Helldivers 2 players get mixed signals around the Eruptor nerf as one dev calls the changes unintended and another says it's still "absolutely viable"

Helldivers 2.

Helldivers 2 players are getting mixed signals from developers after a recent patch indirectly nerfed a fan-favorite primary weapon. 

The R-36 Eruptor was added to Helldivers 2 in the Democratic Demolition Warbond, serving as a bulky marksman rifle that shoots explosive rounds, handy for clearing bug nests and bot fabricators. However, developer Arrowhead Studios recently removed explosive shrapnel from the game to stop players from randomly one-shotting themselves or teammates with the Eruptor, a decision that's nerfed the weapon's damage output too.

One player hoped the team would "re-evaluate" the decision to remove explosive shrapnel in a message to the game's Discord channel, to which community manager Thomas 'Twinbeard' Petersson responded: "We already are." Twinbeard explained that the team noticed some changes "aren't working as intended… that's one of them."

To make matters slightly more confusing, senior game designer Alex 'Alexus' Kravchenko put out a largely different statement on Discord, explaining that the Eruptor changes are working correctly. Kravchenko said that explosive shrapnel was removed because the team didn't want accidental friendly fire to be a common side effect on a primary weapon, while also claiming the weapon is still viable as it is now.

According to Alexus, who helps handle balance changes, the changes to the Eruptor are working correctly. from r/Helldivers

Kravchenko continues that the Eruptors' consistent 40-damage output is a "good tradeoff" for dealing 100-damage randomly with the shrapnel: "I still strongly believe that the Eruptor benefits from dealing less damage more consistently."

Players report that the Eruptor is particularly weak against medium-armored enemies now, and Kravchenko says the team is currently investigating that issue, but "won't promise that it will definitely be buffed, as the weapon in its current state is absolutely viable."

Nerfs have claimed multiple fan-favorite weapons victims since a recent Helldivers 2 patch made popular tools, including the Quasar Cannon and Exploding Crossbow, significantly weaker. Head of product testing Patrik Lasota previously said the "Don't Nerf, Only Buff" balancing philosophy is "not a great idea," which might explain why half my arsenal gets ignored. 

A Helldivers 2 community manager was recently fired after encouraging negative reviews amid the PSN debacle: “I knew I was taking a risk with what I said.”