Helldivers 2 01.003.000 Patch Notes Breakdown – New Enemies, Weapon Customization, Big Fixes
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PatchesArrowhead dropped Helldivers 2 patch 01.003.000, and it's a big one. This isn't your average balance patch, this update brings in a whole new faction, major overhauls to the weapon system, balance tweaks, and essential bug fixes.
Here's a direct breakdown of what matters, starting with the core highlights.
What's New in Helldivers 2 01.003.000 Patch?
Illuminate Enemies. Arrowhead finally unleashes the Illuminate in Helldivers 2, and they’re not pulling punches. Expect new mechanics and mid-mission chaos from these mysterious foes.
New enemy types:
- Stingray – Jetfighters that strafe Helldivers from above
- Crescent Overseer – Artillery support from afar
- Fleshmob – A literal Frankenstein monster made of failed Voteless experiments
Weapon Customization System. You can now personalize your favorite firearms with attachments that affect performance and visuals. Attachments include:
- Sights
- Color patterns
- Magazines
- Muzzles
- Underbarrels
You can also save loadouts and switch them during mission loadouts.
This is the most substantial Helldivers 2 patch since launch, and it does more than just add content. It fixes core gameplay bugs, introduces meaningful mechanical depth with weapon customization, and sets the stage for bigger wars with the Illuminate.
Weapon balances:
- Spread
- Drag
- Sway
- Melee weapons' stamina cost
- Shrapnel spawning
- Fire damage
Next, I’m leaving the full list of all the new features unchanged. The developers published the 01.003.000 patch notes using the game's Steam page. Below is the original text from Arrowhead, which perfectly describes a patch.
Mechanic | Description |
Spread | Determines how much a projectile veers off from where you're aiming. This rebalance reduces the spread for SMGs and sidearms, which previously had excessive inaccuracy. The goal was to make these weapons more reliable. |
Drag | Controls how fast a projectile slows down over distance, affecting damage. Increased drag for pistol-caliber ammo (used in SMGs and some sidearms) to reflect their short-range effectiveness. These weapons are now slightly weaker at long range. |
Sway | Refers to how much a weapon's aim moves due to movement or stance. Lower ergonomics = less sway; higher ergonomics = more sway. This patch adjusts sway particularly for primary and sidearm weapons. Sidearms naturally have more sway due to lacking stocks. |
Stamina Cost | All melee weapons now cost less stamina per attack (reduced from 0.1 to 0.05), making melee combat less punishing and allowing easier movement between strikes. Affected weapons: CQC-30 Stun Baton, CQC-19 Stun Lance, CQC-5 Combat Hatchet, Entrenchment Tool. |
Shrapnel Spawning | Shrapnel now always spawns in a full 360-degree spread, increasing its reliability. Shrapnel effectiveness against armor has been reduced at bad angles to better reflect its design limitations in armor penetration. |
Spread and sway are reduced for better accuracy, pistol ammo weakened at range, melee uses less stamina, and shrapnel is now more consistent but less effective against armor at poor angles.
Category | Change Description |
Shrapnel Balance – Affected Weapons | R-36 Eruptor, G-6 Frag Grenade, AC-8 Autocannon |
Shrapnel Armor Penetration | Decreased from 3-3-3-0 to 3-3-2-0. Each number represents a penetration value at specific angle thresholds. The final range (most angled impact) now has reduced armor penetration. |
Frag Grenade | Increased shrapnel count from 30 to 35 |
Autocannon Flak | Increased shrapnel count from 25 to 30 |
Fire and Flamethrowers:
This update aims to better balance fire damage between direct hits (like those from flamethrowers) and burn effects over time, while also introducing scaling of fire damage depending on the size of the enemy. Previously, burn damage didn’t scale well against larger enemies, making putting them on fire feel less effective in those encounters.
Now, the larger the enemy, the more damage they take while burning. However, bigger enemies will also be slightly more resistant to ignition. Additionally, direct fire damage now scales with enemy size, so large enemies like Chargers will still take roughly the same damage as before, while smaller enemies will take slightly less.
We have also increased the magazine capacity of the FLAM-66 Torcher and the FLAM-40 Flamethrower because putting stuff on fire is fun!
Category | Change Description |
Burn Damage Scaling | Burning damage now scales with enemy size, dealing more damage over time to larger enemies. |
Fire Direct Damage | Direct fire damage now scales with enemy size. Base damage has been lowered—large enemies take about the same damage as before; smaller enemies take slightly less. |
Time to Ignite – Size | Larger enemies take longer to ignite. |
Time to Ignite – Type | Robotic enemies are harder to ignite than organic ones. |
Incendiary Ammo & Lasers | Now less effective at ignition, but resulting burn damage is more impactful due to new scaling. |
Helldiver – Fire Resistance | The Helldiver is slightly more fire-resistant. |
Helldiver – Burn Damage | Burn damage remains unchanged for the Helldiver. |
Fire damage now scales with enemy size, ignition is harder for large and robotic enemies, and the Helldiver is slightly more fire-resistant.
Primary Weapon | Change(s) |
AR-23 Liberator | Spread decreased from 4 → 2 |
AR-23P Liberator Penetrator | Starting magazines increased from 5 → 6Max spare magazines increased from 7 → 8 |
AR-23C Liberator Concussive | Spread decreased from 24 → 4 |
StA-52 Assault Rifle | Spread decreased from 4 → 2 |
AR-23A Liberator Carbine | Spread decreased from 4 → 3 |
AR-61 Tenderizer | Spread decreased from 4 → 1 |
SMG-37 Defender | Spread decreased from 20 → 5Drag increased from 0.3 → 0.6Sway increased from 1 → 1.2 |
SMG-72 Pummeler | Spread decreased from 20 → 5Drag increased from 0.3 → 0.6Sway increased from 1 → 1.2 |
MP-98 Knight | Spread decreased from 25 → 5Drag increased from 0.3 → 0.6Sway increased from 1 → 1.2 |
StA-11 SMG | Spread decreased from 25 → 5Drag increased from 0.3 → 0.6Sway increased from 1 → 1.2 |
SMG-32 Reprimand | Spread decreased from 40 → 5Drag increased from 0.3 → 0.6 |
JAR-5 Dominator | Sway decreased from 1 → 0.8 |
R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper | Sway decreased from 1 → 0.8 |
FLAM-66 Torcher | Magazine capacity increased by 25% |
R-36 Eruptor | Spread decreased from 10 → 5Ergonomics increased from -14 → 25Sway decreased from 1 → 0.8Fire rate increased from 25 → 32Fixed reload exploit |
PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle | Drag decreased from 1.5 → 0.1Now categorized as an energy weapon longer loses speed or damage in flight |
Spread significantly reduced across ARs and SMGs. SMGs received higher drag and sway for balance. Some rifles got reduced sway, while the FLAM-66 got a magazine buff. R-36 Eruptor rebalanced with better stats to offset a fixed exploit. PLAS-39 now behaves like a true energy weapon with no damage drop-off.
Sidearm Weapon | Changes |
GP-31 Ultimatum | Affected by Hellpod Optimization BoosterExplosion damage: 1000 → 2000Explosion inner radius: 4m → 2mProjectile damage: 3500 → 1000Demolition strength: 50 → 40Sway: 1 → 1.3 |
P-2 Peacemaker | Spread: 30 → 10Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
P-19 Redeemer | Spread: 35 → 10Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
P-113 Verdict | Spread: 30 → 8Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
PLAS-15 Loyalist | Spread: 25 → 10Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
LAS-58 Talon | Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
P-72 Crisper | Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
GP-31 Grenade Pistol | Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
LAS-7 Dagger | Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
P-11 Stim Pistol | Sway: 1 → 1.2 |
SG-22 Bushwhacker | Sway: 1 → 1.3 |
P-4 Senator | Spread: 30 → 8Sway: 1 → 1.3 |
Weapon adjustments focused on reducing spread and increasing sway for several sidearms, with notable changes to the GP-31 Ultimatum, emphasizing explosive damage over projectile damage.
Stratagems:
- RS-422 Railgun: Decreased Spread from 10 to 0.1
- FLAM-40 Flamethrower: Magazine capacity increased by 30%
Backpacks:
- LIFT-850 Jump Pack: Increased break force on landing to make Helldivers less likely to ragdoll when landing
Eagles:
- Eagle 110mm Rockets:
- Stagger strength increased from 35 to 40
- Increased armor penetration in certain angles
- Automatons:
- Bunker Turret: Spread increased from 20 to 50
- Conflagration Devastator: Reduced damage per pellet; more pellets now required to set you on fire
- Automaton Gunship:
- Body armor value reduced from 4 to 3
- Main body health increased from 700 to 950
- Shoots more frequently with more accurate aim
- Bulk Fabricator: Health increased from 1500 to 5000
- Conscripts: Bug fixed where Conscripts reloaded after every shot, now reload only when out of ammo
- Terminids:
- Spore Spewers: Demolition level decreased from 60 to 50, making them easier to kill with heavy ordnance
- Illuminates:
- Landed Warp Ships: Easier to kill with Anti-Tank weaponry once shields are down
- Crash Fixes:
- Fixed crash when returning to Super Destroyer from a host parked at a planet with the Democracy Space Station
- Fixed crash when writing a specific sequence in chat
- Fixed crash after partially destroying an Automaton convoy
- Fixed crash when attempting to drop into a mission on Tien Kwan
- Weapons and Stratagems:
- SMG-37 Defender no longer triggers anti-tank mines
- Improved flashlight attachments
- Fixed bug with camera stuck in Aim Down Sights (ADS) mode when discarding MLS-4X Commando
- Cancelling laser weapon reloads no longer gives infinite ammo
- Miscellaneous Fixes:
- Fixed intermittent flickering of distant visual effects
- Fixed blood covering FRV and Helldivers after an attack from any passenger seat
- Spore Scavengers now properly attack
- Vehicles now show correct enemy blood colors
- Lowered target node for Illuminate Tesla tower for proper hits by StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher
- Fixed reconnect popup issue if the host leaves while on the Destroyer
- Fixed issue with momentum reset during end of moving emotes
- Sample containers can now be properly pinged again
- Corrected misaligned logo for Borderline Justice Warbond
- Fixed issue with Illuminate Cognitive Disruptor not turning off for hot joining players
- Fixed a big hitch during dropdown sequence
- Game now shows the correct amount of total samples on missions
- Fixed bug with held stratagems stuck in Helldivers hands after fall damage
- Performance improvements in the particle subsystem
- All known issues are listed in the provided link.
Enemies:
Fixes:
Known Issues:
If you’ve been waiting to dive back in, now’s the time! Patch 01.003.000 isn’t just a patch. It’s a gear shift. This patch aims to enhance gameplay balance and smooth out technical issues, making combat more strategic and enjoyable.
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