A History of Helldivers 2: The Automaton Menace
In the spring of 2184, the Automatons would begin a series of tactical strikes against Super Earth.
The Galactic War in Helldivers 2 is tough to follow, even for a dedicated Super Citizen. Major Orders only last for a finite amount of time before Super Earth’s high command puts out a new briefing. Last time, in a History of Helldivers, we discussed the opening battles against the Terminid menace on the Barrier Worlds of the eastern front. Today, we track the early movements of the Automatons, and explain how these opening salvos unfolded.
While the intrepid forces of Super Earth battled back the Terminid front, the perfidious Automatons decided to make their appearance. The Automatons are a tricky foe to fight; unlike the feral Terminids, Automatons are of low cunning, and they apply that limited intelligence to their battlefield tactics. Bots will take cover, man offensive weaponry, hold encampments, and build fortresses. They are capable of quickly building factories that can mass-produce a wide array of mechanized menaces. Of course, many of these robots are no match for the Helldivers. The bulk of their forces are made up of mechanical bipeds built in the image of a Super Earth citizen, but programmed to be aggressively anti-democracy. These Automatons are flexibly applied to certain combat roles, like manning small mechs, preparing minefields, and holding fortified encampments.
The Automatons are also capable of imitating Super Earth designs, creating tanks, heavy exoskeletons, and metal monstrosities like the massive Hulk. Only a few Automatons, such as the aforementioned Hulk and chainsaw wielding Bezerkers, are courageous enough to go toe-to-toe with a squad of Helldivers. In the earliest days of the war, this faction heavily prioritized sniping from afar. Helldivers used to the primal chaos of the Terminid front needed time to readjust and reapply their training to these dangerous new circumstances.
