Helldiver 2 Booster's Hidden Perk Makes It Much More Useful

Helldivers 2 Boosters are the unsung heroes of Helldivers loadouts by providing passive effects to not only the player that brings them but also to the rest of a team. There are eight different Boosters to choose from right now with at least one more confirmed for the next Helldivers 2 Warbond, and though there are some clear favorites when choosing which Boosters a team should bring, it appears there's one Booster that deserves a bit more credit than it's been getting.

That Booster is Muscle Enhancement, a Booster which makes it easier to traverse difficult terrain. This doesn't negate the effects of things like bushes or other small obstacles that give you the "slowed" debuff, but it makes it so that you have an easier time moving through water or uphill or through similar areas of the game's maps that'd usually cause trouble. It pairs nicely with other Boosters like the Stamina Enhancement buff, but that's not all it does.

Some Helldivers 2 players discovered recently that this Muscle Enhancement Booster actually has another hidden effect that's not detailed in its description. Apparently, this Booster can mitigate the effects that some enemies have on players whenever Helldivers are hit by powerful attacks that'd normally cause them to stagger. This won't save you from things like a Charger, but for lesser enemies that are still annoying like the Hunters, you should notice a difference when using the Muscle Enhancement Booster.

Redditor and Helldivers 2 player InconsiderateBox shared their Muscle Enhancement booster findings not long ago within the Helldivers 2 subreddit. A video posted showed a Helldiver taking hits from a Hunter while they had a Muscle Enhancement Booster active and while they didn't. The effect of having the Booster doesn't look quite as impressive whenever it's shown by itself, but when you see the comparison side by side, the perks of having this Booster are evident.

Muscle Enhancement will reduce the slow effect Hunters inflict on Helldivers.
by u/InconsiderateBox in Helldivers

As shown in the video on the right, having this Booster on allows you to keep moving relatively unimpeded by a hit from a Hunter. This is important because that stagger effect that's happening in the video on the left is exactly why people hate fighting the Hunters so much. In addition to these enemies being able to jump great distances, most of their attacks can lead to staggering effects like this one which leaves time for another nearby Hunter to close the gap and land their own attack. That essentially creates a stunlock scenario where your only options are to dive away in hopes that you put enough distance between you and the Hunters, stim your way through, or blast them to bits.

That's not to say that you should bring the Muscle Enhancement Booster every time since Boosters are always situational depending on the mission, but it's got some clear advantages when facing the bugs that make it worthwhile there, especially when it only takes one Helldiver bringing it to gain its effects.