The Problem With Helldivers 2

It's not just the nerfs.

[ratatoskr]

Fix the rockets on the EXO-45 PATRIOT.

[vinceshamwow]

Remember when that one dev/spokesperson said "have we shown you everything in the new update? Of course not!" And did infact show us everything in the update in the trailer? (Aside from the balance stuff)

[trik]

Helldivers devs just managed snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! truly inspiring!

[lemonsvcuts]

In hd1, you could call in vehicles, upgrade guns, bring in multiple mech stratagems, do a stealth run with suppressors, melee bugs with swords and bayonets - there were different playstyles

[nomad]

"Devs have a talent of shooting themselves in the

You meant their heads? They're called Arrowhead for a reason.

[deadcaptainjames]

Finally, someone is saying it. This game should be more fun than it is. It's got most of the right ingredients, but it gets stale super super fast.

[Kevin-zzdu]

I will die on the hill of,

Farming isn't gaming.

It's artificial playtime padding...

[vlanson]

The issue Arrowhead can't seem to wrap it's head around is that we want EVERYTHING to be good, even if it's a bit broken at times. On top of it, why does does the enemy always get massive buffs before we even get 1 mediocre strategem?

[TheRealCarlBrutananadilewski]

First they came for the Breaker, and I did not speak out

because I wasn’t a Breaker user.

Then they came for the Railgun, and I did not speak out

because I wasn’t a Railgun user.

Then they came for the Flamethrower, and I did not speak out

because I wasn’t a Flamethrower user.

Then they came for us Autocannon users-and there were no players left to speak for us

[ZephyrusAsmodeus]

It's a good point. Largely, my time in hd2 has been to jump in when I feel like playing, do several operations with randoms, and leave when it gets boring or randoms drain my faith in humanity enough. My currencies sit at their maximum limit and I stand there after we get back to the carrier and watch as the other randoms hit the upgrade terminals. I check the store only to see the same six armor sets that have been on two-day rotation for months, check my already completed bonds, and either dive back in or quit. For me, the only remaining reason I play is because the gameplay is still fun enough to draw me back every now and then, which they are eroding away every time they drop nerfs and make what I use less effective and fun. A new tenth level means nothing to me, because my friends dont play and I'm only ever on for a few operations at a time, so I tend to stray away from the higher levels because, again, I'm here for fun, which decreases every time the equipment I use loses function. So it's just like my interest is circling the drain.

[MrKrisrey]

It could've been payday 2 but it's turning into payday 3

[NoNo-xhru]

I don’t think the nerfs got rid of the 90% of players but they’re definitely eating through the last 10%

[trevorstone]

When I find a weapon I like, I want to stick with that weapon. So when someone else comes along and breaks my weapon, and says “you have had your fun, now do what I say and use something different” I just remove myself from the situation entirely.

[EntropicalZSR]

it’s crazy how the original had an upgrade system that made you feel stronger, had a place for your resources to go, and made guns better.

and it’s just not here

[HeroTripleT]

on the same note: the fight on planets don't go anywhere.

I know there is like a game-master and there is live, unfolding story

but it seems like the moment we push anywhere on one front, we get a new objective to push another front - and work done prior is lost.

Are we really going to fight on Hellmire against bugs, yet again??

[Thereisnogreatersword]

It’s less that devs are too eager with nerfs, rather they never really had a proper philosophy to balance things by. It’s clear to see they haven’t a clue what they are doing for the most part.

[Solfonix]

What do you mean it’s not a 30 second video only talking about fixing the missiles?

[zacharyhutter]

I tried to give the understaffed, overclocked devs the benefit of the doubt for the first few months. But I can't pretend any longer, the balancing team is utterly incompetent. Lying, hypocrisy, inconsistent design application, and ratio of good to bad changes aside, what really kills me is that they just will not LISTEN. We've been all but screaming at them for months, every major HD2 content creator parroting almost exactly the same points about the flaws in the design approach, the disconnect between the player's experience and the developer theories, and they just drone on with their empty bullet points about encroaching on a weapon's fantasy, needing to set up difficulty scaling for the future, rely more on strategems, etc. The sheer obstinance is painful. I was ready for this to be in my top 3 games, but man. Just man.

[NeonVoxel]

Arrowhead’s intention seems to be that *progressing the story forward* is the endgame reward. You log in, do your part to complete the major order, and “tune in next week for another exciting adventure, ” as it were.

Players were able to feel like a *part* of something as they banded together to take on insurmountable odds. WE took back the Creek. WE drove out the bots. WE held the line against their second wave. And then we blew up a planet and since then the stakes have been sort of meaningless.

I think the inherent flaw with that approach is that they just didn’t have enough content prepped and ready for the pace we’d all expect. With the EoF update that flaw has become a lot more glaringly obvious, because yes, we’ve got new enemies to fight in even more ridiculous quantities, but the content does nothing to further the *plot, * it’s just filler.

And even then, once the story’s over it’s over. Remember what happened when the bots got “destroyed?” Everyone collectively realized “oh yeah, if we kill all the bots we can’t actually play half the game’s content.” As cool as the plot-driven engagement idea is, it’s just not sustainable in the long term.

[vokkera]

It’s not simply that they nerfed fire. It’s that they have been nerfing over and over, and then saying, “yeah maybe we went too far.” THEN THEY STARTED NERFING AGAIN ANYWAY. They don’t listen, and it’s disheartening.