When I think about the first year of Helldivers 2, I think about the 150+ hours of fun I had closing bug holes and scrapping Automatons with friends, and how Arrowhead put the "live" back in live service by never telling us what was coming next. But if you stuck with Helldivers 2 throughout 2024, you'll also remember a rough patch: Arrowhead implemented a streak of controversial balancing changes that ruffled the feathers of the game's loudest fans.
There was the big Railgun nerf, the unfortunate flamethrower changes, and the rework of the overtuned Eruptor. Arrowhead wanted to maintain Helldivers 2's difficulty and encourage loadout variety by dialing back overpowered guns, but some argued that "don't nerf, only buff" was the way to go in a purely PvE game.
