Stress Testing Helldivers 2's HORRIBLE New Meta

Ermz Plays

7 Mar 202411:06

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

00:00

🎮 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.

05:03

⚔️ 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.

10:05

🤖 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

Meta refers to the most effective and widely adopted strategies, tactics, or gameplay elements in a particular video game. In the context of the video, the narrator discusses how the recent balancing update for Hell Divers 2 has significantly changed the 'meta' or the previously established optimal playstyles and loadouts for the endgame content. For example, the narrator mentions that their former 'rail gun and personal shield' loadout, which was considered meta, has been heavily impacted by the changes.

💡Buff

A buff is an enhancement or improvement made to a particular game element, such as a weapon, ability, or character. The video script mentions several instances of buffs applied to various weapons and equipment in Hell Divers 2. For example, the narrator tests the buffed 'breaker spray and prey shotgun,' which now has increased damage output against enemies that it previously struggled to defeat. Similarly, the laser cannon has received a buff, making it a potential replacement for the nerfed rail gun against certain enemy types.

💡Nerf

A nerf refers to a deliberate weakening or reduction in the effectiveness of a game element, often done to balance gameplay or address overpowered mechanics. The narrator heavily emphasizes the significant nerfs applied to the rail gun, which was previously a powerful and widely used weapon. After the update, the rail gun's damage output and utility against various enemy types, such as Chargers and Hulks, have been drastically reduced, making it less viable compared to other options like the laser cannon.

💡Reinforcement Loop

A reinforcement loop is a game mechanic where defeated enemies continuously respawn or are replaced by new waves of reinforcements, creating a seemingly endless cycle of combat. The narrator expresses frustration with the overwhelming reinforcement loops in Hell Divers 2, especially at higher difficulties. Even after clearing an area, the game continually spawns more enemies, hordes, and specialized units like Chargers and Titans, making it increasingly challenging to progress or complete objectives.

💡Orbital Barrage

An orbital barrage is a powerful area-of-effect attack or support ability in Hell Divers 2, likely involving orbital strikes or bombardment from off-world sources. The narrator tests the '380 mil H barrage,' which was rumored to be the new meta for shutting down enemy outposts. However, they find the barrage underwhelming, often missing large targets like drop ships and having a long cooldown time, making it less useful than other options like orbital lasers or air strikes.

💡Charger

Chargers are a specific type of enemy unit in Hell Divers 2, likely a heavily armored and aggressive melee-focused enemy. The narrator extensively evaluates the effectiveness of various weapons, such as the rail gun, laser cannon, and flamethrower, against Chargers in the updated game. They find that many weapons struggle to penetrate the Chargers' frontal armor or require precise targeting of weak spots, making them challenging to deal with, especially when multiple Chargers are present.

💡Horde

A horde refers to a large group or swarm of enemies that attack the player simultaneously. The video script mentions several instances where the narrator is swarmed or overwhelmed by hordes of enemies, often in addition to specialized units like Chargers or Titans. Managing and surviving these horde encounters is presented as a significant challenge, especially with the nerfed or less effective weapon options available after the game's update.

💡Deployment

In the context of the video, deployment likely refers to the act of deploying or inserting the player's character and squad into a mission or combat zone. The narrator mentions testing different weapon loadouts and strategies across multiple deployments, which could involve different mission objectives, enemy types, or difficulty levels. Each deployment serves as an opportunity to evaluate the impact of the game's changes on gameplay and combat effectiveness.

💡Strider

Striders are another type of enemy unit mentioned in the video script, likely referring to large, formidable robotic or mechanized enemies. The narrator tests the effectiveness of the rail gun and laser cannon against Striders, finding that the rail gun, when partially charged, does little damage to them. This highlights the reduced utility of the nerfed rail gun against certain enemy types, necessitating the use of alternative weapons like the laser cannon to effectively combat Striders.

💡Slugger

The Slugger appears to be a powerful shotgun-type weapon in Hell Divers 2. Despite many weapons being nerfed or made less effective, the narrator expresses satisfaction with the upgraded Slugger, which now has a higher reserve ammo capacity and can be replenished more easily with resupply packs. The Slugger is presented as one of the few weapons that remain viable and capable of dealing significant damage to certain enemy types, even after the game's balancing update.

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.