After a week of worrying anytime a spark crossed their screen, Helldivers 2 players can finally rejoice—arc weapons are once again back on the menu with the latest patch. This most recent stability update means we can finally zap bugs like the newest Warbond intended.
Ever since Patch 1.000.103, using the electricity-tossing Arc weaponry of Helldivers 2 has been a bit of a bad idea. Constant crashing and game freezes plagued the Arc Thrower, Arc Shotgun, and Tesla Tower Stratagem since March 20—ironic, considering the theme of the Cutting Edge Warbond.
The crashes happened as the devs added the projectiles for the Blitzer shotgun and Arc Thrower Stratagem to the “Shots Fired” counter. This made it seem like the game was being overloaded through basic math. But since these crashes also frequented the Tesla Tower Stratagem and not other energy-based weapons like the Scorcher, there was likely something more nefarious brewing.
Patch 1.000.104, released on March 26, claims to have fixed all issues with these three weapons and Stratagems. This tiny patch apparently did nothing else, much to the annoyance of the community. Players on the patch’s official Reddit post wish the patch went a bit further overall. “I would be lying if I didn’t hope that this would be part of a greater stability patch the game sorely and increasingly needs,” one player lamented, referencing how Helldivers 2 is suffering from a bit of a crash issue after the newest Warbond.
Several players noted the situations that put their Hell Diver into “A-pose,” such as dropping an SSSD or Ballistic Shield to use a Stim or pick up a Sample. Even more players were talking about the Loadout Reset issue on PS5, a pervasive issue on Sony’s console, specifically where Divers must remake their loadout from scratch when the game starts. These crashes were even more longstanding than the arc bug’s weeklong stand, making this patch seem like a kneejerk reaction rather than a well-thought-out stability update.
There was some patch note positivity in the air, at least. Several players were just happy they could use their Blitzers and Arc Throwers—or “Bug Zappers,” as one player called them—again. We don’t know if any hidden Terminids or Automatons are lurking inside the patch—or maybe the mysterious third faction. Arrowhead does love sneaking in extra surprises into even minor updates, so we’ll be sure to keep our eye out. And zap whatever that surprise is with 30,000 volts of electricity.
