The long-anticipated third enemy faction inHelldivers 2has finally been introduced in the form of The Illuminate, mystic alien sorcerers from deep space that can be difficult to defeat. Sporting advanced technology different from the Automatons, The Illuminate take a defensive approach to their hordes. With powerful shields and enemy hordes, this alliance can be unstoppable if you don’t know their weaknesses.
Alongside The Illuminate update comes ahuge buff patch inHelldivers 2that makes a lot of equipment much stronger. From extra weapon magazines to most weapons to Strategem changes that boost damage values,everything you may use has more power than ever before. This will give you a wide arsenal of gear to use against The Illuminate as you experience battles in new missions on planets they control.
What Are The Illuminate In Helldivers 2?
Summoners To Overwhelm Squads
Overall,there are fewer Illuminate enemy typescompared to the bugs and robots of other factions. Unlike the Automatons, The Illuminate does not have advanced units that have specific functions. In addition, The Illuminate don’t use small squads of small enemies protected by one big foe, a tactic often used by the Terminids when you invade their worlds.
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The Illuminate tends to have a well-balanced selection of enemy types that attack aggressively in greater numbers.Elite Illuminate enemies tend to summon massive hordes of minionsthat dwarf the infantry sizes of the Automatons and Terminids by a large margin. The goal ofThe Illuminate inHelldivers 2is to overwhelm squads while protecting their strongest leaders from attacks.
The dropships that Illuminate enemies summon when they spot your squad deploy the highest number of units at once among all other factions. This makes them perhaps the only faction where stealth is almost necessary in missions.
You’ll often seedeployable shields being used to provide barriers to The Illuminate’s summonerswho create hordes. Typically, minions will charge your character dozens at a time, while Elite Illuminate enemies stay back and use long-range attacks to pick you off. When pressured, these enemies easily eliminate weakened Helldivers by closing the distance with their shields.
This faction also has their equivalent of theBile Titans inHelldivers 2seen by the Terminids. A massive, three-legged enemy that shoots a huge laser can destroy both Helldivers and buildings quickly in a few seconds. The Illuminate are masters at overwhelming your squad, so you have tostay mobile and adjust to new threats as they appear.
How To Defeat Every Illuminate Enemy Type
Wipe Out Hordes Fast And Disrupt Elite Enemy Shields
Onlyfour types of Illuminate enemiescan be found during a mission where they are the faction that controls a system. As of this time of writing, The Illuminate has the fewest kinds of enemies you can face, giving you more opportunities to learn the different weaknesses their units have.
The table below details all the different Illuminate enemy types, as well as some of their common weaknesses:
The Voteless
Minion
Captured Super Earth citizens experimented on by The Illuminate. These are the faction’s minions, who always arrive in large hordes to overwhelm Helldivers. These enemies usually have no weapons or armor, but rather charge head-on in wild frenzies.
Watcher
Scout
Scouting probe that surveys battlefields for threats. When spotting an enemy, it will investigate further, and then call for support in the form of several dropships to its location.
Overseer
Elite
An Elite Illuminate unit, these enemies use long-range rifles to shoot targets from afar. When cornered, Overseers will deploy a shield and strike enemies near it with a close-range energy staff. Some variants of this enemy type have jetpacks to fly away from danger.
Harvester
Tank
A large, armored Illuminate robot that walks on three legs with a giant cyclops eye. This eye fires a powerful laser over a long range that destroys anything it touches. This unit has a heavy shield that absorbs a set amount of damage before breaking.
How To Defeat The Voteless
The zombie-like minions of The Illuminate are the easiest enemies to defeat on their own, but difficult to take down when grouped together. These enemies are relentless, charging you and your squad in overwhelming numbers. The best way to attack The Voteless is touse grenades, explosives, or weapons with rapid-fire shotsto mow down each minion until you thin their crowd.
Whenever you get overwhelmed by a group of The Voteless, don’t be afraid to use mobility Stratagems, such as the Jump Pack, to escape.
Putting SentryStratagems inHelldivers 2on chokepoints can help tear down The Voteless as they charge as well.Any weapon with crowd control does well against The Voteless, especially if it has a large magazine. The more shots you can fire without reloading, the better chance you have at reducing The Voteless' numbers until it is something you can manage.
How To Defeat Watchers
Watchers are dangerous, not due to them being an attacking threat, but rather how quickly they can summon more Illuminate. Whenever a Watcher spots you,it sends 1-3 dropships to your squad’s location, causing you to get overwhelmed easily. The easiest way to defeat a Watcher is to trick it before it can send a distress signal.
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You cantake out Watchers from afarwith a long-range rifle, orlure it up close and take it outusing a high-powered weapon. Both of these tactics will prevent the Watcher from completing its scan, allowing you and your team to avoid detection for the moment.
How To Defeat Overseers
The Elite enemies of The Illuminate are tricky to defeat, as they will oftentimes stay behind hordes of The Voteless.You have to chase down Overseers to pressure thembefore they can attempt to summon new Voteless hordes. This can be easier said than done, as some Overseers are equipped with jetpacks, allowing them to escape your attention from time to time.
The energy staff of Overseer Illuminates deals more damage with its long-range projectile than its melee strike. That being said, both can still kill you if you aren’t prepared.
Theshields that an Overseer deploys can be overwhelmedwhen you inflict enough damage to it. This shield also only protects the front of an Overseer, so another Helldiver can shoot it in the back while another has its attention. A quick headshot or two to an Overseer will be enough to destroy it, so apply enough damage to disable this enemy’s defenses to eliminate it with ease.
How To Defeat Harvesters
Similar to Overseers,Harvesters can have their shield destroyedif it takes enough damage. Powerful Stratagems, such as the Orbital Laser, are perfect against these foes since they can tear through the Illuminate creature’s protective barrier. Anything explosive that pops a Harvester’s bubble will give you the chance to shoot it in the eye to deal critical damage until it goes down.
The Harvester’s laser can be like anAutomaton Tank inHelldivers 2, killing anyone in an instant once they draw its attention. However,the Harvester’s laser has to recharge before it can fire it again, opening up a window for you to counterattack. Pick this time to throw a Stratagem at a Harvester’s feet, or unload your strongest weapons against one to destroy it.
Although The Illuminate enemy types are not as threatening individually compared to other factions, they are at their strongest when united. During the chaos of battle, it can be difficult to defeat The Illuminate inHelldivers 2, but knowing some of the faction’s vulnerabilities will make the battlefield easier for you to control.
