Helldivers 2 will revert enemy spawn rates after player outcry, but it's been "so hectic" that it'll take some time to fix

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

Helldivers 2 is reverting recent changes that had solo players overwhelmed by huge enemy hordes.

Last month, a Helldivers 2 patch tweaked enemy spawn rates for squads that had less than maximum players. The fewer players in a squad, the more enemy patrols would effectively appear, and at the time this appeared to be hugely punishing for solo players, and even squads where one player just happened to drop out.

Thankfully, Arrowhead has now addressed the unrest surrounding enemy spawn rates. "As many of you have noticed, something has been off with patrols and spawn rate for some time now. This primarily leads to more enemies rearing their ugly heads than they're supposed to, indirectly to players feeling overrun, kiting, and subsequently less fun gameplay," community manager Twinbeard writes in the shooter's official Discord.

This has actually been the case for all players, the community manager reveals, not just smaller teams and solo players. "We've been aware, but frankly, the past couple of weeks have been so hectic that we haven't been able to give this the TLC that it required," the community manager adds, probably referencing the whole debacle with the Sony-mandated account linking.

"We've concluded that it's not working as intended and we're changing it. There might be some minor tweaks, but overall we're reverting back to how patrols and spawn rate worked before the patch that changed them a few weeks ago. We believe that this is more or less how you currently want them to be," the message adds, which should be good news for basically all Helldivers 2 players.

However, the changes are going to take "some time" to implement, since Arrowhead wants to "do things and changes properly instead of rushing them." The developer wants to properly test and review the entire overhaul before implementing it, but this could mean that players are faced with "more bugs and bots than even the bravest of citizens would deem realistic for a while longer."

It sounds like Arrowhead will be diverting resources away from bug fixes and other live issues to put an emphasis on getting the enemy spawn rate changes adjusted and live in Helldivers 2. Hopefully this means the enemy spawn rates won't need adjusting again once the changes go live, which is undoubtedly what Arrowhead is hoping for.

Helldivers 2 patch has 10 bug fixes and 17 lingering "known issues," from an infamous primary that "deals too little damage" to confirmation your gun's crosshair is a lie.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
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"
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
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
Helldivers 2 players celebrate victory after scaring new Illuminate invaders out of the galaxy, only for the creepy squid aliens to come running back
Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom
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 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
Latest in Third Person Shooter
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
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
A misty, forested mountainside in Prologue: Go Wayback!
PUBG creator's wilderness survival game actually draws inspiration from an unexpected place - a whole raft of zombie games like DayZ, Project Zomboid, and Left 4 Dead
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
The Witcher 3 devs created a Jekyll & Hyde-style character for their new vampire RPG "because nobody yet has done that"
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil fans are wondering if Born Again season 2 will set up a darker comic book arc for Matt Murdock
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025
Balatro screenshot showing an assortment of card packs
Balatro creator initially considered a Steam release in part to help "get a game developer job somewhere," and after 5 million sales I'd say he found one