Helldivers 2 players, democracy's greatest weapon may soon be upon us as Arrowhead says Gatling guns "may" be coming but would "require some real cool mechanics"

Helldivers 2 story trailer
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead is looking into adding Gatling guns, which could very well be one of the most powerful weapons in the great, collective arsenal of democracy's last defenders.

Gatling guns historically (in video games and in real life) have an extremely high rate of fire with a lot of recoil due to their size and weight, and so naturally aren't usually great candidates for primary weapon loadouts. However, as a support weapon, one could only imagine the devastating power of an Arrowhead-developed Gatling gun, and thankfully, creative director Johan Pilestedt is already tinkering with ideas for one, although it's still unconfirmed whether they'll ever actually materialize.

"Gatling guns as support weapons are cool, but only if they accurately represent the insane recoil," Pilestedt said on Twitter, adding, "We may, but it will require some real cool mechanics."

In response to a fan suggesting a potential Gatling gun would boast "insane recoil" but also run out of ammo in "15 seconds," Pilestedt said that, alternatively, one of the Gatling gun user's teammates could carry around the "drum," presumably referring to the bulky ammo feed system traditionally attached to Gatling guns. "Something cool," he again insisted.

Of course, there's no telling if a theoretical Gatling gun would come out the gate as one of the best Helldivers 2 weapons, and even if it did, Arrowhead has shown that it isn't one bit afraid to nerf overpowered weapons. Still, there's no denying that the unique demands and extraordinary fire rate of a Gatling gun would be make for a novel addition to the game's meta.

I doubt that even the best Helldivers 2 armor could save you from Gatling gun friendly fire, however.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Helldivers 2 Ultimatum
Helldivers 2's new Fallout-grade mini nuke Ultimatum is a 4,500-damage delete button that's already got the community debating whether it's OP
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's Killzone-inspired sniper "could maybe use some tweaking," creative director admits, but "weapons are what weapons are" and "balance doesn't matter"
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 player proposes new stratagems to restock vehicle ammo, and they're so good even the creative director seems on board
Helldivers 2 Servants of Freedom Warbond
Helldivers 2 is getting a portable hellbomb that looks just as chaotic and deadly as Fallout's mini nukes
Helldivers 2 best weapons
The best Helldivers 2 weapons and tier list
Latest in Third Person Shooter
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"
Helldivers 2 Ultimatum
Sweet liberty, a Helldivers 2 update "is breaking the Galactic War" so now the whole thing is paused, but good news: "We are not going to revert any of the damage done by this"
Latest in News
Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
After 26 years, a secret Star Wars reference to George Lucas has been uncovered: "We got a new Phantom Menace Easter Egg before GTA 6"
Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori
This stunning open-world horse game smashed its $65,000 Kickstarter goal straight away, and it's bringing my favorite part of Red Dead Redemption 2 to 13th-century Mongolia
Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17
Parasite and Mickey 17 director Bong Joon Ho doesn't want to make a franchise film – unless it's an Alien musical
Four adventurers journey into a dim dungeon
Dark and Darker's legal battles are far from over as the popular extraction RPG has been pulled from the Epic Games Store again
Discord
Discord is reportedly "in early talks with banks" about going public, but the company won't comment on "rumours or speculation"
Upcoming support for underground and multi-level dungeons in Dungeon Alchemist
Dungeon Alchemist community manager is "a little concerned how it's behind a paywall to run games" in D&D's official Sigil VTT