After the player base's efforts to combat the Terminid threat at the eastern portion of the galaxy and construct the Terminid Control System, the Automatons have now launched a massive offensive campaign. New orders have been given to the community, which is to win at least 8 different Defense campaigns against the Automatons. Now, Helldivers across the galaxy are mobilizing to rush into the defense of the western galactic sectors. With the new escort mission, Helldivers everywhere are throwing as many bodies to the front as they can, hoping to stem the time of the Automaton onslaught.
New Campaign Type: Defense Campaign
Instead of liberating enemy-occupied planets, Helldivers can now defend a Super Earth-owned planet to prevent them from becoming overwhelmed by the Automatons---a first for the series. There is a meter on the invaded planet that shows the progress of the bots in taking over the planet and another for the Helldivers’ efforts to beat back the offensive. Currently, there are two planets that are under assault: Mantes and Draupnir. More planets will be under assault as the week goes by since the Major Order states that 8 planets must be successfully defended. Should this operation succeed, the game will reward everyone with a whopping 12500 Requisition points, so get out there and defend the colonies of Super Earth!
New Mission Type: Research Team Evacuation
One part of these new orders is the introduction of the Research Team Evacuation mission, which is situated on a small map similar to the Extermination missions while sharing the same mechanics as the Civilian Evacuation mission. However, bots will start spawning very frequently as waves, and they will actively hunt down the research team that you’re trying to rescue. Now, the standard quota for civilians saved is usually 20, but with this mission, you will have to save 30 up to 60 civilians in harder difficulties. Coupled with the waves of bots coming your way and 15 minutes of mission time, this marks as one of the hardest missions in the game with the amount of chaos that ensues.
Guide to Beating the Research Team Evacuation Mission
There are civilian spawners nearby that will let out 3 civilians who must be escorted to the central shuttle building. This mission will have Bot Drops at specific points on the map, so take note of where you can set up your defenses. For Stratagems, the Mortar Sentry and its EMS variant are vital in keeping bot waves away from the civilians. Mine Stratagems will also aid in deterring bot movement since there are plenty of chokepoints on each map that the Automatons will pass through. The Machine Gun and Gatling Sentry Guns are useful for this mission, but they can be prone to accidentally shooting at the civilians and wasting ammo at dropships, so take heed on where you place them.
For support weapons, the Recoilless Rifle will be necessary at the higher difficulties as Tanks will be a frequent presence for this mission. Two shots at the turret with the Recoilless Rifle will destroy a Tank with no problems, but it can also be used to shoot down dropships by shooting one of its engines. The Railgun and Autocannon make short work of Devastators and Scout Striders, which will always be part of a Bot Drop and comprise most of the threats to the civilians. Supply Packs are a welcome addition to the mission, as you will be constantly using up all your ammo in firefights. A Shield Generator Relay will give you some much-needed cover to save yourselves and the civilians from stray shots.
Offensive Stratagems aren’t as useful for this kind of mission as Bot Drops will happen so often that by the time you use all your Orbitals and Airstrikes, there will be another wave of Automatons that will encroach on your positions. Stratagems like the 500kg and the Orbital Laser especially will lose all value for this mission as they take precious minutes to spawn when the Mortar Sentry lasts longer and will automatically track targets for you. The 120MM and 380MM Barrages are also absolutely useless for this mission as the map is too small for these be effective and will even put you, your team, and the civilians’ lives in danger because of the spread.
After a wave of Bot Drops, there will be a brief lull in the action, which is a good time to bring the civilians out and bring them straight to the evacuation building. While there is no penalty for losing a civilian, this will make the mission last longer as the civilian spawners take a minute to recharge before another group can be sent out again. Should you call a group as the bots appear, do your best to follow them and draw fire away from the group.
Rally the Helldivers!
It takes the combined efforts of the player community to liberate a planet, and it’s no different with the Defense Campaigns. Now, you and other Helldivers are on the clock as the enemy is actively attempting to occupy our own worlds. With this new escort mission, playing alone and losing a mission will only contribute to the Automaton occupation, so always squad up with your friends or bring some randoms along to make the defense effort easier.
