The Illuminate has finally arrived in Helldivers 2, with the faction’s surprise shadow drop at The Game Awards leading to a brutal invasion of the colony world of Calypso. Offering a unique challenge unlike anything the Terminids or Automatons have thrown at Super Earth forces thus far, the squid-like aliens and their hordes of zombified “Voteless” humans have proven to be a grave threat. However, well over one million brave Helldivers jumped into the co-op shooter during their opening weekend, skyrocketing the game to the stop of Steam charts and ultimately completing the Major Order to save Calypso.
My friends and I were amongst the countless fireteams battling the menace in Calypso’s streets around the clock, and as we fought, we extensively tested out a variety of different weapons, stratagems, and other equipment considerations. With that in mind, I thought I’d share what’s become my go-to loadout against the Illuminate for most missions, along with some tips on how to use it and why I prefer it over other options:
- Armor: EX-00 Prototype X OR EX-03 Prototype 3 OR EX-16 Prototype 16
- Primary: AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
- Secondary: CQC-19 Stun Lance OR CQC-30 Stun Baton
- Grenade: G-16 Impact
- Stratagems: Machine Gun OR Heavy Machine Gun, Supply Pack OR “Guard Dog,” Eagle Cluster Bomb, Orbital 120mm HE Barrage
The Illuminate are unique in that its units don’t have much thick armor compared to the Automatons and even high-level waves of Terminids, so a wider array of weapons and stratagems are effective against them regardless of the difficulty you’re playing on. They make up for this weakness by fielding far greater numbers, though, including hundreds of Voteless zombies that try to box you in and swarms of aggressive Overseer troops that aim to rush in and take you out while you’re trying to cut down the horde.
That’s precisely what made me reach for the medium Machine Gun support weapon stratagem as my weapon of choice against the Illuminate, and so far, this loadout that has it at the heart of it has proven to be exceptionally effective. It offers the perfect balance of power, accuracy, stability, penetration, and ammo economy, allowing you to mow down armies of Voteless and their Overseer leaders incredibly efficiently (I recommend crouching or lying prone to help manage the recoil). It also quickly burns through Illuminate shielding, and can even effectively take down the Illuminate’s Harvester walkers as long as you target the joints connecting their spindly legs to their “head.” A solid alternative is the Heavy Machine Gun, which trades ammo capacity and handling for better damage (useful if your team is struggling with Harvesters).
The Supply Pack is in the backpack slot to make it easy to keep yourself topped up on ammo, though you could also use the Guard Dog for extra passive firepower, too. I’ve also been using the spammable Eagle Cluster Bomb to clear out extremely large groups or reinforcement waves to great effect, and the Orbital 120mm HE Barrage is ideal for making quick work of Illuminate Outposts (grounded and shielded UFO-like dropships) or enemy clusters with several Harvesters in them.
As for the rest of the setup, the Liberator Penetrator is an excellent primary with plenty of ammo capacity and a good balance of damage and penetration, making it a great choice against Voteless and Overseers alike. It’s also extremely accurate even when fired on full auto, so destroying Watcher drones before they call for reinforcements is easy. Meanwhile, the new melee weapons from the Omens of Tyranny update are ideal secondaries, as their ability to stun and stagger can be a lifesaver if crowds of Voteless or a few Overseers manage to get in your face. Finally, Impact grenades are fantastic all-rounder throwables (I tend to save them for blowing grounded ships up), while the electric-resistant armors from the Cutting Edge Warbond let you easily survive the shock attacks from Harvesters, Watchers, and the enemy tesla towers you’ll sometimes find in objective locations.
Keep in mind that there are countless substitutions you could make here depending on your preferences; for example, you could opt for the Recoilless Rifle rocket launcher instead of the Machine Gun if you want an easy way to one-shot Harvesters when they’re unshielded. This would take up your backpack slot and thus allow you to bring an extra offensive stratagem, though the tradeoff is you’ll have to rely on your primary for Voteless clearing and your allies for shield stripping. Another change you could make is eschewing Eagle and Orbital stratagems entirely and opting to bring Machine Gun and/or Gatling Sentries instead, as these rip through pretty much anything that isn’t a Harvester in seconds (but can also kill you just as quickly if you get in their line of fire). Fire damage stratagems like the Orbital Napalm Barrage or the new Flame Sentry rock, too.
Again, the nice thing about the Illuminate is that their lack of heavy armor means you can make almost anything work; this loadout is simply what I’ve found to be the most effective, and what I’ve had the most fun with. The only weapons and stratagems I’d avoid are the ones ideal for use against very heavily armored targets, such as the Spear rocket launcher or the Thermite grenade.
