Arrowhead Studios has deployed a substantial new content drop for its popular co-operative shooter, Helldivers 2. The Siege Breakers update, now available for download on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms, brings a formidable new vehicle, fresh cosmetic items, and a suite of balance adjustments aimed at refining the gameplay experience.
Bastion Tank Commands the Battlefield
The headline addition is the Bastion Tank, a heavily armoured vehicle designed to dominate the front lines. According to the developer, it offers "unrivalled firepower and defence on the battlefield," providing squads with a powerful new tool for overwhelming entrenched enemy positions. Arrowhead emphasises that effective use of the Bastion will require coordinated team play to hunt down adversaries.
New Content and Features
Alongside the tank, the update introduces several other notable features. A new premium Warbond, titled 'Siegebreakers,' is now available, loaded with gear including a devastating close-range hammer and an upgrade to the fan-favourite LAS-16 Trident weapon.
Players can also look forward to the new War Horse armour set, which will march into the Superstore on February 10, allowing Helldivers to customise their appearance. Furthermore, the update adds Chinese voice-over options, broadening the game's accessibility.
A significant quality-of-life improvement sees almost all victory poses and emotes become interchangeable, with only a few exceptions like two-person emotes. This grants players greater freedom of expression both in and out of combat.
Comprehensive Gameplay Rebalancing
The Siege Breakers update includes extensive changes to weapon and armour mechanics, based on developer intent to improve gameplay feel and balance.
Melee Combat Overhaul
A major focus has been placed on rebalancing melee combat. The intent is to make armour passives that increase melee damage less mandatory while still ensuring they remain useful. To achieve this, Arrowhead has increased the base damage of all melee weapons by a significant margin, including a 50% boost to the standard base melee attack.
Concurrently, the modifiers on armour passives that enhance melee damage have been decreased. The developer notes that the total damage output when using these passives will now be higher or the same as before the update, aiming to make melee builds more viable and effective.
Weapon Handling and Controls
SMG and Pistol rounds have received adjustments to their sway characteristics. The intent is to solidify their role as close-combat weapons, making them less effective at longer ranges. The sway modifier for these weapons has been decreased to bring it in line with most other firearms in the game.
Additionally, the update unifies the input directions for various weapon function modes. Similar functions—such as those affecting programmable ammo, ammo types, volley modes, safe modes, and guided modes—will now consistently use the left directional input. This change is designed to make control schemes easier to remember and reduce the number of quick-function inputs required during intense firefights.
Arrowhead has noted it is considering moving the under-barrel weapon switching option to the left direction as well, to consolidate all ammo-altering selections, though this change is not included in the current patch.
This substantial Helldivers 2 update demonstrates Arrowhead Studios' ongoing commitment to supporting its community with new content and thoughtful gameplay refinements, ensuring the battle for Super Earth remains engaging and dynamic.
