The wait is finally over. The heavily-leaked (and long-rumored) Illuminate aliens, also known as the Squ'ith, have finally shown themselves in Helldivers 2. They officially join the Galactic War as the third (purple) faction, pushing several all-new enemies to the front lines for players to beat.
Compared to the Automatons and Terminids, the Illuminate are a sophisticated alien race. They use highly advanced shields to protect themselves, making them seemingly invincible. Chances are you are having a tough time dealing with their Warp Ships in Helldivers 2. These saucer-shaped units are both an Illuminate structure and an enemy dropship. They also have different weaknesses, so you must be ready to switch strategies depending on which variant you face.
While new intel continues to arrive from the front lines every day, here is what we know so far in dealing with the Illuminate Warp Ships in Helldivers 2.
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How to Destroy the Illuminate Warp Ships in Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 features two types of Illuminate Warp Ships depending on your mission objectives. Both variants provide enemy reinforcements, making it important for players to destroy them as quickly as possible, or risk getting overrun.
Parked/Grounded Warp Ships
These are the equivalent of Automaton Fabricators and Terminid Bug Holes in Helldivers 2 that periodically release groups of Voteless. However, unlike the Fabricators and Bug Holes, they are protected by a regenerating shield that must be drained first. Only then can you throw a grenade into its open bay doors to destroy the whole aircraft. This is how you destroy a parked Warp Ship in Helldivers 2, but there are a few things to consider.
Firstly, do not waste your offensive stratagems. Any good primary or support weapon, such as the 
LAS-16 Sickle, 
MG-43 Machine Gun, or 
M-105 Stalwart can easily destroy the shield. You only need a weapon with a high magazine capacity and sustained fire to ensure the shield does not regenerate between reloads. This is because the shields account for the number of hits taken, not damage. Hence, shotguns are terrible at taking down shields because each shot is considered a single hit. Their pellets are ignored.
Warp Ships have blue shields at full health, which become purple upon taking damage. If the shields do not take damage for around 10 seconds, they immediately regenerate back to full capacity.
Secondly, only explosive grenades should be thrown into the open bay doors to detonate Warp Ships. However, make sure to cook them. Whether by design or a bug, grenades with long fuse times can bounce back outside the bay doors. For this reason, it is recommended to just use 
G-16 Impact Grenades.
Like Automaton Fabricators, explosive or anti-tank weapons such as the 
AC-8 Autocannon and the 
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow can also be used to destroy parked Warp Ships in Helldivers 2.
If you are in a rush, a direct hit from any offensive stratagem such as the 
Orbital Railcannon Strike will destroy an Illuminate Warp Ship even with a full shield. Almost all the Eagle Strikes in Helldivers 2, however, only do enough damage to take out the shields.
Flying Warp Ships
These are the same as Automaton Dropships in Helldivers 2, beaming enemy reinforcements on the ground before flying away. While they do not have a regenerative shield like the parked Warp Ships, these Illuminate Dropships are heavily armored and nearly immune to all damage from the sides. Their only weak spot is the circular bay door they open to beam enemies.
Once the bay doors open, fire an anti-tank round or rocket straight into the middle of their belly to destroy the flying Warp Ships. This, however, requires the right weapon and the right positioning. If your angel is slightly off, you will have just wasted ammunition or worse, find yourself in the range of an Illuminate horde.
The SEAF SAM Sites are excellent at shooting down the Illuminate Dropships in Helldivers 2. Make it a priority to activate them if they spawn in your map. They automatically shoot down any flying enemy units within range.
Here are the best weapons to take down the Illuminate Dropships in Helldivers 2:
-
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
is the best, since you can get away from finding the right angle. Just aim at the center of the flat circular underside. You do not have to wait for the bay doors to open.
-
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
is another excellent anti-tank weapon against the Illuminate. It takes only one rocket, but you must try to get under a Warp Ship to guarantee a hit. Fire from the sides, and you will only do damage—not enough to make it explode.
-
FAF-14 Spear
takes a single rocket to destroy a flying Warp Ship. You do not even need to aim at their bellies.
-
ML5-4X Commando
takes around three to four rockets per Warp Ship.
The Orbital Railcannon Strike does not track flying Warp Ships.
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)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
