Automatons

"The Automatons are mindless, bloodthirsty robots, coded for nothing but murder and violence. Their origins are a mystery, but their unthinking hatred of Freedom make them a threat to all citizens of Super Earth."

The are robots that were created by the Cyborgs from the First Galactic War. Currently one of two factions that Super Earth is at war with, they are known to spread havoc and destruction in their wake, purging freedom wherever they go.

After their apparent defeat, they returned mere days later with their main fleet in a desperate counteroffensive.

Automaton Origins
According to the information provided by a decrypted message from the official Helldivers Twitter account, the Automatons are descendants of the Cyborgs fought in the first game, created to continue fighting against Super Earth and one day liberate the Cyborgs from their warranted enslavement on Cyberstan.

"'We, the collective from Cyberstan, unanimously assert our independence from Super Earth. We have the right to defend our home from the brainwashed Helldivers. Our children, the automaton will not suffer as we have under the oppression of Super Earth!'"

The Automatons are the next step in the evolution of the Cyborgs. As entirely mechanical beings, they no longer require traitors from Super Earth or corpses of fallen Helldivers to create new troops. Automaton all have similar characteristics like dark metallic bodies, digitigrade legs, skull-like heads, armor plates and a pair of red glowing eyes.

Apparent Defeat and Return
After a long series of battles in the Severin Sector, the Automatons finally seemed to have been wiped out from the Galaxy on April 7th, with a success of Operation "Swift Dissassembly". Victory parades were held in every corner of the Super Earth Dominion, but unfortunately the celebrations were premature: hidden in the shadows, the bloodthirsty machines were plotting revenge. "What Automatons we have faced thus far were but a component of their grand apparatus. A great invasion fleet has invaded the defenceless mining colony of Cyberstan in a craven attack, and now casts it's shadow upon the rest of the Federation." On April 9th, while the Helldivers were focused on containing the Terminids, the Automatons launched a coward surprise attack on numerous worlds under Humanity's control, including the planet that once was the Cyborgs main stronghold: Cyberstan.

Tactics
Battling Automatons requires Helldivers to adopt a drastically different approach compared to battling the Terminids. Rather than relying on melee tactics like their bug-like counterparts, they are instead equipped with a vast array of projectile weaponry. Thus, Helldivers need to find a good balance between offense and defense, seeking cover whenever possible and focus on rapidly disassembling the Automaton's heavy hitters before they can unleash their devastating attacks.

While many Automaton models are well armored, their general humanoid structures possess a very notable weakness in their heads. Precise shots to the head even on heavier enemies like Devastators can stagger and destroy them with ease. Larger enemies have vents, generally located on their back. They can be preferable to other weak points due to their larger area and bright orange glow, making them easier to hit when your foe is facing away from you.

Automatons can be rapidly deployed in large numbers via Dropships, which are called in with signal flares by the general infantry units when alerted of a Helldivers presence. If reinforcements are called, Helldivers can disrupt their deployment by shooting the dropship's thruster with heavy anti-armor weapon such as the Recoilless Rifle, Expendable Anti-Tank, Quasar Cannon or Anti-Materiel Rifle. It should be noted that this may not kill or even damage all of the bots on board the dropship. All Helldivers are therefore recommended to exercise caution near recently liberated Automaton dropships.

Automatons can also be produced at outposts and objective areas via Fabricators set up in said locations. Destroying the Fabricators can be done in a similar fashion to demolishing bug hives, by serving a fresh hot cup of liber-tea down their exhaust vents or simply leveling the entire area using Eagle strikes or orbital bombardments. Be warned that a Fabricator will explode rather violently when destroyed, so Helldivers are to keep their distances or stay close to the ground when making their deliveries.

Automaton Outposts are defended by a majority of Troopers patrolling and manning machine gun emplacements, along with a wide variety of larger units such as Scout Striders and Devastators, while large outposts can even include Hulks, Annihilator Tanks and Factory Striders. Therefore, it's advised to approach heavy outposts utilizing stealth as much as possible before delivering as much simultaneous and overwhelming democratic force as possible. On higher difficulties, outposts may be guarded by Cannon Towers which are only vulnerable from behind, and largely brush off small-arms fire.

Stealth Tactics

 * Any Trooper variant can be stealthily eliminated with two melee strikes, taking Troopers out with melee does not make noise and will not alert nearby Automaton, granted you are out of their line of sight.
 * The Elite Trooper variants can be taken out the same way, just with three melee strikes instead.
 * When spotted by any Automaton the player has a chance to dive, crouch or move behind any cover for a couple seconds. This will not alert Automatons into calling for Dropships, but they will usually investigate the area the player was spotted so the player must move to stay hidden.
 * If Automaton are taken out from a distance any remaining Automaton will investigate the area the Automaton was killed before searching in the direction the gunfire came from. This can be used to bait Automaton out of cover, but they will spot the player eventually by tracking the gunfire.
 * For some reason, Impact grenades do not alarm Automaton if the explosion is out of their line of sight.