Helldivers 2's funniest feature was removed last year, but it's finally been reinstated – although it won't save you from certain doom anymore

Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation)

Good news, patriots, Helldivers 2 has a new patch today and it adds a lot of small buffs and fixes. This is great news for me, personally, because the mines have had their cooldown reduced by 33% and their damage increased. This is terrible news for my squadmates.

First off, a fan-favorite strategy is coming back. We used to be able to emote while falling to somehow prevent all fall damage, which looked hilarious and was also incredibly helpful at times. The ability to emote while falling was taken away back in October, but now it's back. The caveat is it won't reduce the damage you take, but at least you'll look cool while falling to your death. As the patch notes explain: "You'll be able to freely express yourself as you fall to your imminent death or severe injuries - Nothing a stim can't fix!"

The changes I'm most excited about are the minefield buffs. All three mine types have had their cooldowns reduced from 180 seconds to 120 seconds, which is a huge buff. The anti-personnel and incendiary mines have also both had their damage increased substantially. Better watch where you step, teammates.

A great quality of life fix is that "The Ministry of Humanity has added a clause to its Principles of Correct Posture for Safe Lifting," so we can now jog while carrying SEAF artillery shells and barrels. No more rapidly dropping them and picking them back up to move quickly.

There are also several FRV changes. You can now throw grenades and stratagems while you're leaning out from the passenger seats, and its health and handling have been improved, too. A bug fix has also been implemented that means if you ragdoll into an FRV it will no longer be "yeeted into space," and hitting civilian cars with melee weapons shouldn't send them flying anymore.

One bug fix that I'm a bit sad about is that we'll no longer slide around on the floor after a blast or being knocked into shallow water, "despite it being the year of the snake." That bug saved my life on many a bot mission, so I'll miss it greatly.

Meanwhile, another bug that absolutely broke some missions for me has also been patched out. Civilians should be able to find the shuttle door properly during Emergency Evacuations now.

Gas weapons have also seen several improvements made to their targeting and the gas effect duration. The guard dog should now move onto a new enemy once one has been gassed, and its range has been increased - it's one of the best stratagems to use right now.

Illuminate maps should become less crowded, too, as dropship wreckages will despawn after a set time to stop them obstructing paths. I found it fun, honestly, but I can see how it would frustrate a lot of you, so I understand why it's been patched.

Last but not least, the devs "fixed a small visual bug with the Stalker's tongue (you don't want to know what it took to fix it)." Well, now I really do want to know.

You can read the full patch notes right here for the full details.

Once you've spread some managed democracy, check out some of the other best online games you can play right now.

Issy van der Velde
Contributor

I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

Read more
A Helldiver holding a flag in a promotional image for Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2's Fallout-grade Ultimatum mini nuke has been nerfed, but maintains its "core identity as a powerhouse" because the devs are "huge fans of big booms booming big"
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 Omens of Tyranny gives players everything they've been asking for - melee weapons, cars, and a third faction that's back with a vengeance
Helldivers 2
After an eventful year, Helldivers 2 devs hope "it will be less of a bumpy road when it comes to release accuracy" - but Arrowhead is still "prepared to take risks"
Helldivers 2 screenshot showing a fully geared/armored diver standing with gun in hand as three jets soar the skies behind him
Arrowhead reveals the Helldivers 2 ideas left on its cutting room floor, from 5-player squads to low-gravity planets and a whole new armor system
Helldivers 2 intro cutscene helldiver thumbs up
Helldivers 2's Galactic War resumes as Arrowhead fixes its broken liberation rates, and High Command insists anyone who saw anything weird "may be suffering from Illuminate mind-influence"
Helldivers 2
Now that the Illuminate faction's arrived, Helldivers 2 is "finally the three-front battle of the galactic war" fans have been "waiting for"
Latest in Third Person Shooters
Helldivers 2 screenshot showing a fully geared/armored diver standing with gun in hand as three jets soar the skies behind him
Arrowhead reveals the Helldivers 2 ideas left on its cutting room floor, from 5-player squads to low-gravity planets and a whole new armor system
Helldivers 2 Ultimatum
Helldivers 2 has a Major Order problem, but the solution isn't simple because "having 100% participation means the MOs will always be won and that introduces other issues"
Marvel Rivals Clone Rumble
Marvel Rivals' new Clone Rumble mode sounds like the kind of absolute chaos multiplayer games need more of
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 has an endgame problem, but a developer assures us "things are coming," they just can't say what yet because otherwise our expectations will be too high
Jeff the Land Shark as he appears in Marvel Rivals
"Sounds like a skills issue": Jeff the Shark co-creator says Marvel Rivals players "should get better at the game" if "my boy is beating your ass every night"
Helldivers 2 intro cutscene helldiver thumbs up
Helldivers 2's Galactic War resumes as Arrowhead fixes its broken liberation rates, and High Command insists anyone who saw anything weird "may be suffering from Illuminate mind-influence"
Latest in News
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
The Witcher 4 devs explain how Ciri's fighting style will differ from Geralt's: "He's nimble, but he feels like a block...she's liquid"
Challenging The Manacle in Balatro, which limits hand size by -1 and playing two Jacks
From "I stopped working on the project entirely" to "we are so back," Balatro creator says the roguelike's development was always about passion and taking breaks was essential
InZOI screenshot from creation studio demo which depicts a shockingly realistic character model rendered in Unreal Engine 5
The director behind The Sims competitor InZOI spent 20 years making MMOs, but he ditched the massive RPGs after playing life sims with his son
Demon Slayer season 4 episode 2
True to the anime, Stardew Valley's hottest mod adds two romanceable Demon Slayer dudes who are both "rude and standoffish" at first
A group of Men wearing armour during the TV show, Vikings.
Vikings creator is heading back to his Norse roots with this new historical drama on Amazon
Balatro screenshot showing an assortment of joker cards
Balatro creator intentionally avoided roguelikes but did eventually play and "steal from" Slay the Spire anyway: "Holy s***. Now that is a game"