After debuting the deadly new Illuminate threat just a few months ago, Helldivers 2 is still releasing a steady flow of content updates to shake up the battle against any alien threats to democracy. While the most recent update doesn't add any game-changing new content, it comprises many smaller tweaks with wide-reaching consequences. Out of all the weapons that received varying levels of upgrade in the most recent patch, one weapon stands apart from the crowd.

While I'm looking forward to seeing the most recent announcement of Helldivers 2's Justice Warbond bringing good old space cowboy combat to the frontlines, it overshadows some prominent changes in the latest update. While a new Warbond with shiny new weapons and stratagems is always a welcome addition, I'm more excited about the weapon buffs coming to the game. Given how many weapons have been introduced since launch, it's hard to avoid some options becoming outclassed by more recent additions, with one weapon getting an even stronger upgrade.

The R-36 Eruptor Got A Huge Buff

Giving Some Much-Needed Love To A Well-Deserved Weapon

While the R-36 Eruptor is already fairly powerful, the unique Eruptor was heavily outclassed by the much more versatile Explosive Crossbow with its improved range, handling, ammo capacity, and more. Thankfully, the most recent update provided some much-needed improvements to even the playing field for the R-36 Eruptor, starting with a full second of projectile lifetime compared to the previous 0.7 for fighting at farther distances.

Although the change might not seem like much at first, the additional increase in its armor penetration from Medium (3) up to Heavy (4) makes it a devastating tool on the battlefield.

The unique Eruptor was heavily outclassed by the much more versatile Explosive Crossbow.

While it's far from the first time a Warbond introduced new balanced changes, the continued trend of buffing weapons up to the same standards as their powerful counterparts instead of nerfing them is a more than welcome direction for the series. Weapons weren't the only balance changes being introduced either, as several stratagems were upgraded to increase their communication capacity and overall damage output.

The Eruptor Could Now Be One Of The Best Weapons In Helldivers 2

Unleashing Democracy With Satisfying Style

Even without the exciting balance changes coming to the R-36 Eruptor, the bolt action rifle capable of unleashing massive explosions is by far one of the coolest weapons Helldivers 2 has to offer. Feeling like a weapon straight out of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, the new R-36 Eruptor buffs have a massive impact on how it will perform against heavily armored elite enemies, on top of its general improvements. Being an incredibly useful tool to take down level 4 armored enemies like the Termanid Charger and Automaton Hulk, the R-36 Eruptor can finally stand a chance against its more meta counterparts.

While many weapons may have received significant buffs in the latest update, it also brought some new difficulties for Helldivers on the Illuminate and Automaton fronts.

The most notable of these challenges are heavily armored drop-ships for the Automatons and even shielded warp ships for the Illuminate, offering the perfect target practice for the new and improved R-36. While there are still plenty of new updates on the way for Helldivers 2 and the future of the Illuminate, the recent balance changes are the perfect chance to revisit some of your favorite weapons once more.