also say that players are curious. They try things out and if they like something, they use it. If I recall correctly, I think there was more to this decision than that. It’s been a long time since I’ve asked anyone about this, so it might be time to revisit the question or ask the reasoning behind it.”

I totally understand Arrowhead on this point, because loadouts are a double-edged sword. The original Helldivers has three loadout slots – one each for Terminides, Automatons, and Illuminates – but the sequel doesn’t have that feature. Instead, you have to manually switch your weapons and cycle through all the stratagems to choose what you want to use.

Every time I look at the list of stratagems and weapons I’m tempted to change things up, but I also know what works for me, and having a few different options readily available would make the game a lot easier. I’ve chosen the guard dog and autocannon way too many times, only to find that I can’t have the ammo and drone on me at the same time. So some sort of loadout feature that alerts you to this would be very helpful.

Arrowhead has a choice between ease of use and fostering experimentation, and it’s not a decision I envy. As a live game developer, Arrowhead has the Sisyphean task of balancing what it thinks is best against player demands, and that could determine whether Helldivers 2 endures or not.

There are also concerns about Helldivers 2’s player count, which has dropped 90% on Steam since launch. This happens with every game, and Helldivers 2 is still attracting over 30,000 players per day on PC alone, but the numbers are dropping. With a steady stream of patches constantly changing the meta and Helldivers 2’s monthly Warbonds, many players, myself included, are hoping for something truly new.

The best stratagems and armor in Helldivers 2 help you in every situation, whether you’re facing Terminids or Automatons, so be sure to read up on what to bring into battle.

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