Helldivers 2 Update 1.006.001 Patch Notes: Massive melee overhaul

Helldivers 2 update 1.006.001 delivers a full melee re-balance, widespread sway reductions for SMGs and pistols, unified weapon-function inputs, tougher high-difficulty enemies, major throwable and stratagem improvements, durable-damage tuning across factions, and expanded emote/victory-pose interchangeability. According to the official Helldivers 2 version 1.006.001 patch notes, the latest update also brings numerous weapons damage or utility upgrades, while armor melee passives are toned down.

Helldivers 2 1.006.001 Patch Notes – February 3, 2026

Key Changes

• Melee weapons significantly strengthened; armor melee bonuses reduced but remain impactful.

• SMG and pistol sway normalized across nearly all sidearms and SMGs.

• Weapon-function inputs unified to streamline programmable ammo and mode switching.

• Difficulty 9+ intensity increased, especially for Automaton encounters.

• Durable-damage tuning for many enemies to better balance vehicles.

Balancing

Melee & Armor Passive Overhaul

• All melee weapons receive substantial base damage increases.

• Armor passives (Peak Physique, Rock Solid, Reinforced Epaulettes) gain reduced melee bonuses.

• Total output with passives equals or exceeds previous values.

• Base melee attack damage increased by 50%.

SMG & Pistol Sway Adjustments

• Reduced sway across nearly all SMGs and pistols to align with standard weapon profiles.

• Retains close-combat identity via drag, not sway.

Unified Weapon-Function Input Direction

• Programmable ammo, ammo types, volley modes, safe modes, guided modes standardized to Left input direction.

• Underbarrel switching planned for future move but unchanged for now.

High-Difficulty Adjustments (9+)

• Intensity increased across factions, most notably Automatons.

• Terminids and Illuminate see lighter but noticeable tuning.

Value Changes

Primary Weapons

R-2124 Constitution

• Bayonet melee damage increased 110 → 165

• Bayonet durable damage 55 → 83

R-2 Amendment

• Bayonet melee and durable damage identical to Constitution buffs

SMGs (MP-98 Knight, SMG-37 Defender, SMG-72 Pummeler, M7S SMG)

• Sway modifier reduced 1.2 → 1

SG-20 Halt

• Ammo-type function moved Right → Left

DBS-2 Double Freedom

• Volley/Semi mode moved Right → Left

Sidearms

General Sway Reductions

• P-72 Crisper, P-2 Peacemaker, LAS-58 Talon, GP-31 Grenade Pistol, LAS-7 Dagger, P-113 Verdict, M6C/SOCOM, PLAS-15 Loyalist, P-11 Stim Pistol: sway 1.2 → 1

• SG-22 Bushwhacker, P-4 Senator, GP-20 Ultimatum: sway 1.3 → 1

Additional Crisper Buff

• Magazine size increased 30 → 50

SG-22 Bushwhacker

• Volley/Semi moved Right → Left

Melee Sidearms

• CQC-30 Stun Baton: damage 50 → 75; durable 25 → 38

• CQC-19 Stun Lance: damage 110 → 165; durable 55 → 83

• CQC-2 Saber: damage 125 → 188; durable 65 → 98

• CQC-5 Combat Hatchet: damage 160 → 240; durable 80 → 120

• CQC-42 Machete: damage 200 → 300; durable 100 → 150

Throwables

G-7 Pineapple

• Max uses 3 → 4

• Starting uses 2 → 3

G-31 Arc

• Max uses 4 → 5

• Starting uses 3 → 4

Stratagem Updates

SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack

• Cooldown 300 → 240 sec

Orbital Smoke Strike

• Cooldown 100 → 75 sec

CQC-9 Defoliation Tool

• Damage 300 → 450

• Durable 150 → 225

CQC-1 One True Flag

• Damage 110 → 200

• Durable 55 → 100

RS-422 Railgun

• Safe/Unsafe mode moved Right → Left

StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher

• Programmable ammo moved Right → Left

GL-21 Grenade Launcher

• Armor penetration upgraded Medium → Heavy

Armor Passives

Peak Physique

• Melee bonus 100% → 40%

Rock Solid

• Melee bonus 100% → 40%

Reinforced Epaulettes

• Melee bonus 50% → 20%

Enemies

General Durable-Damage Rebalance

• Adjusted durable damage for attacks such as Bile Titan stomps, Chargers, Overseer beams, rockets, mortars, acid, etc.

• Targets include Bastions, FRVs, and Exosuits.

• Improved Automaton aim updates under heavy load.

Terminids

• Dragon Roach flame direct damage reduced 25%.

Automatons

• Rocket Raider: rockets deal increased durable-target damage.

• Devastator: arms no longer durable.

• Rocket Devastator & Hulk Bruiser: rockets improved vs durable targets.

• Gunship: improved targeting; rocket durable damage increased.

Illuminate

• Overseer: weapon deals increased durable-target damage.

• Crescent Overseer: higher artillery force for stagger; increased direct-shot damage; improved durable-damage performance.

Gameplay

Emotes & Victory Poses

• Emotes and victory poses now interchangeable except for multi-user or restricted animations.

Fixes

Hang Detection (PC)

• New system auto-crashes the game after 20+ seconds of freeze to generate actionable crash dumps.

Crash Fixes

• Weapon customization desync crash resolved.

• Rare Galactic Map crash fixed.

• Automaton-related crash in Lava Missions addressed.

Weapons & Stratagem Fixes

• The RS-422 Railgun magazine during reload animation is now visible
• When finishing an Eradication mission after the mission time has run out, an over-zealous second Pelican pilot will no longer heroically try to extract our noble Helldivers if another is already en route
• AX/FLAM-75 “Guard Dog” Hot Dog has its sound effects fixed
• AR/GL-21 One-Two underbarrel explosions sound effects are now fixed
• MLS-4X Commando rockets will now target properly, rather than targeting the last place the Helldiver aims at
• Fixed an issue where the R-36 Eruptor displayed incorrect zoom levels options when using non-zoomed scope attachments
• Fixed a bug where the B-1 Supply Pack would give infinite supplies when dropped
• Fixed the visual glitches that appear in the preview section of the Weapon Customization Menu
• Helldivers can now reload whilst inside an M-102 Fast Reconnaissance Vehicle
• B-1 Supply Pack can no longer be used on Helldivers when their ammo, grenades and stims are full
• Fixed bug where story campaign operations would not persist between game sessions
• Projectiles from turret stratagems will now also hit their owners
• The Ministry of Defense has installed scrubbing chips on the Ground All-Terrain Extraction Rig, preventing accidental lock-on by smart weaponry
• RS-422 Railgun now properly displays the clip during the Reload animation if the player reloads the weapon immediately after firing
• When cancelling a reload after a new projectile was made visible, but before it was put into the weapon; the weapon would display the new shell in the weapon, even with the weapon empty. The weapons will now correctly display if it is ready to fire or not
• Heat based weapons are now displaying overheating properly, in the Weapon Function Menu
• Kills with “One True Flag” will now count towards Major Order kills
• Fixed the M-1000 Maxigun wind-up sounds which would sometimes not play properly
• Player can no longer throw multiple stratagems after entering and exiting emplacements
• Grenade launcher shots and explosions from AR/GL-21 One-Two rifle should now be visible when shot by other players

P-92 Warrant

• Made the drag and gravity the same on the non-guided projectile as the last patch change for the guided projectile.

• Move the “Guided mode/None Guided mode” weapon function from Right to Left weapon function direction
• Fixed its crosshair not updating when toggling its weapon function through the new input bindings

   

Enemies

• Enemies have learned how to target better
• Fixed spawn rate on Rapid Acquisition missions on difficulty CR7-10. Adjusted spawn points on Rapid Acquisition map

Miscellaneous Fixes

• Automaton dropships will now move less erratically when dropping enemies
• Fix incorrect camera positioning when transitioning to first person while reloading
• Fixed an issue where players could land on Command Bunkers in city missions
• Fixed certain items not being interactable inside specific PoIs on Magma planets
• Solved terrain height changing when approaching or moving away from a deformed piece of terrain, causing a weird visual effect
• Exiting a vehicle now properly inherits the vehicle`s velocity
• High-Command has now authorized Commando Operations to be carried out on all Automaton controlled planets. They will frequently be available to choose alongside the regular Peace Keeping Operations going forward
• Fix damage inconsistencies between client and host damage. Clients should no longer do less damage than the host
• Players no longer get stuck under the bridge during Rapid Acquisition missions
• The Helldiver properly follows hand position protocols when activating power stations
• Camera correctly points towards the Hellidver during the push-up emote
• The battery light will now turn off after its delivery during “Seize Fusion Batteries” objective
• Draw! Emote no longer locks melee weapons
• Adjusted Automaton scanner glow – they will no longer shine white whilst scanning for Helldivers
• The Super Earth Flag is now correctly playing the Super Earth Anthem when using the stratagem during Hive World Missions
• The Helldiver now moves their hands away from terminal screens to not block sight to whoever is looking over their shoulder
• [Xbox Only] Smoke will no longer display green artifacts on red planets
• The Guard Dog series of stratagems have had their names shortened to improve readability. They’re still your loyal companions, but now with shorter, easier to read names.

Optimizations

• We improved fog density / visibility between Volumetric Fog Quality settings, making the Lowest and Low settings match
• Improved performance of building material found in colonies and cities
• Removed the light-source that was attached to the Helldiver, which was used for making dark environments brighter near the player; tweaked and improved playability and visibility in darker environments instead
• Fixed an issue that was causing some players to get  a “10002026” error during login attempt
• Implemented performance improvements affecting explosions and general destruction, primarily surrounding bot factories

Previously, a minor Helldivers 2 version 1.005 focused on weapon balancing, improved aiming, new weapon function keybinds, major crash fixes, enemy behavior corrections, and broad performance optimizations. Unfortunately, since the last patch, players have been experiencing several issues. The upcoming Helldivers 2 update 1.007 will address the remaining issues and bugs.

Download free Helldivers 2 update 1.006.001 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.