Welcome to Maxigun Reimagined
-----------------------------
Notice to all new users
Whilst I put of lot of effort into the mod, you (the rest of) the playerbase are what tells me of edge-cases of bugs and compatibility. If you encounter one, or you experience issues or you'd like to make a suggestion, please leave a comment. I try to read them all, as my mods are my babies.
Anyway, onto the mod!
-----------------------------
Maxigun Reimagined is a complete rebalance of the M-1000 Maxigun intended to make it feel more like the weapon its size and role suggest, while keeping its strengths tied to positioning, recoil control and ammunition management.
The weapon now has a three-position fire selector with 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 RPM setting which give it a much wider operating range. 1,000 RPM for sustained fire and ammunition conservation, 2,000 RPM as the middle ground, and 3,000 RPM when you need as much fire downrange as possible.
Recoil, handling and projectile behaviour have also been reworked. The Maxigun hits harder and has considerably more stopping power, but sustained fire (particularly at the higher rates of rpm) still requires the user to control the weapon rather than treating it like an assault rifle.
The backpack carries up to 600 rounds, with its starting and resupply values adjusted to match. Mobile firing is enabled, allowing the weapon to be used while moving, although firing from a stable position remains considerably more effective.
Other changes include revised spin-up and spin-down timing, improved stagger and push, AP4 penetration, a small per-round stun effect and updated muzzle effects.
Therefore I recommend crouching before committing to sustained fire, especially at 2,000 or 3,000 RPM. The weapon is much easier to keep under control from a stable firing position, while firing on the move is better reserved for short bursts or situations where repositioning matters more than accuracy. This is even moreso the case when in 1st person/ADS, as the recoil becomes considerably more manageable, at the expense of awareness of your surroundings.
If you have access to the Supply FRV, it pairs extremely well with the Maxigun and takes a lot of pressure off its ammunition economy. Otherwise, keep an eye on nearby resupply opportunities and top the backpack up whenever you can.
I also recommend making use of the 1,000 RPM setting when maximum fire rate isn't necessary. At 3,000 RPM the Maxigun can burn through its ammunition extremely quickly (12 seconds from a full backpack), while the lowest setting gives you much longer sustained use (up to 36 seconds from a full backpack) and is usually more than enough for routine targets.
The higher settings are best treated as something you deliberately switch to when the situation warrants it, rather than the default way to fire the weapon.
Maxigun Reimagined raises Stagger Force from 15 to 35, allowing individual rounds to interrupt a much wider range of enemies. Because of that increase, leaving the original 12 Push Force in place produced far more displacement than was necessary once targets were being staggered reliably.
Push Force has therefore been reduced from 12 to 2. The intention is to make the Maxigun much better at stopping and interrupting enemies without repeatedly throwing them backwards across the battlefield. The reduced push is proportional to the much stronger stagger and is an intentional part of the rebalance rather than a nerf.
Maxigun Reimagined includes full in-game configuration support through Mod Options, allowing players to adjust the rebalance without manually editing files.
To edit the options in-game, use the Mod Options Menu mod over on Nexus.
The normal Maxigun Reimagined balance is applied by default, so no configuration changes are required for the mod to work. Built-in presets are also available for quickly switching between the Maxigun Reimagined balance, vanilla-style values, AnnoEdition values, or a custom setup.
The available settings include fire selector RPM values, recoil, spread, sway, ergonomics, mobile firing, spin timing, backpack capacity and starting ammunition, durable damage, armour penetration, stagger, push, stun buildup, projectile speed, projectile mass, and crosshair visibility.
To apply changes, make sure you return to the ship or are on the ship when applying the changes before going on the next dive. Changes applied during a dive will not take effect until the next mission.
For players who prefer to configure the mod outside the game, Maxigun Reimagined also creates a user configuration file automatically after launching the game once with the mod installed. It can be found at:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\CowboyBingus\Helldivers2\Maxigun-Reimagined-Config.txt
Each configurable setting includes an explanation of what it changes, the Maxigun Reimagined default, the vanilla value where applicable, and the allowed range.
To apply manual file changes, close the game, edit and save the configuration file, then launch the game again. Mods do not need to be purged and redeployed, as the mod reads the configuration file on startup.
Backpack resupply is handled automatically from the configured backpack capacity rather than being exposed as a separate user setting. This may change in a future update if requested.
Using a custom sound mod
If you use a custom sound mod for the Maxigun, put it above this mod in the load order and the custom sound should be used while retaining the gameplay configuration of Maxigun Reimagined. Though unless the sound mod accounts for gun sound based on actual RPM like Reimagined does, the three fire modes will sound the same.
Requires Bingus Shared Loader v18+
For modifying the options in-game - Mod Options Menu
A mod loader, which I recommend using Arsenal
The mod has diagnostic log located at:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\CowboyBingus\Helldivers2\Logs\Maxigun-Reimagined-Debug.log
If you encounter a problem with the mod, include that file when reporting it. It contains information about loading, weapon-data discovery, patch application and runtime monitoring that can help me identify what went wrong.
If the problem occurs after changing custom settings, also include your config file
%LOCALAPPDATA%\CowboyBingus\Helldivers2\Maxigun-Reimagined-Config.txt
GOATED Playtesters
Below is a list of all the users who have been legends in helping me find issues so I can fix them. o7 to all of you, your inconvenience helped me to improve the mod, and you should know that.
exosuit main
--------
Final Thoughts
I created this mod because the Maxigun, being the Helldivers' version of a minigun, is one of the most iconic power weapons that you could imagine being able to hold in a shooting game without using a vehicle such as a mechsuit. Yet the version we got cannot defeat enemies such as Hulks and Chargers, and locks you in place, making you extremely vulnerable against the one faction a minigun ought to be incredibly useful for: the Terminids.
I've had a lot of time to contemplate how this weapon could be rebalanced, with how much I play this incredibly fun game, and have waited in vain for Arrowhead to rebalance it to reflect the power that it should have. But alas, that has not occurred and likely never will. I don't want it to become something that replaces the other machine guns, and I've made a lot of effort in both brainstorming and playtesting changes.
The closest similar game I played before Helldivers was Halo Reach, and I had always longed for a machine gun type weapon in Halo, but we never got one during the Bungie era, which I see as the actual Halo era. Personally, I do not care for the games made by 343i/Halo Studios. Helldivers gave me that gun, and the MG43 remains my favourite weapon in the game to this day, despite everything that has come into the game since. The Maxigun is the ultimate version of the machine gun, and therefore was my highest priority to give it the attention it so desperately needed to feel good to use.
Feedback is welcome. Whilst I have playtested everything here as much as I am willing to before releasing the mod, I also did not want to keep people waiting indefinitely. I would therefore be very interested to hear what the wider community thinks, particularly regarding balance, bugs, or anything that could be improved.
One more thing. I am not Arrowhead. So despite the fact that I have put a lot of effort into the balance of this mod, I have created the configuration options to give you your own control. As you may find more fun tweaking some options to be different from what the mod has set by default. Whichever the case, I hope you enjoy the mod, and go spread some managed democracy.
Further balance tuning may come in future, depending on feedback.
Peace, and o7 / Oi
-----------------------------
Notice to all new users
Whilst I put of lot of effort into the mod, you (the rest of) the playerbase are what tells me of edge-cases of bugs and compatibility. If you encounter one, or you experience issues or you'd like to make a suggestion, please leave a comment. I try to read them all, as my mods are my babies.
Anyway, onto the mod!
-----------------------------
Maxigun Reimagined is a complete rebalance of the M-1000 Maxigun intended to make it feel more like the weapon its size and role suggest, while keeping its strengths tied to positioning, recoil control and ammunition management.
The weapon now has a three-position fire selector with 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 RPM setting which give it a much wider operating range. 1,000 RPM for sustained fire and ammunition conservation, 2,000 RPM as the middle ground, and 3,000 RPM when you need as much fire downrange as possible.
Recoil, handling and projectile behaviour have also been reworked. The Maxigun hits harder and has considerably more stopping power, but sustained fire (particularly at the higher rates of rpm) still requires the user to control the weapon rather than treating it like an assault rifle.
The backpack carries up to 600 rounds, with its starting and resupply values adjusted to match. Mobile firing is enabled, allowing the weapon to be used while moving, although firing from a stable position remains considerably more effective.
Other changes include revised spin-up and spin-down timing, improved stagger and push, AP4 penetration, a small per-round stun effect and updated muzzle effects.
Recommendations
It is not possible to lock stance based on fire rate. Otherwise 3,000 RPM would require you to be locked in place. Instead, I have opted to increase recoil from 1.0 to 4.0. As you go up the fire rate options, you will find it increasingly difficult to stand and shoot, and especially move and shoot.Therefore I recommend crouching before committing to sustained fire, especially at 2,000 or 3,000 RPM. The weapon is much easier to keep under control from a stable firing position, while firing on the move is better reserved for short bursts or situations where repositioning matters more than accuracy. This is even moreso the case when in 1st person/ADS, as the recoil becomes considerably more manageable, at the expense of awareness of your surroundings.
If you have access to the Supply FRV, it pairs extremely well with the Maxigun and takes a lot of pressure off its ammunition economy. Otherwise, keep an eye on nearby resupply opportunities and top the backpack up whenever you can.
I also recommend making use of the 1,000 RPM setting when maximum fire rate isn't necessary. At 3,000 RPM the Maxigun can burn through its ammunition extremely quickly (12 seconds from a full backpack), while the lowest setting gives you much longer sustained use (up to 36 seconds from a full backpack) and is usually more than enough for routine targets.
The higher settings are best treated as something you deliberately switch to when the situation warrants it, rather than the default way to fire the weapon.
All Changes Made
- Fire rate: 1,500 RPM → selectable 1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 RPM
- Horizontal recoil multiplier: 1.0 → 0.5
- Vertical recoil multiplier: 1.0 → 4.0
- Spread: 10 / 10 → 6 / 6
- Sway: 1.0 → 1.5
- Ergonomics: 4 → 10
- Firing while moving: Disabled → Enabled
- Spin-up time: 0.50 sec → 0.30 sec
- Spin-down time: 0.50 sec → 0.20 sec
- Backpack capacity: 1,000 → 600 rounds
- Resupply: Native refill follows Backpack Capacity. At the default 600-round capacity, loose Ammo Boxes restore 300 rounds, full-supply sources such as the Supply FRV can restore the backpack to full, and Resupply Pods respond normally to Superior Packing Methodology
- Durable damage: 18 → 36
- Armour penetration: AP3 → AP4
- Stagger Force: 15 → 35
- Push Force: 12 → 2
- Stun buildup: None → 0.2 per round
- Projectile speed: 920
- Projectile mass: 11 → 35 (determines damage fall-off behaviour)
- Third-person aiming reticle: Hidden
- Muzzle effect: Standard Maxigun muzzle effect → Liberator-style muzzle flash and smoke
- Automatic-fire audio: Current firing path → pre-7.1 cadence-responsive firing path. Compatible Maxigun sound-replacement mods loaded beforehand are preserved
- Four configuration profiles are also included:
- Maxigun Reimagined
- Game Default Maxigun
- AnnoEdition, provided by Anno over on the OhDough Discord
- Custom Profile
Stagger and Push Force
Stagger Force and Push Force serve related but different purposes. Stagger determines whether a hit has enough force to interrupt or stagger an enemy, while Push Force determines how aggressively that reaction physically moves the target.Maxigun Reimagined raises Stagger Force from 15 to 35, allowing individual rounds to interrupt a much wider range of enemies. Because of that increase, leaving the original 12 Push Force in place produced far more displacement than was necessary once targets were being staggered reliably.
Push Force has therefore been reduced from 12 to 2. The intention is to make the Maxigun much better at stopping and interrupting enemies without repeatedly throwing them backwards across the battlefield. The reduced push is proportional to the much stronger stagger and is an intentional part of the rebalance rather than a nerf.
Advanced Configuration
Maxigun Reimagined includes full in-game configuration support through Mod Options, allowing players to adjust the rebalance without manually editing files.
To edit the options in-game, use the Mod Options Menu mod over on Nexus.
The normal Maxigun Reimagined balance is applied by default, so no configuration changes are required for the mod to work. Built-in presets are also available for quickly switching between the Maxigun Reimagined balance, vanilla-style values, AnnoEdition values, or a custom setup.
The available settings include fire selector RPM values, recoil, spread, sway, ergonomics, mobile firing, spin timing, backpack capacity and starting ammunition, durable damage, armour penetration, stagger, push, stun buildup, projectile speed, projectile mass, and crosshair visibility.
To apply changes, make sure you return to the ship or are on the ship when applying the changes before going on the next dive. Changes applied during a dive will not take effect until the next mission.
For players who prefer to configure the mod outside the game, Maxigun Reimagined also creates a user configuration file automatically after launching the game once with the mod installed. It can be found at:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\CowboyBingus\Helldivers2\Maxigun-Reimagined-Config.txt
Each configurable setting includes an explanation of what it changes, the Maxigun Reimagined default, the vanilla value where applicable, and the allowed range.
To apply manual file changes, close the game, edit and save the configuration file, then launch the game again. Mods do not need to be purged and redeployed, as the mod reads the configuration file on startup.
Backpack resupply is handled automatically from the configured backpack capacity rather than being exposed as a separate user setting. This may change in a future update if requested.
Using a custom sound mod
If you use a custom sound mod for the Maxigun, put it above this mod in the load order and the custom sound should be used while retaining the gameplay configuration of Maxigun Reimagined. Though unless the sound mod accounts for gun sound based on actual RPM like Reimagined does, the three fire modes will sound the same.
Requirements
Requires Bingus Shared Loader v18+
For modifying the options in-game - Mod Options Menu
A mod loader, which I recommend using Arsenal
Debugging
The mod has diagnostic log located at:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\CowboyBingus\Helldivers2\Logs\Maxigun-Reimagined-Debug.log
If you encounter a problem with the mod, include that file when reporting it. It contains information about loading, weapon-data discovery, patch application and runtime monitoring that can help me identify what went wrong.
If the problem occurs after changing custom settings, also include your config file
%LOCALAPPDATA%\CowboyBingus\Helldivers2\Maxigun-Reimagined-Config.txt
GOATED Playtesters
Below is a list of all the users who have been legends in helping me find issues so I can fix them. o7 to all of you, your inconvenience helped me to improve the mod, and you should know that.
exosuit main
--------
Final Thoughts
I created this mod because the Maxigun, being the Helldivers' version of a minigun, is one of the most iconic power weapons that you could imagine being able to hold in a shooting game without using a vehicle such as a mechsuit. Yet the version we got cannot defeat enemies such as Hulks and Chargers, and locks you in place, making you extremely vulnerable against the one faction a minigun ought to be incredibly useful for: the Terminids.
I've had a lot of time to contemplate how this weapon could be rebalanced, with how much I play this incredibly fun game, and have waited in vain for Arrowhead to rebalance it to reflect the power that it should have. But alas, that has not occurred and likely never will. I don't want it to become something that replaces the other machine guns, and I've made a lot of effort in both brainstorming and playtesting changes.
The closest similar game I played before Helldivers was Halo Reach, and I had always longed for a machine gun type weapon in Halo, but we never got one during the Bungie era, which I see as the actual Halo era. Personally, I do not care for the games made by 343i/Halo Studios. Helldivers gave me that gun, and the MG43 remains my favourite weapon in the game to this day, despite everything that has come into the game since. The Maxigun is the ultimate version of the machine gun, and therefore was my highest priority to give it the attention it so desperately needed to feel good to use.
Feedback is welcome. Whilst I have playtested everything here as much as I am willing to before releasing the mod, I also did not want to keep people waiting indefinitely. I would therefore be very interested to hear what the wider community thinks, particularly regarding balance, bugs, or anything that could be improved.
One more thing. I am not Arrowhead. So despite the fact that I have put a lot of effort into the balance of this mod, I have created the configuration options to give you your own control. As you may find more fun tweaking some options to be different from what the mod has set by default. Whichever the case, I hope you enjoy the mod, and go spread some managed democracy.
Further balance tuning may come in future, depending on feedback.
Peace, and o7 / Oi
