Helldivers 2 throws players against endless hordes of robust enemies, and sometimes you can't defeat them without the proper preparation. That's the case with Factory Striders, commonly known as "dogs" or "puppies." These heavily armed behemoths of steel can overwhelm even the most prepared player. Want to know how to beat Factory Striders in Helldivers 2?
Just like with other mighty Helldivers 2 creatures, Factory Striders have weaknesses you can exploit. This article will help you to choose the proper strategy to bring these metallic foes to heel.
Before we reveal how to beat Factory Striders, check out the Helldivers 2 weapon tier list. Plus, we've got articles on how to defeat Scout Striders and Brood Commanders in Helldivers 2.
How to find Factory Striders in Helldivers 2
Factory Striders can't be found anywhere in the world until you reach the Challenging difficulty. You'll encounter these heavy units on the "Eliminate Automaton Factory Striders" mission. On the difficulties of Hard and Extreme, these mobs will still spawn only during specific missions.
Starting from the difficulty level Suicide Mission, Factory Striders will be in the backbone of Automaton swarms found on the Automaton-occupied planets. Not only that, these armored foes will also be found guarding Outposts.
How to kill Helldivers 2 Factory Striders
Even though Factory Striders are giant, heavily armored creatures, they are quite tough targets to deal with. This is because of the strong armor, with players reporting these foes can even survive direct 500kg bomb hits.
click to enlargeThe key to taking down a Factory Strider lies in exploiting its weak point: a horizontal strip located just below its face. Using AMR, it will take four or five magazines to destroy the mounted machine guns. Once these are destroyed, there's nothing "puppies" can do to you. You will have plenty of time to deal with these enemies.
Instead of AMR, you can also try to use a laser to its weak spots. As Reddit users report, it will take roughly 6 seconds to kill Factory Striders after you destroy the two machine guns on the front.
If you don't feel like taking down Factory Strider with AMR or laser is an option for you, a couple of 500kg Eagle Bombs can still do the job well. Drop a few missiles, wait until Factory Strider stops moving, and kill the creature once it's vulnerable.
With that sorted, you can now go back to the Galactic War map, and outsmart the Factory Striders. Before you leave, read our interesting Helldivers 2 guides and learn how to find and kill Berserkers and how to bypass Helldivers 2 queue.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Helldivers 2 page.