Reposting an ancient idea of mine- how I would change Helldivers' weapon content and customization.
Good morning Super Earth! This broadcast is split into three sections, one of me complaining (for context) and one of me suggesting changes that would theoretically make content more consistent and engaging (the actual post). And a more reflective summary at the end.
My Problem-
With the deployment of our latest rifle, the AR/GL-21 One-Two, a trend has risen showing the cracks both before and after the implementation of the weapon customization system back in spring 2025. As we should all be familiar by now, the One-Two is a very solid assault rifle which yields a whopping... underbarrel grenade launcher!
Now granted, this weapon has a lot of differences compared to your standard rifle. It has different recoil, different ammo reserves, it does more damage than the Liberator, and... it does more damage than the Liberator..? As some of you may have noticed, at some point, weapon variations and customization variety is a hodge-podge of unusual and conflicting design choices. Why do new weapons have very minimal tweaks from a weapon category's standard balancing and why are weapons being sold for one single gimmick that could easily be placed on other guns? (Yes, I am a day one player- I know about Arrowhead's design philosophies and I know about conflicting balance ideologies. But it boils down to this-)
The customization system as it is, is a mess. It introduces balance and design issues that conflict with weapons that existed by the time it was implemented, and are not addressed since. It is a poorly-veiled upgrade system that only widens the gap of power and scope creep right now. Let me ask you this- how many of you are running angled grips on assault rifles? I know there's a few of you out there (I don't know why), but there are apparent gaps in power and fantasy in our weapons that are only deepened by attachments and create obsolete equipment (let alone the balancing of our weapons at their base, which is all over the place no doubt). Is there any reason to use our standard issue Liberator, once we level up the Carbine? Defender and Knight? Do you put a foregrip on your Eruptor? And most importantly...
wouldn't it be cool if you could fire AP3 rounds as fast as the Carbine?
My Proposition-
I have an idea. Big idea, big text. And let me tell you why I think it would be cool. First goal- create a deeper, more personal and engaging customization system. Second goal- give weapons from warbonds more direct, apparent and unique additions to your arsenal. And thirdly- resource sink. And the magic to tie it all together? In theory, this requires 0 content additions- the tools we have are all already here. Only mechanical and system changes.
Here is my idea. We take everything we have- all the guns, all the parts, all of their looks, and we break them down into their most basic units.
The base of the gun (Liberator, Defender, Tenderizer, Dominator (this would encompass Eruptor parts) among others)- if the gun has a unique shape, that's the base. All of the Liberator variants are dissolved into their parts, and there is just- the "Liberator." The base of the gun decides all of the normal, fundamental things about the gun you are already familiar with. Damage, penetration, fire rate yadda yadda. This is because gun variations are usually balanced not far from each other and share most of their traits. The base of the gun decides what attachments a gun can have and from what categories of weapons.
The rest of the parts will become your basic attachments- ammunition, muzzles, grips, the things you already know. There will be two new attachment types- stocks (just for extra quality of life), and firing mechanisms (firing behavior and speed).
So, what do we do with all of the guns being boiled down to their "unique parts?" The weapons as you buy them in the warbonds will no longer be "weapons." They will be packages, blueprints, bundles of attachments. Okay, so we start our journey with the Liberator, we already have that base gun and its parts. What does the Liberator Penetrator offer? Well, it has the same fire rate and reserve ammunition. But what it truly offers is different damage and penetration- we can turn that into an ammunition attachment! And we can add an extra unique scope and muzzle on the side. And the Liberator Carbine? The opposite- it has the same damage profile as the Liberator, but a different fire rate. So how about we turn its unique gimmick, the speed at which it shoots, into a firing mechanism attachment? And then we can give it a unique thing here or there, like it's where we could get our current short mag attachment from, or a shorter muzzle.
And then you combine the firing mechanism of a Carbine with the ammunition of a Penetrator, throw in the scope from the Tenderizer- and what a wonderful weapon you have created (balancing at AH's discretion may apply). Along with these strengths, attachments would have proper drawbacks that actively change how you use them and how the guns feel. Since we're already using what's there, you could simply use the combination of parts to make the guns as they are now. And, with these "blueprints," you would get the skins and styles of the guns with them. Like the skins we can currently get from leveling the gun. But wait. Isn't buying AND leveling a hassle?
Abolish the leveling system. I barely even like it now, yeah. This rework would make it arbitrary, attachments and skins belong to weapons, not levels. You get the parts when you get the weapon blueprint. Let me introduce you to this fantastic idea- attachments cost requisition slips and samples upfront, and they're yours to use on applicable gun bases. You earned that 4x scope, unlock it and use it with as many assault rifles or marksman rifles or submachine guns as you want. Who am I to stop you from using the attachment you already earned once?
My Understanding-
So yes. I understand how complex game dev is, and people shouldn't armchair or pretend to know jack. But let me tell you this. Do you agree the game has issues with design and balancing choices? I would probably think so. And Arrowhead has a lot on their plate- I know we like to dunk on them cause Swedish vacations and workers' rights and whatever, but this game is really driven by a team who works overtime to keep it alive (yeah I know some of you don't like to hear that bite me). And we know AH is capable of making content and things we like to say is "impossible," but once again what do any of us know. Quite simply, I think the issues with customization SHOULD be addressed. And even more so, I think there are many realistic solutions AH could achieve in this game's future support, among the many things they're doing elsewhere in the game's development. I'm not saying I have an idea that AH would personally do or achieve, I'm just trying to get in the ballpark. But damn, if I don't think it wouldn't be badass.
That's all, adieu Helldivers!