Stress Testing Helldivers 2's HORRIBLE New Meta
Summary
TLDRThis video script covers the recent 'balancing update' for the game Hell Divers 2, which has significantly altered the previous meta and endgame strategies. The narrator, a former rail gun and personal shield main, tests the major changes to guns, strategems, and deployments to gauge the impact. The overarching tone is one of frustration, with weapons like the rail gun becoming redundant and a lack of effective tools against overwhelming enemy reinforcements. The narrator ultimately concludes that while some updates like the buffed slugger shotgun are positive, the game has become broadly more annoying to play due to nerfed weapons and endless enemy loops, questioning whether the changes truly enhance the cooperative experience.
Takeaways
- 😨 The recent balancing update to Hell Divers 2 has significantly changed the game's meta and made it more challenging for solo and team players.
- 💥 Many of the previously effective weapons like the rail gun and personal shield have been nerfed, while other weapons like the breaker spray and prey shotgun, flamethrower, and 380 mil H barrage have been buffed.
- 🔫 The laser cannon has been buffed and can be a viable replacement for the rail gun against bots, but it's not as effective against bugs like chargers.
- 🚫 The rail gun is now essentially redundant, as it struggles against heavily armored enemies like hulks and chargers, even when charged up.
- 🔥 The flamethrower is now more effective at clearing egg clusters but struggles against multiple chargers at higher difficulties.
- 🌩️ The H barrage can close bug holes but often misses larger targets like drop ships, making it less useful than orbital lasers or air strikes.
- 💣 The enemy reinforcement loops are still overwhelming, and players now have worse tools to fight back against them.
- 🔄 The update seems to be pushing players towards running four-player squads for higher difficulties, but it has made solo and team play more frustrating.
- 😰 The game appears to be confused about its identity, torn between being a combat horde rush simulator and a puzzle-like tank game.
- 💆♂️ The combination of residual jank mechanics, ineffectual guns, and endless reinforcement loops has made the game feel like a chore or even a form of self-punishment.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The script focuses on analyzing the major changes to guns, strategems, and deployments in the recent balancing update for the game Hell Divers 2, and how these changes have affected the gameplay meta.
What were the primary weapons used by the narrator before the update?
-The narrator mentions being a "rail gun and personal Shield main" before the update, implying that the rail gun and personal shield were their go-to weapons.
What new weapons or equipment were tested in the video?
-The script mentions testing the buffed breaker spray and prey shotgun, the Fleming warer, the 380 mil H barrage, the flamethrower, the laser cannon, and the slugger shotgun.
How effective was the 380 mil H barrage against various targets?
-According to the script, the 380 mil H barrage was allegedly the new meta for shutting down outposts, but it barely did anything to a Titan and even missed an entire drop ship airfield when deployed directly on it, leading the narrator to advise against using it.
What changes were made to the rail gun's effectiveness?
-The script indicates that the rail gun was significantly nerfed in the update. Its partially charged shots did almost nothing to striders, its rounds bounced off heavy devastator shields and turrets, and it became ineffective against hulks and chargers unless fully charged and perfectly aimed.
How did the update affect the overall gameplay experience?
-The narrator felt that the update made the game broadly more annoying to play, with overwhelming enemy reinforcement loops and worse tools to fight back against them, leading to a more frustrating and less satisfying gameplay experience.
What positive changes were mentioned in the script?
-The only positive changes mentioned were the buffed breaker spray and prey shotgun's increased effectiveness, and the slugger shotgun receiving a higher reserve ammo cap and full replenishment from a single resupply pack.
How did the update affect the game's co-op aspect?
-The script suggests that the update was an attempt by the developers to lean more into the co-op aspect of the game, making it necessary to run four-player squads for higher difficulties due to the increased challenge and decreased effectiveness of solo weapons.
What was the narrator's overall impression of the update?
-The narrator seemed largely disappointed with the update, feeling that it made the game more frustrating and less enjoyable, with ineffective weapons and overwhelming enemy numbers, leading them to question whether it's worth playing Hell Divers 2 or just paying someone to spank them instead.
What gameplay difficulties did the narrator test in the video?
-The script mentions testing gameplay difficulties 7 through 9, which appear to be the higher difficulties where the changes had the most significant impact.
Outlines
🎮 Testing the New Meta in Hell Divers 2
The video tests the recent balancing update to Hell Divers 2, which changed the meta for end-game strategies. The content creator, who used to be a rail gun and personal shield main, tests various buffed and nerfed weapons, strategems, and deployments to see how they perform. This includes trying out the buffed breaker spray and prey shotgun, the Fleming warer, the 380 mil H barrage, the flamethrower, the laser cannon, and the slugger shotgun against different enemy types like warriors, spore spewers, chargers, Titans, and bug holes. The results show that while some weapons like the breaker spray and prey and the slugger shotgun received significant buffs, others like the rail gun have become redundant or ineffective against certain enemies.
⚔️ Evaluating Armor and Weapon Changes
This part of the video focuses on testing the changes to armor ratings and the performance of the rail gun against various enemy types in Hell Divers 2. The content creator compares the differences between light and heavy armor, finding both to be lacking in terms of protection and mobility. The rail gun's performance is thoroughly evaluated, revealing that it struggles against enemies like Striders, Devastators, and turrets, often bouncing off their armor or doing minimal damage. The laser cannon is shown to be a better alternative for taking down these enemy types. The rail gun's effectiveness against Hulks and Chargers is also tested, demonstrating that it now requires a perfect charge and shot to take them down, making it less viable in higher difficulties with multiple enemies swarming the player.
🤖 Assessing the Overall Impact of the Update
The final part of the video summarizes the overall impact of the balancing update on the gameplay experience in Hell Divers 2. The content creator acknowledges that while Arrowhead aimed to encourage more cooperative gameplay, the update has made the game more annoying to play in some ways. The enemy reinforcement loops are still overwhelming, but now players have weaker tools to fight back. Positive changes include the buffed slugger shotgun and the breaker spray and prey, but the latter is still inferior to the pre-nerf breaker. The laser cannon buff is welcomed but doesn't fully compensate for the rail gun's diminished effectiveness. Overall, the update has introduced more frustration, jank mechanics, and a sense of powerlessness, especially in higher difficulties with endless enemy swarms and limited effective weaponry.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Meta
💡Buff
💡Nerf
💡Reinforcement Loop
💡Orbital Barrage
💡Charger
💡Horde
💡Deployment
💡Strider
💡Slugger
Highlights
Arrowhead's recent balancing update to Hell Divers 2 has changed almost everything about the previous meta end game, necessitating a re-evaluation of guns, strategems, and deployments.
The 380 mil HE barrage was purportedly the new meta for shutting down Outposts, prompting the narrator to test it out.
The buffed breaker spray and prey shotgun can now take down Spore spears at 100m using a full mag, a significant improvement over its previous inability to kill even a single egg.
The breaker spray and prey can now take down Hive guards and brood commanders, although not particularly well.
The narrator's beloved Slugger shotgun now has a reserve ammo cap of 60 and can be fully replenished with a single resupply pack, making it much more viable.
The laser cannon can now take down chargers by shooting the back of their legs, as well as melt ball spewers effectively.
Solo play on difficulty 7 appears to be much more challenging now, with endless reinforcement loops making it difficult to progress.
The difference between light and heavy armor is marginal, with both making the player feel pathetically weak, though heavy armor also makes them feel slow.
The rail gun, when partially charged, does almost nothing to Striders, necessitating running it on unsafe mode.
The Slugger can one-shot and stagger Devastators, while the scorcher can kill Strider pilots and two-shot frontal armor, making the rail gun effectively redundant for fighting bots.
The rail gun's performance against Hulks and Chargers has been significantly nerfed, with rounds bouncing off frontal armor unless perfectly charged and aimed at tiny weak spots.
The HE barrage managed to close some bug holes but performed poorly against bots, missing even large targets like drop ships.
The flamethrower is effective at clearing egg clusters but struggles against Charger onslaughts, potentially leading to team-killing due to errant flames.
The update has made the game broadly more annoying to play, with overwhelming enemy reinforcement loops and worse tools to fight back.
The game seems confused about what it wants to be, with a mix of horde combat, tank puzzle mechanics, and limited weaponry that often leads to kiting rather than direct combat.
Transcripts
arrowhead's recent balancing update to
Hell divers 2 changes almost everything
about what used to be the meta end game
so today we're diving in and testing all
the major changes to guns strategems and
deployments to see just how screwed we
actually are if you're not aware of what
the patch changed we categorically went
over everything in this video I was a
rail gun and personal Shield main so the
new changes hit hard but just how hard
let's find out as a quick bonus before
we start here what a meteor shower looks
like nice for the initial jump I wanted
to stress test the Buffs to the breaker
spray and prey shotgun the Fleming warer
and the 380 mil he barrage I'd heard
that the barrage was apparently the new
meta for shutting down Outpost so I
absolutely had to try it this also gives
us a great chance to do a 4 in1 and test
out the new eradication Mission changes
to boot Planet Side it felt surreal to
load out with a flamethrower for the
first time since being a Cadet but here
we are we light it up for the first time
in weeks and I'm surprised by how
quickly it melts the rank and file
Warrior we don't have to wait long for a
nursing spew to make its way to us which
also goes down in short order so far I'm
reasonably impressed because it's
difficulty 7 of course this triggers an
immediate bug breach so we get a chance
to put the flamethrower up against The
Horde it's of course not long before a
charger emerges whom we managed to melt
down with around 2/3 of our
mag okay it's not as elegant or skillful
as deating the leg than melting it with
the primary but it'll do for now the
game of course immediately sends a b
Titan after me so I have to blow my
orbital barrage load a little earlier
than expected allegedly the groupings
are Tighter and last longer so let's see
how well orbital Viagra really
works as my Gatling sentury impotently
Fires at the Titan I try to find a good
vantage point to watch
from in the end as the barrage barely
does anything to the Titan I'm forced to
detonate a latent hell bomb to finish
the job not the experience I wanted but
then I remember that we brought the H
barrage to close bug holes not to take
on moving targets even if they are other
size of a building so we move on we take
a quick reprieve to find out that the
upgraded breaker spray and prey can take
out a Spore spear at 100 m using a full
mag awesome this thing literally
couldn't kill a single egg before its
buff no way it can't penetrate
the egg we get swarmed only to find out
that the breaker spray and prey actually
does stuff now it's able to take down
Hive guards and brood commanders perhaps
not particularly well but at least it
can do it whatsoever I then have a
misadventure using my own own H barrage
against the
charger
repl for our second deployment I bring
the upgraded laser cannon and
desperately want to find out whether the
Punisher buff also affects my beloved
Slugger shotgun we give the H barrage an
easy target a single bug hole in a hill
surrounded by a group of terminants we
tried the laser cannon on a charger only
to find out that it does nothing to the
frontal armor
I recall hearing someone say shoot the
back of the leg so I adjust most of the
charger surfaces still just reflect the
beam as I fumble my way around with this
charger the game of course spawns
another one alongside a horde and I
start getting pinballed
around setting
replacement the upside is that I find
out my beloved Slugger now has a reserve
ammo cap of 60 and the entire thing is
replenished with just a single resupply
pack making it way more viable I
encounter another charger and
desperately try to find a weak spot in
its leg joints from behind but no
dice I finally work it out it's
literally the back of the leg not the
joint or anything that looks fleshy but
the actual armored back of the leg
that's how the laser cannon can take
down charges turns out the cannon is
also pretty great at melting ball
spewers because hell divers 2 the game
of course spawns another horde on me and
then melts me with my own drone so at
least we know the spirit of Hell divers
is still intact by this point I'm
dropping into endless reinforcement
loops and the game is lost once upon a
time I was able to solo difficulty 7 but
it appears with a new mattera those days
are now behind us to add the final
cherry on top we finish with a meteor
shower which begins detonating latent
nukes around the battlefield so not only
are you running around from endlessly
reinforcing hordes you now have
environmental effects which can one shot
you on top nice jumping across to the
Bots with a suit of heavy armor to test
the new armor rating changes I would say
the difference between light and heavy
armor is that light armor makes you feel
pathetically weak and feeble while heavy
armor makes you feel pathetically weak
feeble and slow all in all a quality
upgrade I quickly find that the rail gun
when partially charged does almost
nothing to Striders the game seems to
Delight in this as each drop sends more
Striders at me than I've seen in the
rest of my time playing
running the rail gun on unsafe mode is
now mandatory I used the rail gun on a
heavy Devastator only to find out that
the shield now blocks around I then get
promptly one-shotted by an annihilator
tank I try the rail gun on a turret the
round bounces
off I try the rail gun on the vent at
the back of the turret and it does
virtually
nothing I eventually finish it off with
my Slugger between the Slugger and
scorcher as primaries the rail gun is
now effectively redundant for fighting
Bots the Slugger can one shot and
stagger Devastators and doesn't need to
waste time charging up the scorcher can
kill strier pilot and two shots the
frontal armor the rail gun meanwhile can
best be used to pleasure oneself with
but we're not done yet I'm going to show
you in detail what the new nerfed rail
gun is like against Hulks and charges
you're going to absolutely love it if I
would to describe what the new meta
feels like on first impression and I
want to be careful with my words here so
you get my exact meaning it's like
asking your wife's boyfriend for his
permission to take her out it's like
wiring 10 grand to your favorite of
model so she can treat her boyfriend to
a nice vacation it's a beacon for the C
Dre of the world to unite around the
game appears to Delight in overwhelming
players and not giving them the tools to
fight back this kind of experience you
can simply look up a dominatrix in your
local classifi and go to town I presume
the feeling of powerlessness is quite
the same I ran several missions to make
sure this wasn't just an aberration solo
and team bugs and Bots overall I found
the newly buffed Laser cannon was a
shoeing replacement for the rail gun
against bots the laser cannon can take
out Striders and even melt hulks through
the eye hole want to see what the rail
gun does to hulks now here you
go fun right unless you charge up and
nail the Motions of the Hulk to
perfectly One-Shot its tiny eyehole your
round simply bounces off this combined
with infinitely replenishing ammo makes
the laser cannon a straight up
replacement for the rail gun they didn't
put the rail gun's performance back on
par with the other supports they
literally just made it redundant so how
is it against Chargers well now it's
rounds bounce off charger frontal armor
this even happened when I ran it unsafe
if you can strip charger armor with it
it requires such a high charge that it's
essentially useless in higher
difficulties because you're always being
accosted by three or more charges at a
time meanwhile the H barrage eventually
managed to close a few bug holes now
near enough to be worth the Colossal
cooldown time however even against the
Bots dropping it directly on a drop ship
Airfield with literally the largest
objective Targets in the game an entire
barrage somehow managed to miss the
literal drop ship I put the beacon
on requesting
orbital my advice give the ha barrages a
miss it seems like no amount of buffing
will make these more useful than the
orbital laser or even walking barrage
not to mention regular Eagle air
strikes while the laser cannon was nice
against bots I found it to be a
disappointment against the bugs so I
tried the flamethrower again since there
appeared to be no direct replacement for
the rail gun for taking down charges
here's how it
went
last Kia deploying replacement
I hope you have a lot of time in your
hands and ammo I have no idea how teams
will go about dealing with the five plus
charger onslaughts and higher
difficulties with this new mea I expect
a lot of TK as shafts of flames
satellite the battlefield and do more
damage to the squad than they do to the
Chargers on the bright side the
flamethrowers are amazing at clearing
out egg clusters so that's
something in the end what this update
served to do was make the game broadly
more annoying to play the enemy
reinforcement Loops are still
overwhelming it's just that now you have
worse tools to fight back against them I
was trying to think of a single positive
thing which came of this update and
settled on the fact that my precious
Slugger is now even more awesome though
I'm not sure how to feel about the fact
that it literally makes the rail gun
redundant the breaker spray and prey
update is nice but all it does is give
you a worse shotgun than what the
vanilla breaker was before it's nerfed
so a bit of a net loss really the laser
cannon buff is nice but I'd take the old
rail gun over at any day of the week
it's slow it's lumbering and it's a
death sentence when you're being mobbed
by more than a handful of enemies which
is only oh all the time I understand
that Arrowhead are trying to really lean
into the co-op aspect of the game so
that you have to run four player squads
for higher difficulties but I'm not sure
if the best way to go about it is to
make the game literal pain to play the
game seems confused about what it's
trying to be it's a combat horde Rush
simulator with tank units that use quasi
puzzle mechanics to take down All Souls
like games yet they throw them at you at
such quantity with so little Weaponry
that all you can do is run around kiting
and avoiding combat bear in mind I'm
referring specifically to difficulty 7
to9 there in between its residual Jank
mechanics and now nearly ineffectual
guns combined with endless reinforcement
Loops I really start to wonder whether
to boot up hell divers 2 or just pay
someone spank my ass for a few hours as
always dive with liberty and I'll see
you on the ground with my peashooter
heavy Northwest 50
m
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
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