Helldivers 2 has a variety of weapon and damage types, but they aren’t all built equal. As the meta has taken shape, players who don’t want to bow to the meta want buffs to the most “fun” weapon type.
Sure, Helldivers 2 may not have any competitive PvP elements, but that hasn’t kept a meta for the game from developing in the weeks since launch.
The Railgun/Shield backpack combo has been what many players have favored whether it be a fight against Automatons or Terminids, sparking many arguments about whether or not following the meta at all times is the way to go.
However, players want the devs to try and fight against the tides of the meta not by nerfing what’s good, but by buffing what’s bad. In this case, it’s all about having a specific counter to Terminids: Fire builds.
Helldivers 2 players want to watch the world burn
Though there are a variety of fire weapons in the game, you rarely see them. And, unfortunately, there’s good reason for that. While the Flamethrower specifically caught flak a short time after the game launched, players have realized that fire damage in general is a bit lackluster.
The fire version of the Breaker Shotgun does way less damage than the original, making it hard to justify. The flamethrower can do well against big hordes of Terminids, but it also struggles if they get up close. Especially when you accidentally set yourself on fire.
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So, players want some buffs to fire weapon types to be able to justify picking them up, buffs that could come in a variety of ways.
Even the original poster who put up the now-dubbed “Salamander build” claimed that this build is just not good even if it’s fun, “Obviously it’s trash, but it’s great fun at medium-ish difficulties.”
Two major ideas for buffs to fire (other than just making it deal more damage) came from this thread as users put their heads together to figure out what they really want.
One popular buff posed was to create fireproof armor that lets players bathe themselves in fire without worry as they burn through the Terminid menace. At least, as long as they don’t set their teammates on fire.
The other buff is making is so that fire has more of a slow effect on the enemy, with many complaining that the opposition can walk right through Napalm Strikes and walls of fire without being slowed down or dying. If buffing damage isn’t the way, maybe having one player on the squad spewing flames to slow enemies down could work great as a sort of support class.