GamesActionHelldivers 2Not even a week since Helldivers 2’s latest balance patch, players are already sick of burn damage being an “instakill” death sentenceWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionHelldivers 2Not even a week since Helldivers 2’s latest balance patch, players are already sick of burn damage being an “instakill” death sentenceWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

It’s been nearly a week since the lastHelldivers 2balance patch, and players are still voicing their displeasure at the changes made to fire damage.
Players weren’t happy about the change at the time. In the smattering of Reddit posts just below, which date back to the day after the fire damage was changed, players call the change everything from “stupid” to “unreasonable,” saying that players simply don’t stand a chance of healing themselves before the fire completely overwhelms and kills them.
“It was perfectly fine before. It was a serious threat but you could stim heal against the effect. Now it’s just a stupid ‘oh, well’ instakill,” one Reddit user added via a comment. “I don’t really understand the reason why it is stronger now; fire was extremely oppressive even before the patch, Divers burned like they were covered in E710, and now it seems like thermite,” another user wrote.
Fast forward five days and Helldivers 2 players are still burning up. “Currently, fire damage is the most powerful enemy damage type. A Helldiver could take multiple rockets to the face, take dozens of bullets, but if they fart near a patch of burning ground, they are dead in .1 seconds,” the post below reads. Maybe “.1 second” is a slight exaggeration, but you get the point.
“This reply is longer than it took me to die,” reads a comment that’s likely scientifically accurate. Another commenter has suggested that instead of rectifying the fire damage, developer Arrowhead should instead provide fire-resistant armor for players to counteract the severe burns. Admittedly, this comment hasn’t gone down well, with only negative responses registered.
It’s interesting to note that the patch that changed fire damage also made another unpopular tweak. TheHelldivers 2 patch nerfed the Slugger Shotgun significantly, in a move players dubbed “uncalled for,” while a developer tried to reason with players that the shotgun was basically acting as the game’s best sniper rifle. Even after the reason was given, players still weren’t impressed.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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