The Illuminate are unusual enemies in Helldivers 2. Unlike the Terminids, they rely heavily on energy shields, ranged attacks, flying units, and dangerous support enemies. The key is to control the crowd, remove reinforcement threats, and use the right weapons against armored units.
Know Your Priority Targets
Not every Illuminate enemy deserves your attention. Watchers should usually be your first target because they can call in reinforcements. If you allow one to complete its call, the fight can become much harder.
Your basic priority should be:
- Watchers that are calling reinforcements
- Elevated or dangerous Overseer variants
- Harvesters
- Standard Overseers
- Voteless and other weaker enemies
Deal With Voteless Quickly
Voteless appear in large groups and attack at close range. They are not especially dangerous individually, but their numbers can overwhelm you while you are fighting stronger Illuminate units.
Use weapons with good fire rate, area damage, or crowd-control abilities. Aim for their heads or use sustained fire to cut through groups. Fire and gas effects can also be useful for controlling large crowds.
Keep moving instead of allowing Voteless to surround you. Backpedaling while firing can create enough space to survive a large rush.
Take Down Watchers First
Watchers are flying drones that can summon Illuminate reinforcements. They are small and mobile, so they can be easy to miss during a larger fight.
If you see a Watcher beginning its reinforcement call, eliminate it immediately. Accurate weapons are useful because you do not want to waste ammunition spraying at the sky. Weapons capable of stunning Watchers can also interrupt their call.
Counter Overseers
Overseers are heavily protected infantry carrying energy shields and powerful weapons. Their shields can absorb a lot of punishment, but they do not completely cover their bodies.
Aim at their exposed legs when the shield is raised. Explosive weapons are also effective because they can damage the Overseer through its protection. Once the shield is no longer protecting the target, focus sustained fire on vulnerable areas, especially the head.
Elevated Overseers require extra attention because their jetpacks let them attack from unusual angles. Destroy the jetpack to remove their aerial advantage.
Destroy Harvesters Carefully
Harvesters are towering tripods equipped with powerful weapons and energy shields. Do not immediately waste your strongest anti-tank attack against the shield before committing your strongest attacks. First, use sustained fire to bring the shield down.
Once the shield is removed, target the legs or other vulnerable components with appropriate heavy weapons. Destroying a leg can severely limit the Harvester’s mobility and make it easier for the squad to finish.
Work together when fighting one. One player can strip the shield while another prepares an anti-tank weapon.
Choose Your Loadout Wisely
A balanced Illuminate loadout should include crowd control, sustained fire, and heavy targets. Avoid building a setup that only handles one enemy type.
Good choices can include:
- A rapid-fire primary for shields and Voteless
- An explosive weapon for Overseers
- A support weapon for armored targets
- A defensive or crowd-control Stratagem
