Hell Let Loose Plans Indirect-Fire Rifle Grenades for Update 22

The developers are also investigating Update 21 frame drops, control conflicts, audio complaints, and a tank HE damage error.

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Hell Let Loose Plans Indirect-Fire Rifle Grenades for Update 22

Update 22 will let Hell Let Loose players plant rifle-grenade launchers and fire indirectly, giving infantry a limited way to hit enemies without a direct line of sight. The developers say the feature will support smoke or HE shots into areas such as the far side of a building or a capture point.

The planned change is part of the first community feedback update for the game. In Dev Brief #221, the team also addressed player concerns following Update 21’s September 23 launch, including performance drops, controls, armor balance, and weapon sound.

Planted rifle grenades are not meant to compete with dedicated indirect-fire weapons. Their small ammunition supply, smaller explosions, slow preparation and reload, and role-dependent ammo will keep their reach in check. The developers say the longer attachment animation is intentional, trading quicker access to regular smoke grenades for the rifle grenade’s extra range. An M1 Garand sight-alignment issue is under investigation.

A work-in-progress animation demonstrates the planned planted-launcher mechanic.

Performance, controls, and server problems

Players on PC and console have reported temporary, sharp frame-rate drops since Update 21, including on Carentan. Reports span different maps and platforms, with higher-population servers appearing frequently among the feedback. The team has not identified one cause and is gathering more performance data. Separate optimization work covers maps, vehicles, weapons, characters, and memory use, with specific work underway on Juno Beach and Smolensk and further map work planned for later updates.

Some PC players say custom bindings revert after death, redeployment, or a restart. On console, the rifle-grenade and fire-selector controls can conflict with HUD functions or bipod mounting, depending on the controller layout. The team is working to reproduce specific cases and aims to address confirmed issues in Update 22 where development and testing allow.

Practice Range and Explore Mode use listen servers rather than the dedicated servers that run regular multiplayer matches, so a problem in those modes may not occur in a standard match. The developers are still investigating reports involving rifle grenades, fire selectors, and shaking in Explore Mode. They are also reviewing console crashes to the title screen, lost connections, and matches players cannot finish. If the Server Browser says “No Compatible Servers,” the active filters may be hiding available matches. Broadening the search, including platform or server-type filters on console, may help.

Update 21’s combat changes are still being assessed

Update 21’s tank HE values matched the changelog, but a radius change caused an unintended damage calculation error on release. The developers plan to fix it in Update 22 and provide more detail about the HE kill radius and explosion size.

Conquest has drawn contrasting feedback. Some players welcome its multiple active objectives, while others feel it strays from the game’s frontline focus. The developers say the mode is not intended to replace Warfare and are weighing feedback alongside gameplay data as they consider possible changes. They are also reviewing the wider relationship between tanks and infantry anti-tank roles, with vehicles planned for Update 22 part of that balance discussion. The standard US Anti-Tank loadout’s switch from the M1 Garand to the M1 Carbine followed player feedback during testing, and the team says it remains open to further adjustments.

Weapon audio changes and fixes

Adding fire selectors meant some automatic weapons needed individual-shot audio instead of the looping recordings previously used for sustained fire. The developers say this work was intended to prevent abrupt cutoffs while retaining familiar sound characteristics. The MG34 has received further audio adjustments, and a possible console audio issue has been submitted for a planned Update 22 release. The PPSh-41 and Thompson SMGs also moved to audio that supports individual shots, using a large share of their previous assets. The Bren’s work mainly addressed third-person audio issues, while the BAR received no audio changes in Update 21.

Breathing recordings were changed to remove whistling and mouth sounds, but the system that determines when those sounds play was not changed. Some reported breathing behavior may therefore come from the older trigger system rather than the new recordings.

What limits would help keep planted rifle grenades distinct from dedicated artillery? Share your view in the comments, and follow the continuing Update 22 changes on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

Fight in the most iconic battles of the Second World War, including El Alamein, Stalingrad, Omaha Beach, and Foy! This is combat at a whole new scale.. with lumbering tanks dominating the battlefield, and crucial supply chains fuelling the frontlines, you are a cog in the machine of colossal combined arms warfare. Hell Let Loose puts you in the chaos of war, complete with deep player-controlled vehicles, a dynamically evolving front line, and crucial unit-focused gameplay that commands the tide of battle.