Helldivers 2 Automatons have AT-ATs and Gunships now

Malevelon Creek just got ten times more lethal

Arrowhead / Sony

That fun balance patch Helldivers 2 got earlier today may have made some mission types easier and re-balanced some weapons, but do you know what else it did? It gave the Automatons a few new toys to play with – and that’s bad news for all the brave Helldivers currently holding Draupnir and Malevelon Creek as well as attacking Ubanea.

According to the latest reports from the frontlines, the dastardly Automatons are fielding walkers reminiscent of AT-ATs (or rather their Clone Wars predecessors, the Republic’s AT-TEs) as well as Gunships to put additional force behind their counterattack.

In terms of armaments, these walkers appear to be no joke: A main gun mounted on a turret can unleash destruction in all directions, but they’re especially lethal from the front, having an array of guns pointed forward. Just like the AT-ATs in Star Wars, these walkers are heavily armored – one piece of footage showed one of these vehicles tanking a 500kg bomb as well as an orbital laser.

Early reports indicate that their weakness may be their top armor, so tools like the Spear could be effective against them.

The newly deployed Gunships seem to have advanced sensors for detection purposes, similar to the Automatons’ fortifications, and can rain down volleys of missile fire from above – some of the Helldivers have already started calling them ‘flying Devastators’ for this reason. In addition to rocket launchers, they have laser cannons and always seem to patrol in groups. Brave patriots have also identified new buildings deployed by the Automatons, from which these Gunships will spawn continuously until they’re destroyed.

The Automatons have deployed Gunships to achieve air superiority. / Arrowhead / Sony

There may be even worse news coming in the near future, though: Above all planets on which a battle against the Automatons is currently being waged, massive spaceships of unknown design have been spotted. They appear to dwarf Super Destroyers in size and may even have cloaking capabilities.

After the elation about Malevelon Creek’s liberation, it must be held at all costs – failure may see the Automatons get even stronger reinforcements.