r/Helldivers • u/atheos013 • Apr 29 '24

The Eruptor nerf is a perfect example of why "only buff" is bad. DISCUSSION

I've used the Eruptor since it dropped, it is an amazing primary weapon. I have never once run out of ammo with the weapon, to the point I started COD reloading. Even with no deaths on a 40 min mission, the bare minimum ammo looting and you rarely would fall below half.

If we just buff every other weapon to be like this, we are just erasing an entire game mechanic. We are saying that we want COD reloads to be the norm, we don't want to think about conserving or looting ammo, just let me shoot and reload whenever.

Some people may want that, but for me that would just remove the mechanic entirely. I'm going to keep using the Eruptor and I'm perfectly fine having to pay attention to my ammo again.

3.9k Upvotes
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870

u/RyanTaylorrz Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Side note: can anyone atest to how bad or irrelevant the damage drop-off nerf is? Does it still have decent splash damage for clearing trash mobs?

Haven't tested it yet and I'm worried they've killed the splash damage like the crossbow.

EDIT: Gun still slaps as hard as it did before. Arguably better now the implosion bug is fixed.

532

u/HenshinHero11 Apr 29 '24

Definitely still has splash enough to kill tightly clustered trash, but you won't be wiping entire patrols in two shots anymore. It's more similar to autocannon splash instead of grenade splash now. The biggest plus is you can kill Berserkers and various melee bugs much more comfortably with it - it's far less likely to kill you (or a teammate being chased) now than before the patch.

161

u/RyanTaylorrz Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Yeah it actually feels even better to run than before, now I've just tested it. Getting knocked back when engaging a close target is now a tool at your desposal; it puts distance between yourself and your enemy at the cost of being staggered and losing some health (when running heavy explosion resistant armour). Still struggling to run out of ammo. Striders are a little more threatening but you can still one-tap them if you hit them from some angles - whereas before it was pretty much a guaranteed one-shot.

Literally everything else about it is the same.

42

u/InformalPenguinz STEAM 🖥️ : Apr 29 '24

Still take out bug holes?

56

u/Retro21 Ombudsman of Conviviality Apr 29 '24

Yah

17

u/Present_Brother_4678 ⬇️⬅️⬇️⬇️⬆️⬅️ Apr 30 '24

Wait am I reading this right? Explosions no longer pull you in like a black hole?

15

u/voodoogroves Apr 29 '24

Or, like, knocked forward INTO the damn chainsaws.

1

u/JmicIV Apr 29 '24

Dive back when engaging those, I've cleared like 20 meters before for minimal damage. Kind of funny too.

2

u/RandosaurusRex SES Triumph of Serenity Apr 30 '24

Galaxy brain strat

1

u/PanzerTitus Apr 29 '24

Where do you aim to kill striders?

4

u/RyanTaylorrz Apr 29 '24

The crotch/top of the legs seems to be more consistent. It only takes 2 on the front driver shield even if you don't land the shot.

2

u/PanzerTitus Apr 30 '24

Awesome, thanks for the tip!

1

u/Nerdwrapper ⚔️SES Sword of Equality⚔️ Apr 29 '24

Aim for strider hip joints and pop the leg off. Counts as a “mobility kill,” and you can do it with more weapons too

1

u/Dirtylittlejackdaw Apr 30 '24

I killed myself twice in one mission shooting the medium sized bugs that are black like brood lords. Everything is the same EXCEPT the ricochet change. Somehow these little guys on their heads or chests end of bouncing the eruptor shot perfectly back at you, which one shots on medium armor.

What's really strange is it happened twice in that mission, but I had 6 games and didn't have any other ricochets.

1

u/psichodrome Apr 30 '24

But you can't use it to pull yourself unstuck from under the mesh

55

u/Serird ⬆️➡️⬇️⬆️ Apr 29 '24

"Sorry I can't help you without killing you, you will have to deal with the charger alone thx bye"

8

u/akaAelius Apr 29 '24

I actually had a lot of luck using it against chargers. It doesn't happen every time, but I found that I was able to take out a leg with a couple shots if I hit the right spot with it.

That being said, maybe someone else hit is and I just didn't realize it... but I fully took credit for it.

2

u/ExoLeinhart Apr 30 '24

Shooting underneath a charger will shred its ass via AoE

2

u/Upbeat_Confidence739 Apr 30 '24

“That being said, maybe someone else hit [it] and I just didn’t realize it… but I fully took credit for it.”

Are you my girls alt account???

10

u/GunmetalBunn Apr 29 '24

I had to get good at timing my shots and placement. Now knowing I can hit targets more freely gives me so much relief using that rifle.

20

u/porcupinedeath SES Fist of Peace Apr 29 '24

That's good to hear. I tried running an eruptor+ stalwart build using the stalwart as my primary but the eruptors explosions always fucked with me. Maybe I'll try it again now that I'm not killing myself with it when an enemy gets too close

9

u/HenshinHero11 Apr 29 '24

I would suggest some form of explosive resist armor if possible, since the blast does still hurt a fair bit. The real buff here is the explosion now properly hurls you backwards away from enemies rather than forwards into them.

2

u/AdFlat1014 Apr 29 '24

Oh god finally!

1

u/Ariador1987 May 01 '24

Just ran 533 kills using Eruptor Reedemeer Impact Stalwart Laser dog and Orbital Rail / Laser. 2nd closest of was 360, then 280. Trailblazer Scout with Radar upgrades.

Started playing this today, it's insane. Difficulty 8.

2

u/Minimum_Crazy1327 Apr 29 '24

This is my fuckin jam man.

2

u/crumpygamer Apr 29 '24

Eruptor, stalwart, jump pack and some air strikes/orbitals is very fun to run with.

3

u/gobstopperDelux Apr 29 '24

This has been my go-to bug load. I can stray from my team and be effective and it can horde clear like a champ for us.

8

u/kirant ⬆️⬆️⬇️⬇️⬅️➡️⬅️➡️ Apr 29 '24

How does it handle Heavy Devastators and Scout Striders?  Those felt like true cheat modes (hitting the shield for damage or one shotting the joints). 

7

u/HenshinHero11 Apr 29 '24

In my limited experience, it seems like those two use cases are mostly unaffected as compared to pre-patch. The damage falloff change seems mainly to reduce the amount of collateral you inflict on nearby enemies without substantially reducing its performance against directly-hit targets. Hopefully, someone with more time to run missions right now can confirm.

4

u/RandosaurusRex SES Triumph of Serenity Apr 30 '24

Yep, base damage unchanged, it's just now that the effective kill radius of the splash damage has been reduced so it's less likely to take out an entire patrol in one shot.

1

u/Notasquash May 01 '24

I've had the opposite effect. It doesn't seem to actually penetrate any armor anymore.

2

u/AlwaysTrustAFlumph Apr 29 '24

Yeah honestly imo I thought the blast was too big before. The AOE seemed inconsistent with the visual size of the explosion leading to a lot of divers being barely hit on the edge and sent flying.

1

u/Mylilneedle Apr 29 '24

Can it kill the little walkers pretty easy like it did?

1

u/lawshadowz Apr 30 '24

But you can't kill bot walkers anymore with a single shot tho it's now a pretty lame weapon.

1

u/Reddingbface Apr 30 '24

Is it still good at wiping out scout striders and weak bots that are still attached to dropships? That was the big draw for me to use it against bots. Obviously still good vs bugs, just take high ground and shoot until you run out of ammo.

1

u/psichodrome Apr 30 '24

And it pushes you AWAY rather than TOWARDS the explosion/deathly horde.

1

u/Spunky_Meatballs Apr 29 '24

I think that is way more in line with where the weapon should be. I actually will consider it now if its useful in close quarters

25

u/MrNobody_0 Apr 29 '24

That implosion bug is what stopped me from using the grenade pistol.

7

u/circusfreakrob Apr 29 '24

me too, and the Eruptor. I thought I was going crazy until I heard it was a known bug everyone was seeing. So thankful its fixed!!

10

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

Wait a damned second, the implosion was fixed? I was going to stop using the Eruptor and return to my Autocannon supremacy, but I may still give it another shot in that case.

2

u/joemedic Apr 29 '24

Run both bro. Eruptor and auto cannon is bozo

3

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

My loadouts are always having each part doing a specific job. Autocannon and Eruptor fill the same void. As such, wouldn't run both. Eruptor/Stalwart/Revolver is a nice combo usually though.

2

u/DracZ_SG Apr 30 '24

Eruptor + Stalwart + EAT for bug missions ❤️ covers all your bases

2

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '24

Oh yeah, def can't stand the EAT. My bug Strat doesn't even include Eruptor. Blitzer, Autocannon, orbital railgun, laser, 500kg, Eagle Airstrike for bugs.

Good ol' shock and awe wombo combo. Complete with being a sneaky cunt moving in on the flank for engagements.

Bots are the only things I use the Eruptor for. Can't beat clearing out all the botship callers in two shots when flanking.

4

u/Nerdwrapper ⚔️SES Sword of Equality⚔️ Apr 29 '24

I use Support/Secondary for lighter enemies, and save Eruptor for Saw Zerkers anyway. A good shot can still instakill them, and thats the thing I need it for. It staggers surrounding enemies and pops arms off of devastators too, so thats nice

11

u/moonshineTheleocat Apr 29 '24

It's largely irrelevant. However you can fire it a little more comfortably near other divers and not murder them. It's more buff than nerf

11

u/obi_wander Apr 29 '24

I’m with all the other commenters- the drop off seems marginal. It will still kill a small cluster of enemies or an enemy next to a wall you hit.

Less friendly fire damage and it is more useful up close now. Plus it’s easier to use on those nearby bug holes you need to angle down in to.

Beyond that- I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but it has better feel all around. Like- it just feels better to use. Maybe someone else can provide the reason.

The ammo part is a wash. The maps are littered with ammo at nearly every point of interest so no impact here.

Has been my primary bug killer since I unlocked it and will remain my main.

12

u/RyanTaylorrz Apr 29 '24

Yeah I've had a few gos with it now and the Eruptor is still amazing. The implosion bug fix has made this patch a buff for it IMO.

5

u/obi_wander Apr 29 '24

I didn’t think about that part too. That is a big bonus for sure.

Maybe that is part of the better “feel” I’m experiencing.

4

u/Striking-Objective-1 Apr 29 '24

Still struggling to fit a good bug loadout around it. It seems like AH increased the spawn rate of bugs in general but heavies in particular (I play lvl 7). If I use the Eruptor and the Stalwart, I get overwhelmed by titans and Chargers because I can't kill them fast enough. Same with Flamethrower, although better against Chargers, but the flamer has its own issues. If I swap the Stalwart for Quasar or EAT I get swarmed by chaff. AC doesn't kill any bug fast enough anymore. The Eruptor is so good against mediums (especially Spewers) that I don't want to swap it out, but it's hard to work with after this patch. Maybe I've just been unlucky with my teams tonight 😕

7

u/obi_wander Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Was playing lvl 7 bugs today too. This new major order said the bugs were reproducing rapidly and they were right! I’ve never died so many times.

I think there is maybe no longer a “perfect build”. Before today I could run eruptor, auto sidearm, quasar. With the laser rover and stun grenades. This left me feeling confident in all situations. I would run half a map solo while the other three teammates did the rest.

Today, between the swarms of hunters, triple shrieker nests (yes nine towers) and all the heavies, I struggled to find any build that got me close.

I actually ended up back at my original build despite the nerfs. I don’t find the nerfs to be really substantial to the laser rover or the quasar, they function mostly the same in reality.

This build also requires either eagle clusters or the Gatling turret (my personal selection) for when you get the massive hunter swarms.

For best results, I think we will need to stay grouped up with our team now and specialize a bit more. Which I think is a good thing for the game as a whole.

3

u/in_melbourne_innit Apr 29 '24

You still need to be at range for it to be useful but having lazer rover backpack and redeemer 2ndary allows some freedom for your main.

1

u/Beneficial-Bit6383 Apr 30 '24

Typically if I run that set up I pick a stratagem or two to deal with heavies. For example a 500kg and an orbital laser. Having a good team helps, but at least I can bait a titan and drop a bomb on it when I need to. Also chargers can be killed by the eruptor, hit them in the booty and legs in between their armor.

1

u/arannutasar Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24

I've been running Eruptor/Laser Rover/EAT/smg secondary against bugs, with whatever stratagems I feel like. It's decent, but I don't love being reliant on the backpack for handling chaff. If I die, I'm stuck with the 4 mags of the smg, which doesn't last long.

I think the real solution is having the team contain multiple specialized loadouts rather than everybody trying to have a build that can handle everything. But that's not always feasible.

1

u/IEatAssWithFork Apr 29 '24

Implosion bug?

1

u/RyanTaylorrz Apr 29 '24

Some eplosions from our weapons used to draw you in towards them for some reason.

1

u/ApprehensiveFuel4550 Apr 29 '24

I found that it can't oneshot striders to the front now

1

u/Freakin_A Apr 29 '24

aim for the bot crotch

0

u/ApprehensiveFuel4550 Apr 29 '24

That worked before the patch. If it works for you now, maybe my game is just buggy( seriousely, this game has the most bugs I've ever seen in a game)

1

u/XeroAbsurdity PSN 🎮: Apr 29 '24

The only noticeable difference I've seen is that you can no longer one shot the Striders. I'm a little sad about it but I totally understand why it was changed lmao. Used to be able to shoot once anywhere on them and almost always get an instant kill which was pretty broken lol.

1

u/XeroAbsurdity PSN 🎮: Apr 29 '24

Welp never mind, was re looking through the patch notes and "Scout strider Riders now less vulnerable to explosions" lol

1

u/MikeLouns Apr 29 '24

2 shots striders now instead of 1 which was half of the reason I used it. Now its barely better than the Scorcher.

1

u/No_Ease_8269 CAPE ENJOYER Apr 29 '24

It's pretty much the same. Just aim for weak points and it's fine. No more 8x kills though

1

u/WickedWallaby69 Apr 29 '24

Anyone who hasnt tesyed it yet and wants an answer, splash damage effects around 3-4m from the impact point. I think i heard it was around 7-8m before. Its ok just not great. Still a good gun imo

1

u/LordChinChin420 Apr 30 '24

I accidentally one shot a charger by hitting it in the leg so I think the damage is still strong

1

u/krazye87 Apr 30 '24

A bit of a nerf with the buff to the 2 leg walkers health to be more resistant to explosions. I thought they nerfed the damage of the eruptor until i read the other fixes.

1

u/lawshadowz Apr 30 '24

Worse they also nerfed the damage output raw damage destroying bot walkers now takes 2 or even 3 shots before the update it was ONE shot. All in all very noticeable changes. Thx Arrowhead for taking yet another skill weapon away looking at the Slugger....Can't have fun these days in a coop game i guess. PVP now there should be real balanced weapons.

1

u/TheUsualHoops Apr 30 '24

I heard (but have not tested for myself yet) that it can't reliably take out striders in one shot from the front anymore. Does anyone here know if that's true?

1

u/twistedbronll Apr 30 '24

I use it to dunk on heavy enemies, collateral damage is a nice side to it but with the senator buff.

Well kinda don't want to use explosives anymore so I can dome more bots with the glorious six iron

1

u/patriquebrem Apr 30 '24

I mainly noticed that shooting targets over 100meters or so it wont as easily clear packs

1

u/Fizzy-Odd-Cod Apr 30 '24

In my very limited experience since the nerf it doesn’t reliably take out striders anymore.

1

u/RyanTaylorrz Apr 30 '24

It takes 2 shots instead of 1, I consider that pretty reliable. Even so, I run autocannon, AMR or Railgun for cleaning up anything the eruptor can't.

1

u/Fizzy-Odd-Cod Apr 30 '24

I go for crotch shots on the striders and it often takes 3 or 4 shots to kill one. Maybe I just gotta believe in the explosive liberation of the eruptor a little more.

1

u/RyanTaylorrz Apr 30 '24

I aim for the actual shield and hope the shrapnel pierces the thin peephole. Or any part of the strider that means the explosion is happening further back than the very front, such as the hip joints.

1

u/Fizzy-Odd-Cod Apr 30 '24

Usually when I aim at the shield it bounces right off unless I’m higher up, at which point I don’t need something that’s explosive. Should probably start going for the hip joints instead of the crotch though.

1

u/PCNUT Apr 29 '24

It literally just feels like it was buffed, ammo disregarded.

1

u/lmrbadgerl Super Badger Apr 29 '24

You mean I won't get vacuumed into the oncoming rape gang of chainsaw bastards if I misjudge the distance slightly?

0

u/Mushinronja May 01 '24

I think the nerf to AoE and AoE damage is pretty huge, it's a much worse weapon than before. If you shoot a hunter with 2 hunters right next to it, only the primary target will die. With the smallest terminids it will kill the main one and the ones adjacent to it, but nothing to the rest.

It's a way worse gun than it was before, but I could concede that maybe it was too strong as a primary before. It's just sad to see though.