Summary
Months after the game’s initial release,Helldivers 2has been going strong with several post-launch updates. Theserecent updates forHelldivers 2have brought plenty of new content to the game, such as four new premium War Bonds, and several balancing and QOL updates that have drastically changed the game along the way.
Now, there’s a wide variety of gear that players can choose from inHelldivers 2, with more to come in future updates. Among the different loadouts that players can put together, a few weapons, armor sets, and Stratagems stand out as the meta inHelldivers 2, as they generally outperform other gear in most scenarios. While using these meta loadouts will give players the upper hand against the enemies of Super Earth, players should be cautious not to become too dependent on this gear.

Helldivers 2’s Meta is Constantly Changing
Helldivers 2’s live-service approach has taken the route of equally prioritizing new content updates, balancing changes, and QOL improvements. Because of this, the game has come a long way in the short few months since its release, which has consequently reshaped the meta several times. This is mostly due to new weapons, armor sets, and stratagems being added to the game that quickly emerge as the new best-in-class, although balancing changes to preexisting gear also significantly influences the game’s current meta.
So far, these balancingchanges forHelldivers 2have proven to be quite controversialamong the game’s community, with some players expressing their frustration over their favorite weapons getting nerfed. Despite how divisive these balancing updates can be, the development studio behindHelldivers 2has shown no sign of these rebalancing updates coming to an end.

Helldivers 2’s weapon balancing updateshave a habit of adjusting both new and old weapons, so just because a weapon was added a long time ago doesn’t mean it will go unaffected by balancing updates.
Consequently, players should arguably expect any gear that either underperforms or overperforms to get rebalanced in afuture update forHelldivers 2, based on the game’s recent history of frequent balancing updates. This is ultimately good news for weapons that deserve a buff, but on the other hand, it’s bad news for any of the meta weapons, hence whyHelldivers 2’s balancing updates are so controversial.

In hindsight, players should consider diversifying their loadouts and becoming familiar with a broad variety of weapons, armor sets, and stratagems, to be better prepared and avoid frustration over upcoming balancing updates. Not to mention, trying out different gear can lead to players discovering surprisingly strong loadouts among some of the gear that often gets overlooked because it was previously underwhelming.
While the pressure to stick to themeta loadouts inHelldivers 2is inevitable, especially on higher-difficulty missions, players shouldn’t let the game’s ever-changing meta prevent them from finding what gear works best for them. Ultimately, every weapon, armor set, and Stratagem can be useful in its own way depending on the mission type and difficulty, so there are arguably no bad loadouts in the game, some are just better suited for certain scenarios than others.

As new gear gets added to the game and existing gear gets rebalanced, staying up-to-date with the meta inHelldivers 2is a never-ending task. Consequently, players shouldn’t get too attached to a one-size-fits-all loadout, as it will likely get nerfed. Instead, players should consider experimenting with new gear often, as weapon balancing changes are only a matter of time, and some gear can only be judged by testing it out firsthand in a mission.
Helldivers 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Do you believe in freedom? Can you stand in the face of oppression – and defend the defenceless? Wage war for peace. Die for democracy.Join forces with up to three friends and wreak havoc on an alien scourge threatening the safety of your home planet, Super Earth, in this multiplayer co-op shooter for PS5 and PC from Arrowhead Game Studios.Step into the boots of the Helldivers, an elite class of soldiers whose mission is to spread peace, liberty and Managed Democracy using the biggest, baddest and most explosive tools in the galaxy.Helldivers don’t go planet side without proper backup, but it’s up to you to decide how and when to call it in. Not only do you have a host of superpowered primary weapons and customizable loadouts, you also have the ability to call on stratagems during play.Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead’s best cooperative gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital: Teams will synergize on loadouts, strategize their approach for each mission and complete objectives together.1Enlist in Super Earth’s premier military peacekeeping force today. We are heroes… we are legends… WE ARE HELLDIVERS.


