Bold new era of Helldivers 2 lightning combat short-circuits as Arc Throwers start crashing games
Democracy giveth, and democracy taketh away—though I maybe wouldn't say that where the Super Earth Ministry of Truth censors can hear. Fresh off the heels of today's earlier developments in the Helldivers 2 war effort, which fixed the buggy planetary liberation tickers, dropped a dispatch for confronting a new, flying bug menace, and—well—terminated dissidents, the war for galaxy-wide liberty has hit its latest roadbump. In short: don't use any lightning weaponry or stratagems until another patch hits, because you might crash your game.
After a pair of Helldivers 2 patches landed yesterday to address patrol spawns, mech woes, and friend request issues, player reports quickly started rolling in describing crashes and game lock-ups. Luckily, according to an announcement from an Arrowhead community manager on the Helldivers 2 Discord, the devs have already identified the issue. A fix is already in the pipeline and it's expected to hit early next week, but until then, Arrowhead is recommending that players avoid using Arc Throwers, Arc Shotguns, and Tesla Tower stratagems. The electric weaponry tech is apparently causing games to freeze if you're playing in a session where they're fired off.
It's unfortunate timing for arc weaponry to get buggy, because Arc Throwers are having a bit of a moment thanks to the latest Helldivers 2 warbond. While Arc Throwers have always been effective, they've been a hazard to bring into the field because, like a lot of the tools at a Helldiver's disposal, the chain lightning that the weapon launches is perfectly content with catching friendlies in the crossfire.
That's all been changed thanks to the arc-themed Cutting Edge warbond's armor sets and their new passive perk, which reduces damage taken from arc discharges by 95%. 5% damage isn't nothing, but when it's enough to justify dropping into battle with a full squad of electric demigods, players have been more than happy to round down. There's been a lot of zapping happening, so it's a shame when something slams the breaks on the lightning gun fun train—especially when it's the lightning gun itself.
Luckily, with a fix already in the works, it looks like we won't have to wait long before we can bring our arc weaponry planetside again. In the meantime, if you want some pointers for what gear to bring on your next Helldive while your Arc Thrower's in timeout, check out our guides for the best Helldivers 2 weapons and best Helldivers 2 stratagems.