Helldivers 2 Items

The latest Python Commandos Warbond, released on December 2nd for Helldivers 2, brings you more new weapons to unlock, most notably M1000 Maxigun and CQC-9 Defoliation Tool.

As a highly anticipated backpack-mounted, belt-fed weapon, M1000 Maxigun boasts an extremely high rate of fire and a large ammunition reserve of approximately 750 rounds, requiring no manual reloading.

So what are the specific advantages of this weapon, and how can you use it in combat to maximize its value? We'll tell you.

M1000 Maxigun Details

To balance its high rate of fire, M1000 Maxigun doesn't have a very large ammunition reserve. Therefore, if you use it as your primary source of firepower in combat, you must always stay close enough to ammo crates or other supply sources.

With a full backpack, M1000 Maxigun can fire continuously for about 30 seconds, after which you can immediately resupply about 200 rounds from an ammo crate. If a teammate provides resupply, the amount is approximately 400 rounds.

Although the weapon has a slow turning speed and high recoil, this is common for heavy machine guns. You can compensate for these issues with the reinforced armor passive skill and Peak Physique. Using ASD is also an option if you just want to reduce recoil.

Additionally, you cannot move to other locations while using M1000 Maxigun, but you can change your character's firing stance and the aiming direction of the weapon.

If you understand and accept the above advantages and disadvantages and still want M1000 Maxigun, you need to buy Helldivers 2 items to obtain 110 medals, and then consume them to unlock it on page 3 of Python Commandos Warbond.

Best Usage Strategy

While the weapon has an extremely high rate of fire, it doesn't mean you can just spray and pray to win - tactics and strategy are always key factors in victory.

As a heavy machine gun, M1000 Maxigun is not significantly different from other weapons overall, but its damage output is characterized by its instantaneous burst fire.

Clearing Groups Of Enemies

Due to its average penetration power, this weapon struggles against heavy units. And you have almost no mobility while using it, only being able to lie down or crouch, so it doesn't offer an advantage against agile single enemies.

Therefore, in terms of enemy types, M1000 Maxigun is suitable for clearing groups of weaker enemies. If you want to improve its efficiency and ensure your safety, using it in urban environments is a better option.

Compared to open areas, urban terrain provides ample cover, and you can use items like smoke grenades or shield generators to create additional cover, making it easier to defend against enemies and resupply ammunition.

How Effective Is It Against Specific Enemy Types?

More specifically, M1000 Maxigun performs well against Illuminate enemies. Especially since you can shoot while prone, you can easily kill Illuminate Overseer-type enemies by hitting their ankles.

While other Illuminate variants are more challenging, their shields are not enough to withstand all the bullets from M1000 Maxigun's high rate of fire, allowing you to eventually prevail.

If you encounter heavily armored enemies, such as Harvesters, you must always maintain distance and prioritize aiming for their leg joints or eyes. Also, some enemies may have laser weapons, so you need to be careful.

Furthermore, some enemies may push you away, forcing you to move. And you must remain stationary to fire. Therefore, you must invest more time playing the game to practice your positioning.

Against Terminid enemies, M1000 Maxigun is also reliable, but you will face a wider variety of enemies, so you must increase your vigilance and adaptability.

If you know you are about to enter combat, it's best to start attacking before enemies enter range, eliminating the nearest enemies first, and then slowly sweeping to the farther ones.

If you unfortunately encounter heavy units, you can use ultimate weapons or incendiary grenades in conjunction with M1000 Maxigun to limit or interrupt enemy movement, or try to aim for their abdomens to kill them completely.

Since you cannot move while holding M1000 Maxigun, you must find a suitable position to perform these actions. Although aiming at the side is safer, the enemy's legs might block your bullets, so it's better to muster the courage to rush underneath and shoot directly.

For Automatons, due to the higher number of heavily armored enemies, M1000 Maxigun's usability is reduced, but it can still be attempted when combined with anti-tank grenades or other stratagems.

Summary

M1000 Maxigun has indeed brought new fun to Helldivers 2 this December, but in terms of practicality, while it has a faster rate of fire, it relies heavily on ammo packs and lacks heavy armor-piercing capabilities.

Considering balance, it's normal for any weapon to have shortcomings, but we still hope that M1000 Maxigun can at least be moved while wearing enhanced mobility gear; otherwise, it's quite inconvenient.

In short, if you don't mind these shortcomings and have enough medals, M1000 Maxigun is worth owning and trying. We hope this information helps you better understand this weapon!

The evolution of the gaming industry means that both developers and players are no longer satisfied with simple content, but are pursuing richer gameplay and storylines. However, this also means that games require increasingly more memory.

The principle that larger games require more storage space is essentially correct. The problem lies in the fact that some game files seem excessively large, severely impacting your ability to play other games or the normal operation of your device.

Take Helldivers 2 as an example. This third-person shooter, released in 2024, received considerable attention from players before its release as a sequel. Although some issues arose afterward, they were all fixed, except for the excessive memory requirements.

From its initial 70GB release, Helldivers 2 now occupies over 150GB of space on your PC! Many players have been criticizing this, saying they simply don't understand what the developers have been doing.

Fortunately, as 2025 draws to a close, Helldivers 2 has finally addressed this issue, reducing the game's size by an astonishing 85%! In other words, Helldivers 2 now only requires 23GB of free space to play!

So what are the details, and will the streamlined version run normally? We'll provide a detailed explanation below.

When Does This Change Be Available?

After the release of Python Commandos Warbond on December 2nd, the game received the good news of a size reduction through a concurrent patch.

However, it's currently still in the testing phase and not a default installation option. This means you'll need to decide whether to enable the streamlined version based on your needs, or continue playing as before.

Of course, if the streamlined version of Helldivers 2 runs smoothly for a period and player feedback is positive, the development team may later make it the standard version for new players to install directly, since everyone wants to save storage space.

How To Get The Streamlined Version Of Helldivers 2?

If you want to experience what the 23GB PC version of Helldivers 2 is like right now, follow these steps:

• 1. Open your Steam, find and right-click Helldivers 2 in Library.
• 2. Select Properties from the pop-up menu, then click Betas tab in the pop-up window.
• 3. In Beta Participation dropdown, select prod_slim to download and install the streamlined patch, allowing you to enjoy the game while freeing up your storage space.

Note that this operation method and file size change are only for PC players, as Helldivers 2 only requires approximately 35-40GB of storage space on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 platforms. This is likely the main reason for the constant complaints from PC players.

If you experience a poor experience or encounter frequent bugs after downloading the streamlined version, you can return and select prod_legacy to revert to the older version.

How Was This Change Implemented?

Since it's possible to streamline the files, it suggests that the development team was either too lazy to implement it before, or they were constantly searching for the best way to reduce the file size without affecting the game's performance on PC.

In short, this plan succeeded because previously, after each update, the developers would copy all game resource files and then gradually de-duplicate them. However, they now realized this was unnecessary.

The original intention was to ensure faster loading times for players using older hard drives, aiming to keep pace with players using high-speed SSDs. However, this consideration was based on general industry data.

Therefore, after internal testing at Helldivers 2, the developers found that, at least for their own game, the reduction in file size had at most a few extra seconds on loading time, making reducing storage space usage relatively straightforward.

While it's regrettable that the development team didn't discover this sooner, forcing most players to endure overly bloated game files for so long, it's good that the problem is solved.

Is The Streamlined Version Reliable?

Since the download option for this version has only been available for a short time, there are currently no objective and comprehensive reviews from the player community. However, most players at least welcome the initiative itself.

Frankly, the possibility of bugs appearing after streamlining cannot be ruled out, but no game, even the original Helldivers 2, is immune to problems. As long as the frequency of bugs isn't too high and they can be fixed promptly, it's all worthwhile.

If you don't only like Helldivers 2, you'll inevitably want to try new games, but limited storage space means you have to temporarily uninstall older games while downloading new ones - the changes in Helldivers 2 suggest this situation is likely to disappear.

This not only makes you more willing to try Helldivers 2 but also helps expand the audience for other games from another perspective, because the extra space means you can download as many games as you previously couldn't fit.

Can Other Games Do This?

Since Helldivers 2 has set a precedent, if subsequent player testing proves that the streamlined version isn't too problematic, then other large games on the market, at least those similar to Helldivers 2, could try to follow suit.

Although this might mean developers need to invest more time and effort, making games better serve you is what they should be doing. While more memory for players may bring more competition, healthy competition is essential.

In short, this approach demonstrates that Helldivers 2 consistently prioritizes player experience and feedback, striving to attract and retain players through game optimization. This can only benefit the game's long-term development.