Sony and Arrowhead Games Studios, or just anyone involved with Helldivers 2 in general, has had one tough week after several issues that resulted in players review-bombing the game on Steam. You'd think that the latest Warbond would shift the mood to something positive, but it just made matters worse.
Polar Patriots Warbond: Tenderizer
Helldivers 2 releases Warbonds every second Thursday of the month, which gives players plenty of time to earn Medals and Super Credits by playing the game. It's one of the most anticipated aspects of the game since it provides new weapons, armor, boosters, and more.
The last Warbond, the Democratic Detonation, received a lot of praise with players saying that the Eruptor (before the magazine capacity was reduced) was the ultimate bug hole sealer. The latest Warbond called Polar Patriots has not been treated with the same applause.
Players are especially disappointed with one of the guns called the Tenderizer. Let's look at the stats, shall we? The damage is only at 60 with a fire rate of 35. The recoil is only at 10 with a fire rate of 600. The specs already look weak, but it's much more disappointing comparing it to the Liberator.
In case you don't know, the Liberator is the first free gun players get when they start out. It also deals 10 damage and has a larger capacity at 45. The recoil is just a bit higher at 15, but the trade-off makes it worth it with 640 for the fire rate.
Other than the recoil, the Polar Patriots Premium Warbond will have you spend 1,000 Super Credits to unlock it, and then 20 medals to purchase the Tenderizer. All that to get an inferior weapon and that's compared to a starter gun.
Naturally, players can't help but scratch their heads because this was not the best offer for a Warbond you have to dish out 1,000 Super Credits for. As per Kotaku, players are already fuming on Reddit and taking turns expressing how they feel about the new assault rifle.
One said that it was "quite literally a direct downgrade to the Liberator," which is true based on the stat comparison. There's no argument there. Some are joking that the guns are already released pre-nerfed, maybe so players would be thrilled when they get buffed.
For now, Helldivers 2 devs needs to get their head straight. If anything, the new Warbond is a missed opportunity at redemption. Considering the hell it really did dive into, the game might lose more players than it already did.
What Helldivers 2 Went Through in the Last Week
Just to recap how bad things were before the Tenderizer became the cherry on top of this mess, the game was heading for a nosedive the moment it started to require a PSN account to continue playing. PC players were not particularly happy about that.
They didn't stand aside and let it slide either as the game was review-bombed on Steam. The recent reviews are now Mixed and Mostly Positive overall, which means that the game is on its way to recovery.
The change of heart from the fanbase is probably due to Sony rescinding the PSN requirement. Still, it's hard to forget that the game's community manager was fired after encouraging players to leave negative reviews to push for a change.
