Patch 4.1.0 "Into the Unjust Updated"
Patch 4.1.0 “Into the Unjust” delivers the most comprehensive balance overhaul in Helldivers 2 history, with over 200 bug fixes, sweeping weapon buffs, enemy rebalances, and major performance optimizations. This patch fundamentally reshapes the game’s balance philosophy, making nearly every weapon more lethal and addressing long-standing pain points.
Released on October 23, 2025, this update focuses entirely on refinement and polish—no new content, but a complete rebalancing of the existing arsenal. Arrowhead reworked armor penetration mechanics, buffed close-range weapons, nerfed problematic enemies, and optimized performance across the board. This is the foundation update competitive players have been waiting for.
🎯 Patch Overview
🔧
Bug Fixes
Comprehensive fixes across gameplay, crashes, and visuals
🔫
Weapon Buffs
Every primary, sidearm, throwable, and stratagem improved
👾
Enemy Balance
Rupture Warriors nerfed, spawn rates adjusted, weak spots added
⚡
Performance
Physics, AI, effects, and rendering all streamlined
Info:
Balance Philosophy Shift: This patch introduces a new armor penetration system where light-penetration weapons deal a higher percentage of damage to “durable” enemies, giving them a clear tactical role versus medium-penetration arms. This fundamentally changes weapon selection strategy.
🔫 Primary Weapon Buffs
Every primary weapon received meaningful improvements across damage, durable damage, stagger, or utility. Assault rifles, SMGs, shotguns, and marksman rifles all got substantial buffs to improve time-to-kill and weapon feel. The changes prioritize making each weapon class feel more impactful in its intended role.
Assault Rifles
| Weapon | Damage Change | Durable Damage | Additional Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AR-23 Liberator | 80 90 (+10) | 15 22 (+7) | Standard AR baseline buff |
| AR-23C Liberator Concussive | 55 65 (+10) | — | Improved stagger utility |
| AR-23E Liberator Explosive | 50 60 (+10) | — | Better AoE clearing |
| AR-61 Tenderizer | 90 110 (+20) | 18 27 (+9) | Significant damage increase |
Submachine Guns (SMGs)
SMGs received the most dramatic close-range buffs with increased damage and enhanced damage falloff to reinforce their short-range specialist role. These changes make SMGs devastating in CQB while clearly defining their effective range.
| Weapon | Damage Change | Durable Damage | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMG-37 Defender | 80 100 (+20) | 8 18 (+10) | Massive CQB buff |
| SMG-72 Pummeler | 40 50 (+10) | — | Improved stagger + damage |
| MP-98 Knight | 85 100 (+15) | 17 25 (+8) | High RoF shredder |
Tip:
Close-Range Meta: The SMG buffs with enhanced damage falloff mean these weapons now excel at sub-20m engagements but drop off sharply beyond that. Pair with a long-range stratagem for optimal loadout balance.
Shotguns
❌
- • Lower damage output
- • Less effective vs armor
✓
- • 18% damage increase
- • 20% better vs armor
- • One-shot more enemies
| Shotgun | Damage Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SG-8 Punisher | Buffed | Increased pellet damage |
| SG-8P Punisher Plasma | Buffed | Better energy projectile damage |
| SG-451 Cookout | Buffed | Improved incendiary effectiveness |
Marksman & Sniper Rifles
| Weapon | Damage | Durable | Key Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-63 Diligence | 125 → 150 (+25) | +12 | 20% damage increase |
| R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper | 200 → 240 (+40) | +24 | Improved one-shot potential |
| JAR-5 Dominator | 300 → 350 (+50) | +45 | Massive damage boost |
Success:
Marksman Rifles Viable: The substantial damage buffs to marksman rifles make them competitive choices for precision players. The R-63CS and JAR-5 now reliably one-shot medium enemies with headshots.
🔪 Sidearm & Melee Buffs
Sidearms and melee weapons received significant buffs to serve as viable backup options rather than emergency last resorts. Pistols got close-range damage increases with enhanced falloff, while melee weapons became more lethal across the board.
Pistols
🔫
P-2 Peacemaker
Standard service pistol
🔫
P-4 Senator
High-power revolver
🔫
P-113 Verdict
Burst-fire handgun
Melee Weapons
| Melee Weapon | Damage Change | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| CQC-42 Machete | 170 → 200 (+30 / +18%) | Now one-shots more light enemies |
| LAS-7 Dagger (melee mode) | Buffed | Improved energy blade damage |
| All melee weapons | Fixed AP display | Correct armor penetration values now shown |
Tip:
Sidearm Strategy: With the sidearm buffs, consider running a specialist primary (sniper, flamethrower) paired with a strong pistol for close-range defense. The P-4 Senator is now viable for finishing wounded targets.
💣 Throwable Buffs
All grenades and throwables received substantial lethality improvements through increased damage, better armor penetration, or enhanced utility. Explosive throwables hit harder, and specialized grenades gained improved targeting or area effects.
💥
G-7 Pineapple
Frag grenade with shrapnel buffs
🧨
TED-63 Dynamite
High-explosive demolition charge
🎯
G-50 Seeker
Homing grenade with targeting improvements
🔥
G-10 Incendiary
Fire grenade area denial
⚡
G-23 Stun
EMP crowd control grenade
💨
G-12 High Explosive
Impact grenade with increased blast
Watch Out:
Throwable Strategy: The TED-63 Dynamite’s upgrade to Heavy armor penetration makes it the go-to anti-heavy throwable. Reserve it for Chargers, Hulks, and armored targets—use standard grenades for infantry clearing.
🎯 Stratagem Buffs
Support weapons, orbital strikes, and equipment stratagems all received meaningful improvements across damage, capacity, cooldowns, and utility. Heavy weapons hit harder, supply stratagems carry more, and cooldown-based stratagems cycle faster.
Support Weapons
| Stratagem | Primary Buff | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| FLAM-40 Flamethrower | 130 → 150 capacity (+1 starting canister) | More sustained fire before reload |
| AC-8 Autocannon | 260 → 325 damage (+25%) | Significantly improved lethality |
| APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle | Durable damage up (+extra ammo) | Better vs armored + more shots |
| RS-422 Railgun | Charge damage up | Higher charged shot damage |
| MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun | Damage buffed | Sustained DPS increase |
Orbital & Eagle Strikes
🛰️
Orbital Railcannon
Available 14% more frequently, enabling more consistent heavy target elimination
✈️
Eagle Strikes (All)
- • Damage output increased
- • Accuracy improvements
- • Effect radius optimization
All Eagle stratagems more reliable and lethal
Exosuits
EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit
Mech platform • Heavy fire support
The Patriot Exosuit is now more viable for sustained engagements with increased ammo capacity and improved armor-penetration angles on missiles. Better suited for extended defense missions.
Success:
Stratagem Meta Shift: The Autocannon’s 25% damage buff and Flamethrower’s capacity increase make these two of the strongest support weapons post-patch. The Orbital Railcannon’s cooldown reduction makes it more reliable for objective-based missions.
👾 Enemy Rebalances
Major enemy rebalancing across all three factions addresses community complaints while maintaining challenge. The Rupture Warrior Terminids received the most significant nerfs, while Illuminate and Automaton enemies had their health pools, weak spots, and spawn rates adjusted for fairness.
Terminids
Rupture Warrior (Major Nerf)
Burrowing mantis-type enemy • Community pain point
- ✓ Easier to track underground movement
- ✓ More opportunities to damage
- ✓ Attacks more telegraphed/dodgeable
- ✓ Turrets no longer instantly destroyed
- ✓ Overall “less unfair” engagement
Widely praised change addressing the #1 player complaint. Rupture Warriors are now challenging but fair, rather than frustrating and cheap.
Other Terminid Changes
| Enemy | Change Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Roach (flying) | Spawn nerf | ~50% reduction at diff 5-6, ~40% at 7-9, ~33% at diff 10 |
| Dragon Roach wings | Weak spot buff | Destroying wings = instant kill, wings vulnerable to explosions |
| Bile Spewer | Weak spot buff | Larger mouth weak spot (but slightly more fire resistant) |
| Rupture Spewer | Timing adjust | Adjusted unburrow timing for fairer engagements |
| General Terminids | Fire vulnerability | Slightly reduced to compensate for health decreases |
Tip:
Anti-Terminid Strategy: Focus fire on Dragon Roach wings with explosive weapons—destroying wings instantly kills them. For Rupture Warriors, use area denial (mines, turrets) in their surfacing zones since they move slower underground now.
Illuminate
👽
Fleshmob Brute
👁️
Elevated Overseer
New Weapons: Entirely new beam-based weaponry system
Spawn Restriction: No longer spawns outside city biomes
Impact: More predictable encounters, better balanced for environment
Automatons
| Automaton Unit | Change | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Base Troopers (in bases) | AI improvement | Won’t call reinforcements without visual confirmation |
| Heavy War Strider | Grenade nerf | Fires 2 fewer grenades per salvo, less frequent volleys |
| Heavy War Strider | Weak spots added | New weak spots: eyes and rear vents |
| Heavy War Strider | Physics adjust | Explosions no longer ragdoll players aggressively |
| Command Bunker Turrets | Physics fix | No more knockback/ragdoll from explosions |
| Scout Strider / Devastator | Durability buff | Slight armor/HP increases to balance other changes |
Info:
Stealth Meta: The AI improvement to base Automaton troopers means stealth approaches are now more viable. Breaking line-of-sight before detection prevents alarm calls, rewarding tactical infiltration.
🔧 Bug Fixes & QoL
Over 200 bugs squashed across every system including crashes, gameplay issues, weapon bugs, mission glitches, and visual problems. This comprehensive fix pass addresses both major pain points and minor annoyances that have accumulated since launch.
Critical Mission Fixes
Can now call stratagems in cave mission area
Previously impossible due to bug
Hellbomb no longer falls through cave ceilings
Mission completion now reliable
Stratagem lands correctly, not on cave tops
Objective placement fixed
Illuminate dropships take correct damage
Damage calculation corrected
Crash Fixes
| Crash Type | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Illuminate enemy encounters | Multiple rare crash scenarios resolved |
| Hot-join + ready-up simultaneous | Race condition fixed, no more crashes |
| Repeated session re-joins | Memory leak eliminated |
| Eagle-1 ship memory leak | Proper cleanup when not removed from session |
| Game shutdown | Exit crash during shutdown resolved |
| Vehicle turret leaning | Crash when leaning out fixed |
Weapon & Equipment Fixes
All melee weapons and grenades now show correct AP values in stats menu (previously incorrectly showed “Medium”)
First-person scope view adjusted to sit further from camera for better visibility
Fixed animation issues when using armor perks that boost reload speed
Can now properly lock onto Automaton AA turrets as intended
Bug causing projectiles to not hit dead-center of reticle at point-blank range fixed
Controller haptic feedback now persists properly while firing
Gameplay & Equipment Fixes
Can now remain aiming down sights when activating (no forced third-person)
No longer gets stuck floating in mid-air occasionally
Can no longer be climbed (exploit fixed)
Animation bug with perk resolved
Body parts now spawn correctly when defeated
Can’t be occupied by two players simultaneously anymore
Network & Multiplayer Fixes
- ✓ Fixed disconnection when 3-player cross-play lobby joins solo player
- ✓ Improved stability under poor network conditions
- ✓ Resolved rare issue preventing player from re-joining prior host
Visual & Audio Polish
| Category | Fix |
|---|---|
| Character mesh | Fixed arm clipping in certain animations |
| Extraction shuttle | Reduced terrain clipping on landing |
| Player avatars | Fixed flicker when covered in mud/snow |
| CR10 Mega Nest | Plugged map hole covered by terrain |
| Shop UI | Saudi Riyal currency symbol now displays correctly |
| Oil extractor rigs | Reverse sound no longer plays indefinitely |
| Controller vibration | Won’t act up when plugging/unplugging on PC |
Success:
Stability Upgrade: The extensive crash fixes and network improvements make co-op gameplay significantly more reliable. Cross-platform groups should see far fewer disconnections and session issues.
⚡ Performance Optimizations
Major performance and stability improvements across all systems with a focus on physics optimization, AI streamlining, and visual effect efficiency. These changes target frame drops, stuttering, and memory issues that have plagued high-intensity scenarios.
Core Engine Optimizations
🔬
- • Stripped redundant calculation code
- • Systems only enable when needed
- • Reduced CPU overhead significantly
Smoother performance in high-enemy-count scenarios
🎮
- • Optimized mission start sequence
- • Reduced stuttering on entry
- • Smoother pod landing transitions
Fewer frame drops during mission start
Visual Rendering Optimizations
Improved level-of-detail switching for better frame rates
Better visuals AND better performance on snow biomes
Particle and lighting systems streamlined
More efficient particle systems for status effects
Faction-Specific Optimizations
| Category | Optimization | Performance Gain |
|---|---|---|
| Automaton explosions | Converted to shader effects from particles | Significantly less GPU load |
| Acid rain effects | Resource usage reduced | Better frame rates in rain |
| Dragon Roach fire attack | Optimized particle system | Less stuttering vs flyers |
| Audio input/output | Performance improvements | No sound-related slowdowns |
Info:
Performance Expectations: Players should notice reduced hitching during intense combat, smoother frame rates in high-enemy-count situations, faster load times, and improved stability (fewer crashes or memory issues). Arrowhead indicates more optimizations are planned for future patches.
📊 Patch Impact Summary
What This Means for Competitive Play
- ✓ All weapons more lethal, faster TTK across board
- ✓ SMGs and pistols viable for CQB specialists
- ✓ Throwables and stratagems pack bigger punch
- ✓ Performance improvements enable smoother gameplay
- ✓ Mission completion more reliable (bug fixes)
- ✓ Rupture Warriors dramatically nerfed (fair now)
- ✓ Spawn rates reduced at higher difficulties
- ✓ New weak spots reward precision aim
- ✓ Less cheap deaths from unfair mechanics
- ✓ Better enemy AI and encounter design
This patch fundamentally shifts the meta toward weapon diversity and tactical flexibility. With nearly every weapon buffed, player skill in weapon selection and positioning matters more than sticking to a single “best” loadout. High-difficulty missions (7-10) are now more accessible while still challenging, as spawn rate reductions and enemy nerfs remove frustrating RNG deaths without eliminating difficulty. Expect faster clear times and more aggressive playstyles to become viable.
Recommended Loadout Adjustments
- ✓ SMG-37 Defender now viable primary
- ✓ Shotguns hit much harder
- ✓ Flamethrower with more fuel
- ✗ Don’t ignore sidearms anymore
Best for: Bug swarms, city environments
- ✓ Marksman rifles one-shot more
- ✓ Target new enemy weak spots
- ✓ AMR with extra ammo magazines
- ✗ Don’t spam—pick shots carefully
Best for: Automatons, Illuminate
- ✓ Autocannon 25% damage buff
- ✓ Dynamite now Heavy AP
- ✓ Railcannon 30s faster cooldown
- ✗ Don’t waste on light enemies
Best for: High-difficulty heavies
Tip:
Meta Prediction: Expect to see more weapon diversity in high-level play as previously underpowered options become competitive. The SMG buffs in particular enable aggressive, mobile playstyles that were difficult to execute effectively pre-patch.