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In hindsight, it was pretty foolish of Super Earth to think the Automatons would go quietly when they were eradicated from Helldivers 2 following a Major Order event earlier this month. The Automaton destruction lasted just one day before it was revealed that the robots survived and had secretly been plotting to attack Super-Earth with a vengeance when tens of thousands of warships suddenly appeared in the galaxy. With the Automatons being on the warpath, the robot army has brought back one of its most feared creations, the Factory Strider.
In a post on the official Helldivers 2 X account, Arrowhead Game Studios announced the return of the Factory Strider Automaton, which is often nicknamed “Walkers”, which hasn’t been seen in the game for quite some time.
“Factory Striders have made a resurgence on the Automaton front. These imposing, massive support dreadnoughts now threaten freedom and democracy throughout the galactic rim.”
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This news comes just three days after a Reddit post, which gained over 9,200 upvotes, questioned where the Factory Striders had gone and called for their return. Whether this is coincidentally or Arrowhead Game Studios took note is unknown. The Factory Striders can be encountered in missions at level 4 Challenging difficulty and above.
If you’ve never encountered a Factory Strider before then this large robotic dog-like Automaton can be incredibly intimidating. Trust me, when I say they’re large…they’re huge. Despite this, there are many strategies to take Factory Striders down. The Orbital Laser is enough to destroy a Factory Strider. Stratagem weapons such as the Recoilless Rifle and Quasar Cannon can also destroy the Factory Strider with two shots each. But, if you find yourself face to face with one, avoid standing in front of it because it will take you out in less than 2 seconds.
With the Factory Strider making a return, now is a great time to reevaluate your loadout to make sure you’re in a position to be able to take the robotic dogs down. For this, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you and your squad can be kitted out to bring democracy to this returning enemy.