Helldivers 2 Automaton: How To Beat The Automatons On Super Helldive (No Warbonds)

The Helldivers 2 Automaton army is one of the factions that the player can fight against in the hit video game Helldivers 2. They employ heavy armour and powerful guns to eliminate players from range. Residing on the North-Western Galactic Front, they have been the instigator of some of Super Earth’s fiercest battles. These include the First Battle of Malevelon Creek and the Defence of Pöpli IX. Players often see them as the true rivals to Super Earth’s dominance because of their overwhelming firepower that can match even that of the Helldivers. This guide will teach you how to complete operations on the highest difficulties against the Helldivers 2 Automaton army. It will go over enemy types, gameplay tips, loadouts, and stratagems that will help you against these mechanical monsters.

Helldivers 2 Automaton Enemy Types

As mentioned, the Helldivers 2 Automaton utilise a combination of heavy armour and overwhelming firepower. Their army consists of steel-plated infantry supported by powerful fire-support vehicles and machines. All of their units have weak spots that you should exploit by targeting them with armour-piercing or Anti-Tank weaponry.

1. Troopers

These are the grunts of the army and wield an array of different weapons, which include grenades, machine guns, bazookas, jet packs, and energy blades. Flame Brigade variants will use even deadlier weaponry, such as flamethrowers and plasma cannons.

They are the only Automaton unit that can call in reinforcements by shooting a flare in the sky, so aim to take them out quickly. They are unarmoured and have low health, so any weapon will kill them in a few shots.

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2. Devastators

A step up from the average trooper, they wear medium armour over their bodies, leaving their arms, torsos, and heads exposed. They make use of heavier weaponry than the troopers, like rockets, heavy machine guns, and arm cannons.

To kill them you should either aim for their heads or bring medium-penetrating weaponry like the MG-43 or SG-8S Slugger.

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3. Scout Striders

The Automatons designed these two-legged walkers to soak up fire from the front for other units. Their front armour requires medium weaponry like the MG-43 to penetrate. On lower difficulties, a trooper pilots them, leaving them vulnerable to shots from the back and sides.

However, on higher difficulties, they feature armor on all sides and fire powerful missiles that can kill Helldivers with a single hit. Ironically, their missiles serve as their main weak spot—when hit, they explode and can take out nearby enemies. They can be difficult to shoot, however, so if you have medium-penetrating weapons, you can instead aim for their legs or mid-section.

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4. Berserkers

Berserkers dual-wield chainsaws and charge straight towards Helldivers in packs. They aim to rush you down and flush you out of cover for other enemies to shoot.

They are unarmoured but have high health, so it is best to aim for their head to kill them in a single hit. Otherwise, aiming for their glowing red torso is the next best option for eliminating them promptly.

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5. Hulks

Hulks are one of the most common heavy units you will encounter on the Automaton front. Similar to the Devastators except cranked to eleven, they have massive armour and even more massive weapons to break through your defensive line. Being speedier than they look, Hulks have the potential to wipe out your squad if not dealt with properly, making them a high-priority target.

They have two weak spots: the large vent on their back, and the small glowing “eye” in the front. Both need heavy-armour penetrating weapons, so what you choose to use depends on how good you are at aiming. For those who have decent aim, the best option is the RS-422 Railgun for an efficient one-shot to the eye at around 90% charge on Unsafe Mode. On the other hand, if your aim is poor, it may be better to bring Anti-Tank weaponry such as the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, or EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank.

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6. Tanks

Automaton Tanks are the first of the Automaton mobile weapons platforms that you may encounter. There are three variants – Annihilator (heavy cannon), Shredder (machine guns), and Barrager (missile launchers). Each shares a similar weak point in the glowing vent on their back. The Barrager Tank uniquely has another medium-armour weak point in its launch tubes.

The best way to counter Tanks is to use your stratagems like the Eagle Airstrike or Orbital Precision Strike, as they are slow and easy to hit. If these are unavailable, use Anti-Tank or heavy-penetration weaponry to target the weak points.

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7. Gunships

These VTOL aircraft will spawn in packs from Gunship Fabricators and also as patrols around the map. Each part of the Gunship has its own health pool, so you must focus on one part to efficiently destroy the Gunship.

Their weak spot is their thrusters, which are medium-armour like the rest of their body, but have drastically less health. The MLs-4X Commando and Sta-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher are particularly useful against Gunships thanks to their homing projectiles.

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8. War Striders

War Striders go against a lot of the design philosophy for the other enemies, with no visible glowing weak spot. This, coupled with the fact that they have a lot of health, armour, and firepower, means that they can wreak immense havoc among your squad. When they spot you, they launch a hail of grenades and lasers, quickly shredding anything in their path.

Heavy armour-penetrating weapons can destroy their main weak spot—the leg joint. The best weapon for this is the RS-422 Railgun, which can kill in two shots to the leg joint in Unsafe Mode at around 90% charge. If your aim is not great, the FAF-14 Spear will one-shot the War Strider with its homing missile. For a disposable option, the MLS-14X Commando will two-shot its leg joint.

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9. Factory Striders

Factory Striders are easily the biggest Automaton units and the most dangerous. They represent the epitome of the Automaton design philosophy with colossal armour, health, and ordinance. Factory striders pose a high-priority threat. Don’t engage them without cover—they can vaporize players with head machine guns and a back-mounted fusion cannon. Approach with extreme caution.

Fortunately, there are multiple easy weak spots to exploit depending on your angle of attack and weaponry. The fastest way to kill a Factory Strider is to shoot its glowing eye once with a Recoilless Rifle or hit its head twice. You can also target its heel—the back part of the foot—with one Recoilless Rifle shot. Medium-penetrating weapons work well after you strip its armor using Anti-Tank weapons or Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods.

Finally, an extremely risky yet effective way to kill Factory Striders is to get underneath them and use the FLAM-40 Flamethrower. Aiming up towards the bay doors will melt them in seconds. However, the Strider will likely crush you once it dies, so prepare to dive or run away.

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10. Automaton Offensive Structures

The Automatons deploy several hostile structures that will often atomise Helldivers from an extremely long range. These include the Cannon Turrets, Bunker Turrets, and Mortar Emplacements.

They follow the design philosophy of the Automatons by having a glowing weak spot on their back. However, it can sometimes be difficult to reach if they are aiming at you. Thus, it is best to proceed quietly and carefully on the Automaton front to obtain good attack angles on these structures.

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Loadouts: Armour, Primaries, Secondaries and Grenades

Armour: DP-00 Tactical – The biggest threats on the Helldivers 2 Automaton front are the powerful blasts that will one-shot you if you do not have cover. Cannon Turrets, Factory Strider turrets, Bunker Turrets, and Annihilator Tanks are all extremely dangerous while you are out in the open. Therefore, a 50% chance to survive these shots is an absolute godsend. Armours with the Extra Padding perk also help absorb random stray shots you’ll often take.

Primary: SG-8S Slugger – The original go-to weapon against the Automatons on launch, this shotgun is still extremely reliable for punching holes through medium armour at most ranges. An alternative would be the PLAS-1 Scorcher, which is expensive and has a low ammo count, but is very powerful.

Secondary: P-19 Redeemer – Used mainly to kill Berserkers in a pinch. A single clip can reliably decimate a Berserker without needing to aim, making it useful in panic situations.

Grenade: G-12 High-Explosive – This is one of two grenades that penetrate heavy armour, making them useful against Tanks and Hulks. Cook grenades by holding them after pulling the pin, then throw them behind enemies to hit their weak spot. An easier alternative is the G-6 Impact Grenade; however, these can be difficult to throw into Fabricator vents because they explode on impact.

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Stratagem Combinations

The stratagems you will want to bring depend on whether you want to bring a utility backpack or save your backpack slot for your support weapon. Utility backpacks can be very useful; however, support weapons that require a backpack are often much more powerful than those that do not. You should generally always bring a support weapon, or you’ll lack options against heavy units.

1. Railgun Jump Pack

• RS-422 Railgun/APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle/LAS-98 Laser Cannon
• LIFT-850 Jump Pack
• Eagle Airstrike/Eagle Strafing Run/Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods
• Orbital 120mm HE Barrage/Orbital 380mm HE Barrage/Orbital Laser

This build aims to stay mobile and take out key enemies at range. The Railgun is the best weapon for taking out everything except for Factory Striders, as long as you can aim and manage the Unsafe Mode. However, this has a high skill ceiling and requires very precise shots to perform well. The Anti-Materiel Rifle and Laser Cannon offer accurate, long-range fire; they kill slower but are easier to use.

Use the Jump Pack to reach and destroy key elevated objectives. Clear the area with the Orbital Barrage, or opt for the Orbital Laser’s fire-and-forget, but note it has only 3 uses and a long cooldown.

The Eagle Airstrike is a good all-purpose clearing tool for any threats that get too close like Tanks and Hulks. You can switch it out for the Eagle Strafing Run for higher uses and more instant deployment, or the Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods for stripping armour.

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2. The Creeker

• AC-8 Autocannon/GR-8 Recoilless Rifle/FAF-14 Spear
• Eagle 500kg Bomb
• Autocannon Sentry/Eagle Smoke Strike/Gas Mines/Eagle Airstrike/Orbital Walking Barrage
• Orbital Laser

Focusing purely on Anti-Tank firepower, this build foregoes utility and subtlety for raw firepower. Players often used variations of this build on Malevelon Creek when enemies were tougher early on in Helldivers 2. The Automaton armies were too strong to face head-on, so Helldivers adopted guerrilla tactics instead. This build focuses on quietly reaching objectives and destroying everything in a quick burst, before slinking away to the next area.

The triple stratagems give you lots of damage to brute-force your way through situations. The trade-off is that you will have to work around longer cooldowns, meaning you may have to kite enemies often before you can unleash your devastation. For a more flexible build, you could switch out the Autocannon Sentry for the Eagle Smoke Strike/Gas Mines to help you escape more easily. For further destruction, you could switch it out for the Eagle Airstrike or Orbital Walking Barrage.

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Conclusion: Helldivers 2 Automaton

The Helldivers 2 Automaton are some of the toughest enemies threatening the Liberty and Managed Democracy of Super Earth. Their steel plating can withstand powerful blows as they turn their enormous guns on our citizens. Battling them can feel hopeless as they fill every square inch of air with laser fire, pinning you down as you await their slow, inevitable approach. However, with the right maneuvers and weaponry, you can defeat them and spill the oil of these heartless machines. Always remember the 3 Cs when fighting the Automatons – Cover, Courage, and more Cover.