Helldivers 2: Top Loadouts Against Illuminate
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The Illuminate in Helldivers 2 present a formidable challenge with their advanced technologies and overwhelming numbers. As you tackle their light infantry, their elite units are poised to strike from both the ground and the air. To triumph over them, selecting the right loadouts and builds is crucial, focusing on exploiting their vulnerabilities while countering their powerful tech.
To effectively combat the Illuminate, you need a strategic blend of weapons, support gear, and stratagems tailored to handle their diverse strengths. Balancing your arsenal to manage both the lighter chaff and the heavier, armored units is essential. Neglecting either type can render your loadout ineffective against the full might of the Illuminate.
In this guide, we'll explore the top loadouts and builds designed specifically to enhance your effectiveness against the Illuminate. Whether you're a veteran or a newcomer, these strategies will boost your combat prowess against this challenging, squid-like faction. Let's gear up and prepare to confront the Illuminate head-on.
The Laser Cannon Loadout: Melting the Illuminate
PLAS-1 Scorcher / PLAS-101 Purifier
GP-31 Grenade Pistol
G-13 Incendiary Impact
Siege-Ready
- LAS-98 Laser Cannon (Support)
- AX/AR-23 "Guard Dog"
- Eagle Strafing Run
- A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry / Orbital Laser
The PLAS-1 Scorcher and PLAS-101 Purifier stand out as premier primary weapons in Helldivers 2, excelling at melting Overseers, including the jet-pack-equipped Elevated units, and proving equally effective against the Voteless. Whether you choose the Scorcher or the Purifier, the Siege-Ready armor passive enhances your ability to engage multiple priority targets with additional ammunition and faster reloads. The boost in damage per second is invaluable when precision is key.
The combination of the Eagle Strafing Run and GP-31 Grenade Pistol is a potent strategy for annihilating parked warp ships. Energy-based weapons struggle to deplete their shields, but a single Strafing Run can destroy the shields of every grounded warp ship in a line. Follow up by launching a grenade into their open bay doors to trigger an explosion. This tactic is particularly effective for clearing medium or heavy Illuminate nests with multiple warp ships. While the G-13 Incendiary Impact grenades can also be used in the bay doors, they are better suited for clearing chaff, so reserve them for when you're equipped with the Grenade Pistol.
The AX/AR-23 "Guard Dog" proves surprisingly effective against medium-armored Overseers, with each burst capable of taking down a single elite unit, making it an excellent choice for guarding your flanks against the Illuminate.
The A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry is crucial for securing areas during objective defense. If crowd control isn't your primary concern, consider swapping it for an Orbital Laser to target Harvesters or future heavy units.
Finally, the LAS-98 Laser Cannon rounds out this loadout, capable of melting Overseers and chaff in seconds and proving highly effective against Harvesters. After using a Strafing Run to deplete their shields, target the Harvesters' weak points (thighs/eyes) with the Laser Cannon. A single clip suffices with steady aim. The Laser Cannon's extensive range allows you to engage targets from a distance, making it an ideal anti-squid weapon.
On difficulty levels 9 or 10, where multiple Harvesters are common, incorporating an Orbital Laser becomes essential.
The Lightning Loadout: Shocking (& Staggering) the Illuminate
ARC-12 Blitzer
GP-31 Grenade Pistol
G-13 Incendiary Impact
Electrical Conduit / Med-Kit
- ARC-3 Arc Thrower (Support)
- Orbital Railcannon Strike / Orbital Laser
- Eagle Strafing Run
- A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower
The Illuminate's diverse force of melee and ranged units makes the ARC-12 Blitzer and ARC-3 Arc Thrower invaluable for covering both fronts. These weapons easily dispatch chaff, but the Arc Thrower has a unique advantage in rendering Overseers nearly useless by chaining and staggering them with lightning arcs, temporarily stunning them. Continuous ranged attacks can keep Elevated Overseers perpetually stunned in mid-air.
The Arc Thrower is also effective against unshielded Harvesters, requiring about a dozen hits but each delivering a moderate stun that accumulates over time.
The A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower is exceptionally effective against all Illuminate types, particularly groups of flying Overseers. It provides consistent crowd control and disrupts enemies, making it easier to manage large waves. Combine it with the Arc Thrower for multiple chained lightning attacks to control an entire area. Prioritize targeting elite units with the Arc Thrower to prevent them from reaching and destroying your Tesla Tower.
Harvesters often target sentries, so avoid deploying your Tesla Tower or other sentries when engaging them.
The Eagle Strafing Run and Grenade Pistol are crucial for destroying parked warp ships, as the Blitzer and Arc Thrower are inefficient at depleting their shields during combat. Do not replace these unless you have a teammate who can handle this task.
For dealing with heavy units, the Orbital Railcannon Strike is ideal with its unlimited uses. The Orbital Laser can handle multiple Harvesters but is limited to three uses, requiring coordination with teammates. Always use a Strafing Run to disable their shields first. This setup is one of the most powerful builds against the Illuminate in Helldivers 2, especially when working with a team.
The Machine Gun Loadout: Shredding the Illuminate
StA-52 Assault Rifle
GP-31 Grenade Pistol / CQC-19 Stun Lance
G-13 Incendiary Impact
Peak Physique / Engineering Kit
- MG-43 Machine Gun (Support)
- LIFT-850 Jump Pack
- Orbital Railcannon Strike / Orbital Laser
- A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry / A/G-16 Gatling Sentry
The MG-43 Machine Gun is undoubtedly the most versatile support weapon against the Illuminate, making it a top choice for this loadout in Helldivers 2. It efficiently shreds light and medium enemies, as well as Harvesters. Compared to the MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun, the standard Machine Gun offers superior handling and quicker takedowns of infantry.
It's a true all-rounder against the squids, balancing power and reliability. Pair it with the Engineering Kit to reduce recoil or the Peak Physique armor passive to minimize drag, enhancing your ability to target flying Overseers or Watchers.
Its high fire rate is also effective at depleting shields, eliminating the need for the Eagle Strafing Run to destroy grounded warp ships. Instead, opt for turret sentries to manage large crowds or defend objectives.
The only drawback of the Machine Gun is its stationary reload animation, which prevents movement during reloads. This is where the LIFT-850 Jump Pack becomes essential, allowing for quick repositioning to safety and easing navigation on new urban maps.
While the Machine Gun can handle Harvesters by targeting their weak spots, having an Orbital stratagem in your build is beneficial for quickly dealing with multiple heavy units. The Orbital Laser can handle two to three shielded Harvesters simultaneously, while the Railcannon Strike is effective only against unshielded targets.
For the primary weapon in this Illuminate build, you can select any from the Armory. If you're sticking with the theme of sustained fire, the new StA-52 Assault Rifle from the Helldivers 2 x Killzone 2 crossover is an excellent choice. Its large drum magazine delivers sustained, light-armor-penetrating fire, matching the damage output of the standard Liberator.
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