Helldivers 2 Player Unveils Impressive Strategy to Take Down Factory Striders Using a Pistol

Okay, so here’s something wild about Helldivers 2. Players are just flipping the whole strategy script with this ridiculous new tactic that combines a fresh Stratagem with, wait for it, a mere pistol to take down the freaking Factory Strider. Yeah, that massive hunk of metal that’s like a mini-boss on steroids. This all came in with the Escalation of Freedom update, where these Factory Striders became part of the feared Automaton lineup.

Anyway, Helldivers 2 isn’t new to these meta shifts—those updates keep things interesting—but Arrowhead Game Studios has this sneaky way of linking gameplay changes with their monetization. It’s all about those “War Bond” premium DLCs pumping out new gear regularly. I guess there’s not much fuss about balance because there’s no PvP mode to worry about. But when new Stratagems roll in, like from the Control Group War Bond, it can seriously flip old strategies on their heads.

So, about this Factory Strider thing. It could really change how players deal with them, thanks to a clip from YouTuber OhDough. This guy shows off this combo: using the Warp Pack to zip under these giant walking machines and then using a freakin’ P-72 Crisper pistol to torch their vulnerable little belly sections. Apparently, just a few seconds per Strider and the convoy’s toast in under a minute.

Oh, and then there’s this clip blowing up among players. They’re just in awe of how fast OhDough blew apart a Factory Strider convoy. This was after a patch, like 1.001.100 I think—Arrowhead gave flame weapons back their armor-piercing juice. So now, you can basically set a Strider on fire without needing to rip off their armor first. Flamethrowers are usually best for close encounters, but now they’re just as deadly against Automatons. Plus, you can run and gun with the Crisper since it’s a pistol, which is just insane.

Normally, Factory Striders are absolute nightmares. They’ve got laser gatling guns, big cannons on top, and spawn Devastator enemies for a full-on assault. And these things are usually untouchable from a distance if you’re rocking flame weapons. But that new Warp Pack’s letting players like OhDough sneak in from behind, totally bypassing those defenses. And hey, convoy Striders don’t even try to change direction like solo Striders do, making them easy pickings from the rear.

Honestly, it’s just another day in the chaotic world of Helldivers 2. Who’s to say what’ll happen next? Maybe a new War Bond will let you take down these giant machines with, I dunno, a spoon or something.