Best Automaton loadout and build in Helldivers 2

Automatons in Helldivers 2 are one of the more difficult foes to deal with. Not only are they rich when it comes to armor, but they also pack a decent punch. The right loadout is key to a successful operation regardless of your strategy.

Here are our picks for the best weapons, armor, and Stratagems against Automatons in Helldivers 2.

Best weapons and armor against Automatons in Helldivers 2

Multiple weapons and armor in Helldivers 2 are locked behind premium Warbonds. Grinding Super Credits to unlock them may take a while if you don’t want to spend real money, so we provided multiple options for equipment, depending on what you might have unlocked.

Here are the best weapons, throwables, and armor against the Automatons in Helldivers 2:

• Primary weapon: PLAS-1 Scorcher
• Secondary weapon: GP-31 Grenade Pistol or GP-31 Ultimatum
• Grenade: G-12 High Explosive
• Armor passives: Fortified or Med-Kit

Fighting Automatons requires precision and armor penetration, so you want a primary weapon with Medium Armor Penetrating. From premium Warbonds, there are weapons like the R-36 Eruptor and CB-9 Exploding Crossbow from Democratic Detonation, PLAS-101 Purifier from Polar Patriots, and even the R-6 Deadeye from Borderline Justice. If you don’t have any of them, the PLAS-1 Scorcher from the last page of the Helldivers Mobilize! Warbond will do just fine.

For the secondary, the GP-31 Grenade Pistol and the GP-31 Ultimatum are great options for additional explosive damage. Apart from them, anything that you have is fine. I prefer the P-4 Senator and the LAS-58 Talon revolvers because they have high penetration and are more ammo-efficient if you land your shots.

The only grenade worth mentioning is the G-123 Thermite—an anti-tank grenade with a penetration level of seven and 2,000 damage. It comes from the Democratic Detonation Warbond, but you can use any other grenade, depending on your needs.

Armor depends a lot on your playstyle. Heavy armor with the Fortified passive increases resistance to explosive damage (and a lot of Automaton’s damage is explosive) but greatly slows you down. To stay on the move, you can use armor with the Med-Kit passive for extra stims or the Engineering Kit for extra grenades.

Best Strategems against Automatons in Helldivers 2

The optimal Stratagem choice often depends on what your team is running. You don’t want everyone to run the same loadout, as it’s better to spread out your resources and cover all bases, from clearing enemy waves to annihilating single armored targets.

Here are the best general Stratagems against the Automatons:

• SH-32 Shield Generator Pack
• RS-422 Railgun
• Eagle 500KG Bomb
• A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry

The Shield Generator Pack is a great Stratagem for any mission, allowing you to survive that stray shot from a Devastator that would’ve killed you otherwise. The RS-422 Railgun is the best support weapon against the bots. You have to be precise with it and use the unsafe mode, but it can one-shot even Hulks if you hit it right in the head.

The rest of the Stratagems are more flexible and depend on what the rest of the squad is running. The 500KG Bomb is perfect for larger targets and buildings, especially because you can get two per rearm with the Expanded Weapons Bay module on the Super Destroyer. You can also bring the Orbital Railcannon Strike, Orbital Laser, or Orbital Precision Strike.

Automaton forces primarily consist of armored targets, and the Rocket Sentry can thin out enemy lines when you have to protect a specific area or want to cover a flank. To make the most out of sentries, you also want to invest in Engineering Bay and Robotics Workshop upgrades on your Super Destroyer.

Other Stratagems that you may consider bringing into a fight against Automatons include the Eagle Airstrike for groups of enemies and outposts, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon for armored targets, and the Anti-Tank Emplacement.