For many Helldivers, the fight against the Automatons feels like a relentless, grinding war of attrition. Unlike the more straightforward bug hunts on the Terminid front, the bot campaigns involve complex galactic strategies, elite enemy divisions, and consequences that can last for weeks. Based on community efforts and observable patterns, here’s how these large-scale operations generally work from a player’s perspective.

How Do Major Galactic Campaigns Actually Work?

In practice, major orders to defend or liberate planets are community-wide efforts. Every mission you complete on a contested planet contributes a percentage to the overall liberation bar. The pace is determined by the total player base focusing their efforts. If a planet has a high percentage of players, it liberates quickly. If the community is split between multiple fronts or major orders, progress slows, and defenses can fail. The outcomes you see in the news feed—planets being lost or saved—are direct results of where most players chose to spend their time. There’s no individual failure; it’s a collective win or loss.

What Was "Operation Tormenta de Fuego" and Why Did It Fail?

This operation was a prime example of a major strategic blunder caused by divided community focus. The goal was to launch the Penrose Energy Siphon. However, when the Illuminate raids began and Terminid threats flared up, the player base was split. In that short window, the Automatons, using small surgical raids, managed to reclaim significant territory. The key takeaway for players is that when High Command announces a primary objective, diverting too much strength elsewhere usually leads to losing ground on another front. The community learned the hard way that the bots exploit distraction with brutal efficiency.

Who Are the Incineration Corps and the Jet Brigade?

These are elite Automaton units that appear during major offensives. The Incineration Corps, equipped with incendiary weapons, acts as a spearhead for attacks and is notably tougher than standard bot patrols. The Jet Brigade is a heavily armored assault force. When these units appear on the news feed, it signals a significant, concentrated push from the Automatons. In general, players notice that planets attacked by these divisions feature more heavily fortified positions and higher frequencies of elite enemies like Hulks and Tanks during missions.

What Happened During the Defense of Malevelon Creek Memorial?

This was a pivotal community victory that showcased coordinated player strategy. The Automatons aimed to retake Malevelon Creek, and the defense was set across a line of planets. Players quickly adapted to the pincer attacks, focusing on retaking key worlds like Ingmar to collapse the Automaton's flanks. The climactic battle on Pöpli IX involved the community successfully activating the Eagle Storm stratagem network, which pinned the elite Jet Brigade. This 24-hour window allowed enough players to concentrate their forces and secure a win. It demonstrated that timely, mass coordination on a single objective can turn the tide, even against elite units.

Why Do the Automatons Keep Coming Back After Major Defeats?

The Automaton war machine seems to have deep reserves and long-term planning. Even after devastating losses like at Pöpli IX, where two elite divisions were wiped out, they use periods of relative quiet to rebuild. They often target resource-rich, undefended systems to rearm. For instance, the community later discovered extensive illegal platinum mining operations in the Mox, K, and Fury systems. This is a core part of their loop: they absorb a defeat, retreat to unmonitored sectors to gather resources and build new units, and then launch a new offensive from a position of recovered strength. This is why some players choose to buy Helldivers 2 items online from U4N marketplace to better prepare for these relentless waves, though farming during gameplay remains the most common method.

What Should Players Focus on Now Regarding the Automatons?

Currently, the Automaton front is defined by resource wars and targeted strikes. Operations like "Drydock Lockout" show they aim to cripple Super Earth's infrastructure, specifically space station construction sites. The discovery of the "Vessel 00" data cache suggests there are deeper narrative threads about their origin that future campaigns may explore. For now, common player behavior is to prioritize major orders that disrupt Automaton mining and manufacturing. Letting them hold resource planets like Mintoria uncontested always leads to a stronger enemy in the next offensive. Staying flexible and ready to redeploy from the Terminid or Illuminate fronts is crucial, as history has shown that leaving the bots unchecked, even for a short time, results in a much harder fight later.