The weapon sandbox in Helldivers 2 is constantly changing with the addition of new Warbonds and frequent balance changes. Despite all of this, one weapon category seems to be falling short of its name.
Helldivers 2 – I tested EVERY new weapon in the Freedom's Flame Warbond
A Helldivers 2 fan pointed out on May 12 that the developer needs to reevaluate the place of weapons in the sandbox, particularly assault rifles, which feel like "modified BB guns and serve no purpose." In response to the post, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt agreed, adding that the representation of assault rifles has been diluted. "It's always weird in games where assault rifles are seen as pea shooters instead of the 2k J-spitters they are," Pilestedt wrote.
As the original post pointed out, assault rifles currently have “no place, even if you’re not super meta-concerned.” At the time of writing, the best weapons in Helldivers 2 are shotguns and energy-based weapons. The newest assault rifle added with the Polar Patriots Warbond, the AR-61 Tenderizer, has lower stats than the starting AR-23 Liberator and is very disappointing, according to players.
While the latest patches have improved a number of primary weapons, fans have found the changes to be insufficient. Additionally, regular assault rifles still feel underpowered given the number of enemies with medium armor.
