Not all welds are located in areas of maximum stress. As a mater of fact, it is usually a point to keep in mind when designing welds is to locate them in regions of low stress when possible. The engineer is in the best position to know if the weld is subjected to the maximum unit stress a member will be subjected to or if it is located where the stresses are relatively low or where the weld size or length can be increased to accommodate the use of "lower" strength filler metals.

In some cases it can be beneficial to use lower strength filler metal to take advantage of the improved ductility associated with lower strength filler metals. I often take advantage of the fact that the lower strength filler metal will more easily accommodate the residual stresses of highly restrained joints by plastic deformation where as a matching filler metal may result in base metal or weld cracking. I use this "trick" to facilitate repairs in heavy equipment where the repair is usually in a highly restrained situation. Under load, the plastic deformation will cause strain hardening and the welds will accommodate higher unit stresses than typical used by designers. Of course there are limitations that have to be recognized and it isn't applicable to all situations.

And yes, a low hydrogen weld deposit is always good practice to prevent delayed cracking when joining high strength steels.

Best regards - Al