Helldivers 2’s Weapons Have “Hidden” Stats, Says Arrowhead CEO

Helldivers 2 discussions have been flooded with talks of “meta,” “best” weapons and stratagems, and reports of players being kicked for playing “off-meta.” It turns out, however, that we’ve all had the wool pulled over our eyes.

According to Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt, the four weapon stats we’re shown in-game are among 50 other “hidden” stats. This means when you’re looking at nebulous attributes like “damage” what you aren’t seeing are dozens of other attributes – likely things like recoil, bloom, armor penetration, and more. These levers and wheels can be tweaked by the team over at Arrowhead without actually changing the core stats of the guns, meaning balance adjustments will likely be done completely independently of what we’re shown in-game.

Furthermore, Pilestedt has reported that “meta” weapons like the Breaker are “not overrepresented in missions that end in success.” In other words, weapons players think are “meta” aren’t resulting in more mission completions. So, as he says in his post over on Twitter, “Use the [weapon] you like the most.”

There are other quirks to some weapons that players should be aware of, however, like the fact that explosive weapons deal 100% damage to “squishy” bug bits. By that, I mean big green bug butts and other soft, gelatinous underbellies. Hopefully, these bonuses are better communicated in-game in a future update.

On the subject of low players being kicked, I do believe players of lower level probably face a bit more difficulty when queueing into PUGs at higher difficulty. There are a number of reasons for this: a lack of unlocked Stratagems that are borderline necessary for mission success (like Railguns, Recoilless Rifles, and some Sentries), or a presumed lack of game knowledge. If you’re one of these players, I’d suggest making your own lobby and letting others join. Then, you can be the jerk that kicks everyone. Or not.