Helldivers 2 players love the post-patch revolver, but not just because it's stronger – you can now spin it like a democracy-loving cowboy

Helldivers 2's latest balance patch was full of changes for a load of different weapons, for better or worse. However, arguably the best change of all was given to the Senator revolver, and it doesn't make it any stronger – it just makes it significantly cooler.

This week's balance patch was a rough one for many players, with significant nerfs for popular weapons and Stratagems including the beloved Quasar Cannon. However, the P-8 Senator was more fortunate – not only was its damage buffed from 150 to 175, but a speedloader was also added so that you can reload the gun way faster when its cylinder is empty. This alone makes the gun well worth considering if it wasn't already a regular in your arsenal, but just to seal the deal, it's now also possible to spin the gun on your finger like a democracy-loving cowboy just by holding down the reload button. Needless to say, loyal Super Earth defenders everywhere are loving it. 

"Yo, the speedloader was literally all I needed for the Senator to be my favorite sidearm. This, though? This makes it a special gun," one Reddit user writes.

"Never in my life have I needed something so much and never known until I received it," says another. 

Plenty of players have also been making reference to Metal Gear's Revolver Ocelot, who's very partial to a fancy gun spin himself. Social media threads everywhere are filled with GIFs of the guy, as well as the iconic line "you're pretty good," almost making it feel like we've received some sort of unofficial Metal Gear crossover. Hey, Arrowhead Game Studios community manager Thomas Petersson (AKA Twinbeard) previously hinted that the studio would be open to crossovers if they "make sense and fit in," so maybe that could be a real possibility some day. Then again, Petersson made it clear that the devs don't want the shooter to become "Kingdom Hearts or Fortnite," either.

Regardless, there's no denying that the Senator is one of the coolest guns on the Helldivers 2 block right now, which is certainly fitting. Back in February, when discussing how he believes games "have to earn the right to monetize," Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt joked that "the only item that's [pay to win] is the revolver – which will win you any 'cool gun' competition," and that statement now feels more relevant than ever.

If you're looking for the most powerful tools to take down the bugs and bots, be sure to check out our list of the best weapons in Helldivers 2.