Helldivers 2’s Automatons make their dreaded return in massive Reclamation invasion 

After a brief respite post clearing the Automaton threat, the mechanic threat strikes back, in the form of a large-scale invasion in Helldivers 2.

The beginning of April saw Helldivers 2 players tasked with a massive Major Order — wipe the Automaton threat from the face of the galaxy. After a prolonged battle, the Helldivers proved victorious, as players demolished the machine presence from the game’s servers.

Yet, despite a massive congratulations post and a very brief moment of celebration, a sense of unease started to sink in. Surely, the complete annihilation of an enemy faction wasn’t possible?

And in the blink of an eye, the truth came to light. Shared to the Helldivers 2 Twitter/X account, The Reclamation has begun, as tens of thousands of Automaton warships have arrived via FTL jump, with the mechanic foes looking to reclaim what they’ve lost.

MAJOR ORDER: All units to LIBCON 1. A massive Automaton Invasion Fleet, comprising tens of thousands of warships, arrived from FTL jump and began an unprovoked invasion of Cyberstan and the surrounding planets. The Reclamation has begun. pic.twitter.com/owsOFNFC6C

— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) April 9, 2024

Loading into the game, the new Major Order reflects the return of the Automatons. Shared to the Helldivers subreddit, players must succeed in the defense of five planets. Bear in mind that this is also the true Automaton force at work, as noted by the Helldivers 2 devs in the Major Order’s description.

Additionally, the invasion sees the Automatons rushing straight toward Super Earth as they conquer a line of sectors that sets them on a collision course with the planet Helldivers are sworn to protect.

Of course, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. April 11 sees the introduction of the new explosive Premium Warbond, Democratic Detonation, and the Illuminate have been datamined, with the first enemies of the third faction being revealed.