Helldivers 2 Patch 01.007.202 Hits PS5, PC and Xbox: AMW-20 Apex Sniper Buffs and Corrected Bushwhacker Damage
Nine days after rolling out the major 01.007.200 update alongside the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond, Arrowhead Game Studios has deployed hotfix 01.007.202 (officially titled Devoid of Liberty: 7.2.2) for Helldivers 2 across PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S on Thursday, October 29, 2026. This targeted patch delivers crucial long-range and demolition buffs to the AMW-20 Apex heavy rifle, fixes misleading armory stats for the LAS-44 Nova, corrects a damage calculation error on the SG-22 Bushwhacker, and resolves several lingering crashes.
AMW-20 Apex Gets Better Sniper Range and 30 Demolition Strength
Introduced as the heavy-hitting centerpiece of the Scope of Authority Warbond on October 20, the AMW-20 Apex is a backpack-fed anti-materiel sniper rifle featuring assisted reload. Despite its raw stopping power, players quickly noticed two frustrating limitations in live missions: its demolition rating prevented it from breaking environmental structures that lighter support weapons could easily shatter, and its oversized caliber caused severe damage dropoff at long range.
In update 01.007.202, Arrowhead addresses every aspect of the weapon's field performance:
- Caliber reduced from 60 to 20: Lowering the internal caliber figure significantly reduces damage falloff over long distances, allowing the AMW-20 Apex to perform reliably as a true long-range sniper rifle.
- Demolition strength increased to 30: The rifle can now destroy larger environmental objects such as enemy cover and metal container doors, matching the utility of the APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle and AC-8 Autocannon.
- Corrected Armory UI: The weapon inspection screen now properly labels the AMW-20 Apex's armor penetration rating as "Anti-Tank", removing confusion over which heavily armored targets it can pierce.
LAS-44 Nova UI Fix and Corrected SG-22 Bushwhacker Stats
The LAS-44 Nova, the infinite-ammo thermal energy rifle also introduced in the Scope of Authority Warbond, received an armory display correction of its own. Update 01.007.202 updates its weapon card so that its armor penetration level clearly reads "Anti-Tank", giving squads accurate information before dropping into high-difficulty operations.
On the sidearm front, Arrowhead issued a transparent correction regarding the SG-22 Bushwhacker triple-barrel sawed-off shotgun. In the previous 01.007.200 balance pass, the patch notes stated that standard damage had jumped from 450 to 540. The studio confirmed today that those earlier numbers were calculated incorrectly. The actual updated stats for the SG-22 Bushwhacker are:
- Standard damage: Increased from 405 to 486 (a 20% increase).
- Durable damage: Increased from 108 to 135 (a 25% increase).
This steady stream of balance refinements reflects the studio's long-term structure, as 95% of Arrowhead Game Studios remains dedicated to Helldivers 2 rather than splitting the player base with a traditional sequel.
PC, Xbox and Boot Crash Fixes in Update 01.007.202
Alongside weapon tuning, patch 01.007.202 builds on the stability work from hotfix 7.2.1 (which resolved squad join and leave crashes) and follows a busy week where players claimed the free AR-23L Liberator Legacy rifle during Liberty Day 2026. Below is the complete breakdown of all technical and balance changes in today's release:
| Category | Item / System | Patch 01.007.202 Details |
|---|---|---|
| Stratagem | AMW-20 Apex | Caliber decreased from 60 to 20 (lower long-range damage falloff), demolition strength increased to 30, and armory penetration display fixed to show "Anti-Tank". |
| Stratagem | LAS-44 Nova | Armory inspection screen fixed to properly display "Anti-Tank" armor penetration. |
| Sidearm | SG-22 Bushwhacker | Corrected calculation from the previous patch: standard damage increased from 405 to 486, and durable damage increased from 108 to 135. |
| Stability | Renderer (PC & Xbox) | Fixed a rare renderer crash affecting PC and Xbox Series X|S players. |
| Stability | Game Startup | Fixed a rare crash occurring during game boot. |
| Audio / Misc | Music Tracks | Removed two background music tracks (does not affect gameplay). |
My Perspective
Nothing felt worse over the past week than hauling the massive AMW-20 Apex backpack into a mission, setting up a long-range overwatch position, and realizing that a colossal anti-materiel round could not even pop open a standard shipping container door. Dropping the internal caliber from 60 to 20 to flatten out its long-distance damage dropoff while boosting demolition strength to 30 immediately turns the Apex into the heavyweight sniper it was meant to be in Scope of Authority. I also appreciate Arrowhead owning up to the math slip-up on the SG-22 Bushwhacker: even at 486 damage instead of the mistakenly listed 540, a 20% boost on that pocket three-barrel shotgun still hits like a freight train when Stalkers get too close for comfort.
Based on the outskirts of New York City, Chaya 'Chayane' spent five years studying software engineering in Montreal before returning to her home state. A Full-Stack developer and Deep Learning AI architecture researcher, she explores neural networks and algorithmic optimization while engineering data pipelines for Retrocharting and Gamescharting alongside Grimtag. A gamer for over 20 years and an avid collector of Nintendo history and The Legend of Zelda, she explored World of Warcraft's Azeroth before bringing her deep technical background to video game analysis.
