Helldivers 2 update 6.0.1, titled "Into the Unjust," is live now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. It's one of the biggest patches the game has received in months, bringing a playable tank, a full melee rebalancing pass, sway reductions for SMGs and pistols, tougher difficulty 9+ encounters, and the new Siegebreakers Warbond. The update also kicks off a narrative push toward Cyberstan, the Automaton homeworld.
Since 2026 started, Helldivers 2 had been relatively quiet outside of smaller patches and Warbond releases. Players had been waiting for a proper balance update, and 6.0.1 delivers on that front with changes touching weapons, stratagems, enemies, and armor passives across the board.
The March to Cyberstan
Patch 6.0.1 wraps its gameplay changes in Helldivers 2's ongoing in-universe narrative. High Command has confirmed that the Automaton Collective stole Super Earth's schematics for the Star of Peace, the superweapon recently tested against enemy forces.
"We cannot let them turn this defensive tool of peace into a destructive weapon of war," the in-game transmission reads. "It's now up to you, our most elite and powerful force, to bring them to justice on their own turf."
The call to action sends Helldivers toward Cyberstan to prevent the Automatons from building their own version of the weapon. Commando Operations are now authorized on all Automaton-controlled planets and will appear regularly alongside standard Peace Keeping Operations.
The Bastion Tank
The headline addition is the TD-220 Bastion Mk XVI, a heavily-armored tank destroyer packing a 120mm high-velocity cannon and a heavy coaxial machine gun. It's a returning vehicle from the original Helldivers and had been a popular community request for months.
The tank is free for all players and doesn't require a Warbond. It costs 35,000 Requisition Slips from the Ship Management screen under Hangar Stratagems, and appears in the Supply category of the loadout screen once purchased.
Calling it in uses the Stratagem input: Left, Down, Right, Down, Left, Down, Up, Down, Up. Deployment takes 10.50 seconds (the tank arrives via gunship), and the cooldown sits at 741 seconds, roughly 12 minutes. The good news is that uses are unlimited per mission, so a destroyed tank can be replaced once the cooldown expires.
Four players can occupy the Bastion Tank at once. The front seat handles driving. The rear seat controls the main cannon and machine gun. Two top seats let players ride inside the armor and fire their primary weapons. Driving and shooting at the same time requires at least two crew members, making this a true co-op stratagem.
Arrowhead positions the tank as a tactical vehicle rather than a frontline assault tool. The cannon works best at range against heavy armor, enemy facilities, nests, ships, and drop ships.
To balance the Bastion's arrival, enemy damage against durable targets has been adjusted across the board. Attacks from Bile Titans, Chargers, Crescent Overseers, Overseers, rocket-firing Automatons, Hulk melee attacks, mortars, and acid all received tweaked values. Some adjustments specifically target the Bastion, while others also affect the FRV and Exosuits. None of these changes alter how enemies perform against Helldivers on foot.
Melee Overhaul
Every melee weapon in the game received a damage buff, while armor passives that boost melee damage were toned down. Arrowhead's goal is to make melee weapons feel effective on their own, reducing the dependency on specific armor passives. Total damage output when using a melee-boosting armor passive will still be equal to or higher than before.
On top of the individual weapon buffs, the base melee attack (available to every player regardless of loadout) got a flat 50% damage increase.
Melee Weapon Changes
| Weapon | Old Damage | New Damage | Old Durable | New Durable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CQC-30 Stun Baton | 50 | 75 | 25 | 38 |
| CQC-19 Stun Lance | 110 | 165 | 55 | 83 |
| CQC-2 Saber | 125 | 188 | 65 | 98 |
| CQC-5 Combat Hatchet | 160 | 240 | 80 | 120 |
| CQC-42 Machete | 200 | 300 | 100 | 150 |
Bayonet Buffs
- R-2124 Constitution: Bayonet melee damage increased from 110 to 165; durable damage from 55 to 83.
- R-2 Amendment: Bayonet melee damage increased from 110 to 165; durable damage from 55 to 83.
Melee Stratagem Buffs
- CQC-9 Defoliation Tool: Damage increased from 300 to 450; durable damage from 150 to 225.
- CQC-1 One True Flag: Damage increased from 110 to 200; durable damage from 55 to 100.
Armor Passive Reductions
- Peak Physique: Melee damage bonus cut from 100% to 40%.
- Rock Solid: Melee damage bonus cut from 100% to 40%.
- Reinforced Epaulettes: Melee damage bonus cut from 50% to 20%.
SMG and Pistol Sway Reductions
All SMGs and pistols received sway reductions, bringing them in line with most other weapon types. Arrowhead's reasoning: the increased drag on these weapons already defines them as close-range picks, and the extra sway on top of that was excessive.
Primary Weapons
- MP-98 Knight: Sway modifier from 1.2 to 1.
- SMG-37 Defender: Sway modifier from 1.2 to 1.
- SMG-72 Pummeler: Sway modifier from 1.2 to 1.
- M7S SMG: Sway modifier from 1.2 to 1.
Sidearms
| Sidearm | Old Sway | New Sway | Other Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P-72 Crisper | 1.2 | 1 | Magazine capacity increased from 30 to 50 |
| P-2 Peacemaker | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| LAS-58 Talon | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| GP-31 Grenade Pistol | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| LAS-7 Dagger | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| P-113 Verdict | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| M6C/SOCOM Pistol | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| PLAS-15 Loyalist | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| P-11 Stim Pistol | 1.2 | 1 | - |
| SG-22 Bushwhacker | 1.3 | 1 | - |
| P-4 Senator | 1.3 | 1 | - |
| GP-20 Ultimatum | 1.3 | 1 | - |
Weapon Function Inputs Standardized
Arrowhead has started unifying weapon function mode inputs so similar toggle types share the same directional input. Modes affecting Programmable ammo, Ammo types, Volley modes, Safe modes, and Guided modes now all sit on the left direction. Underbarrel weapon switching hasn't been moved yet, but the studio is looking into consolidating that as well.
- SG-20 Halt: "Ammo type" moved from Right to Left.
- DBS-2 Double Freedom: "Volley/Semi mode" moved from Right to Left.
- SG-22 Bushwhacker: "Volley/Semi mode" moved from Right to Left.
- RS-422 Railgun: "Safe/Unsafe mode" moved from Right to Left.
- StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher: "Programmable ammo mode" moved from Right to Left.
- P-92 Warrant: "Guided mode/Non-Guided mode" moved from Right to Left.
Throwable and Stratagem Adjustments
Throwables
- G-7 Pineapple: Max uses increased from 3 to 4; starting uses from 2 to 3.
- G-31 Arc: Max uses increased from 4 to 5; starting uses from 3 to 4.
Stratagems
- SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack: Cooldown reduced from 300 to 240 seconds.
- Orbital Smoke Strike: Cooldown reduced from 100 to 75 seconds.
- GL-21 Grenade Launcher: Armor penetration bumped from Medium to Heavy.
Difficulty 9+ Gets Tougher
All three factions hit harder on difficulty 9 and above now. The Automaton front saw the biggest changes, with Terminids and Illuminate less affected.
A related fix addresses how enemy aim calculations work in large groups. Previously, Automatons on higher difficulties weren't always updating their aim properly when many enemies were active at once, making them less accurate than intended. That's been corrected. Automatons now update their targeting data more consistently even in large numbers, with no additional performance cost.
Terminids
- Dragon Roach: Flame attack direct damage reduced by 25%.
Automatons
- Rocket Raider: Rockets deal increased damage against durable targets.
- Devastator: Durable property removed from arms (making them easier to shoot off).
- Rocket Devastator: Rockets deal increased damage against durable targets.
- Hulk Bruiser: Rockets deal increased damage against durable targets.
- Gunship: Targeting software improved for better accuracy; rockets deal increased damage against durable targets.
Illuminate
- Overseer: Weapon deals increased damage against durable targets.
- Crescent Overseer: Artillery attack now staggers Helldivers with more force; direct shot damage increased; weapon deals increased damage against durable targets.
Emotes and Victory Poses
Victory poses and emotes can now be swapped freely. A few exceptions remain (two-player emotes, the kick, and a handful of others), but the vast majority are now usable in either slot.
Siegebreakers Warbond and New Cosmetics
The Siegebreakers premium Warbond launched alongside the patch on February 3. It's aimed at players who need heavy, destruction-focused gear and includes a devastating hammer with explosive charges for close-range combat, an upgraded LAS-16 Trident (a returning fan-favorite), and the GL-28 Grenade Launcher and EAT-411 Leveller stratagems for grenade barrages and high-yield missiles. Cosmetics round out the non-rotating battle pass, and as always, the premium currency can be farmed through gameplay.
A War Horse cosmetic set will also hit the Superstore on February 10.
Chinese Voice-Over Support
A full Chinese VO has been added to Helldivers 2 with this patch.
Bug Fixes and Stability
Hang Detection (PC)
A new PC-specific "hang detection" system forces a crash if the game freezes for more than 20 seconds, generating a crash dump file for developers to diagnose the issue. Players who experience a hang should wait at least 40 seconds before restarting to let the detector finish. If the crash report window appears, submit it as normal. If it doesn't, Arrowhead asks players to share the dump file with their support team at arrowhead.zendesk.com.
Crash Fixes
- Rare crash from weapon customization desync fixed.
- Rare Galactic Map crash fixed.
- Automaton crash on Lava Missions fixed.
Weapon and Stratagem Fixes
- RS-422 Railgun magazine now visible during reload animation.
- Duplicate Pelican extraction on Eradication missions fixed (a second Pelican no longer shows up when one is already en route).
- AX/FLAM-75 "Guard Dog" Hot Dog sound effects fixed.
- AR/GL-21 One-Two underbarrel explosion sounds fixed.
- MLS-4X Commando rockets now target correctly instead of aiming at the Helldiver's last look position.
- R-36 Eruptor no longer shows incorrect zoom options with non-zoomed scope attachments.
- B-1 Supply Pack infinite supplies exploit fixed.
- B-1 Supply Pack can no longer be used on Helldivers with full ammo, grenades, and stims.
- Weapon Customization Menu preview visual glitches fixed.
- Reloading now works inside the M-102 Fast Reconnaissance Vehicle.
- Story campaign operations now persist between sessions.
- Turret stratagem projectiles can now hit their owners.
- Smart weaponry no longer locks onto the Ground All-Terrain Extraction Rig.
- RS-422 Railgun clip display fixed when reloading immediately after firing.
- Weapons now correctly show ready-to-fire status after cancelling a mid-reload animation.
- Heat-based weapons display overheating properly in the Weapon Function Menu.
- One True Flag kills now count toward Major Order kills.
- M-1000 Maxigun wind-up sound inconsistencies fixed.
- Multiple stratagem throw exploit after entering/exiting emplacements fixed.
- AR/GL-21 One-Two grenade launcher shots and explosions now visible to other players.
P-92 Warrant: Non-guided projectile drag and gravity now match the guided projectile changes from the previous patch. Crosshair update bug when toggling weapon function through new input bindings also fixed.
Enemy Fixes
- General targeting improvements across all enemy types.
- Spawn rate on Rapid Acquisition missions (difficulty CR7-10) fixed, with adjusted spawn points on the map.
Miscellaneous Fixes
- Automaton dropships move less erratically during enemy drops.
- First-person camera positioning during reloads corrected.
- Players can no longer land on Command Bunkers in city missions.
- Interactable items inside specific Points of Interest on Magma planets fixed.
- Terrain height visual glitch near deformed terrain resolved.
- Exiting vehicles now properly carries over the vehicle's velocity.
- Client/host damage inconsistencies fixed (clients no longer deal less damage than the host).
- Players no longer get stuck under the bridge on Rapid Acquisition missions.
- Hand position corrected when activating power stations.
- Push-up emote camera angle fixed.
- Battery light turns off after delivery during "Seize Fusion Batteries" objective.
- Draw! emote no longer locks melee weapons.
- Automaton scanner glow no longer shines white while scanning.
- Super Earth Flag stratagem now plays the anthem correctly during Hive World Missions.
- Terminal screen hand-blocking issue resolved.
- [Xbox Only] Green smoke artifacts on red planets fixed.
- Guard Dog stratagem names shortened for readability.
Performance
- Fog density and visibility between Volumetric Fog Quality settings improved (Lowest and Low now match).
- Building material rendering in colonies and cities runs better.
- The player-attached light source used to brighten dark environments has been removed; visibility in dark areas has been reworked instead.
- "10002026" login error fixed.
- Explosion and destruction performance improved, particularly around bot factories.
Second Anniversary Incoming
Patch 6.0.1 lands as Helldivers 2 approaches its second anniversary, and Arrowhead has promised a "month of anniversary surprises" throughout February 2026.
The first of those arrived before the patch itself. Arrowhead released a behind-the-scenes featurette on YouTube introducing the creation of John Helldiver, the game's iconic character. The 15-minute video features actor Craig Lee Thomas alongside lead writer Russ Nickel, who wrote for the game between 2020 and 2022.
Nickel recalled that casting nearly didn't happen on time: "They actually hadn't really done any casting. They were just going to use this actor who's based in Sweden, who was perfectly good, but I was like, 'This is going to be John Helldiver!' We can't just get someone who's good! We need to get the funniest person we can possibly find!"
Thomas, for his part, said the role clicked immediately: "As soon as I read it, I was like, ahh, I really, really, really want to do this."
Arrowhead's CEO said back in September that Helldivers 3 isn't in the studio's current plans. The focus remains on growing Helldivers 2 over the long term, with comparisons drawn to long-running MMOs. A Helldivers 2 movie is also in development.
