The Illuminate have made their full-scale return to Helldivers 2, arriving through the Meridian Singularity with a massive invasion fleet. This marks the beginning of the Galactic Emergency update, bringing a real threat to Super Earth. Alongside the usual units we’ve seen in their earlier ambush-style appearances, the Illuminate now field three deadly new enemy types.
How The Illuminate Fight
Even with their new additions, the Illuminate follow their familiar strategy. They send waves of Voteless zombies to overwhelm you while Overseers and Harvesters apply ranged pressure. These enemies are designed to flush you out of cover and punish you for staying still.
The new units add even more chaos to the mix:
- Stingray: Performs rapid strafing runs to clear fortified areas
- Crescent Overseer: Bombards your position with mortar-like energy blasts
- Fleshmob: Large, grotesque enemies that charge quickly and knock players around with wild melee swings
Each of these threats forces constant repositioning, making static defense almost impossible.
Best Loadout Against the Illuminate
To effectively counter the Illuminate’s relentless aggression, here’s the loadout that offers the best results:
- Armor: Anything with the Inflammable Armor passive
- Primary Weapon: LAS-17 Double-Edged Sickle
- Secondary Weapon: GP-31 Ultimatum
- Grenade: G-4 Gas
- Stratagems: Supply Pack, Explosive Anti-Tank, Orbital Napalm Barrage
- Booster: Vitality Enhancement
Why the Double-Edged Sickle Is Ideal
To survive the Illuminate onslaught, you need a weapon like LAS-17 Double-Edged Sickle that maintains peak output under pressure. This gun, introduced in the Servants of Freedom Warbond, functions like a modified LAS-16. It has infinite sustained fire, builds up extreme damage and armor penetration, and can melt through even the toughest targets. The downside is that it damages the user over time and eventually sets you on fire if fired continuously. That’s where the rest of the loadout comes in.
Managing the Sickle’s Downsides
With the right gear, you can neutralize the Sickle’s self-damage and stay alive long enough to turn it into a crowd-clearing machine. Inflammable armor drastically reduces fire damage, while the Vitality Enhancement booster boosts your healing. Combine these with a Supply Pack, and you’ll have nearly constant access to healing stims
The timing works in your favor — by the time your current Supply Pack runs dry, you’re usually ready to call in another.
How to Use This Build Effectively
The strategy is simple, but effective: fire the Sickle continuously into the oncoming Illuminate until it starts hurting you too much, heal, and repeat. This weapon can rip through Fleshmobs by focusing on their legs and shred Harvesters by aiming between the “head” and lower chassis. Overseers don’t stand a chance, and the Sickle’s precision makes it effective even against flying enemies
As chaotic as the Illuminate encounters are, this loadout lets you push back hard — and stay in the fight longer than most builds allow. Meanwhile, you can now also do weapon customization in Helldivers 2 – check our guide on how to go about doing that.
