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Trying to figure out how to beat Automatons in Helldivers 2? You’re not alone. To save you the trouble, we’ve outlined all variants of these enemies, and their biggest strengths and weaknesses.
Automatons are one of the enemy factions you’ll face in Helldivers 2. These robot-like foes are highly intelligent and often equipped with a variety of weapons, from firearms to melee weapons like swords and chainsaws. Like Terminids, however, they also come in the form of several variants. Each boasts unique skills and abilities to use to their advantage, so you’ll need to plan a foolproof strategy to take down your opponents. We’ll go over all Automaton variants in addition to their strengths, weaknesses, and the best strategies to take them down in Helldivers 2.
All Automaton Types in Helldivers 2
In Helldivers 2, you’ll come face to face with a variety of different Automatons, each equipped with unique skills and abilities. Here’s a list of every variant you’ll come across.
- Trooper
- Marauder
- Raider
- Commissar
- Scout Strider
- Berserker
- Devastator
- Hulk
- Tank
- Dropship
- Gunship
- Factory Strider
Helldivers 2: How to Beat Automatons
Depending on the type of Automaton you’re facing in Helldivers 2, you’ll need to rely on different strategies to take it down. While the circumstances certainly play a role in which course is most effective, here’s a rundown of each Automaton variant’s strengths, weaknesses, and effective strategies to defeat them.
How to Beat Smaller Automatons in Helldivers 2
Troopers, Marauders, and Raiders
These are the smallest but the most numerous Automatons that you’ll encounter. They look like your regular Terminator-look-alikes, with glowing red eyes. They are equipped with various weapons and they usually band together. The Rocket Raiders are the most dangerous ones, since they are, unsurprisingly, using a rocket launcher, that can take out a Helldivers in one shot. They are mostly found protecting the Automaton outposts, using wall-mounted turrets, and in patrols. Additionally, they emerge from Bot Fabricators.
Defeating them is not that hard, thankfully. Headshots and grenades will do the trick. They can be taken down with most weapons, and Machine Gun and Stalwart will make short work of a group of Troopers. Most of the time, a single headshot from any weapon will take them out, so Beam weapons can prove quite effective. Just sweep that beam from left to right, in line with their heads, and watch them fall one by one. But, do not be surprised when they show signs of intelligence, as even these smaller bots know how to fight and encircle Helldivers, for maximum effect.
Commissars
Commissars are the “leaders” of the smaller bots. They look quite similar to the rest, with the main difference being the large, powerful blade they are equipped with. They have a pistol-like weapon on the other hand, but they do try to close the distance. Some jet-pack variants have been seen on higher difficulties, so take special care with them, as they can kill Helldivers just by falling on them.
But, the greatest weapon all these smaller Bots have is the ability to call in reinforcements. And they do so without pause.
Incoming Dropship
Smaller bots can and will call in for backup almost as soon as they are engaged. You will see one of them raising his hand and shooting a flare. If you do not prevent that (by eliminating that flare-wielding Automaton), a flare will go up into the air and that signals a call for Automaton reinforcements. One (or more, on higher difficulties) Dropship will arrive and it will drop down a group of Automatons. The size and type of reinforcements depend on the difficulty level. But, unlike Terminid Bug Breaches, these Dropship reinforcements can be stopped. If you react fast enough, a Dropship can be taken down with anti-tank weaponry.
The good thing with Dropship reinforcements is that, first, they are limited, ie, a single group of robots will drop and that is it. They do not send wave after wave of reinforcements, like Bug Breaches. Second, they all drop grouped together, so calling in a quick airstrike and throwing grenades before the group reacts can take them out before any shots are fired back.
If you have really caused some trouble on higher difficulties, Dropships can sometimes carry a single Tank, instead of a group of enemies.
How to Beat Medium-Sized Automatons in Helldivers 2
Scout Striders
Scout Striders are the first tough Automatons that fresh Helldivers will face. They are essentially an armored turret walking on two legs, with a driver hiding behind the frontal shield. They fire twice in quick succession and other shots are quite dangerous. But, experienced Helldivers have no problem dealing with these walkers so here’s what you should do.
The best and easiest way of eliminating a Scout Strider is to shoot the driver. The driver inside is the same as the aforementioned smaller bots, ie, it can be taken out using any weapon. The only trick is that you have to approach the Strider from the back or the side. Beware of their legs, as apart from shooting, they can also stomp on Helldivers that get too close.
If that is not an option, you can take them out head-on, but it is a little bit more complicated. You can shoot at the Strider’s legs if you have some high-caliber weapons. After enough shots, the walker will simply fall over. Note that weapons only capable of penetrating light armor are better used for taking out the driver, as shooting at the legs will take a lot of ammo. We recommend using the Autocannon, as it will take out a Scout Strider in one shot if you hit the legs. Moreover, grenades are more than effective against them. A single grenade can take out a group of Striders if they are packed closely together.
Berserkers
Berserkers can be the most annoying of Automatons. They look like something out of a nightmare, as they tower over Helldivers, having chainsaws in place of arms and glowing red. You’d expect that a close-combat-oriented Automaton would not pose a problem, but Berkserkers are there to prove you wrong.
They can move fast, but their greatest strength is the sheer amount of punishment they can take before going down. It will take almost a full clip of your primary weapon to take just one Berserker down, and that is if you aim at its head. And they usually come in twos and threes. Even if you manage to blow off their arms, they will keep coming and try to kick you to death.
\Your best bet against Berkerkers is to keep your distance and use high-caliber weapons, like an Autocannon, Railgun, or Machine Gun. Any stratagem that deals with infantry will be effective against them. Weapons that stagger enemies (like the Pummeler or the Punisher shotgun) are great against Berserkers, allowing you to make some distance between you and them.
Devastators
Devastators are similar to Berksekers in size, but less panic-inducing. They are larger than Troopers and more heavily armored. They have a single weak spot, and that is the head. Like smaller bots, Devastators carry a wide range of weapons. The standard variant shoots lasers, like their smaller cousins, but they can also carry shields, which protect them from incoming, and they can have a missile rack on their shoulders.
As mentioned earlier, you should aim for the head and that will take out the Devastator pretty quickly. If that is not an option, the central spine, the area that connects the torso and legs, is surprisingly lacking armor plates. The missile rack is also a weaker spot, and shooting at it will make it explode, which in turn will heavily damage the Devastator itself.
How to Beat Large Automatons in Helldivers 2
Hulks
Arguably the toughest Automatons, Hulks are not to be trifled with. They are huge armored robots, with just the tiniest slit for its eyes. Fans of Warhammer 40.000 will notice a striking resemblance to the Dreadnaughts from their favorite game. Hulks carry different weaponry, but the most devastating ones are armed with missile launchers and/or flamethrowers.
Not everything is grim, and Hulks do have a large weak spot. On their backs, Hulks have glowing reactors, and destroying them will incapacitate the Hulk. The reactors are lightly armored, so be sure to use more powerful weapons for maximum effect. The trick is that Hulks are pretty maneuverable for their size, so simply walking around them is out of the question. Your best bet is to have a teammate that will draw the Hulk’s attention, while you get behind it and destroy the reactor. Just like Chargers, Hulks need some time to ‘”bleed out” before they die.
Railcannon Strike and similar orbitals are great if you want to take out a Hulk quickly.
Shredder and Annihilator Tanks
The big bad of the Automatons, Tanks come in two variants. Shredder Tanks have Machine Gun turrets, and Annihilator Tanks have a powerful cannon. At range, these Tanks are devastating, so getting in cover is your best bet. Unsurprisingly, Tanks are heavily armored and require the most powerful weapons and orbitals if you want to take them head-on. But, they also have a weak spot.
Unlike Hulks, Tanks are not that maneuverable up close. And, like Hulks, they also have large, glowing reactors. You can find these reactors on the backside of the Tank’s turret. It does not rotate fast enough that you cannot reach it, and we have found that two grenades are quite enough to destroy a Tank. As expected, powerful orbitals, like Railcannon Strike and 500kg Bombs are also great versus Tanks.
Dropships
The main culprit behind Automaton reinforcements, you will see Dropships every time a smaller bot calls in for some backup. This aircraft delivers a fresh group of Automatons or a single Tank. But, you can do something about it.
Dropships can be taken down, preferably before they drop their cargo. As before, you will notice large glowing reactors and a well-placed shot or two from an anti-tank weapon (like a Recoilless Rifle) will be able to bring it down. Another quite effective way is the Autocannon Sentry. A single Sentry will destroy a Dropship but not fast enough. If you pair it with a Rocket Sentry, or if your team member can also deploy one, you’ll be able to down these aircraft in no time.
Gunships
Gunships are, as you can imagine, flying higher aircraft of the Automatons. They resemble smaller Dropships but with guns instead of reinforcements.
You can only take them down with powerful anti-tank weaponry, and unlike Dropships, Gunships fire back. But, a single well-placed shot to the Gunship’s exhaust will bring it down. They can only be found on missions that have Gunship Facility Secondary Objectives (just like Stalkers and Shriekers), and once you approach it, Gunships will start attacking you. We recommend deploying a Shield Generator to protect you while you call in a Hellbomb to destroy the facility and prevent further Gunship spawns.
Factory Strider
The largest and toughest unit in the game, the Factory Strider is the most powerful Automaton out there. It looks like an AT-AT walker vehicle from Star Wars and is just as deadly. Its head has an array of laser guns, and on its back, there is a cannon, similar to the one an Annihilator Tank has. To make matters worse, it can open its “stomach” to summon more Automaton reinforcement. Unfortunately, it does not have a clear, glowing, weak spot, as most Automaton vehicles do.
Thankfully, they can only be encountered on the highest difficulties. As their name suggests, they can be found protecting the largest bot factories (Outposts), but are usually dropped via Dropship, when the bots call for reinforcements. It takes a lot to bring them down, so be sure to use every orbital that you got. There is hardly a more appropriate target for a combination of a 500kg Bomb and Railcannon Strike than a Factory Strider.
Best Weapons Against Automatons in Helldivers 2
Automatons are notoriously well-armored, way better them Terminids. That means that weapons with the Medium Armor Penetration trait work great against the bots. Moreover, weapons that can place shots accurately also work wonders, since the head is an unprotected weak-point of the majority of bots. Now, we have singled out a couple of weapons that we found effective when you try to beat Automatons in Helldivers 2.
- SG-8P Punisher Plasma
- AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
- LAS-16 Sickle
- R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper
As for Support Weapons, the majority of them are great versus Automatons, except maybe the Flamethrower (since bots rarely come up close). One of the best ones are the Quasar Canon, which can one-shot a Dropship, and Arc Thrower, since Automatons keep the distance, making it safer to use.