You’ve mastered the chaotic bug swarms and survived the relentless bot onslaught, so naturally the Illuminate should be just as punishing, right? Except they’re not, and that’s what trips people up. The Illuminate (or Squids, for those who remember the first Galactic War) have a PR problem. If you spend five minutes on the holofeed, you’d think they were an unstoppable force of psychic nightmares turning Helldivers into blue space-goo.
Helldivers 2 players love to argue about which faction is the hardest. Bots get called oppressive. Bugs get labeled chaotic, and yet, somehow, the Illuminate—the so-called “easy” faction—keep turning squads into glowing space paste. But according to one Redditor, theEvilQuesadilla, the entire community is making Illuminate missions harder than they need to be. They think players are overthinking their loadouts and paying for it in respawns. The user said, “The problem is you, not the faction nor the game. They’re literally the easiest faction.”
Tips for those of you struggling against Illuminate
byu/theEvilQuesadilla inHelldivers
The biggest mistake I see on the front lines? Divers bring tools meant for Bile Titans to a knife fight against an alien in a bathrobe. According to TheEvilQuesadilla, you need:
- A high-rate-of-fire primary like Scythe or any automatic weapon. Illuminate energy shields don’t care about your Armor Penetration 5. They must be hit repeatedly and fast. Bring something that shoots quickly to strip shields and erase Voteless.
- An AMR (Anti-Materiel Rifle) or an Autocannon to deal with Overseers and Harvesters. Shoot the Harvester’s horn first, which stops them from shielding others, and makes them about as threatening as a wet paper bag.
- The humble MG-43 Machine Gun, which can be a top-tier pick here. The Illuminate throws Fleshmobs and Voteless at you in streams, so a steady stream of lead solves this problem better than any orbital strike.
Their personal picks include any auto weapon, the AMR for accuracy, either the Loyalist or Crisper for sustained damage, basic frag grenades, and Eagle Cluster Bombs.
A lot of the community also agrees on the fundamentals. Multiple players swear by the MG-43, which is just as effective against squids in Helldivers 2 as it was in the original game. The Autocannon also gets frequent shoutouts, especially in flak mode—three shots through a grounded warp ship’s door and you’re done.
The Thermite Grenade Debate: Bench or Bestie?
TheEvilQuesadilla said thermite grenades are a bad pick, because clearing out hordes is better than hitting a single target. He pointed out that regular frag grenades eliminate Voteless groups and destroy Illuminate arc towers. But many people aren’t happy with that idea. There’s a civil war brewing in the community regarding the G-123 Thermite.
Comment
byu/theEvilQuesadilla from discussion
inHelldivers
I’m going to side with the Pro-Thermite camp on this one. While they are not for crowd control, a single Thermite can delete a grounded Warp Ship (even with shields up), one-shot a Harvester, and end Fleshmob’s life in no time.
If you want to speedrun outposts in a Blitz mission, Thermites can be your best choice. If you need crowd control, use the Eagle Cluster Bombs or Gas Strikes. Don’t ask your grenade to do a Stratagem’s job.
The concern isn’t that thermites are bad or good. It’s that grenade slots shouldn’t be your only plan. If your whole build hinges on one tool for everything, Illuminate missions will become miserable. Guns and stratagems better handle the Horde. High-value targets can be dealt with by grenades, precision weapons, or support fire. Flexibility matters more than dogma.
Another wrinkle is squad size. Illuminate scale oddly across difficulties, and solo or duo runs can be far harsher than full squads. With four Helldivers, overlapping fire trivializes shields and turns Fleshmobs into speed bumps. Alone, the same enemies feel spongy and relentless, and that difficulty gap fuels a lot of the annoying sentiment.
The Actual Problem Nobody Wants to Admit
Most frustration with the Illuminate isn’t about difficulty, but it’s boredom. Squid combat lacks the dynamic pressure of bugs or the tactical variety of bots. Unlike the frantic terror of a Stalker nest or the tactical chess match of a Bot outpost, Squids can feel a bit like a checklist. You shoot shields, dodge beams, burn down health bars, repeat.
Comment
byu/theEvilQuesadilla from discussion
inHelldivers
The Illuminate were supposed to be like the best of both the bots and bugs. Overseers are dangerous but predictable. After doing one Illuminate mission, you’ll have pretty much seen it all. The Leviathans are massive, but most squads ignore them because the “effort-to-reward” ratio is skewed. They’re bullet sponges in a game that usually rewards clever play.
The Illuminate aren’t the boogeymen people make them out to be. They are a faction that punishes disorganization rather than skill. If you play solo, you’re going to have a bad time. If you go in with a squad of four, even at Difficulty 10, they will fold faster than a lawn chair. Stop bringing “Anti-Tank” everything. Use a machine gun, some frag grenades (or Thermites for the ships), and remember that all that alien tech is still very allergic to Managed Democracy and Moar Bullets.
