Helldivers 2 Unleashes Emote Update

Helldivers 2's substantial 2025 update, patch 01.002.101, is now live, introducing significant gameplay adjustments. This over 5GB patch boasts extended gas effects from spray weapons, reinstated emoting during flight or ragdoll states, and numerous balance tweaks and bug fixes.

Approaching its first anniversary, Helldivers 2 continues its engaging Galactic War narrative, recently enhanced by the Illuminate faction. The update's considerable size hints at potential unannounced content additions beyond the documented changes.

A particularly noteworthy fix addresses a perplexing visual glitch involving the Stalker's tongue (details remain undisclosed!).

Helldivers 2 Update 01.002.101 Patch Notes:

Balancing:

General Changes: Spray weapon gas effect duration increased from 6 to 10 seconds. A despawn timer added for Illuminate dropship wreckage to prevent path obstructions.
Helldiver: Jogging permitted while carrying two-handed items (barrels, SEAF Artillery Rounds).
FRV: Grenade and stratagem deployment allowed while leaning from the FRV. FRV handling improved for 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. Gas effect duration increased (as above).
Armor Passives (Siege Ready): A bug granting extra ammo to all weapons (not just primaries) remains unfixed, pending further evaluation. Armory description will be updated accordingly.
Backpacks (AX/TX-13 “Guard Dog”): Reworked for improved effectiveness, prioritizing gas-unaffected enemies. Targeting logic refined, range increased from 10 to 20 meters. Gas effect duration increased (as above).
Stratagems (MD-6, MD-I4, MD-17 Anti-Personnel/Incendiary/Tank Mines): Cooldown reduced to 120 seconds (from 180). Damage increased. 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/ragdolling (without fall damage reduction). Illuminate spawner ship shields now vulnerable to impact grenades. Collision gaps within Illuminate ships fixed. Health packs fully restore stims. High-damage weapons now detonate Hellbombs.
Crash Fixes: Numerous crash fixes related to mission aborts, hot-joining, emotes, fires, drop-in sequences, reloading, armor changes, tutorial completion, extraction, projectile fire, carryable objectives, text language changes, and SG-20 Halt reloading.
Social & Matchmaking: Improved matchmaking for regional proximity. Matching with similar difficulty lobbies. Chat history preservation.
Weapons & Stratagems: Emplacement retention during text chat. Arc weapon accuracy against Impaler tentacles. E/AT-12 Anti-Tank Emplacement armor penetration tag corrected. Stratagem turrets no longer target Tesla Towers. Heat weapon visual bug fixed. Melee weapon physics adjusted. B-1 Supply Pack stim functionality restored.
FRV: FRV reinforcement to prevent minor impact explosions. Camera improvements. Reduced rooftop drops. Non-QWERTY keyboard support. Enemy launch distance adjusted.
Helldiver: Ragdolling into FRV physics fixed. Civilian car vaulting/climbing restored. Ragdoll ground sliding fixed. Stuck prone gliding animation fixed. Pickup animation issues resolved.
Enemies: Stalker tongue visual bug fixed. Enemy reaction to missed shots fixed.
Miscellaneous: Various audio, civilian pathfinding, visual (floating heads), and damage calculation fixes.

Known Issues:

Top Priority: Black box terminal clipping, DSSPathfinding, Evacuate Colonists mission pathfinding, Dolby Atmos (PS5).
Medium Priority: Pelican-1 extraction issues, explosive ragdolling, cape display, "This is Democracy" emote, Guard Dog ammo indicator, Barrager Tank stats, LAS-5 Scythe zoom, charge-up weapon firing.

This update significantly enhances the Helldivers 2 experience, addressing critical issues and introducing impactful balance changes. Players are encouraged to experience the improvements firsthand.