Helldivers 2 Factory Striders Prove One Advantage of Automatons Over Terminids

In Helldivers 2, the battlefield is king. As a titular Helldiver, players are tasked with defending the great nation of Super Earth and spreading liberty throughout the galaxy. In its current state, Helldivers 2 features two factions that pose a threat to Super Earth’s cause: Automatons and Terminids. Although both are seen as threats to liberty, the two enemy types are vastly different.

Automatons are robotic killing machines that prove to be an incredibly challenging opponent on the battlefield. Terminids present a harrowing challenge as well, but fighting these giant bug-like creatures is a completely different type of fight. Despite the difficulty both enemies present, there is one major advantage that Automatons have when it comes to the longevity of Helldivers 2.

The Constant Evolution of Automatons in Helldivers 2

Due to their robotic nature, Automatons are ever-evolving, and this is where their biggest advantage lies. A great example of this is found in the recent introduction of Factory Striders, showcasing that the definition of an Automaton is far more versatile than the Terminids.

Factory Striders Up the Ante Where Terminids Lack

As if fighting Automatons wasn’t hard enough, the addition of Factory Striders to the game has brought an all-new layer of challenge to these specific missions. Factory Striders are heavily armored walking behemoths reminiscent of AT-ATs from Star Wars. Their sheer size and massive health makes them incredibly intimidating to cross on the battlefield, and they also show how diverse these enemies really are in terms of what constitutes an Automaton. Both enemy factions bring their own unique threats, but Automatons are the most dangerous due to their embrace of massive weaponry.

Terminids, on the other hand, are contained by specific parameters. Although they can vary in size and ability, Terminids can’t transform and evolve in the same way that Automatons can. The giant alien bugs are confined by being a biological species, but Automatons, being machines, create nearly endless possibilities for their growth. The unchanging nature of Terminids presents a situation where they run the risk of feeling stale in combat when thinking about Helldivers 2 in the long term.

Orbital Laser Strikes are some of the most effective ways of destroying a Factory Strider.

Automatons are the Key to Helldivers 2’s Longevity

Although fighting Terminids could potentially get old, Automatons can always bring bigger and more dangerous forms of combat to the battlefield. With Helldivers 2 being an ongoing live-service game, it’s important to keep its enemies compelling. Fighting the Automatons won’t run the same risk as the Terminids because there’s no telling what Automatons will bring to the table next. Helldivers 2 was released back in February of this year, and players have already seen a huge variety in the Automatons in just a matter of months.

The ongoing action of Helldivers 2 is one of its greatest strengths, but it’s a difficult task to try and continue successfully. Helldivers 2 has proven to be a really special game that demonstrates how a live-service title should be done, but when it comes to the game’s long-term lifespan, it seems like Terminids may just be a small piece of a bigger pie. Ultimately, the true conflict for Helldivers 2 lies in the war with the Automatons. As Super Earth’s Helldiver forces push further into the Automaton’s territory, the robotic hoards will do anything possible to gain victory, and continuously evolving beyond just bipedal foot soldiers makes them the ultimate opponent.