As the Automatons rampage across Super Earth in Helldivers 2, the science teams’ hopes for survival fade away. That is until their hero, the Helldiver, escorts them to freedom. Here’s how to rescue science teams in the Retrieve Essential Personnel mission in Helldivers 2.
The Defend Campaign mission in Helldivers 2 is surprisingly tough, especially for solo players. I confidently dropped into Mantes thinking saving these researchers would be a walk in the park, but I was so wrong. Bot breach after bot breach, the enemies fell from their Dropships, all bloodthirsty for my demise. I quickly realized showing weakness wasn’t an option.
Helldivers 2: Best loadout to rescue science teams
To complete the Retrieve Essential Personnel mission, you must first fix your loadout. It’s incredibly important to have powerful Stratagems and weapons with fast mobility (light armor) to survive the endless waves of enemies. While you don’t need to follow these recommendations exactly, here are our top picks to complete the Retrieve Essential Personnel mission:
- SG-225 Breaker
- Orbital Gatling Barrage
- Eagle Strafing Run
- Orbital 120MM HE Barrage
- Stalwart
- Machine Gun
- Grenade Launcher
- G-16 Impact
Now that you have the right equipment, Hellpod onto the rescue science teams objective. A bot breach will happen almost immediately, giving you little chance to call in your supplies. Call in your support weapon(s) the moment you exit the Hellpod, and place a Supply Drop by the researcher holding space. Ammo won’t appear in abundance in this mission, either, as the objective quickly becomes swarmed with Automatons. The aim here is to clear each bot breach at a time and use that small window to unlock the doors that hold the researchers.
How to complete Retrieve Essential Personnel in Helldivers 2
You can only escort three researchers at a time per terminal. Each terminal has a giant button to interact with and open the door, releasing the researchers for you to escort. The button isn’t one-time use, however, meaning you can repeatedly visit the same building to release more researchers so long as the panel above the door is green.
There should be a minimum of two holding areas, filled with researchers. When escorting, the researchers will take a linear path to the extraction point (the mechanical double doors with an illuminating light within). You need to escort a total of 20 to 40 researchers (depending on difficulty) to complete the Rescue Science Teams objective.
Your chosen difficulty level also changes the type of Automaton enemies you’ll face. But Automaton forces will quickly surround you if their numbers aren’t kept to a minimum (regardless of the difficulty). So, stay on top of the bot breaches by calling down artillery when the Dropship comes in, and have a support weapon on-hand at all times to clear any groups.
The Breaker is the perfect weapon against Automatons for its fast firing rate and powerful bullets. Use the Breaker to quickly take out enemies while escorting researchers. There should be fewer enemies to deal with when you’re escorting, so long as you previously cleared the area using artillery strikes. You should only use strikes and grenades when you’re not escorting.
Remember, researchers can quickly and easily die if there are too many enemies around them. You can also accidently kill researchers with a single bullet. While they take more damage from Automatons, you should use precision with the Breaker to pick off any enemies stalking the researchers, and clear the area once again when the escorted researchers are safe. Repeat this method until all researchers are safely extracted.
