Helldivers 2 community devastated by “massive nerf” to fan-favorite rifle

A “massive nerf” to Helldivers 2’s R-36 Eruptor has players demanding the weapon return to its pre-patch state after the latest update.

On April 30, Helldivers 2 developers discovered shots from the R-36 Eruptor could blow back shrapnel that instantly kills the shooter. The team noted that the solution would involve removing the shrapnel effect on the Eruptor and buffing its damage to compensate.

Helldivers 2’s May 7 update added the promised balance changes, specifically by buffing the gun’s explosion damage by 40 and removing the shrapnel effect. Players who’ve used the Eruptor since the update went live aren’t pleased, saying the adjustments have “gutted” the usually powerful rifle and rendered it “useless.”

“It takes 3 shots to kill one stalker now. HALF THE MAG,” Redditor Paper-Rock claimed, before adding that the patch nerfs both damage and fun because the risk-reward aspect was engaging. The user hopes Arrowhead will revert the explosive weapon to its pre-patch state.

Another post on Helldivers’ subreddit demonstrates that many players agree with the sentiment. One user wrote, “The weapon is substantially worse without the shrapnel,” calling out the Eruptor’s lower damage output on direct hits and its lost ability to “AOE clear.”

Players have also observed that the Helldivers 2 patch‘s Eruptor nerf means the Democratic Detonation Warbond “now has no great primary weapons on it.”

Notably, in addition to the Eruptor, the Warbond includes a BR-14 Adjudicator Rifle and a crossbow that users haven’t favored as primaries, so far. As such, the Eruptor Rifle was considered a highlight of the Warbond’s offerings.

Arrowhead addressed the issue in a Discord chat, as spotted by user Git_Good. In response to shrapnel-related questions, Community Manager Thomas ‘Twinbeard’ Petersson said the team has identified “two or three things… [that] aren’t working as intended.” His comment suggests another fix is in the works.