Helldivers 2’s ridiculous Thermite Grenade buff is the real star of the 60-day update

Following the release of Helldivers 2‘s 60-day update, players seem pretty happy with the buffs and changes that have been brought to the game. The one weapon fans have latched onto isn’t a primary, secondary, or Stratagem, though. It’s the Thermite Grenade.

The buff to Helldivers 2‘s Thermite Grenade in this 60-day update sounds like a mistake, but I believe it’s very deliberate. Prior to the update, the Thermite Grenade would attach to enemies, give them a little tickle, and warm them up with a spark of fire when it exploded. Now, it scorches foes before causing a colossal explosion that can crack open a Bile Titan’s carapace and spill its gooey innards all over a planet’s surface.

You’re going to need sunglasses for this one

The official patch notes for Helldivers 2‘s 60-day update note that the damage for the Thermite Grenade has been increased from 100 to 2,000. It takes less time for the device to start sparking and dealing damage, and the time to explosion has been decreased slightly, too. While the carry capacity for the Thermite Grenade has dropped from 4 to 3, I think that’s the most balanced thing about these changes, given its newfound power.

Regardless of where you look, Helldivers 2 players are talking about how powerful the Thermite Grenade is. Among the dozens of meme posts about it on the game’s subreddit, the above post is my favorite because it shows how you can down a Bile Titan, the apex predator of the Terminids, with just one of these grenades.

I hopped into the game to see if the Thermite Grenade is really as powerful as fans are saying, and I can confirm that it is. This grenade, which is locked behind the first page of the Freedom’s Flame Warbond, is fantastic.

Coupled with the increased movement and aiming speed and every other balance change in the 60-day update, Helldivers 2 feels like it did at launch once more. The game is fluid and lets you run across planets, killing hundreds of enemies with a vast array of futuristic weapons.

But it’s also very good at reminding you that your absurd power doesn’t make you invincible. Indeed, I used Thermite Grenades to close Bug Holes and create walking bombs among the Terminids I faced. I also got caught in the blasts of more than a few of my grenades, leading to two Chargers crushing me simultaneously when I landed after one particularly uncomfortably close explosion.

A few months, or even days ago, I would have said that Arrowhead Game Studios would be stepping in this week to nerf the Thermite Grenade. We’re less than 24 hours into this update, though, and Helldivers 2 players adore this explosive and every other change they’re experiencing so far. I’m hopeful this is the turning point the developer and community were waiting for, and we can get back to waiting for the Illuminate to rear their ancient alien heads and spark a new leg of the Second Galactic War.