Helldivers 2’s New Extraction Missions Are Absolutely Wrecking Players

If you’re playing Helldivers 2 you’ve probably heard the in-game call to action: the Automatons are making a push towards Earth and it’s time for players to turn their attention away from the killer bugs they started with and onto the killer robots. The only problem is, the killer robots are absolutely wrecking players.

This week, Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead opened up two new worlds to play on, and introduced new Automaton defense missions including some that involve safely extracting a certain number of scientists or civilians. And it’s these extraction missions in particular that players are having trouble with.

Breaking: Automatons Launch Brazen Assault on Multiple Well-Populated Planets pic.twitter.com/f6Idb6xyTG

— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) February 15, 2024

Why? Simply put, these missions chuck hordes of heavily armoured Automatons at you in relentless waves of robot death. It’s incredibly difficult to cope with, even when in a four-person squad. The Automatons, already considered the tougher of the two enemy factions, land from their dreaded dropships in their droves. It can feel overwhelming from the moment you spawn in. All this, and you need to keep those squisy scientists alive until they reach safety.

“I’ve had a few goes at the civilian defense mission and holy shit we were getting WRECKED,” said redditor Cracker3011. “They don’t stop coming. THEY DON’T STOP COMING.”

“I have not completed one extraction mission,” admitted Pepnis. “I just played one on extreme and it was literally impossible,” said Gold_Wrongdoer_8562. “No idea what I could have done better, I play Helldiver difficulty against bugs but this extreme scientist evac mission was literally not beatable. All three of my teammates left halfway through so it was a complete waste of time.”

After establishing the “unspoken” rules of engagement, with an etiquette for good co-op play, Helldivers 2 players are now offering tips and tricks for beating these new extraction missions, including build suggestions. IGN has plenty of advice, too, including our Helldivers 2 best loadouts guide. My tip is that when you see a bot drop incoming, target those thrusters and you can bring down the dropship and its robot legion in one fell swoop.

Of course, this sense of extreme difficulty is all part of the Helldivers 2 fun. And it fits tonally, too. This is a game heavily inspired by cult-classic sci-fi war movie Starship Troopers, itself a commentary on fascism and the folly of war. Similarly, Helldivers 2 players are but meat for the grinder in the neverending battle against the alien menace. You will die. Over and over again.

For now, the war with the Automatons continues, and based on the progress we can see in-game, it looks like the robots are winning.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].