The Illuminate combines the overwhelming swarms of the Terminids and the unrelenting ranged barrage tactics of the Automatons, but like all enemies in Helldivers 2, there's nothing that a well-placed Stratagem can't fix. Different factions call for different strategies, and when it comes to the Illuminate, some options are better than most.
If you're having trouble against the Illuminate, then a change to your approach and loadout should be enough to increase your odds of success. This guide explores the best Stratagems players can use when fighting against the squid menace in Helldivers 2.
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Eagle Strafing Run
The humble Eagle Strafing Run is one of the best offensive stratagems players can bring against the Illuminate. It can tear entire swarms of Voteless and Fleshmobs apart, and it can heavily damage (or outright destroy) Harvesters and parked Warp Ships too, provided they aren't shielded. A well-placed strafing run can also destroy an Illuminate Leviathan.
Players can call up to five Eagle Strafing Runs before the stratagem goes on cooldown, and that's more than enough for most encounters. Also, strafing runs are especially useful when fighting in city maps since targets tend to get funneled in the streets.
Orbital Gatling Barrage
The Orbital Gatling Barrage stratagem is a great pick across all fronts. Like Eagle Strafing Runs, these are excellent for chewing up hordes, stripping shields, and destroying vehicles. Its short cooldown and quick call-in time make it a great reactionary stratagem against incoming Warp Ships and sudden Voteless horde ambushes.
Orbital Gas Strike
Similar to Orbital Gatling Barrage, Orbital Gas Strike is mainly used to counter incoming enemy reinforcements and big swarms of Voteless. What makes this unique, however, is its ability to confuse targets, making it great against Overseers and Fleshmobs. Confused enemies will start attacking each other — this gives players more breathing room to deal damage or escape from dicey situations.
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Eagle 500KG Bomb
The Eagle 500KG Bomb stratagem is always going to be a good pick when it comes to destroying big targets. Using this against the Illuminate is going to be tricky due to the shields on Harvesters and Warp Ships, but as long as you can strip those shields before the 500KG bomb goes off, you'll be right as rain.
Orbital Precision Strike is a decent alternative to this stratagem, but you'll almost always want to pick the 500KG over OPS since it can call-in two bombs before going on cooldown.
MG Sentry
The majority of the Illuminate roster unarmored, and while Overseers do wear protection, their armor can be shot off by regular bullets. With those in mind, the regular MG Sentry is a great pick for holding ground and clearing sections of the map autonomously. MG Sentries are often preferred over Gatling Sentries because they're more conservative when it comes to ammo consumption. However, Gatling Sentries do win when it comes to raw DPS output.
If you're constantly getting surrounded and overwhelmed by Illuminate, MG Sentries will be more than capable of buying you some space.
Tesla Tower
Tesla Towers fulfill the same role as MG Sentries — both are good at holding space, but Tesla Towers are especially good at killing Fleshmobs and Overseers. The lightning bolts that arc from these towers deal massive damage and can hit multiple enemies at once, making them great for the occasional Fleshmob pack or Overseer squad. However, Tesla Towers are vulnerable to ranged attacks. They're best used in tandem with other sentries or fortifications. Targets that don't die to lightning will get staggered.
Keep in mind that turrets and Tesla Towers can accidentally kill civilians and friendly SEAF troopers.
Guard Dogs
All the Guard Dog Rover variants are great at dealing with Illuminate infantry. The Laser and Gas Rovers in particular are good at dealing with Fleshmobs and small Voteless swarms. Meanwhile, the Rifle Rover is especially effective against the Voteless and Elevated Overseers.
Unfortunately, Guard Dogs will prevent players from effectively using Support Weapons with ammo backpacks. If you plan on bringing these, consider using weapons like the EAT, Stalwart, Railgun, and Commando Rocket Launcher.
Helldivers 2
- Released
- February 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
