To beat the Illuminate in Helldivers 2, kill Watchers before they call reinforcements, burn or gas the Voteless swarms, and bring heavy anti-tank damage for shielded units like the Harvester. The newest enemy, the Crusher, regenerates quickly, so break its helmet and finish it before it heals. A reliable loadout pairs an energy or area primary, such as the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle or PLAS-101 Purifier, with an anti-tank support weapon and an Eagle or Orbital stratagem for big targets. However, weapon values change often, so check them in game after each patch.
Summary: Illuminate in Helldivers 2
- Core problem: Watchers call Warp Ships, and shields punish weak or slow damage.
- Newest enemies: the Crusher (6,000 HP, regenerates) and the Wretch (fast, pounces) arrived with Update 7.0 on August 12, 2026.
- Best weapon types: fire and gas for swarms, sustained energy damage for shields, anti-tank for Harvesters and Gatekeepers.
- Crusher tip: break the helmet first, then hit the head.
- Wretch tip: shoot the limbs, not the head.
How the Illuminate Fight Differently
Bugs overwhelm you with numbers and bots suppress you with firepower. The Illuminate do both, and they add reinforcement calls and shields on top.
Their core roster includes Voteless, Watchers, Overseers, Fleshmobs, Harvesters, Stingrays and Warp Ships. Since 2026, three subfactions add new units.
| Group | Units |
|---|---|
| Core Illuminate | Voteless, Watcher, Overseer, Elevated Overseer, Crescent Overseer, Fleshmob, Harvester, Stingray, Warp Ship, Leviathan, Overship |
| Mindless Masses | Fleshmob, Voteless |
| Appropriators | Veracitor, Gatekeeper, Obtruder |
| Vote Snatchers | Wretch, Crusher |
The Vote Snatchers work differently from the rest. Because their planets have no Watchers to call reinforcements, Crushers and Wretches spawn as patrols and guards instead, but they appear in much greater numbers. Warp Ships also drop them during Repel Invasion Fleet missions.
Illuminate Weaknesses at a Glance
This table gives the fastest answer for each unit. Entries for the older units follow a guide that was verified against the March 2026 patch, while the Wretch and Crusher entries come from the Helldivers Wiki. Because Update 7.0 retuned many weapons, treat exact numbers as a starting point.
| Enemy | Weak point | Good answers |
|---|---|---|
| Voteless | Head and legs, no armor | Fire and gas weapons, machine guns, Eagle Cluster Bomb |
| Watcher | Main body | Marksman or anti-materiel shot, or a stun to interrupt the call |
| Overseer | Head and legs, below the shield | Eruptor, Dominator or Senator at close range |
| Elevated Overseer | Jetpack | Autocannon or anti-materiel rifle, or an Arc stun |
| Crescent Overseer | Head | Anti-materiel rifle from range |
| Fleshmob | Heads and legs | Commando, MG-43, W.A.S.P. Launcher |
| Harvester | Legs, hip joints and eye | Recoilless Rifle, EAT or Anti-Tank Emplacement |
| Stingray | Body during its strafing run | Spear, W.A.S.P. Launcher or Autocannon |
| Warp Ship | Shoot it before it lands | Recoilless Rifle, then stratagems on the grounded ship |
| Gatekeeper | Rear weak spot and cockpit | Stun first, then heavy anti-tank, or flank it |
| Obtruder | Eye | Autocannon from long range |
| Wretch | Limbs, especially the bladed arms | Fire, gas and high-DPS machine guns |
| Crusher | Helmet, then the head | Railgun, Autocannon, Thermite or C4 |
The Newest Illuminate Enemies: Crusher and Wretch
Update 7.0.0, called Devoid of Liberty, launched on August 12, 2026 with a new Void biome and these two Vote Snatchers units. Patch 1.007.100 on September 22 later fixed a bug that let both clip through the floors of some structures.
How to beat the Crusher
The Crusher is a 6,000 HP heavy melee unit. It regenerates health on its limbs and body at 30 per second shortly after taking damage, so slow, scattered fire does almost nothing.
Its helmet is the key. The helmet has only 300 HP but heavy armor, and once it breaks, the weak head is exposed and a headshot kills fast.
- Break the helmet: heavy-penetration ballistic weapons like the AC-8 Autocannon, P/40-K Bolt Pistol and RS-422 Railgun destroy it in one or two shots. A single Railgun shot in Safe Mode is enough.
- Use explosives: one G-123 Thermite grenade or one C4 brick can kill a Crusher. In addition, the GL-21, RL-77 Airburst and W.A.S.P. Launcher all work well.
- Skip single-shot anti-tank: a direct hit from the Recoilless Rifle or the Meltagun does not kill it.
- Control it: stun, gas and fire streams slow it, so you can reposition.
- Stay moving: its attack animation does not track you, so running past is surprisingly safe, while a direct hit kills instantly.
If you sever its club arm, it switches to the other arm, and after losing both arms it stomps instead.
How to beat the Wretch
The Wretch has 450 HP, moves fast and pounces with tracking claws. It can pass through the shield of a Shield Generator Pack, so do not rely on that backpack.
Aim at its limbs instead of its head. Its head has only 100 HP, and if you destroy it, the Wretch keeps slashing wildly. The bladed arms are the real threat, so cut them down when you have breathing room, and crouch to shoot the legs in close fights.
Against groups of Wretches and Voteless, high-DPS weapons like the MG-43 and MGX-42 Bullet Storm work well. Fire and gas weapons such as the Torcher, Crisper and Flamethrower also keep them from closing in. Wretches also go after your sentries and emplacements before they target you.
Best Weapons Against the Illuminate
No single weapon beats every Illuminate unit, so pick one answer for swarms and one for heavies.
| Role | Strong picks | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Energy primary | LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle | Rarely runs out of ammo if you manage heat, and it handles armored units |
| Area primary | PLAS-101 Purifier | Charged shots explode into crowds, and uncharged shots poke at shields |
| Close-range primary | SG-225 Breaker | Clears Voteless and hits ships, though it burns ammo |
| Crowd control | FLAM-66 Torcher, MG-43 | Burns or shreds swarms and keeps Wretches off you |
| Heavy support | Recoilless Rifle, Quasar Cannon, EAT | Handles Harvesters, Gatekeepers and grounded ships |
| Stratagem | Anti-Tank Emplacement | Often called the best Illuminate stratagem, built to fight their ships |
| Big sweeps | Orbital Laser, Eagle Airstrike, Eagle Strafing Run | Clears groups, strips shields and defends objectives |
Guides disagree about the exact best weapon, but they agree on the logic. Plasma, area damage and sustained energy fire usually beat raw armor penetration here, because shields absorb single heavy hits.
Best Illuminate Loadouts
Here are three builds that cover the faction. Adjust them to whatever you have unlocked.
| Build | Primary | Support | Stratagems |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-rounder | PLAS-101 Purifier or LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle | Recoilless Rifle | Eagle Strafing Run, Orbital Laser, Anti-Tank Emplacement |
| Swarm and Vote Snatchers | FLAM-66 Torcher | MG-43 Machine Gun | Eagle Cluster Bomb, Gatling Barrage, Tesla Tower |
| Anti-heavy | R-36 Eruptor | RS-422 Railgun or AC-8 Autocannon | Eagle 500kg Bomb, Orbital Laser, EMS Mortar Sentry |
Some guides also recommend the Siege-Ready armor passive for these builds, so test it against your own playstyle.
Mission Tips for the Illuminate
- Kill Watchers first. They call reinforcements, so remove them before the call lands.
- Hit Warp Ships early. Taking one down before it lands saves you a whole wave of reinforcements.
- Save heavy weapons for heavy targets. Use your primary on Voteless and Overseers.
- Stun the Gatekeeper. A stun grenade or EMS Mortar Sentry opens a window, and a flanking teammate can then hit its rear weak spot.
- Stay far from Obtruder clusters. Hit them from range with the Autocannon, because one report says their chain explosions punish close-range shotguns.
- Keep moving against Crushers and Wretches. Both punish players who stand still.
Common Mistakes
- Shooting a Harvester’s shield with anti-tank rounds. One March 2026 guide says sustained fire strips the shield better than single anti-tank shots, so open with area damage and save the heavy shot for the legs.
- Aiming at a Wretch’s head. The head has little health, and killing it does not stop the attack.
- Using only one anti-tank shot on a Crusher. It regenerates, so commit to the helmet and the head.
- Ignoring Watchers. One missed Watcher means a Warp Ship, and reinforcements keep coming.
- Trusting old loadouts. Update 7.0 changed many weapons, so test your build before a hard mission.
What Could Change Next
Balance patches can move weapons up or down at any time. Arrowhead’s roadmap also lists Update 7.2 for October with a new biome and a new enemy, but it has not revealed details. Everything above is accurate as of October 9, 2026, so check the latest patch notes and your in-game stats.
Conclusion
The Illuminate punish slow, scattered damage. Kill Watchers early, use fire and gas on swarms, and bring heavy anti-tank damage for shielded units. Against the new Crusher, break the helmet and finish it quickly, and against the Wretch, cut down the limbs. So pick a balanced loadout, and recheck it whenever a patch lands.
FAQs
What is the best weapon against the Illuminate in Helldivers 2?
There is no single best weapon. The LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle and PLAS-101 Purifier are popular primaries, and the Recoilless Rifle and Anti-Tank Emplacement handle heavy targets.
How do I beat the Crusher?
Break its heavy helmet with a Railgun or Autocannon, then hit the exposed head. Thermite grenades and C4 also kill it quickly.
Where is the Wretch weak?
Aim at its limbs, especially the bladed arms and legs. Shooting the head does not stop it from slashing.
Why do the Illuminate keep calling reinforcements?
Watchers trigger Warp Ships. Kill Watchers early to stop the calls. Vote Snatchers planets have no Watchers, so those enemies appear as patrols.
When did the Crusher and Wretch arrive?
They launched with Update 7.0.0, Devoid of Liberty, on August 12, 2026.
Are the Illuminate getting new enemies soon?
Arrowhead’s roadmap lists a new enemy and biome for Update 7.2 in October, but it has not shared details.
For more updates visit: GAME SPEC
