# SUPPORT INCOMING! <:hellpod:1102978896745467935>
We have issued a patch for PC players (PS5 patch is coming soon - we will let you know when it's ready) that introduces planetary hazards, balancing updates, and more!
Regarding some of the changes, designer Alex K. has written a few words on how we approach **balancing** in Helldivers 2:
> This is the first round in a never-ending series of balance changes. And we believe it's important to be completely transparent about our approach to game balance, especially when it comes to weapons and stratagems that you have strong opinions about.
>
> Our goal is to give you a wide range of weapon choices, where each gun has its purpose and none is strictly better than another. Sure, you will have your own favorite, but it should come from your personal preference, not from the universally agreed knowledge of which gun is the strongest. Generally, we balance each item according to its quirks, so if a weapon is very effective at what it does, it should come with significant disadvantages to balance its power.
>
> The AC-8 Autocannon is a good example of a well-balanced weapon: it packs a powerful punch, has a very good range, but requires you to carry an ammo backpack or have a friend assist you. The GL-21 Grenade Launcher is the opposite example. It's a good general purpose weapon that gives you so much flexibility, it obviously can't deal too much damage without becoming overpowered.
>
> But weapons that are both powerful and versatile become a no-brainer choiсe during the weapon selection phase. It robs you of your own agency, as stale "meta" builds force you to make an unfair choice between a fun weapon and an effective one. In short: Powerful weapons can't be too versatile, versatile weapons can't be too powerful.
> Having said all that, after analyzing player feedback and the data we've collected over the past month, we found three biggest offenders of that principle:
> SG-225 Breaker
> RS-422 Railgun
> SH-32 Shield Generator Backpack
>
> All three of those were quite strong with too little downsides, overshadowing all other options on higher difficulty levels. So with this patch, they're getting significant downsides to balance their power. However, we strongly believe that the changes won't ruin this build, but rather help the affected items find their place among the other options and stay effective in capable hands.
>
> On a more personal note, I know that having your favorite toy nerfed absolutely sucks. Investing countless hours into mastering a weapon is an incredible dedication from you. which is the main reason we're making this game in the first place. And then having that weapon weakened feels like a punishment for being too good at the game.
>
> But I implore you not to compare a changed item with its older version, but to evaluate the existing one as it is and see if it still has a place in your heart.
> We thank you for your dedication and commitment to spreading Democracy in the most optimal way possible! Now it's up to us to make it as fun and entertaining as we can
> Oh and we also buffed a bunch of weapons as well!
And an additional note from AHGS_Fluffy on the Railgun's balancing changes:
> "The Railgun was overperfoming in it's ease of use and convenience. We therefore made it so that the safe mode of the Railgun is not able to penetrate heavier armor, but the unsafe overcharged mode is still able to penetrate the heavier armor. In addition the damage that the Railgun does to massive body parts is reduced, meaning you need to land headshots and other specific weakpoint shot for it to have maximum efficiency."
See <#1102974169601278123> for full notes!
Happy Helldiving, @everyone