Helldivers 2's substantial 2025 update, patch 01.002.101, is now live, introducing significant gameplay adjustments and bug fixes. This over 5GB patch, arriving near the game's first anniversary and the introduction of the Illuminate faction, has sparked speculation about potential hidden additions beyond the documented changes.
Key improvements include extended gas durations from spray weapons and the restored ability to emote while airborne or ragdolling. However, one particularly intriguing fix deserves special mention: a visual glitch involving the Stalker's tongue (the developers remain tight-lipped on the specifics of the repair!).
Patch Notes: 01.002.101
Balancing:
- General: Increased spray weapon gas effect duration to 10 seconds (from 6). Implemented a despawn timer for Illuminate dropship wreckage to prevent path obstructions.
- Helldiver: Jogging now permitted while carrying two-handed items (barrels, SEAF Artillery Rounds).
- FRV: Grenade and stratagem deployment authorized while leaning from the FRV. FRV handling tuned for improved cornering.
- Sidearms: Increased starting magazines to 3 (from 2), spare magazines to 5 (from 4).
- Stratagem Support Weapons (TX-41 Sterilizer): Removed crosshair drift recoil and decreased camera climb recoil. Increased gas effect duration to 10 seconds (from 6).
- Armor Passives (Siege Ready): A bug granting extra ammo to all weapons (not just primaries as intended) remains unfixed for now, pending further evaluation. The Armory description will be updated later.
- Backpacks (AX/TX-13 “Guard Dog”): Reworked for improved effectiveness, focusing on gas-based mechanics. Ammo preservation implemented by prioritizing non-gassed enemies. Targeting logic refined to prevent excessive roaming, now originating from the Helldiver's position. Targeting range increased to 20m (from 10m). Increased gas effect duration to 10 seconds (from 6).
- Stratagems (MD-6, MD-I4, MD-17): Cooldown reduced to 120 seconds (from 180) for all three mine types. Damage increased significantly. Mine deployment spread increased by 20% to reduce chain explosions.
- SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack: Now blocks melee attacks until destroyed.
Fixes:
- Top Priority: Emoting restored during falls/ragdolling (without fall damage reduction). Illuminate spawner ship shields now vulnerable to impact grenades. Collision gaps within Illuminate spawners fixed. Health packs fully restore stims. High-damage weapons now detonate Hellbombs.
- Crash Fixes: Numerous crash fixes addressed, including those related to mission aborts, hot-joining, emote switching, fires, drop-in sequences, weapon reloading, armory navigation, tutorial completion, extraction, projectile fire, and objective carrying.
- Social & Matchmaking: Improved matchmaking for regional proximity. Matching with similar difficulty lobbies improved. Chat history preservation fixed.
- Weapons & Stratagems: Emplacement retention during text chat fixed. Arc weapon accuracy against Impaler tentacles improved. E/AT-12 Anti-Tank Emplacement armor penetration tag corrected. Stratagem turrets no longer target Illuminate Tesla Towers. Visual bug with heat weapon progress bars fixed. Excessive melee object displacement fixed. B-1 Supply Pack stim sharing restored. SG-20 Halt reloading crash fixed.
- FRV: FRV reinforcement to prevent minor impact explosions. FRV camera improvements for visual appeal and underground avoidance. Reduced rooftop FRV deployments. Non-QWERTY keyboard input support added. Enemy launch distance from FRV impact adjusted.
- Helldiver: Ragdolling into FRV no longer launches the vehicle. Civilian car vaulting/climbing restored. Post-ragdoll ground sliding fixed. Stuck prone gliding animation fixed. Missing pick-up animations restored.
- Enemies: Stalker tongue visual bug fixed. Enemy reaction to missed shots improved.
- Miscellaneous: Various audio, civilian pathing, visual (floating heads), and damage calculation fixes implemented.
Known Issues:
- Top Priority: Black box terminal clipping, DSSP pathfinding, Evacuate Colonists mission pathfinding, Dolby Atmos on PS5.
- Medium Priority: Pelican-1 extraction issues, explosive ragdolling, cape display issues, "This is Democracy" emote bug, Guard Dog ammo display, Barrager Tank stats, LAS-5 Scythe zoom, Charge-up weapon firing behavior.
This update represents a significant step towards improving Helldivers 2's gameplay experience. While some issues remain, the extensive list of fixes and balance adjustments should enhance overall enjoyment.
