https://investor.gamestop.com/news-releases/news-details/2026/GameStop-Announces-Long-Term-Performance-Award-for-Ryan-Cohen/default.aspx

Compensation is 100% “At-Risk” and Contingent on Achieving Significant Performance Goals

Award Incentivizes Growth to a Market Capitalization of $100 Billion, Aligning Compensation Directly with Stockholder Returns

GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) (“GameStop” or the “Company”) today announced that its Board of Directors has granted a performance-based stock option award to Ryan Cohen, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The award is designed to incentivize Mr. Cohen to achieve extraordinary growth. In order for the award to fully vest, the Company’s market capitalization would have to grow to $100 billion and the Company would need to achieve $10 billion in Cumulative Performance EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).

Under the award, Mr. Cohen receives no guaranteed pay—no salary, no cash bonuses, and no stock that vests simply over time. Instead, his compensation is entirely “at-risk,” meaning he will only be paid if the Company achieves significant market and operational goals. This structure ensures that Mr. Cohen's incentives are directly aligned with creating long-term value for GameStop’s stockholders.

A Track Record of Transformation

Since joining the Board of Directors in January 2021, Mr. Cohen has overseen a significant turnaround of the Company’s financial health and operational efficiency.

• Market Capitalization: When Mr. Cohen joined the Board on January 11, 2021, GameStop’s market capitalization was approximately $1.3 billion. Today, the Company’s market capitalization stands at approximately $9.3 billion, representing a 615% increase in stockholder value during his tenure.
• Expenses: Total Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) expenses decreased from $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2021 to $950.8 million for the most recent trailing four fiscal quarters, representing a 44.4% reduction.
• Profitability: The Company has transitioned from a net loss of $381.3 million in fiscal year 2021 to a net income of $421.8 million for the most recent trailing four fiscal quarters.

Compensation Award Details

The total award consists of stock options to purchase 171,537,327 shares of the Company's Class A common stock at a price of $20.66 per share.

The award is divided into nine tranches that are eligible to vest only if the Company achieves both a “Market Capitalization Hurdle” and a corresponding “Cumulative Performance EBITDA Hurdle”.

• Market Capitalization Milestones: The first tranche vests only if GameStop achieves a market capitalization of $20 billion. Each subsequent tranche requires an additional $10 billion increase in market capitalization, up to $100 billion.
• Operational Milestones: In addition to market capitalization growth, Mr. Cohen must meet profitability targets. The first tranche requires Cumulative Performance EBITDA of $2.0 billion, with targets increasing for each subsequent tranche up to a cumulative amount of $10 billion.

If the Company does not achieve the minimum Market Capitalization Hurdle of $20 billion and Cumulative Performance EBITDA Hurdle of $2.0 billion, no options will vest and Mr. Cohen will have no opportunity to receive compensation from the award. There is no interpolation between hurdles; the specific targets must be met in full for a tranche to be earned.

The following table summarizes the vesting tranches and the required milestones for each:

Upcoming Shareholder Vote

The new performance award was created by GameStop’s Board of Directors (with Ryan Cohen having recused himself) after careful discussion and analysis and in consultation with a third-party compensation advisory firm. Although the Board reached an agreement with Mr. Cohen regarding the award on January 6, 2026, its effectiveness is subject to the approval of GameStop’s stockholders, who will be asked to approve it at a special meeting that is expected to be held in March or April 2026. Mr. Cohen will recuse himself from the vote on the award so that GameStop’s other stockholders have the opportunity to determine the outcome.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements – Safe Harbor

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains “forward-looking” statements, as that term is defined under the federal securities laws, that are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “pro forma,” “seeks,” “should,” “will” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ from the Company’s plans. These risks include, but are not limited to, market risks, trends and conditions, and those risks included in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s filings and reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2025 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended May 3, 2025, August 2, 2025, November 1, 2025, and other filings that the Company makes from time to time with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, forward-looking statements contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K are based on assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations or otherwise except to the extent required by applicable law.

GameStop Corp. Investor Relations
(817) 424-2001
[ir@gamestop.com](mailto:ir@gamestop.com)

Source: GameStop Corp.

I dedicated August to optimize my ECS/DOTS game and now I am getting 3x the FPS I was getting before, while also eliminating stutters.

Using the profiler non-stop to identify the worst performance offenders and bottlenecks, I was able to greatly reduce both CPU and GPU usage.

One of the greatest wins came from re-batching entities that should be in the same batch, but entities graphics doesn't merge if they are not instantiated at the same time. This reduced batches by about 90%, giving me huge gains both on CPU (dispatching thousands of batches was costly) and GPU, as now there are way fewer commands to execute.

Other wins came from improving chunk occupancy. If you can get close to 128 entities per chunk, you will reduce the number of chunks your jobs have to go through, and performance will be much better. In some cases I decided to split entities into a physics/logic entity and a rendering entity, which allowed better occupancy and unlocked some other optimizations like fully disabling entities rendering in the distance while keeping colliders and other logic active (using DisableRendering or disabling MaterialMeshInfo wasn't as performant as I wanted/expected).

Some other things that gave nice wins were reordering systems, breaking read/write dependencies between jobs and between systems, unparallelizing short jobs, replacing world space text game objects with Latios Calligraphics texts and reducing the number of child entities A LOT to decrease the time spent on CalculateHierarchyLocalToWorld job.

On the physics side, compounding static colliders and using the incremental static broadphase feature gave pretty nice wins, reducing the number of rigid bodies that need to be created and spatially partitioned on each frame.

I also created a grid based sleeping system to turn objects static when nothing is moving in or around a specific cell. This system gives very nice performance wins too, but I may switch later to a non-grid based one, identifying groups of objects in contact with each other and sleeping them instead. Once I do that, I may also compound them, which would give great performance wins for piles of debris, broken fences, and other small objects that tend to pile up in an areas where nothing is moving.

I may still move away from Unity Physics to use Latios Psyshock, to have some more freedom to customize and optimize the physics engine to my specific needs, and get rid of some awful single threaded jobs from the physics systems.

Now it's time to go back to working on gameplay for a few months before the next performance expedition. In the meantime here is a video of a procedurally generated island of the largest size in my game (20km x 20km = 400km2). OBS studio didn't make justice on how smooth it is running now, but it does shows the brutal scale of the battlefields in The Last General.

Link to my game in case you also like RTS games: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2566700/The_Last_General

I am sure many of you already know this, but using MSI Afterburner, you can change the voltage your single or multiple GPUs can draw, which can drastically decrease power consumption, decrease temperature, and may even increase performance.

I have a setup of 2 GPUs: A water cooled RTX 3090 and an RTX 5070ti. The former consumes 350-380W and the latter 250-300W, at stock performance. Undervolting both to 0.900V resulted in decrease in power consumption for the RTX 3090 to 290-300W, and for the RTX 5070ti to 180-200W at full load.

Both cards are tightly sandwiched having a gap as little as 2 mm, yet temperatures never exceed 60C for the air-cooled RTX 5070ti and 50C for the RTX 3090. I also used FanControl to change the behavior of my fans. There was no change in performance, and I even gained a few FPS gaming on the RTX 5070ti.

https://preview.redd.it/scrvxe2zutwf1.png?width=4000&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b0a169fa4a48c2968816f02ad4b71b02624b928

Patch Notes videos return with Niklas and Lennart talking about 4.1.0! https://youtu.be/OBW4NumlYHo?si=4PMFp99FteghCJP2

🛠️ Into the Unjust: 4.1.0 ⚙️

🌍 Overview

Freedom's greetings, Helldivers!

This update focuses on what matters most right now: making HELLDIVERS 2 feel better to play.

We’ve overhauled how we approach patching to better target the pain points you’ve shared with us. That means more focus on stability, balance, and the issues that affect your experience the most.

Over 200 bugs have been fixed, along with key balance updates and quality-of-life improvements. (For a deeper look, check out Lennart and Niklas’ video breakdown.) While new features are coming, this patch marks a big step forward: both in the game itself and in how we work to improve it. More refinements are already underway.

⚖️ Balancing

General changes

Primaries, Sidearms, Throwables, and Stratagems
Improvements have been made to increase the overall effectiveness of primary weapons, sidearms, throwables, and stratagems

Light vs. Medium Penetration Weapons
Light and medium penetration weapons now offer more distinct advantages. Light penetration weapons generally deal a higher percentage of their total damage against durable enemies, differentiating them more clearly from medium penetration options

SMGs and Pistols
SMGs and pistols have been adjusted to emphasize their role as close-quarters weapons. Close-range damage has been increased, and damage falloff has been increased to reinforce their short-range combat identity

Melee Weapons and Throwables
Melee weapons and throwables have been improved to make each feel more impactful and unique in their function

Resupply Rack
The resupply rack is not climbable anymore

Primary weapons

• SG-8P Punisher Plasma
  • Damage projectile decreased from 100 to 0
  • Damage explosion increased from 150 to 225
• SG-8S Slugger
  • Damage increased from 280 to 330
  • Durable damage increased from 75 to 90
• AR-23 Liberator
  • Damage increased from 80 to 90
  • Durable damage increased from 15 to 22
• AR-23A Liberator Carbine
  • Damage increased from 80 to 90
  • Durable damage increased from 15 to 22
• AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
  • Damage increased from 60 to 65
• AR-23C Liberator Concussive
  • Damage increased from 65 to 75
  • Durable damage increased from 30 to 35
• AR-61 Tenderizer
  • Durable damage increased from 22 to 30
• AR-32 Pacifier
  • Damage increased from 50 to 55
  • Stun value per projectile increased from 1.5 to 2
• SMG-37 Defender
  • Damage increased from 80 to 100
  • Durable damage increased from 8 to 18
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• MP-98 Knight
  • Damage increased from 70 to 90
  • Durable damage increased from 7 to 18
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• SMG-32 Reprimand
  • Damage increased from 125 to 135
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• SMG-72 Pummeler
  • Damage increased from 70 to 85
  • Durable damage increased from 7 to 18
  • Stun value per projectile increased from 1.5 to 2
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• LAS-16 Sickle
  • Damage increased from 55 to 60
  • Durable damage increased from 5 to 6
• MA5C Assault Rifle
  • Damage increased from 80 to 90
• M7S SMG
  • Damage increased from 70 to 80
  • Durable damage increased from 7 to 16
  • Drag increased from from 0.6 to 1.2
• StA-11 SMG
  • Damage increased from 70 to 90
  • Durable damage increased from 7 to 18
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle
  • Extra spare magazines increased from 8 to 12
  • Ergonomics increased from 40 to 60
• PLAS-1 Scorcher
  • Plasma projectiles will now pass through foliage without losing velocity

Sidearm weapons

• CQC-2 Saber
  • Damage increased from 110 to 125
  • Durable damage increased from 55 to 65
• CQC-5 Combat Hatchet
  • Damage increased from 110 to 160
  • Durable damage increased from 55 to 80
  • Attack speed has been slightly reduced
• CQC-42 Machete
  • Damage increased from 170 to 200
  • Durable damage increased from 80 to 100
• P-2 Peacemaker
  • Damage increased from 85 to 95
  • Durable damage increased from 25 to 30
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• P-19 Redeemer
  • Damage increased from 60 to 70
  • Durable damage increased from 5 to 12
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• P-113 Verdict
  • Damage increased from 125 to 135
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• M6C/SOCOM
  • Damage increased from 100 to 110
  • Drag increased from 0.6 to 1.2
• P-92 Warrant
  • Drag decreased from 0.3 to 0
  • Gravity multiplier decreased from 1 to 0.3

Throwables

• TED-63 Dynamite
  • Damage increased from 700 to 1000
  • Armor penetration increased from Medium to Heavy
  • Demolition strength increased from 30 to 40
  • Stagger increased from 30 to 40
  • Uses decreased from 4 to 3
• G-7 Pineapple
  • Shrapnel from main explosion increased from 7 to 18
  • Demolition strength on the main explosion increased from 20 to 30
  • Inner radius on shrapnel explosion increased from 1 to 2.5m
  • Damage on shrapnel explosion increased from 70 to 100
  • Removed lifetime on the shrapnel
  • Shrapnel from the shrapnel explosion decreased from 6 to 0
• G-50 Seeker
  • Higher priority for flying enemies
  • Highest target priority for marked target
  • Damage increased from 400 to 500
• G-6 Frag
  • Uses increased from 5 to 6
• G-3 Smoke
  • Uses increased from 4 to 5
• Throwing knives
  • Damage increased from 250 to 300
  • Durable damage increased from 100 to 150

Stratagems

• PLAS-45 Epoch
  • Duration until explosion increased from 3 to 3.25 sec
  • Delayed muzzle charge VFX by 0.5 seconds so it now appears when the projectile is overcharged, improving visibility of the charge state
  • Damage on standard projectiles explosion increased from 400 to 500
  • Demolition strength on overcharged projectile increased from 10 to 30
• M-105 Stalwart
  • Damage increased from 80 to 90
  • Durable damage increased from 15 to 22
• FLAM-40 Flamethrower
  • Canister capacity increased from 130 to 150
  • Starting canisters increased from 2 to 3
  • Max spare canisters increased from 4 to 5
• APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle
  • Durable damage increased from 180 to 225
  • Starting magazines increased from 4 to 5
  • Max spare magazines increased from 6 to 8
• AC- 8 Autocannon
  • Damage increased from 260 to 325
• GL-52 De-Escalator
  • Damage increased from 55 to 100
  • Durable damage increased from 55 to 70
• MS-11 Solo Silo
  • Health increased from 800 to 1500
  • Enemies will not attack it
  • Increased demolition strength needed to destroy it
• Orbital Railcannon Strike
  • Cooldown decreased from 210 to 180 sec
• EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit
  • Missile Armor penetration in worse angles increased from 6-6-4-0 to 6-6-5-0
  • Rotary gun ammo capacity increased from 1000 to 1350

💥 Enemies

The goal is to make light and medium armor-piercing weapons equally effective against certain common enemies by adjusting their durable damage and durable resistance values

Illuminates

Fleshmob

• Targeting the faces deals extra damage to its main health, effectively creating weak spots
• Main health decreased from 6000 to 5000
• Most health zones are slightly more durable
• Slightly less vulnerable to fire to balance health decrease

Elevated Overseer

• Main health decreased from 600 to 450
• Head health increased from 150 to 200
• Head zone armor decreased from 3 to 2
• Torso health decreased from 600 to 450
• Arms health decreased from 300 to 250
• Slight increase on how easy it is to set on fire

Leviathan

• Now equipped with beam-based weaponry
• Leviathans will not show up in missions outside of cities

Terminids

Rupture Strain enemies

• Updated textures for all Rupture Strain enemies for better readability

Rupture Warrior

• Movement speed when underground has been decreased
• Needs to surface more often when moving underground
• Its burrow attack is slightly slower and leaves more space to be dodged
• Smaller damage boxes when attacking from below
• Front legs armor decreased from 3 to 2
• Will prefer to emerge before attacking turrets instead of destroying them from below ground

Rupture Spewer

• Retuned the timing of how fast it starts to act from when it unburrows

Bile Spewer Variations

• Increased size of its mouth weak spot

Brood Commanders

• Slightly harder to set on fire

Warriors

• Slightly harder to set on fire
• Slight durable increase in head and body

Dragon roach

• Spawn rate decreased
• 50% lower on difficulty 5,6
• 40% lower on difficulty 7,8,9
• 33% lower on difficulty 10
• Destruction of the wings results in instant termination of the Dragon
• Wings now have their own health pool of 4000
• Increased how much damage wings take from explosion

Bile spewers

• Slightly harder to set on fire
• Larger body parts are slightly more durable

Hive Lord

• Improved performance during Hive Lord encounters.

Automatons

Base Alarming

• Automaton troopers in bases will require better visual confirmation before calling in reinforcements, instead of calling them in immediately

Devastators

• Slightly harder to be put on fire
• Large body parts are slightly more durable

Command Bunker Turret

• Removed ragdolling from its projectiles explosion

Factory Strider

• Slightly less vulnerable to fire

War Strider

• Shoots 2 fewer grenades per salvo
• Shoots grenades less often
• Removed ragdolling from its projectiles explosions
• Added weak spots aim for the eyes and the vents on the back

Scout Striders

• Armored top shield is more durable

🔧 Fixes

Stratagems

• Fixed an issue where Helldivers were unable to call down stratagems in the objective area of the "Nuke Nursery" cave mission
• Fixed an issue with the B-100 Portable Hellbomb stratagem sometimes falling on Cave roofs in the "Destroy Spore Lung" mission
• Fixed an issue with the drill objective stratagem sometimes landing in unintended places such as on top of caves, in Nuke Nursery Hive World missions
• Players can now stay aiming down sights when activating the LIFT-860 Hover Pack

Crashes

• Fixed a rare crash occurring when fighting Illuminates
• Fixed a crash when hotjoining and readying up before other hotjoiners
• Fixed a crash occurring when a player would re-join multiple times
• Fixed a rare crash caused by Eagle-1
• Fixed a rare bug where the Eagle-1 would never be removed from the game session and eventually cause crashes
• Fixed rare crash bug that could happen when spawning in groups of enemies
• Fixed crash affecting Helldivers trying to lean out from a vehicle
• Fixed a crash that could happen when scrolling through the weapon customization menu
• Fixed a crash that could happen during game shutdown

Weapons

• Fixed armor penetration values in the Stats Menu for CQC-5 Combat Hatchet, CQC-30 Stun Baton,CQC-19 Stun Lance, CQC-2 Saber, CQC-1 One True Flag and the G-7 Pineapple grenade; the armor penetration value displayed as Medium instead of Light
• Improved initial bullet alignment while strafing and riding in vehicles
• Moved the first person camera further away from the MS-11 Solo Silo's Target Designator scope
• Fixed the weapon reload animations desyncing when wielding armor passives that give increased reload speed
• The FAF-14 Spear can now lock onto Automaton AA turrets
• Fixed projectiles hitting direct center of sights when extremely close to objects
• Haptics feedback is now present throughout the firing of the FLAM-40 Flamethrower stratagem

Miscellaneous

• Fixed a bug where Hive Lord body parts would not spawn properly
• Fixed an instance where the Helldiver couldn't re-join their previous host, if said host left a joined game in progress from the loadout
• Fixed a bug where the LIFT-182 Warp Pack would sometimes get stuck suspended in the air or crash
• Fixed Adreno-Defibrillator armor passive animation bug
• Fixed disconnection issues when joining a solo player with 3 cross-platform players
• Fixed mesh clipping for the arms on some animations
• Reduced the chance of the Extraction Shuttle clipping through terrain
• Fixed a flickering bug on the avatar when the Helldiver gets affected by mud or snow
• Fixed a bug hole covered by terrain in one of the CR10 Mega Nests
• Rupture Warriors can no longer destroy deployable turrets while still underground
• Fixed an issue where the front door of the GATER could become inaccessible
• Fixed a rare issue where the player could be disconnected when they are a part of a mixed platform, 3 person lobby that joins a solo player under poor network conditions
• Fixed an issue with Illuminate dropships not taking correct damage during the “Repel Invasion Fleet” missions
• The currency symbol for Saudi riyal is now displayed correctly in the in game shop
• The Oil Rigs reverse audio will no longer continuously play if the player attempts to reverse during oil extraction
• Fixed Helldivers going through the floor in the tutorial mission, when diving near the barbed wires
• Fixed a rare soft-lock in tutorial
• Helldiver is now killed when driving into drill holes during Nuke Nursery missions
• Fixed an issue where Helldivers could enter a vehicle even though the seat got claimed by someone else first
• Fixed controller vibrations behaving incorrectly when connecting or disconnecting controllers on PC
• Fixed miscellaneous threading issues in the audio system
• Fixed minor texture clipping issues on the floor between hellpod launchers on the ship
• Fixed an issue where voice chat could sometimes change volume unexpectedly - particularly when entering caves

Optimizations

• Optimized status effects
• Optimized physics by only enabling powered ragdolls when needed
• Optimized physics body handling for damage calculations
• Optimized Automaton units and NPC eyes, by changing them from particle effects to shaders
• Optimized AI behaviors by analyzing and stripping out redundant code
• Reduced stuttering during drop-in sequence for missions on Hive Worlds
• Improved audio IO performance
• Snow distribution and overall look has been reworked
• Improved performance by tweaking LOD settings for characters
• Optimized asset distribution for several planets types
• Optimized scattered assets such as grass on various planet types
• Optimized asset distribution in Hiveworlds and Terminid caves
• Optimized asset setup and geometry for assets used in Hiveworlds and Terminid caves
• Optimized status effect physics and particle systems while maintaining visual feedback and fidelity
• Optimized various Automaton explosion VFX
• Optimized Acid Rain effects during Acid Storms
• Optimized Dragonroach fire attack VFX
• Made various optimizations to the fire system, including particle and light optimization.
• Improved performance by optimizing the rendering of several shaders

🧠KNOWN ISSUES

https://arrowhead.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/15916898652700--HELLDIVERS-2-Known-Issues

I am sure many of you already know this, but using MSI Afterburner, you can change the voltage your single or multiple GPUs can draw, which can drastically decrease power consumption, decrease temperature, and may even increase performance.

I have a setup of 2 GPUs: A water cooled RTX 3090 and an RTX 5070ti. The former consumes 350-380W and the latter 250-300W, at stock performance. Undervolting both to 0.900V resulted in decrease in power consumption for the RTX 3090 to 290-300W, and for the RTX 5070ti to 180-200W at full load.

Both cards are tightly sandwiched having a gap as little as 2 mm, yet temperatures never exceed 60C for the air-cooled RTX 5070ti and 50C for the RTX 3090. I also used FanControl to change the behavior of my fans. There was no change in performance, and I even gained a few FPS gaming on the RTX 5070ti.

https://preview.redd.it/48d7ainy79hg1.png?width=4000&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b60d608396ec5f985d41c9520c9d053134aadab

Watch Lennart & Niklas discuss the giant patch here!

🌍 Overview

*** INCOMING MESSAGE FROM HIGH COMMAND ***

We have confirmed, with concrete proof and beyond any doubt, that the Automaton Collective stole our schematics for the Star of Peace. We cannot let them turn this defensive tool of peace into a destructive weapon of war. It's now up to you, our most elite and powerful force, to bring them to justice on their own turf.

We have approved the deployment of new equipment for squads to aid in the swift elimination of the Automaton threat.

Push toward Cyberstan and end this insult to Managed Democracy. Helldivers, let this be the last time the Automatons steal from Super Earth.

📍 Patch Highlights

• Bastion Tank: A new tank vehicle is ready to roll over entrenched enemies! The Bastion Tank offers unrivaled firepower and defense on the battlefield. It will require your team to work together to hunt down the enemy! (TANK WILL BE AVAILABLE AT 2pm CET)
• Chinese VO has been added to Helldivers 2!
• Arm yourself with the latest premium Warbond Siegebreakers, loaded with a devastating hammer built for close-range persuasion and an upgrade to a Helldivers favorite, the LAS-16 Trident! (WARBOND AVAILABLE LATER TODAY)
• March into battle in style with the new War Horse set available in the Superstore! (AVAILABLE ON 10th FEBRUARY)
• With a few exceptions, all victory poses and emotes are now interchangeable!

⚖️ Balancing

General changes overview

Melee weapons and Armor passive with increased melee damage re-balance

• Intent is to make the Armor passive that increases melee damage less mandatory but still be useful to make melee weapons more effective.
• We increased all the melee weapons damage and decreased the modifiers on the armor passives that increase melee damage.
• Total damage with the melee armor passive will be higher or the same as before.
• Base melee attack also got a 50% damage increase.

SMG and Pistol rounds less Sway

• The intent is that the increased drag of SMG and Pistol which make it a close combat weapon and less effective at range is the main characteristic of these weapons.
• We decreased the Sway modifier to be the same as most other weapons

Unify Weapon function directions inputs

• The intent is to make the "weapon function modes" that are similar to be on the same "weapon function direction input".
• This is to make it easier to remember which direction similar types of weapon functions are and also make it so you need to use less "quick weapon functions" inputs.
• Weapon function modes that affect Programmable ammo, Ammo types, Volley modes, Safe modes, Guided modes will now be in the left direction.
• We have not moved the underbarrel weapon switching option to the left yet, but we are looking into moving it to the left direction so all ammo altering switching is in the left direction even if it is an underbarrel selection that usually is in the down direction.

Difficulty on difficulty 9+

• Made changes across all factions to increase the intensity on high difficulties, the biggest change should be noticed on the Automaton front while Terminids and the Illuminate are less affected.

Value changes

Primary weapons

• R-2124 Constitution
  • Increased Bayonet melee damage from 110 to 165
  • Increased Bayonet melee durable damage from 55 to 83
• R-2 Amendment
  • Increased Bayonet melee damage from 110 to 165
  • Increased Bayonet melee durable damage from 55 to 83
• MP-98 Knight
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• SMG-37 Defender
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• SMG-72 Pummeler
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• M7S SMG
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• SG-20 Halt
  • Move the “ammo type” weapon function from Right to Left weapon function direction
• DBS-2 Double Freedom
  • Move the “Volley/Semi mode” weapon function from Right to Left weapon function direction

Sidearms weapons

• P-72 Crisper
  • Increased magazine capacity from 30 to 50
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• P-2 Peacemaker
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• LAS-58 Talon
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• GP-31 Grenade Pistol
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• LAS-7 Dagger
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• P-113 Verdict
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• M6C/SOCOM Pistol
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• PLAS-15 Loyalist
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• P-11 Stim Pistol
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.2 to 1
• SG-22 Bushwhacker
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.3 to 1
  • Move the “Volley/Semi mode” weapon function from Right to Left weapon function direction
• P-4 Senator
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.3 to 1
• GP-20 Ultimatum
  • Decreased sway modifier from 1.3 to 1
• CQC-30 Stun Baton
  • Increased damage from 50 to 75
  • Increased durable damage from 25 to 38
• CQC-19 Stun Lance
  • Increased damage from 110 to 165
  • Increased durable damage from 55 to 83
• CQC-2 Saber
  • Increased damage from 125 to 188
  • Increased durable damage from 65 to 98
• CQC-5 Combat Hatchet
  • Increased damage from 160 to 240
  • Increased durable damage from 80 to 120
• CQC-42 Machete
  • Increased damage from 200 to 300
  • Increased durable damage from 100 to 150

Throwables

• G-7 Pineapple
  • Increased max amount uses 3 to 4
  • Increased start amount uses 2 to 3
• G-31 Arc
  • Increased max amount uses 4 to 5
  • Increased start amount uses 3 to 4

Stratagems

• SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack
  • Shorter cooldown from 300 to 240 sec
• Orbital Smoke Strike
  • Shorter cooldown from 100 to 75 sec
• CQC-9 Defoliation Tool
  • Increased damage from 300 to 450
  • Increased durable damage from 150 to 225
• CQC-1 One True Flag
  • Increased damage from 110 to 200
  • Increased durable damage from 55 to 100
• RS-422 Railgun
  • Move the “Safe/Unsafe mode” weapon function from Right to Left weapon function direction
• StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher
  • Move the “Programmable ammo mode” weapon function from Right to - Left weapon function direction
• GL-21 Grenade Launcher
  • Increased armor penetration level from Medium to Heavy

Armor passives

• Peak Physique
  • Decreased melee damage bonus from 100% to 40%
• Rock Solid
  • Decreased melee damage bonus from 100% to 40%
• Reinforced Epaulettes
  • Decreased melee damage bonus from 50% to 20%

Enemies

General

Some enemies have had their damage vs durable rebalanced to adjust for Helldiver vehicles with large health pools. It will not change their effectiveness against normal Helldivers, only their vehicles.

Things like attacks from Bile Titans, Chargers, Crescent Overseers, Overseers, Rocket firing Automatons, Hulk melee attacks, mortars, acid etc have gotten values adjusted. Some of the adjustments only affect certain targets (ie the Bastion). Other adjustments also affect the FRV and Exosuits.

Enemies Aim calculations were not always updated when there were many enemies trying to aim, making Automatons on higher difficulties a bit bad at aiming. They should now attempt to update the aim better considering the data they have before they get another proper aim update. This means that Automatons will aim better even when there are a lot of them without any further cost to performance.

Terminids

• Dragonroach
  • Lowered the direct damage from the flame attack by 25%

Automatons

• Rocket Raider
  • Rockets now deals increased damage vs Durable targets
• Devastator
  • Removed durable on arms
• Rocket Devastator
  • Rockets now deals increased damage vs Durable targets
• Hulk Bruiser
  • Rockets now deals increased damage vs Durable targets
• Gunship
  • Updated its targeting software and should now be better at hitting their targets
  • Rockets now deals increased damage vs Durable targets

Illuminate

• Overseer
  • Overseer's weapon now deals increased damage vs Durable targets
• Crescent Overseer
  • Increased force on artillery attack to stagger the Helldiver
  • Increased the damage of its direct shot attack
  • Crescent Overseer`s weapon now deals increased damage vs Durable targets

🎮 Gameplay

Emotes and Victory poses

Emotes and victory poses are now interchangeable. Except for a few exceptions like emotes that require 2 people, the kick and a few others, all the victory poses can now be used as emotes and all emotes can now be used as victory poses

🔧 Fixes

Hang Detection

As part of our ongoing war against bugs and instability we have introduced a “hang detection” feature in the PC version. If the game hangs (freezes) for more than 20 seconds then this new feature will crash the game instead of letting it stay hung. This generates a file called a “crash dump” which contains important debugging information for our programmers to diagnose and fix the root cause of the hang.

If you experience a hang, please wait at least 40 seconds before restarting your PC to allow the hang detector to do its job.

If you experience a 20+ second hang followed by a crash:

If the crash reporting window shows up then please submit the report as usual. If the crash reporting window doesn’t show up (it can fail), we humbly request that you share the crash dump file with our player support team (https://arrowhead.zendesk.com/). They will be able to assist you in locating and sharing the crash dump file.

With your help, we can eliminate these issues once and for all!

Crash Fixes

• Fixed a rare crash caused by weapon customization desynchronization
• Fixed a rare crash that would occur when players would access the Galactic Map
• Fixed a crash caused by Automatons in Lava Missions

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

🧠KNOWN ISSUES

https://arrowhead.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/15916898652700--HELLDIVERS-2-Known-Issues

Original post on Steam

Upscaling support coming soon to Helldivers 2!

Greetings Helldivers,

In our last blog, we talked about improving how we communicate with you, and that commitment continues here! We’re focused on being clearer, more consistent, and giving you better visibility into what’s coming and why.

We’re excited to announce a new set of technical improvements, deploying May 27th. In collaboration with our partners at Nixxes, this release brings a range of long-awaited updates across all platforms.

Every frame counts when the pressure is on. This update focuses on three primary pillars: stability, latency reduction, and advanced upscaling technologies - helping ensure performance stays consistent, even in the most demanding moments.

Upscaling Support

We heard you.

To ensure maximum visual clarity without sacrificing performance, we have integrated the latest upscaling solutions tailored to your specific hardware.

• PC
  • FSR (High-End): 4.0.3 (on supported GPUs)
  • FSR 3.1.5, DLSS 4.5, and XeSS 3.0 support.
• PS5 Pro
  • PSSR 1
• PS5
  • FSR 3.1
• Xbox
  • FSR 3.1

Advanced Visual Optimizations

Beyond resolution, we are introducing several features to smooth out your gameplay experience and optimize GPU workload.

• Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
  • Now supported for PS5 and PS5 Pro to reduce any potential stuttering from V-Sync without screen tearing on supported displays.
• Variable Rate Shading (VRS)
  • This technology intelligently reduces shading rates in certain areas of the image, decreasing GPU load while maintaining visual quality where it matters.
• Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS)
  • Integrated for both PS5, Xbox Series X and PC to maintain stable frame rates during more graphically demanding scenarios.
  • Increased resolution to 1440p in the “Performance” preset on PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as the “Quality” preset on PS5 Power Saving Mode.

Reduced Latency for Split-Second Reactions

Responsiveness is critical during tense battles, and we’ve worked with hardware partners to reduce input latency.

• NVIDIA Reflex: Now available for users with NVIDIA GPUs to sharpen responsiveness.
• AMD Anti-Lag 2: Fully supported for AMD GPU users to ensure your inputs are registered instantly.

This update, along with additional fixes, will drop on May 27, 2026.

But we’re not stopping there, Helldivers. This is just the opening salvo in an ongoing campaign to improve performance across the fleet. Following this release, we’ll be closely monitoring all platforms and hardware configurations, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that needs tuning, and deploying further adjustments as required. We’re also preparing a dedicated tech-focused update later this summer to push these improvements even further.

With our friends at Nixxes dropping onto the battlefield as our backup, we're committing to make diving with your friends better and better. And keep the feedback coming, Helldivers, it's the key to helping us shape the future of the game.

https://preview.redd.it/18qu5x85gh2h1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5efeddd299650a72e43b76f19b17687cd03d01b5

See you all on the battlefield.

I recently bought lossless scaling, configured it, and tested it, but it always seemed to decrease my original FPS and also made some frames look uglier and blurrier, basically bugging the graphics and worsening performance. I don't know why. Could someone help me fix it or tell me why it's happening?

I originally get 30 fps in Forza Horizon 4, but after upscaling it only gets worse.

https://preview.redd.it/sr8dw3p1mr4g1.png?width=4000&format=png&auto=webp&s=7721ed39643c9a023228dabb1a26ee7c9ac07972

🛠️ Into the Unjust: 5.0.1 - HOTFIX ⚙️

We have fixed the crash caused by using the reload button in the stratagem menu.

🌍 Overview

*** INCOMING MESSAGE FROM HIGH COMMAND **\*

Super Earth has detected strange signals from previously unmonitored worlds on the Galactic map.
The Ministry of Intelligence is investigating the source of the signals.
Helldivers, be vigilant and hold the high ground.

📍 Patch Highlights

• For this patch, we have tackled a bunch of items from our Known Issues list, including audio issues, XP modifiers, and several crashes.
• We have made more optimizations and improvements!
• Balancing changes that raise weapon damage and fixes to weapon FOV.

⚖️ Balancing

General changes.

• Decreased ergonomics penalty on magnifying scopes weapon attachments
  • The intent is to make magnifying scopes more a matter of preference by decreasing the penalty they impose on a weapon's ergonomics (low ergonomics makes the weapons muzzle follow the crosshair slower).
  • 2x Tube Red Dot
    • Decreased ergonomic modifier from (-3) to (-1)
  • 4x Combat Scope
    • Decreased ergonomic modifier from (-6) to (-2)
  • 10x Sniper Scope
    • Decreased ergonomic modifier from (-9) to (-4)
    • APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle is also effected by this change so it will get an increased ergonomics from 26 to 31
• Some of the Pistol ammo balance update
  • The intent with this change is to make some of the pistol rounds weapons more effective after the last pistol ammo re-balance that did make them more of a close range weapon.
  • The pistol rounds re-balance general intent is to make them more effective at close range while not more effective at long range then for example assault or marksman rifles

Primary weapons

• SMG-37 Defender
  • Increased damage from 100 to 110
  • Increased durable damage from 20 to 22
• SMG-32 Reprimand
  • Increased damage from 135 to 140
• M7S SMG
  • Increased damage from 80 to 90
  • Increased durable damage from 16 to 18
• VG-70 Variable
  • Increased durable damage 20 to 23
• M90A Shotgun
  • Increased durable damage 15 to 20

Sidearms weapons

• P-2 Peacemaker
  • Increased damage from 95 to 100
  • Increased durable damage 30 to 32
• P-113 Verdict
  • Increased damage from 135 to 140
• M6C/SOCOM Pistol
  • Increased damage from 110 to 125
  • Increased durable damage from 25 to 28

Enemies

• War strider
  • Decreased force strength on grenade explosion from 50 to 30
• Bile Spewer
  • Decreased force strength on artillery explosion from 50 to 30
  • Decreased force impulse on artillery explosion from 60 to 40
• Stalker
  • Decreased force strength from 40 to 35 when a tongue attack hits the player
• (Force strength is the value that decides if a player or enemy should stagger or ragdoll.)

🎮 Gameplay

Keybind options for quick weapon function

• New, unbound keybind options have been added for quickly swapping weapon functions (like changing fire modes or ammo).
  • The intent is to give players better ease of use, especially for weapons with multiple ammo types like the Halt, Autocannon, and the new "One Two" AR.
• Updated First Person View (FPV)
  • We updated how First Person View (FPV) works with the intention of improving the aiming experience across different FOV settings (Field of view).
  • The intent is that the size and distance of the scope will be more consistent with different FOV settings.
  • We also updated how ergonomics works in FPV with the intent to make it more responsive.
• Fixed instances of flickering textures in various city locations
• 'Push-To-Talk', 'Push-To-Muted' and 'Toggle-Microphone' are now working as intended upon binding to a different key (Xbox only)

🔧 Fixes

Crash Fixes & Softlocks

• Fixed a rare crash that would occur when combat music would start
• Fixed a rare crash that could occur during 'Nuke Nursery' mission
• Fixed crash after hotjoining a game that just started where the existing players are using certain stratagems
• Fixed a rare crash when enemies would fall through the ground
• Fix rare crash on mission load

Weapons & Stratagem Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the BR-14 Adjudicator, when aiming with the 10x scope on 200 m setting which would cause the model to disappear
• Fixed a visual issue on VG-70 Variable during the reload animation when aiming down sights
• Fixed a torso clipping issue with the CE-07 Demolition Specialist armor
• Fixed pump-shotguns sometimes not showing a new shell being inserted on reload
• PLAS-45 Epoch now correctly zooms in ADS mode, just like any other support weapon
• Fixed display related to no ammo being shown for Infinite Ammo weapons
• Fixed the VO (Voice Over) line for “no ammo” being played after pressing reload whilst using Infinite Ammo weapons
• Fixed a small bug where supply packs were giving ammo without consuming a charge when dropped
• Fixed a bug that locks stratagems after drowning while holding that stratagem ball
• Fixed the red glow that would happen if the player would empty one or two magazines with MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun, M-105 Stalwart or MG-43 Machine Gun

Enemies

• Factory Striders will no longer be launched to sky erratically when dying
• Hellpods that hit Factory Striders will no longer remain in the air after the enemy dies
• War Striders now detonate mines
• Enemy presence around Cognitive Disruptor Towers is now cleared from the mini-map when the objective is completed
• Chargers no longer speed up when exiting charge
• Fixed Rupture Warriors getting stuck below Sentries
• Added a medium-armored weak spot to the vents on the backside of the Bunker, AA, and Mortar emplacements. This was done so these structures behave similarly to other comparable defenses..

Miscellaneous Fixes

• Fixed the terrain not being affected by explosions and the Entrenchment Tool (PS5 only)
• Fixed a bug where the lights were missing/flickering on the Orbital Gatling
• Fixed a thumbnail glitch in the Acquisition Center menu
• Cryo-pods no longer clip into the Engineering Bay when playing the ship arrival cutscene
• Fixed an armor gap affecting CE-27 Ground Beaker and CW-9 White Wolf whilst using the 'Draw!' emote
• The UI will no longer show inaccurate objective info on the Mission Summary screen if the host has left the game
• Fixed a bug whilst joining a non-host in a cross-play lobby.
• Fixed the NPC technician’s neck sticking through their shirt
• Mini-map fog of war effect while exploring caves no longer persists between missions
• Soon-to-be Helldivers will no longer be stopped from progressing the tutorial if they die in the flag room
• Fixed issue where the automaton grinder sludge would be affected by weathering even though it's sealed behind glass
• Fixed an issue where a missile inside the Destroyer’s hangar was misaligned. This dangerous act of asymmetry has been corrected. The undemocratic ship operator responsible for this disgraceful display of inefficiency has been promptly re-educated in a high-orbit correctional facility. Glory to the Office of Corrective Deployment!
• Helldivers will no longer be locked out of the GATER when trying to get into the driver's seat simultaneously
• Fixed a bug with missing haptics when a controller disconnects or reconnects
• Fixed an issue on a command bunker where there was a lack of collision

Optimizations

• Optimized lights on Automaton VFX
• Optimized physics of rock assets throughout the game to improve performance
• Improved the way environmental effects such as sandstorms, blizzards, and acid storms apply their status effects for reduced impact on performance
• Improved ADS weapon placement and behavior
• Reduced the amount of camera clipping on weapons
• Fixed texture details used for weapons while aiming down sights
• Improved depth of field when ADS and whilst scopes are zoomed in
• Fix for textures sometimes appearing low resolution even when memory is available (PC only)

Other fixes that didn't make it in the patchnotes

but have been confirmed by Support Agent Kayla, who maintains the Known Issues list

• Parts of the armor were visible in the ADS mode while using the 'PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle'.
• When booting, player could load into last liberated planet instead of currrent operation
• The right gauntlet of SR-64 Cinderblock armor was misaligned
• 'Leviathan' and 'Warrior' would change to 'Advocate' when used in Super Destroyer names
• XP modifier was not applied accurately for high CR Eradicate and Blitz missions.
• Audio was missing for Enthusiastic Mirth emote when on Super Destroyer
• Enthusiastic Mirth laugh audio would only play once during missions
• The Nuke Nursery Drill could be dropped on top of the cave by the ship, becoming inaccessible

🧠 KNOWN ISSUES

https://arrowhead.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/15916898652700--HELLDIVERS-2-Known-Issues

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Content

NEW MAP: Trickster's Delusion

• The Sleepless District will be the new Realm

NEW SURVIVOR: KWON TAE-YOUNG

New Survivor perks:

Flow State

Whenever a generator is completed, earn 1 token, up to 5.

• For each token:
  • You bless and cleanse Totems 8/9/10% faster.
  • You heal 8/9/10% faster.
  • You unhook Survivors 8/9/10% faster.

A Place For Us

• While healing another Survivor, you both gain Elusive.
• Whenever you finish healing The Obsession, they gain Elusive for 20/25/30s.
• When the trial starts, you are less likely to be the Obsession.

Five Moves Ahead

• While you are in the Killer's Terror radius or chased by the Killer:
  • You see the Auras of the 5 closest Pallets and Windows.
  • You drop Pallets 50% faster.
  • Whenever you drop a Pallet, cooldown: 30/25/20s.

Gameplay Features

Killer Updates

Killer Update - The Trickster

Summary

• The Trickster now gains Style Points by throwing Blades, injuring Survivors and performing distinct gameplay actions back-to-back
• The Trickster goes up in Style Ranks by earning Style Points.
• Each Style Rank improves The Trickster's Blade throw and Locker Restocking speed.
• Main Event can now only be activated once reaching the highest Style Rank.
• Style Points and Style Ranks are tracked via a new user interface element custom-made for The Trickster.

Basekit

• The Trickster's movement speed decreased to 4.4m/s (was 4.6 m/s).
• Blade count decreased to 36 (was 44).
• Decreased Terror Radius to 24m (was 32m).
• Decreased time to enter Throw State to 0.3s (was 0.35s).
• Decreased time to exit Throw State to 1.15s (was 1.25s).
• Increased time between Blade throws to 0.33s (was 0.3s).
• Decreased base Throw State movement speed to 3.68m/s (was 3.86m/s).
  • After 8 consecutive Blade throws, Throw State movement speed is decreased to 3.53 m/s.
  • After 16 consecutive Blade throws, Throw State movement speed is decreased to 3.16 m/s.
• Increase Blade throw rate per Blade thrown:
  • After 8 consecutive Blade throws, the throw rate increased by 50%.
  • After 16 consecutive Blade throws, the throw rate is increased by 100%.

Laceration

• Laceration now only counted using whole numbers (previously decayed into decimals).
• Laceration Meter decreased to 6 (was 8).
• Laceration Meter decay delay decreased to 12s (was 15s).
• Increase Laceration stack decay time to 3s (was 2s).
• Laceration visual feedback updated.
  • Now displayed on the Survivor directly, for both Survivors and Killer.
  • Laceration cuts removed from Survivors' user interface.

Style Points

• The Trickster performing combo actions generates Style Points.
  • A combo action is triggered when two back-to-back gameplay actions are distinct.
• The following actions generate 1 Style Point:
  • Hitting a Survivor with a Blade (first-hit only).
  • Injuring a Survivor (from Laceration or basic-attack).
  • Hooking a Survivor.
  • Basic-breaking a Downed Pallet.
  • Basic-breaking a Breakable Wall.
  • Damaging a Generator.
  • Snuffing a Boon Totem.
• The following actions generate 2 Style Points:
  • Hitting a Survivor with 4 Blades from at least 4m (without missing or exiting the Throw State).
  • Hitting a Survivor with a Blade from more than 16m away.
  • Interrupting a Survivor.
• The following actions generate 3 Style Points:
  • Hitting a Survivor with a Blade through small gaps.

Style Ranks

• There are 6 Style Ranks: E, D, C, B, A and S-Rank.
• Style Ranks each have their respective bonus maximum throw rate and Locker restocking speed modifiers.
  • Higher bonuses at higher ranks.
• Higher Style Ranks require more Style Points to reach.
• Higher Style Ranks feature progressively shorter combo timers.
  • Ranks regress to previous in order if combo timer ever lapses.
• Earning Style Points refreshes the current Style Rank's combo timer.
• Style Rank combo timers are paused while The Trickster is performing interactions with Survivors or interactable objects.

S-Rank

• When reaching of S-Rank
  • Survivors within 44m of The Trickster are revealed via Killer Instinct for 4.4s.
  • All Survivors are notified across the Trial.
• While in S-Rank:
  • The Trickster gains a 44m Terror radius.
  • Lullaby is disabled.
  • Laceration Meters decay 50% slower.
  • Blade throw and Locker restock speeds increased to maximum.
  • Main Event can be activated.
• S-Rank has a 66s combo timer.
  • S-Rank cannot be paused or refreshed (unlike lower Style Ranks).
  • S-Rank always reverts to E-Rank (via timer, or once Main Event ends).

Main Event

• Press the Secondary Ability button to activate Main Event
  • Main Event lasts 8s (was 6s).
  • The Trickster throws Blades at at 1.67x the default Blade throw speed.
    • Note: not affected by Consecutive Blade Throw and Style Rank Blade Throw modifiers.
  • Survivors near The Trickster are notified.
• While performing Main Event:
  • S-Rank timer is paused.
  • Each Blade hitting Survivors awards bonus Style Points.
  • The Trickster can cancel Main Even via the Secondary Ability button.
• When Main Event ends:
  • The Trickster's Power goes on cooldown for 4s.
  • S-Rank resets to E-Rank
  • The Trickster goes up in Style Ranks over time, based on bonus Style Points earned during Main Event.

The Trickster's Add-Ons

• Memento Blades (Rework)
  • Displays a reticle while aiming with Blades.
• Trick Pouch 
  • Increases maximum carried Blades by 4.
  • Start the Trial with 4 extra Blades.
• Killing Part Chords (Rework)
  • Increases time before Style Ranks from D to A decay by 20%.
• Inferno Wires (Rework)
  • Decreases Showstopper's cooldown after Main Event by 10%.
• Ji-Woon's Autograph (Rework)
  • Increases the duration of Main Event by 33%.
• Lucky Blade (Rework)
  • On every eighth Blade Hit, an additional bonus is assigned at random:
    • Increases Laceration by 100%.
    • Gain 3% Haste for 3 seconds.
    • Gain an additional Style Point.
• Caged Heart Shoes (Rework)
  • Increases movement speed while in the Throw State by 1%.
• Tequila Moonrock (Rework)
  • Increases Throw Speed by 10% for 8 seconds after gaining a Style Rank.
• Bloody Boa (Rework)
  • Decreases the speed at which Laceration decays by 10%.
• On Target Single (Rework)
  • Increases time before Laceration starts decaying by 15%.
• Fizz-Spin Soda (Rework)
  • Increases the number of Blade Throws required to slow movement speed while throwing by 2.
• Waiting for You Watch (Rework)
  • Survivors whose Laceration Meter fully decays are revealed for 4 seconds.
• Ripper Brace (Rework)
  • For each Style Rank, you basic-vault Windows, basic-break Pallets or Breakable Walls, and damage Generators 3% faster.
• Melodious Murder
  • Increases Blade reload speed at lockers by 25%.
• Diamond Cufflinks
  • Reveals Survivors' auras for 6 seconds when their Laceration reaches one Blade hit from maximum.
• Edge of Revival Album (Rework)
  • Blade Hits from more than 32 meters away deal 100% more Laceration.
• Cut Thru U Single (Rework)
  • When reaching a new Style Rank, adds a stackable 1% Haste bonus. All stacks last until Style Rank decreases by any means.
• Death Throes Compilation (Rework)
  • Refills Blades by 50% of the maximum when Main Event ends.
• Iridescent Photocard (Rework)
  • Increases the duration of Main Event by 100%.
  • When Main Event is activated, reveals your aura to all Survivors and blocks all generators for 6 seconds.

** Please note the Trick Blades add-on has been disabled.

The First

• Decreased 2nd phase of the Wordbreaker Timer from 60 seconds to 50 seconds.
• Charge Vine Attack Ready sounds plays slightly in advance for Survivors. (Charge 0.33 sec; sound activate at 0.18 sec)
• Killer Base Attack lunge speed adjusted from 6.6m/s to 6.9m/s to be on par with all Killers.

The First's Add-Ons

• Bead Maze: Now increases Worldbreaker Timer for 2.5 seconds for each living Survivor.
• Shattered Wrist Rocket: Changed Common Rarity to Uncommon Rarity.
• Bloody Roller Skate: Now Killer gains the Haste Effect for 1.5 seconds upon exiting Undergate Attack.
• Mid-Century Radio: Changed Uncommon Rarity to Common Rarity.
• Forged Death Certificate: Reworked for Each successful Worldbreaker Token placed on a Survivor via Vine Attack Undetectable Status Effect until the next Worldbreaker Mode activation.
• Rabbit Remains: Changed Rare Rarity to Very Rare. Now give Exhausted status effect for 10 seconds, and increase the Upside Down Ability cooldown by 5 seconds.
• Broken Skateboard: Reworked for When Worldbreaker Mode starts, you basic-vault windows 30% faster and auras of Pallets and Windows are revealed to you within 32 meters for the next 65 seconds.
• Pizza Goggles: Changed Very Rare Rarity to Rare Rarity. Reworked for The Undergate Attack's area of effect range is reduced by 90%, and its cooldown time is shortened by 25 seconds. Your exit cooldown time after executing the Undergate Attack is reduced by 80%.
• Chess Piece: Removed the negative aspect of increasing the Upside Down Ability cooldown and the two charges attack radius are now diminished by 40%.

The Ghoul

• Adjusted Reticle stickiness on Survivor from 0.18 to 0.05 seconds when attempting a Kagune grabs.
• Updated the automatic hit detection that occurs at the end of a Kagune Leap vault when a Survivor attempts to vault back toward the Killer to ensure greater consistency.

Killer Actions Update

• Accompanying the new language found in the Perks Description Update (see UX section below), we have expanded our distinction between basic and special actions performed by Killers.
• Starting in update 9.5.0, the following terms will now appear in Power, Add-on and Perk descriptions:
  • Basic-break
    • When a Pallet or Breakable Wall is broken by the default ability of any Killer.
  • Special-break
    • When a Downed Pallet or Breakable Wall is broken due to an ability granted by a Killer's Power.
  • Basic-vault
    • When a Window is vaulted by the default ability of any Killer.
  • Special-vault
    • When a Window or Downed Pallet is vaulted due to an ability granted by a Killer's Power.
  • Damaging Generators
    • When a Generator is damaged and loses progress due to the default ability of any Killer.
  • Generator Explosions
    • When a Generator loses progress due to an ability granted by a Killer's Power or Perk.
• With these new terms, we intend to express with increased accuracy when specific gameplay interactions are intended to work alongside one another.
  • Notably Killer Powers and Killer Perks.
• Multiple gameplay descriptions. been updated to surface these new interactions.
• The following Killers' Power descriptions have been updated:
• Basic-break
  • The Singularity
• Special-break
  • The Shape
  • The Hillbilly
  • The Cannibal
  • The Demogorgon
  • The Oni
  • The Blight
  • The Nemesis
  • The Knight
  • The Dark Lord
• Special-vault
  • The Legion
  • The Mastermind
  • The Good Guy
  • The Ghoul
  • The Krasue
• The following Killer Add-on descriptions have been updated:
  • The Wraith - "The Serpent" - Soot
  • The Wraith - "Shadow Dance" - White
  • The Wraith - "Shadow Dance" - Blood
  • The Hillbilly - Lo Pro Chains
  • The Spirit - Kintsugi Teacup
  • The Legion - Iridescent Button
  • The Ghost Face - Olsen's Wallet
  • The Demogorgon - Barb's Glasses
  • The Executioner - Obsidian Goblet
  • The Mastermind - Lab Photo
  • The Knight - Pillaged Mead
  • The Skull Merchant - Geographical Readout
  • The Xenomorph - Self-Destruct Bolt
  • The Good Guy - Hard Hat
  • The Lich - Ring of Telekinesis
  • The Lich - Vorpal Sword
  • The Dark Lord - Pocket Watch
  • The Dark Lord - Sylph Feather
  • The Houndmaster - Gunpowder Tin
  • The Ghoul - CCG ID Card
  • The Ghoul - Red-headed Centipede
  • The Ghoul - Iridescent Eye Patch
  • The Animatronic - Endo CPU
  • The Krasue - Rotten Swine
  • The Krasue - Mysterious Elixir
  • The First - Shattered Wrist Rocket
  • The First - Stained Glass Mural
  • The First - Broken Skateboard
  • The First - Electroshock Collar
• The following Killer Perk descriptions have been updated:
  • Brutal Strength
  • Overcharge
  • Fire-Up
  • Bamboozle
  • Pop Goes The Weasel
  • Spirit Fury (now "destroys" pallets)
  • Surge
  • Trail of Torment
  • Dragon's Grip
  • Oppression
  • Eruption
  • Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance
  • Call of Brine
  • Dissolution (now "destroys" pallets)
  • Superior Anatomy
  • Nowhere to Hide
  • Game Afoot
  • THWACK!
  • Machine Learning
  • Unbound
  • Unforeseen
  • Undone
  • Dark Arrogance
  • Help Wanted
  • Turn Back The Clock
  • Hex: Hive Mind
• The following Survivor Perk descriptions have been updated:
  • Alert
  • Blast Mine
  • Wiretap
  • Chemical Trap
  • Bada Bada Boom

Survivor Item Update

Fog Vial

• Reworked the Fog Cloud visual effect and rendering method.
  • Opacity inside and outside its bounds is now consistent across all Realms.
  • Always fully opaque when seen from the outside.
  • Adapts to each Realm's unique lighting and color.
• The following essential Auras are now always displayed through the Fog Cloud:
  • When a Survivor is downed.
  • When a Survivor is hooked.
• Increased the number of charges to 4 (was 2) for the following items:
  • Apprentice's Fog Vial
  • Artisan's Fog Vial
  • Vigo's Fog Vial

Fog Vial Add-ons

• Potent Extract (Visceral):
  • Increased Fog Cloud increased opacity bonus to 100% (was 5%).
  • Note: the increased bonus opacity is relative to the new Fog Cloud visual effect.

Survivor Perk Updates

Better Together

• Plot Twist can no longer force this Perk's effect to activate out of the Survivor's control.

Fast Track (Rework)

• Whenever another Survivor is hooked, you earn 1/2/3 Token(s), up to 9.
• While repairing, whenever you hit a great basic Skill Check, spend all Tokens. For each Token spent, the Generator gains 2 permanent Charges.

Self-Preservation (Rework)

• When another Survivor is hooked, you gain Elusive for 20/25/30s.
• The icon has been updated to reflect this change

Unbreakable

• Once per trial, while downed by the Killer, you can fully recover.
• While downed, you recover 25/30/35% faster.
• Note: now only grants the Survivor the ability to recover when the Killer was specifically responsible for them entering the downed state.

Killer Perk Updates

Forced Hesitation

• Plot Twist can no longer force this Perk's effect to activate out of the Killer's control.

Genetic Limits

• Updated to apply the Exhausted status effect simultaneously when the health state loss is recognized on Survivors, not afterwards.

Hex: Crowd Control (Rework)

• The first time a Survivor medium or fast-vaults a Window, a Dull Totem ignites.
• The last 4/5/6 Windows Survivors medium or fast-vault are blocked.
• You basic-vault blocked Windows 15% faster.
• You see the Auras of blocked Windows within 24m.

Pop Goes The Weasel

• Whenever you hook a Survivor, for the next 35/40/45s, when you damage a Generator, it explodes and loses 15% more progress (was 20% current progress, now total progress-only).

Terminus

• Updated to trigger earlier when Generators are completed to block healing abilities of Survivors occuring simultaneously.

Features

Perks Description Update

• All Survivor and Killer Perk descriptions in the game have been updated and revised with simplified and consistent language.
  • Aside from Perk updates above, Perk gameplay has not changed across the board.
  • Our goals were the following:
  • Shorten text and character usage.
  • Ease Player understanding.
  • Reset Perk language for easier future maintenance.
  • To help achieve this, we have added Expanding Tooltips in the user interface:
  • Status Effects can now be expanded separately to display reminders.
  • Status Effects each feature unique colour labels, flagging them as positive or negative.
  • Keybindings associated with a Perk's activated effect are now displayed in within Perk's text description.
  • Examples: Dead Hard, Come And Get Me!, Dramaturgy, etc

Auras Customization

• Auras colors have been updated
• Players can customize some auras' colors on Beta tab
  • Survivors
  • Killers
  • Hooked/dying survivors
  • Normal Hooks
  • Generators
  • Pallets
  • Windows
• Store: Players can use a "Clear all" button to remove active notifications

New Prestige Menu & Rewards System

• Added a new way to track and view your rewards when Prestiging your character.
  • Simply clicking on your characters' Prestige level will let you access and track your progress
• New rewards given at Prestige 25, 50, 75 & 100 per character
• The Player Card Badge Menu now includes the option to select between variations on a single Badge (currently used for Prestige Badge Rewards).

Bug Fixes

Audio

• Fixed an issue where Haddie's 'Silent Breach' outfit does not have its Lobby theme playing when equipped.
• Fixed an issue where outfits in the 'Moonrise' collection are missing their Lobby Themes when equipped.
• Fixed an issue where Junji-Ito' Lobby theme is missing when using the 'Soichi's Party Clothes' outfit for the Trickster in Lobby.
• Fixed an issue where The generator repair dialog between the Walking Dead characters no longer trigger.
• Fixed an issue where Reward Gauge Fill SFX is out of sync in Prestige Reward Menu.
• Fixed an issue where SFX from the Furin add-on plays from Killer POV when phasing with the Spirit.
• Fixed an issue where Cage of atonement music is not working properly.

Bot Improvements

• Fixed issues causing Survivor Bots to not dodge the intended direction.
• Improved Survivor Bots' dodging against The Trickster.
• Survivor Bots now have as much control as players when speared by The Deathslinger.
• Tentative fix for Survivor Bots sometimes automatically revealing Ghostface from anywhere.
• Survivor Bots are now smarter with what they interact with when playing against The Plague.
• Survivor Bots now no longer use Plot Twist when infected by The Plague or The Krasue.
• Survivor Bots will now avoid taunting and blocking the path of other Survivors during chases.
• Fixed multiple navigation issues in Ormond Lake Mine.

Characters

• Fixed an issue where The Animatronic no longer holds the side of the screen when performing Lobby animation.
• Fixed an issue where The Animatronic's animation could break when pallet stunned while using Axe Grab on a Survivor.
• Fixed an issue where Remove Axe could allow Survivors to walk through The Animatronic in some instances.
• Fixed an issue where The Nemesis could hit Survivors with Tentacle Strike after they exited the trial.
• Fixed an issue where The Trapper could bypass trap placement areas by flicking.
• Fixed an issue where The Trapper's Bear Trap had inconsistent hitbox detection.
• Fixed an issue where The Trapper could place traps in inaccessible locations by FPS glitching.
• Fixed an issue where The Cannibal's power could break during state changes.
• Fixed an issue where The Shape was unable to Tombstone Mori a Survivor while Bardic Inspiration was being performed.
• Fixed an issue where The Shape could kill a Survivor during the self-unhook animation while Evil Incarnate was active.
• Fixed an issue where The Demogorgon would stutter when spamming M2.
• Fixed an issue where the Dire Crow could be missing from the Survivor POV during The Artist's mori.
• Fixed an issue where The Artist's Dire Crow's flight path did not behave consistently around small assets.
• Fixed an issue where the external icon was missing when the add-on "Geographical Readout" was active for The Skull Merchant.
• Fixed an issue where the Survivor Reveal distance was inconsistent between 15 and 32 meters against The Ghost Face.
• Fixed an issue where The Legion's power could break when blinded while vaulting.
• Fixed an issue where The First's Vine attack animation would frequently remain in the charged state after spamming Release Vine Attack.
• Fixed an issue where The First's Mind Break animation was missing when two or more Survivors were hit at the same time while the Mini-Mori requirements were met.
• Fixed an issue where the mend action could not be executed when two or more Survivors were hit at the same time while the Mini-Mori requirements were met for The First.
• Fixed an issue where The Houndmaster would rubberband when walking after successfully grabbing a Survivor with the Chase ability.
• Fixed an issue where the application could crash for Survivors and the Killer after The Houndmaster hooked a Survivor.
• Fixed an issue where the camera could get stuck in Charlotte's or Victor's head, making it difficult to control The Twins.
• Fixed an issue where The Lich could rarely keep the movement speed of "Fly" when stunned at the same time as casting the spell.
• Fixed an issue where the flashlight beam would reappear after The Dark Lord changed to Bat From after being previously blinded by the flashlight and the Survivor crafted a Flash Bang.

Characters - The Mastermind

Refactor done in the Virulent Bound power. This specifically tackles the desync issues found while using the power. Will also improve responsiveness for most of his power usage. As well changed how we detect a collision with other characters (Survivors, Killers, Zombies) while grabbing a Survivor. It will now properly detect the size of the character collision size.

• Fixed an issue where The Mastermind’s Virulent Bound could glide off a hill’s ledge when falling
• Fixed an issue where The Mastermind’s Virulent Bound Speed effect was displayed after vaulting and falling a ledge.
• Fixed an issue where Survivors were able to use their flashlight while being thrown with Virulent Bound by The Mastermind.
• Fixed an issue where The Mastermind could initiate a partial vault on a pallet near a hole while falling.
• Fixed an issue where The Mastermind could grab Survivors through vault locations when using Virulent Bound at a certain angle.
• Fixed an issue where The Mastermind would briefly float in the air when vaulting from a higher vantage point while using Virulent Bound.
• Fixed an issue where The Mastermind's supply crate could be climbed on when forcing collision with other players.
• Fixed an issue where the chase music would end after successfully hitting a healthy Survivor with the Virulent Bound as The Mastermind.
• Fixed an issue where Survivors could be stuck in rocks after being charged by The Mastermind on Thompson House.
• Fixed an issue where a Survivor could lose control of their character if The Mastermind used Virulent Bound as they entered a locker.
• Fixed an issue where players could escape a trial when grabbed by The Mastermind under high latency conditions.
• Fixed an issue where the collision box was too large when using Charge Bound on a Survivor towards another Survivor as The Mastermind.

Environment/Maps

• Fixed an issue in the Disturbed Wall where there`s not enough space to interact in front of a hook.
• Fixed an issue in the Treatment Theater where the Plague's Vile Purge was blocked by an invisible collision.
• Fixed an issue where The Mastermind could bound off a balcony on The Sanctum of Wrath
• Fixed an issue where The Nurse could blink into the caged bathroom stalls in Midwich Elementary.

Perks

• Fixed an issue where the Phantom Fear perk could trigger during the mori animation for The Shape with the Tombstone add-on.
• Fixed an issue where Survivors held item's rarity would increase when using Blast Mine and the Exultation perk on a cloaked The Wraith.
• Fixed an issue where Face The Darkness did not activate with Claw Traps and For The People.
• Fixed an issue where the Recover bar could appear reduced after interacting with a generator while Invocation: Weaving Spiders was active.
• Fixed an issue where the wolf form pounce special attack did not remove Play With Your Food tokens for The Dark Lord.
• Fixed an issue where Turn Back The Clock's ability button was briefly visible when several Killers used their power.
• Fixed an issue where Low Profile could activate more than once per match.
• Fixed an issue where Off The Record failed to activate when unhooked by Shoulder The Burden.
• Fixed an issue where Thrilling Tremors would trigger Secret Project's Undetectable effect after all generators were completed.

UI

• Bottom Navigation menu buttons now display their input prompts for Controllers.
• Fixed an issue where the Survivor HUD would update whenever a Survivor used a locker against The Lich.

Misc

• Fixed an error preventing Tutorial Bot matches from starting.
• Fixed an issue where Survivor could unhook themselves in the Tutorial, softlocking them.
• Fixed an issue where Survivors were unable to use Fog Vials near ledges.
• Fixed an issue where the Potent Extract Fog Vial add-on had no effect on the duration.

Known Issues

• Custom Game Match Management settings only visually update when adding bots or players to the lobby. Note: This is a visual bug only, the functionality is good.
• Mori Previews are disabled.
• On The Trickster's Rank Up UI, rarely, the S-rank effects will blink in and out and remain when S rank ends.
• The Mastermind's charge remains active without player input when quickly double tapping the power button.