Helldivers 2 hotfix 7.2.3: cave crash fixes, cosmetic mods working again with Easy Anti-Cheat, and what Arrowhead confirms for December

Arrowhead Game Studios released Helldivers 2 hotfix “Devoid of Liberty: 7.2.3” on November 11, 2026 (patch notes posted at 11:20 AM Paris time). It targets the problems many players have hit since bug caves started spreading across the galaxy: a crash caused by poison or gas status effects in Hive World caves, fire that did not work underground, and a cave generation bug that could block a mission. On PC, it also fixes two crashes and allows certain cosmetic mods to work again since the switch to Easy Anti-Cheat. The day before, Arrowhead’s “Developer Blog: November 2026” explained these fixes and listed the first changes locked in for the next major update in early December.

What hotfix 7.2.3 fixes

• Crash that could occur when receiving status effects such as poison or gas in Hive World caves.
• PC: crash that could occur while exiting the game.
• PC: crash that could occur on boot when the game had issues with writing permissions on Windows.
• Fire did not work and could not spread inside caves: fixed.
• Hive World caves: a level generation issue could spawn large assets outside the cave and block mission progression and stratagem call-ins: fixed.
• PC: an issue preventing certain cosmetic mods from working has been fixed (listed under “Community Feedback Changes”).

Cosmetic mods and Easy Anti-Cheat: the steps Arrowhead recommends

• Arrowhead says Easy Anti-Cheat was added to reduce cheaters, but that the change also disabled some fan-made mods on PC. Mods are not officially supported.
• Gameplay mods (anything that changes game code or game memory) remain prohibited: Arrowhead says accounts using them may be banned.
• To check whether a cosmetic mod works after the hotfix: 1) if mods were installed before, reinstall the game; 2) verify the integrity of the game files on Steam; 3) launch the game and confirm it runs as intended; 4) add cosmetic mods one at a time and re-verify the files to see which ones still work.
• Arrowhead is also tracking reports that virtual machines can no longer access the game since the last update; players who opened a support ticket should get an update on next steps.

Still on the known issues list (November 11)

• The LAS-44 Nova’s scope FOV is wider than intended.
• With RDNA 2/3 AMD GPUs, setting Reflection Quality to its lowest option corrupts all reflections.
• A player may die when climbing on a closed bug hole.
• Other listed issues: a different mission type than the one selected may be generated, melee kills are not counted in stats, Red Beacon stratagems do not follow a moving beacon, and more.
• If you hit a crash or bug that is not on the list, Arrowhead asks players to send a detailed report to its help desk.

What Arrowhead confirms for the December update

• Jump, Hover and Warp packs will be usable while carrying two-handed items.
• The Hellbomb backpack can be armed or picked up from the ground with a long-press interact.
• Gas clouds will no longer slow Helldivers down.
• A new utility belt will hold small handheld items such as remotes and detonators alongside your support weapon (Arrowhead cites the Solo Silo and C4).
• New terminal puzzles, and SEAF troops will be able to open bunkers with you.
• Hellpod steering and stratagem bouncing fixes are still being playtested and will likely not ship with the next major update.
• Arrowhead also apologized for its roadmap: it was built around patch dates (Update 7.2 on October 20, Update 8.0 in early December) rather than content dates, and the “new biome” label overstated the caves. A clearer schedule is promised for the next roadmap, without a date.

Sources

• Arrowhead Game Studios, “Devoid of Liberty: 7.2.3”, Steam, November 11, 2026 (https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/1849192144178073).
• Arrowhead Game Studios, “Developer Blog: November 2026”, Steam, November 10, 2026 (https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/1848664643360280).
• Arrowhead, “HELLDIVERS 2 Known Issues”, updated November 11, 2026 (https://arrowhead.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/15916898652700--HELLDIVERS-2-Known-Issues).
• Steam Support, verifying game files (https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/0C48-FCBD-DA71-93EB).
• Video “BREAKING: TCS+ Planets Are Perfectly Safe | HELLDIVERS™ 2”, HELLDIVERS 2 channel, November 7, 2026 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv9IT0C-NNg).
• Image: official Helldivers 2 screenshot published by Arrowhead on Steam on November 3, 2026 (original 3840 x 2160, resized to 1920 x 1080), © Sony Interactive Entertainment / Arrowhead Game Studios.