Helldivers 2: Top Loadouts vs. Illuminate

Quick Links

• The Laser Cannon Loadout: Melting the Illuminate

• The Lightning Loadout: Shocking (& Staggering) the Illuminate

• The Machine Gun Loadout: Shredding the Illuminate

The Illuminate in Helldivers 2 present a formidable challenge with their advanced technologies and precise tactics. As you battle their light infantry, elite units can swiftly close in from both ground and air, making strategic loadouts essential for victory. The key is to craft builds that exploit their vulnerabilities while countering their tech.

To effectively combat the Illuminate, you need a balanced approach. Your loadout should handle both the swarm of lesser enemies and the heavily armored units. Neglecting either will leave you vulnerable to the full force of their onslaught.

In this guide, we'll explore the top loadouts and strategies designed to enhance your effectiveness against the Illuminate. Whether you're a veteran or new to the game, these setups will help you tackle this challenging, squid-like faction head-on. Let's prepare and dive into battle.

The Laser Cannon Loadout: Melting the Illuminate

The PLAS-1 Scorcher and PLAS-101 Purifier stand out as top-tier primary weapons in Helldivers 2, excelling at neutralizing Overseers, including the jet-pack-equipped Elevated units, and the Voteless. The Siege-Ready armor passive enhances their effectiveness with extra ammo and faster reloads, ensuring you're always ready to tackle multiple threats. Their high damage output is crucial when precision is key.

The Eagle Strafing Run paired with the GP-31 Grenade Pistol is a potent combination for dealing with grounded warp ships. While energy weapons struggle with shields, a single Strafing Run can strip the shields of multiple ships, allowing you to finish them off with a well-placed grenade. This tactic is especially useful against medium to heavy Illuminate nests. Use the G-13 Incendiary Impact grenades for crowd control rather than ship destruction when equipped with the Grenade Pistol.

The AX/AR-23 "Guard Dog" proves invaluable against medium-armored Overseers, quickly taking them down with each burst, making it an excellent choice for protecting your flanks.

The A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry is perfect for securing areas during objective defense. If crowd control isn't your priority, consider swapping it for the Orbital Laser to target Harvesters or future heavy units.

The LAS-98 Laser Cannon rounds out this loadout, capable of melting Overseers and chaff in seconds. It's also highly effective against Harvesters; use a Strafing Run to remove their shields, then target their weak points with the laser. Its long range makes it ideal for picking off targets from a distance, truly an anti-squid weapon. On higher difficulty levels with multiple Harvesters, the Orbital Laser becomes essential.

The Lightning Loadout: Shocking (& Staggering) the Illuminate

The ARC-12 Blitzer and ARC-3 Arc Thrower are perfect for dealing with both melee and ranged Illuminate units. The Arc Thrower's ability to chain lightning and stagger enemies makes it particularly effective against Overseers, keeping them stunned and manageable, especially the flying Elevated units.

The Arc Thrower can also take down unshielded Harvesters with repeated hits, each causing a moderate stun that accumulates over time.

The A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower is invaluable for crowd control, especially against groups of flying Overseers, disrupting their attacks and making them easier to handle. Combined with the Arc Thrower, you can lock down entire areas with continuous lightning strikes. Prioritize targeting key enemies to keep them at bay and protect your Tesla Tower.

Harvesters focus on sentries, so avoid deploying them if Harvesters are already engaged.

The Eagle Strafing Run and GP-31 Grenade Pistol remain crucial for dealing with parked warp ships, as the Blitzer and Arc Thrower are less efficient at shield depletion in combat. Do not replace these unless another teammate can handle this task.

For heavy units, the Orbital Railcannon Strike is ideal due to its unlimited uses. The Orbital Laser can handle multiple Harvesters but is limited to three uses, requiring coordination with your team. Always precede with a Strafing Run to disable shields. This loadout is exceptionally powerful against the Illuminate, particularly when working with a team.

The Machine Gun Loadout: Shredding the Illuminate

The MG-43 Machine Gun is incredibly versatile against the Illuminate, making it a cornerstone of this loadout. It efficiently deals with light, medium, and Harvester units. Its superior handling and speed in dispatching infantry set it apart from the MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun.

The Machine Gun's high fire rate also helps deplete shields, eliminating the need for the Eagle Strafing Run to destroy grounded warp ships. Instead, opt for turret sentries to manage large crowds or secure objectives.

The stationary reload animation of the Machine Gun is a drawback, but the LIFT-850 Jump Pack allows for quick repositioning and easy navigation of urban maps.

While the Machine Gun can handle Harvesters by targeting their weak spots, having an Orbital stratagem like the Orbital Laser or Railcannon Strike ensures you're equipped to deal with multiple heavy units. The Orbital Laser can handle several shielded Harvesters at once, while the Railcannon Strike is effective against unshielded targets.

For the primary weapon, the StA-52 Assault Rifle, introduced in the Helldivers 2 x Killzone 2 crossover, complements the loadout with its large drum magazine and sustained, light-armor-penetrating fire, matching the damage output of the standard Liberator.