In Atomfall, you’ll encounter various threats like outlaws, soldiers, and Ferals. While you can usually handle them with some good positioning or by using a bit of ammo to finish off a fight quickly, dealing with robots is a different challenge.
With their massive size, heavy weaponry, and durable metal armor, robots stand out as the toughest enemies in the Quarantine Zone. It’s wise to think carefully before taking one on, and if you must engage, come well-prepared with a solid plan.
How to Defeat Flamethrower Robots
Flamethrower robots are easy to identify due to their bright red fuel canisters, which are located on their shoulders and one wrist. While they may not have the range of machine gun robots, getting caught in their flames can definitely lead to a quick defeat.
Before attempting to take down a flamethrower robot, prepare a bottle of Burn Salve. This can help prevent you from suffering the Burn status effect, which could save your life.
Keep out of the robot’s sight until you can get right behind it. Once in position, use a precise weapon like a pistol or rifle to target one of the shoulder fuel canisters until it explodes.
It’s ideal to destroy the canister with your first shot, but if you need to retreat to avoid being burned, don’t hesitate.
The resulting explosion will trigger the robot’s emergency heat venting, causing it to kneel and cease its attacks. Take this opportunity to run over and remove the Atomic Battery from its back. This will disable it until you decide to reinsert the battery.
The only reason to power up a defeated robot is to earn the Batteries Not Included Achievement/Trophy, which will make it resume its attack on you. Save your game, reinstall the battery, and then immediately reload your save.
How to Defeat a Machine Gun Robot
Machine gun robots are less susceptible to attacks than flamethrower robots and boast deadly range and precision. If one sees you, take cover immediately unless you want to see your health bar vanish quickly.
Just like using Burn Salve against flamethrowers, using Painkillers before facing a machine gun robot can help lessen the damage from their relentless shooting.
If you plan to confront a machine gun robot, it’s a good idea to arm yourself with your own machine gun. A semi-automatic rifle, especially one with a scope like the Modified JM-3, is your best bet to tackle them. Range, accuracy, and a fast rate of fire are crucial for hitting the robot between its attacks.
The robot’s weak spot is the glass dome on top of its head—or more specifically, the control panel beneath it. Hitting this area will damage its components and decrease the robot’s accuracy. However, it can still locate you based on your gunfire, so make sure to use cover effectively.
Continuously shoot at the same spot, ducking behind cover to avoid its counterattacks. You’ll need to go head-on against the robot unless you find a higher vantage point for an aerial attack. After inflicting enough damage to its head, the robot will enter emergency mode, similar to the flamethrower robot. Now you can run up and remove the battery.
If you get hit while trying to extract the battery, your attempt will be interrupted. Eliminate any nearby soldiers first before making your approach to the robot. You want to avoid the risk of the robot regaining power while you’re in close proximity.
