Arrowhead Game Studios has rolled out the next major update for Helldivers 2, delivering a sizable list of balance tweaks, weapon improvements, bug fixes, and performance upgrades. The December 2025 patch—also known as the Into the Unjust 5.0.0 update—continues the studio’s recent focus on stability, gameplay polish, and long-term tuning across all factions.
While the update doesn’t introduce a new enemy faction directly, it does include an intriguing alert from Super Earth, pointing toward strange signals across unmonitored worlds. Whether this is groundwork for upcoming content or simply a new Major Order setup remains to be seen—but the message has already sparked a wave of speculation among the community.
Aiming for Better Balance: Weapon and Attachment Changes
The December patch brings notable improvements to weapon ergonomics, particularly for magnifying scopes. Previously, high-magnification optics penalized handling so heavily that many players avoided them altogether. The update dramatically reduces these drawbacks, making scope selection more about preference than strict optimisation.
Updated Scope Ergonomics
- 2x Tube Red Dot: Penalty reduced from –3 to –1
- 4x Combat Scope: Penalty reduced from –6 to –2
- 10x Sniper Scope: Penalty reduced from –9 to –4
- APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle: Ergonomics increased from 26 to 31
Primary Weapon Buffs
A wide range of firearms now hit harder or sustain damage better:
- SMG-37 Defender: Higher base and durable damage
- SMG-32 Reprimand: Increased damage
- M7S SMG: Higher damage and durable damage
- VG-70 Variable: Higher durable damage
- M90A Shotgun: Higher durable damage
Sidearm Improvements
The game’s pistols—recently rebalanced for close-range play—receive another tuning pass to keep them competitive:
- P-2 Peacemaker: Increased damage and durable damage
- P-113 Verdict: Damage increased
- M6C/SOCOM: Major increase to both damage and durable damage
These adjustments make sidearms more reliable across short engagements, especially for players who rely on backup weapons during chaotic encounters.
Enemy Adjustments: Reduced Force and New Weak Spots
Several enemies now exert less physical force on detonation or attack impact. These tweaks are intended to reduce unfair staggers and unintended ragdolls.
Key Changes
- War Strider: Reduced grenade explosion force
- Bile Spewer: Reduced artillery force and impulse
- Stalker: Weaker tongue-hit force
In addition, fortified structures like Bunkers, AA turrets, and Mortar emplacements now feature a medium-armored weak spot on their rear vents, making them more consistent with other destructible defenses.
Gameplay Upgrades: Better Controls and Improved First-Person View
One of the most player-friendly changes in this patch is the addition of new, unbound keybind options for quick weapon function swaps. These are especially useful for weapons with multiple ammo types or fire modes, like the Autocannon or One Two AR.
First-Person View Overhaul
The FPV system has been updated to deliver more consistent aim behavior across different FOV values. Scopes now feel more natural in their size, distance, and responsiveness.
This visual refresh also reduces flickering textures in city environments and blends scope animations more smoothly.
Crash Fixes, Stability Improvements, and Softlock Prevention
Arrowhead lists a large number of resolved crashes, including issues tied to mission loading, combat music, falling enemies, stratagem usage during hotjoin, and rare terrain inconsistencies.
The studio continues its recent trend of committing heavily to stability, making this patch another step toward long-term technical health for the game.
Weapon and Stratagem Fixes
Many long-standing visual and functional issues have been resolved:
- BR-14 Adjudicator scope bug fixed
- VG-70 Variable reload animation corrected
- Pump shotguns now show proper shell insertion
- Epoch support weapon now zooms correctly
- Infinite ammo weapons no longer trigger false “no ammo” notifications
- Ammo packs now consume charges correctly
- Red glow issue on several machine guns resolved
Utility interactions were cleaned up as well, including drowning-related stratagem lock-ups and supply pack inconsistencies.
Enemy and Objective Fixes
The update includes one of the patch’s funniest corrections—Factory Striders will no longer launch into the sky when killed. Hellpods also no longer hang suspended when hitting them.
Other fixes include:
- War Striders now properly detonate mines
- Chargers no longer accelerate after ending a charge
- Cognitive Disruptor Tower areas now clear out on the mini-map after completion
- Rupture Warriors no longer get stuck beneath Sentries
These adjustments make encounters more consistent and predictable, especially during high-tier missions.
Miscellaneous Fixes and Quality-of-Life Improvements
A long list of smaller improvements rounds out the patch:
- Terrain once again reacts properly to explosions
- Orbital Gatling lights restored
- Acquisition Center thumbnails fixed
- Armor gaps addressed for multiple suits
- Fog of war no longer persists between missions
- Tutorial softlock in flag room resolved
- Destroyer hangar missile alignment corrected
- NPC technician’s neck clipping fixed
- Controller haptic issues resolved
Even environmental weather effects—such as blizzards or acid storms—have been optimized for smoother performance.
Major Performance Optimizations
Performance updates in this patch span lighting, physics, weapon behavior, and ADS visuals. Players should notice:
- Reduced camera clipping
- Improved scope zoom depth of field
- More reliable high-resolution weapon textures
- Better rock physics
- More efficient environmental effect rendering
PC players in particular benefit from fixes addressing occasional low-resolution textures despite available memory. Play Now!
Read More:
- Helldivers 2 Flashlight Guide – How to Use It Effectively
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- How to Beat Dragon Roaches in Helldivers 2 – Spawn Locations, Weak Points & Best Weapons
- Helldivers 2 Best Weapons Against Illuminate: Top Loadouts & Strategies
- Best Stealth Build in Helldivers 2 – Weapons, Armor, and Stratagems Guide
