Heavy armor-penetrating weapons are generally the undisputed meta inHelldivers 2, as heavily armored enemy types are plentiful on higher-difficulty missions. Consequently, asHelldivers 2continues to introduce new weapons and Stratagems, if these weapons don’t have heavy armor-penetrating capabilities then they are likely to be overshadowed by the existing meta. So, it might be for the best to shake upHelldivers 2’s meta with some new buildcrafting tools that could allow for a wider variety of weapons to shine.
With buildcrafting tools inspired byHelldivers 2’s Acid Storm weather effect, both existing andnew weapons inHelldivers 2could potentially give the heavy armor-penetrating meta some healthy competition. This weather effect lowers an enemy’s armor grade, which could allow weapons with medium, light, or no armor-penetration to finally be viable on higher-difficulty missions, opening up a whole new meta for the game.
Helldivers 2 Adding Acid Elemental Weaponry Could Introduce a Whole New Meta
Acid Storms are arguably the most unique among thedifferent weather effects inHelldivers 2, at least so far. Originally, this weather effect only reduced players’ and enemies’ visibility while active, similar to Rainstorms and Thick Fog. However, Acid Storms have since been reworked, now temporarily lowering all players’ and enemies’ armor grade to the next lowest level, bringing heavy armor down to medium, and medium armor down to light.
Since heavily armored enemies frequently spawn throughout the higher difficulty levels inHelldivers 2, anti-armor weapons are essentially the undisputed meta. Consequently, the rework to the Acid Storm weather effect has been a game-changer for the higher-difficulty missions. Despite having a noticeable impact, though, the temporary and unpredictable timing of Acid Storms triggering during a mission generally isn’t reliable enough for players to completely neglect to bring heavy armor-penetratingmeta weapons and Stratagems inHelldivers 2. Instead, it’s more of a temporary reprieve that allows players to occasionally save a few bullets during fights at best, or cost a few extra Stims and reinforcements at worst.
Heavily armored enemies generally spawn at and above difficulty level four, and their variety and frequency grow with each subsequent difficulty level inHelldivers 2.
So naturally, having access to weapons and/or Stratagems that could consistently apply the Acid Element to some ofthe toughest enemies inHelldivers 2could open up a whole new meta. This could allow light and medium armor-penetrating weapons to get their long-overdue turn in the spotlight, similar to what’s currently happening on the Illuminate front ofHelldivers 2’s Galactic War.
Helldivers 2’s Illuminate Faction Proves It’s Time to Shake Up the Meta
There are bound to be more Illuminate enemy types added in the near future, but for the time being, theIlluminate faction inHelldivers 2currently has a limited variety of enemy units. In the meantime, the absence of Illuminate enemies that have heavy armor allows players to use a wider variety of weapons when fighting the Illuminate on high-difficulty missions, which is arguably a refreshing change compared to how meta builds are a necessity for high-level Terminid and Automaton missions.
This new Illuminate meta won’t last forever though, which is a shame considering that many weapons will once again get overlooked due to their lack of heavy armor-penetrating capabilities. However, introducing Acid Elemental weapons and Stratagems inspired by the Acid Storm weather effect could be the key to keeping this new meta alive long after heavily armored Illuminate enemy units are introduced to the game. These kinds of buildcrafting tools could also open up countless new opportunities for underutilized weapons to finally shine on high-level Terminid and Automaton missions as well, giving the existing meta some healthy and welcome competition.
Helldivers 2
WHERE TO PLAY
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