The Devastators in Helldivers 2 are a type of Automaton enemy that shares physical features with Berserkers. They’re roughly the same size, but they’re more heavily armored than Berserkers and they prefer ranged damage to melee. There are currently three different types of Devastators that you can encounter on Automaton-controlled worlds: the regular Devastator, the Missile Devastator, and the Heavy Devastator. The last of these are similar to the Hulk Automatons in that they’re much bulkier than most others, but they’re far weaker and you can more easily target their heads to kill them quickly. On this page, we’ll show you where to find Devastators and how to kill them efficiently.
The regular Devastators in Helldivers 2 have basic laser guns, but heavy armor protection.
Devastator Automaton Locations – Helldivers 2¶
As with most Automaton enemies, you’ll only find Devastators on planets that are controlled by the Automatons. You can easily identify the relevant planets by checking the Galactic War map on your starship, where you’ll see one side with sectors marked in red (indicating the presence of Automatons) and the other in yellow (for Terminids). If you’re ever unsure, you can double-check by looking in the top left of your screen while hovering over a planet, where you’ll see “Automaton Control” beneath the name of the sector, as shown in the screenshot below.
(1 of 2) You can see Automaton sectors highlighted in red on the left side of the Galactic War map.
You can see Automaton sectors highlighted in red on the left side of the Galactic War map. (left), Hover over planets to see whether they’re controlled by Automatons or Terminids. (right)
Once you’ve identified a planet controlled by Automatons, you can start or join a mission there. It shouldn’t matter which mission you choose since there’s a good chance of encountering Devastators regardless, but the higher the difficulty, the more Devastators you’re likely to see. We recommend playing on at least Challenging difficulty for the best chances. If you find that you’re not seeing many Devastators around the main objectives, look in areas where optional objectives are present. You may even find that some of the optional objectives specifically request that you destroy the Devastators posted at that location.
How to Identify and Kill Devastators¶
As mentioned above, there are three main types of Devastators that you can encounter on planets that are controlled by Automatons. The regular Devastator looks like a bulkier version of the Berserker, it has a thicker chest plate and thicker limbs, but is otherwise the same with the small head being exposed. You’ll also notice that it lacks the melee modifications that are present on Berserkers, favoring ranged weaponry instead. The regular Devastator has a basic laser gun that doesn’t inflict too much damage, but you should still keep moving around it to avoid being hit.
The head of the Devastator is its weakest point, and it should only take a couple of hits to destroy it if you’re accurate. If you’re using a high-recoil weapon like the Machine Gun, you’ll benefit from crouching or laying prone to reduce recoil and improve accuracy. With that said, there’s a high enough rate of fire that makes shooting at close range with this gun a good option for spraying and praying. The chances are that at least two of its bullets will hit the weak point of the head.
Missile and Heavy Devastators¶
So, the regular Devastators are easy enough to kill. They’re not particularly deadly and they don’t have much to protect their heads. The Missile Devastators are similar, but instead of using a standard laser gun, they wield a deadlier missile launcher from one of their limbs. If you get hit by these, chances are that you’re going to be knocked off your feet, leaving you vulnerable to other enemies in the area. The missiles can be fired once every three-to-five seconds in our experience, so you won’t have much time to get back up and find cover.
One of the easiest ways to deal with Missile Devastators is to make sure that you shoot first. They have the same level of protection as the regular Devastators, so you can just aim for their heads if you’re fast enough. However, a more reliable method is to aim for the missile chambers that are attached to the shoulders of Missile Devastators. If you hit these, the missiles will explode in the chambers, saving you some ammunition while potentially killing a few other weaker Automatons around the doomed Devastator.
(1 of 2) Missile Devastators can hit you at far greater range then the regular or Heavy Devastators.
Missile Devastators can hit you at far greater range then the regular or Heavy Devastators. (left), Shoot the missile chambers on the shoulders of the Missile Devastator to cause an explosion. (right)
In terms of the Heavy Devastators, these are a bit more difficult to kill since they wield a large shield that covers most of their body, including their head, from one side. The trick here is to maneuver around the target in the same direction as the side of its body that the shield doesn’t cover, allowing you to get a clearer shot on its head. This is easy enough if you’re just fighting one Heavy Devastator, but you’ll need to be careful to avoid other enemies in the direction that you’re trying to flank if you’re alone. These heavier Devastators also wield an automatic laser gun, so they have an increased rate of fire that you’ll need to be cautious of.
If all else fails and you’re unable to get a clear shot on the exposed head, the best way to kill these heavily armored Devastators is to throw a few grenades at their feet or use a deadly explosive stratagem. The Orbital Precision Strike is particularly good if you aim it properly since you can tag the enemy with it. The strike will then land on the target within four seconds, even if it moves. Alternatively, if there’s a large number of enemies bunched up around a Heavy Devastator, you can consider using something like the Eagle Cluster Bomb. This will wipe out most enemies in the area, but you’ll want to avoid using these most devastating stratagems if it’s just a small group of enemies.
(1 of 2) Heavy Devastators use automatic laser guns to fire from a distance.
Heavy Devastators use automatic laser guns to fire from a distance. (left), You can run around the Heavy Devastators to get a better view of their weak point heads. (right)
More Helldivers 2 Enemy Types¶
If you want to learn more about different types of Automaton and Terminid enemies in Helldivers 2, check the links below!
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