HELLDIVERS™ 2 News

HELLDIVERS 2 file-size on Steam gets massively reduced

One problem with a lot of modern games is just how big they're getting, but HELLDIVERS 2 is about to massively shrink thanks to work behind the scenes.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/12/helldivers-2-file-size-on-steam-gets-massively-reduced/

Helldivers 2 install size reduction effort yields 131GB in cuts, and you can try the slim build right now

Seems it’s a good day to be a Helldivers 2 player: in addition to the buff-happy Into the Unjust 5.0.0 patch that launched earlier, developers Arrowhead have shared an update on their efforts to shave down the co-op shooter’s mammoth install size. And it’s not so much a shaving as a fully fuelled chainsawing, high vis vests be damned. As the Steam post explains, there’s now a beta build, available to try, that cuts the 154GB game down to 23GB – a 131GB (!!!) reduction. That’s like surgically removing an entire Black Myth: Wukong that was growing out of its back.

HELLDIVERS 2 Tech Blog #2

Introduction

[p]Hey Helldivers,[/p][p]This blog post is a follow up to my previous post about the installation size of the game on PC which you can find here.
[/p][p]Today, I will update you on our progress in reducing the installation size and how you can help.
[/p]

PC Installation Size

[p]Update[/p][p]We have followed through on our plans and made small reductions in the PC installation size over the last few patches while still adding new content. While this was a good start, our short term fixes have not been enough to keep up with all of the new content in the latest patch. The longer term goal has always been to bring the PC installation size much closer in line with the console versions. We are happy to report that, thanks to our partners at Nixxes, we have reached that goal much sooner than expected. By completely de-duplicating our data, we were able to reduce the PC installation size from ~154GB to ~23GB, for a total saving of ~131GB (~85%). We have completed several rounds of internal QA and are ready to roll this out to early adopters as a public technical beta. Our testing shows that for the small percentage of players still using mechanical hard disk drives, mission loading times have only increased by a few seconds in the worst cases. This is live NOW![/p][p][/p][p]Only a few seconds difference?[/p][p]Further good news: the change in the file size will result in minimal changes to load times - seconds at most. “Wait a minute,” I hear you ask - “didn’t you just tell us all that you duplicate data because the loading times on HDDs could be 10 times worse?”. I am pleased to say that our worst case projections did not come to pass. These loading time projections were based on industry data - comparing the loading times between SSD and HDD users where data duplication was and was not used. In the worst cases, a 5x difference was reported between instances that used duplication and those that did not. We were being very conservative and doubled that projection again to account for unknown unknowns.[/p][p][/p][p]Now things are different. We have real measurements specific to our game instead of industry data. We now know that the true number of players actively playing HD2 on a mechanical HDD was around 11% during the last week (seems our estimates were not so bad after all). We now know that, contrary to most games, the majority of the loading time in HELLDIVERS 2 is due to level-generation rather than asset loading. This level generation happens in parallel with loading assets from the disk and so is the main determining factor of the loading time. We now know that this is true even for users with mechanical HDDs.
[/p][p]Great! When does this happen? How can I help?[/p][p]Do you want to be an early adopter? You can opt-in right now and help us test the slim version! There are no functional differences between the legacy and slim versions besides the installation size. You will be connected to the same galactic war as everyone else and be using the same account you always do - so all progression, war contributions and purchases will carry over between the different versions. You will still be able to matchmake and play with all other players. You can also opt-out at any time if you experience issues. It’s a low-risk way to save ~131GB of space on your drive and help us extend our testing to real-life conditions. Full instructions for opting in and out of the technical beta can be found at the end of this blog post.
[/p][p]The future![/p][p]When the public technical beta confirms that there are no issues present in the slim version, it will become the default version for everyone. For a limited time, we will allow players to opt-in to the legacy version as a way to self-troubleshoot any issues that were not picked up during our internal testing or the public technical beta. Given the very minor differences in loading times between the two versions, there is no justification for us to keep supporting the legacy version long term. Maintaining the legacy version alongside the slim version would only add extra burden to our developers, build machines, QA teams and release processes. Assuming all goes smoothly, the legacy version will be discontinued some time next year.
[/p][p]Finally[/p][p]Thank you to the community for all your support with the game as we work through these technical pieces, and thank you to our partners at Nixxes for helping us troubleshoot and implement all the above improvements.[/p][p] [/p]

Beta Instructions

[h2]Warning![/h2][p]Modders beware! Any patch we roll out can break the game if you have mods installed and this one is no exception. We recommend that only players with a clean installation opt-in to the slim version. As always, you mod the game at your own risk.[/p][p][/p][p]If any of this seems a bit scary to you, we encourage you to just sit back and wait for the slim version to become the default version.[/p][p][/p][h2]Opting in to the slim version[/h2][p]Step 1.[/p][p]In your steam library, right click on HELLDIVERS 2 and select ‘Properties’.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Step 2.[/p][p]Next select the ‘Betas’ tab.[/p][p][/p][p]Step 3.[/p][p]In the Beta Participation drop down list, select “prod_slim”[/p][p][/p][p]Step 4.[/p][p]Finally just close the properties dialog and wait for the game to download the patch![/p][p][/p][h2]Opting out of the slim version[/h2][p]If for any reason you want to opt-out of the slim version, you can repeat the above steps and select “None” from the Beta Participation drop-down instead. If you opt-out due to experiencing problems with the slim version, please report them to our player support team.[/p][p][/p][h2]Opting in to the legacy version[/h2][p]In case of emergency! Once we make the slim version the default version, you will be able to opt-in to the legacy version by selecting “prod_legacy” from the Beta Participation down-down. This will only work for a limited time, so please be sure to report any issues specific to the slim version to our player support team.[/p][p][/p][p]
[/p]

Helldivers 2's latest patch buffs a bunch of guns, nerfs tongues, and dials down the drawbacks of using scopes

Hey, Helldivers 2's just gotten a patch with some noteworthy balancing tweaks and fixes ahead of its latest warbond - Python Commandos - dropping. In short, a fair few guns now do more damage, some enemies have been made a tad less potent, and the drawback which usually comes with attachinga magnifying scope to your favourite bug blaster has been scaled back.

Into the Unjust: 5.0.0

[p]Release Captain Morris, coming to you this democratic Tuesday with an important update from High Command.[/p][p]
Super Earth has detected strange signals from previously unmonitored worlds on the Galactic map. The Ministry of Intelligence is investigating the source of the signals. Helldivers, be vigilant and hold the high ground.[/p][p][/p][h2]Patch Highlights[/h2]

[p]For this patch, we have tackled a bunch of items from our Known Issues list, including audio issues, XP modifiers, and several crashes.[/p]
[p]We have made more optimizations and improvements![/p]
[p]Balancing changes that raise weapon damage and fixes to weapon FOV.[/p]

[h2]⚖️ Balancing[/h2][p][/p][h3]General changes[/h3][p]Decreased ergonomics penalty on magnifying scopes weapon attachments[/p]

[p]The intent is to make magnifying scopes more a matter of preference by decreasing the penalty they impose on a weapon's ergonomics (low ergonomics makes the weapons muzzle follow the crosshair slower).[/p]

[p]
Some of the Pistol ammo balance update[/p]

[p]The intent with this change is to make some of the pistol rounds weapons more effective after the last pistol ammo re-balance that did make them more of a close range weapon.[/p]
[p]The pistol rounds re-balance general intent is to make them more effective at close range while not more effective at long range then for example assault or marksman rifles[/p]

[h3]2x Tube Red Dot [/h3]

[p]Decreased ergonomic modifier from (-3) to (-1)[/p]

[h3]4x Combat Scope[/h3]

[p]Decreased ergonomic modifier from (-6) to (-2)[/p]

[h3]10x Sniper Scope [/h3]

[p]Decreased ergonomic modifier from (-9) to (-4)[/p]
[p]APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle is also effected by this change so it will get an increased ergonomics from 26 to 31[/p]

[h3]

Primary weapons

[/h3][p]SMG-37 Defender[/p]

[p]Increased damage from 100 to 110[/p]
[p]Increased durable damage from 20 to 22[/p]

[p]SMG-32 Reprimand[/p]

[p]Increased damage from 135 to 140[/p]

[p]M7S SMG[/p]

[p]Increased damage from 80 to 90[/p]
[p]Increased durable damage from 16 to 18[/p]

[p]VG-70 Variable[/p]

[p]Increased durable damage 20 to 23[/p]

[p]M90A Shotgun[/p]

[p]Increased durable damage 15 to 20[/p]

[p]
[/p][h3]Sidearms weapons[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]P-2 Peacemaker[/p]

[p]Increased damage from 95 to 100[/p]
[p]Increased durable damage 30 to 32[/p]

[p]P-113 Verdict[/p]

[p]Increased damage from 135 to 140[/p]

[p]M6C/SOCOM Pistol[/p]

[p]Increased damage from 110 to 125[/p]
[p]Increased durable damage from 25 to 28[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Enemies[/h3][p]War strider[/p]

[p]Decreased force strength on grenade explosion from 50 to 30[/p]

[p]Bile Spewer[/p]

[p]Decreased force strength on artillery explosion from 50 to 30[/p]
[p]Decreased force impulse on artillery explosion from 60 to 40[/p]

[p]Stalker[/p]

[p]Decreased force strength from 40 to 35 when a tongue attack hits the player[/p]

[p]

(Force strength is the value that decides if a player or enemy should stagger or ragdoll.)[/p][p]
[/p][h2]🎮 Gameplay[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Keybind options for quick weapon function:[/p]

[p]New, unbound keybind options have been added for quickly swapping weapon functions (like changing fire modes or ammo).[/p]
[p]The intent is to give players better ease of use, especially for weapons with multiple ammo types like the Halt, Autocannon, and the new "One Two" AR. [/p]

[p]Updated First Person View (FPV)[/p]

[p]We updated how First Person View (FPV) works with the intention of improving the aiming experience across different FOV settings (Field of view). [/p]
[p]The intent is that the size and distance of the scope will be more consistent with different FOV settings.[/p]
[p]We also updated how ergonomics works in FPV with the intent to make it more responsive.[/p]
[p]Fixed instances of flickering textures in various city locations[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🔧 Fixes[/h2][p]
[/p][p]Crash Fixes & Softlocks[/p][p][/p]

[p]Fixed a rare crash that would occur when combat music would start[/p]
[p]Fixed a rare crash that could occur during 'Nuke Nursery' mission[/p]
[p]Fixed crash after hotjoining a game that just started where the existing players are using certain stratagems[/p]
[p]Fixed a rare crash when enemies would fall through the ground[/p]
[p]Fix rare crash on mission load[/p]

[p] [/p][p]Weapons & Stratagem Fixes[/p][p][/p]

[p]Fixed an issue with the BR-14 Adjudicator, when aiming with the 10x scope on 200 m setting which would cause the model to disappear [/p]
[p]Fixed a visual issue on VG-70 Variable during the reload animation when aiming down sights[/p]
[p]Fixed a torso clipping issue with the CE-07 Demolition Specialist armor[/p]
[p]Fixed pump-shotguns sometimes not showing a new shell being inserted on reload[/p]
[p]PLAS-45 Epoch now correctly zooms in ADS mode, just like any other support weapon[/p]
[p]Fixed display related to no ammo being shown for Infinite Ammo weapons [/p]
[p]Fixed the VO (Voice Over) line for “no ammo” being played after pressing reload whilst using Infinite Ammo weapons[/p]
[p]Fixed a small bug where supply packs were giving ammo without consuming a charge when dropped[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug that locks stratagems after drowning while holding that stratagem ball[/p]
[p]Fixed the red glow that would happen if the player would empty one or two magazines with MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun, M-105 Stalwart or MG-43 Machine Gun[/p][p] [/p]

[p]Enemies[/p]

[p]Factory Striders will no longer be launched to sky erratically when dying[/p]
[p]Hellpods that hit Factory Striders will no longer remain in the air after the enemy dies[/p]
[p]War Striders now detonate mines[/p]
[p]Enemy presence around Cognitive Disruptor Towers is now cleared from the mini-map when the objective is completed[/p]
[p]Chargers no longer speed up when exiting charge[/p]
[p]Fixed Rupture Warriors getting stuck below Sentries[/p]
[p]Added a medium-armored weak spot to the vents on the backside of the Bunker, AA, and Mortar emplacements. This was done so these structures behave similarly to other comparable defenses..[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]Miscellaneous Fixes[/p]

[p]Fixed the terrain not being affected by explosions and the Entrenchment Tool (PS5 only)[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug where the lights were missing/flickering on the Orbital Gatling[/p]
[p]Fixed a thumbnail glitch in the Acquisition Center menu[/p]
[p]Cryo-pods no longer clip into the Engineering Bay when playing the ship arrival cutscene[/p]
[p]Fixed an armor gap affecting CE-27 Ground Beaker and CW-9 White Wolf whilst using the 'Draw!' emote[/p]
[p]The UI will no longer show inaccurate objective info on the Mission Summary screen if the host has left the game[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug whilst joining a non-host in a cross-play lobby.[/p]
[p]Fixed the NPC technician’s neck sticking through their shirt[/p]
[p]Mini-map fog of war effect while exploring caves no longer persists between missions[/p]
[p]Soon-to-be Helldivers will no longer be stopped from progressing the tutorial if they die in the flag room[/p]
[p]Fixed issue where the automaton grinder sludge would be affected by weathering even though it's sealed behind glass[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue where a missile inside the Destroyer’s hangar was misaligned. This dangerous act of asymmetry has been corrected. The undemocratic ship operator responsible for this disgraceful display of inefficiency has been promptly re-educated in a high-orbit correctional facility. Glory to the Office of Corrective Deployment![/p]
[p]Helldivers will no longer be locked out of the GATER when trying to get into the driver's seat simultaneously[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug with missing haptics when a controller disconnects or reconnects[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue on a command bunker where there was a lack of collision[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]Optimizations[/p]

[p]Optimized lights on Automaton VFX[/p]
[p]Optimized physics of rock assets throughout the game to improve performance[/p]
[p]Improved the way environmental effects such as sandstorms, blizzards, and acid storms apply their status effects for reduced impact on performance[/p]
[p]Improved ADS weapon placement and behavior [/p]
[p]Reduced the amount of camera clipping on weapons[/p]
[p]Fixed texture details used for weapons while aiming down sights[/p]
[p]Improved depth of field when ADS and whilst scopes are zoomed in[/p]
[p]Fix for textures sometimes appearing low resolution even when memory is available (PC only)[/p]

[p][/p][p]Known Issues[/p]