Helldivers 2’s First Big Update of 2025 Lets You Emote While Ragdolling Once Again, Tweaks Balance, and More

Helldivers 2's substantial 2025 update, patch 01.002.101, is now live, introducing significant gameplay adjustments and bug fixes. This over 5GB patch increases spray weapon gas duration to 10 seconds, reinstates emoting during flight or ragdoll states, and implements numerous balance changes.

With the game approaching its first anniversary and the recent Illuminate faction introduction, players anticipate further developments in the Galactic War narrative. The update's substantial size hints at potential unannounced content additions beyond the documented changes.

A noteworthy, albeit bizarre, fix deserves mention: a visual glitch affecting the Stalker's tongue (details remain undisclosed).

Helldivers 2 Update 01.002.101 Patch Notes:

Balancing:

• General Changes: Spray weapon gas duration increased from 6 to 10 seconds. A timer prevents Illuminate dropship wreckage from permanently obstructing pathways.
• Helldiver: Jogging while carrying two-handed items (barrels, SEAF Artillery Rounds) is now permitted.
• FRV: Grenade and stratagem deployment authorized while leaning from the FRV. FRV handling improved for better cornering.
• Sidearms: Starting magazines increased from 2 to 3; spare magazines from 4 to 5.
• Stratagem Support Weapons (TX-41 Sterilizer): Crosshair drift and camera climb recoil reduced. Spray weapon gas duration increased (mirroring general change).
• Armor Passives (Siege Ready): A bug granting extra ammo to all weapons (not just primaries as intended) remains unfixed for further evaluation. Armory description will be updated accordingly.
• Backpacks (AX/TX-13 “Guard Dog” Dog Breath): Reworked for improved effectiveness, focusing on gas mechanics. Ammo conservation implemented by prioritizing non-gassed enemies. Targeting logic refined, originating from the Helldiver's position, with increased range (10m to 20m). Spray weapon gas duration increased (mirroring general change).
• Stratagems (MD-6, MD-I4, MD-17 Anti-Personnel/Incendiary/Tank Mines): Cooldown reduced to 120 seconds (from 180). Damage increased. Mine deployment spread widened to reduce chain explosions.
• SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack: Now blocks melee attacks until destroyed.

Fixes:

• Top Priority: Emoting reinstated during falls/ragdolls (without fall damage reduction). Illuminate spawner ship shields now vulnerable to impact grenades. Collision gaps in Illuminate spawner ships fixed. Health packs fully restore stims. High-damage weapons detonate spawned Hellbombs.
• Crash Fixes: Numerous crash fixes addressed, including those related to mission aborts, hot-joining, emote switching, fires, drop-in sequences, reloading, armor changes, tutorial completion, extraction, projectile fire, carryable objectives, text language changes, and SG-20 Halt reloading. Soft-lock during drop-in with host disconnection resolved.
• Social & Matchmaking: Matchmaking improved for regional proximity. Difficulty lobby matching enhanced. Chat history persistence fixed.
• Weapons & Stratagems: Emplacement retention during text chat. Arc weapon accuracy improved against Impaler tentacles. E/AT-12 Anti-Tank Emplacement armor penetration tag corrected. Stratagem turrets no longer target Illuminate Tesla Towers. Heat weapon visual bug fixed. Melee weapon physics adjusted. B-1 Supply Pack stim sharing restored.
• FRV: FRV reinforcement to prevent minor impact explosions. Camera improvements. Rooftop drops reduced. Non-QWERTY keyboard input support added. Enemy launch distance adjusted.
• Helldiver: Ragdolling into FRV fix. Civilian car vaulting/climbing restored. Post-ragdoll sliding reduced. Stuck prone gliding animation fixed. Pickup animation restoration.
• Enemies: Stalker tongue visual bug fixed. Enemy reaction to missed shots improved.
• Miscellaneous: Various audio, civilian pathing, visual, and other minor fixes implemented.

Known Issues:

• Top Priority: Black box terminal clipping. Stratagem ball unpredictable bounces. DSSPathfinding issues. Dolby Atmos PS5 incompatibility.
• Medium Priority: Pelican-1 extraction ramp issue. Explosive ragdoll through terrain. Cape display issue. "This is Democracy" emote unintended consequence. AX/TX-13 ammo indicator. Barrager Tank stats. LAS-5 Scythe zoom. Charge-up weapon firing rate issue.

This update represents a significant step towards improving Helldivers 2's gameplay experience.