Best Weapons Against the Illuminate in Helldivers 2

The Illuminate in Helldivers 2 presents a unique challenge for players. They have a bit of both Automaton and Terminid DNA in their roster — they attack with large swarms of weak fodder while heavy units blast players from afar with ranged weapons. Thankfully, Super Earth’s arsenal is diverse enough to provide multiple solutions to the squid menace.

The following is a list of weapons that have proved to be effective against the current line-up of Illuminate units as of the Omens of Tyranny update. Most of these do come from Helldivers 2’s many Warbonds, so players may need to grind out some Super Credits before they can equip some of the weapons listed here.

Related

Helldivers 2: Is The Urban Legends Warbond Worth Getting?

The Urban Legends Warbond in Helldivers 2 has plenty of fun stuff to offer, though it might not be the most valuable option for new players.

Updated August 28, 2025 by Marc Santos: The arsenal of Helldivers 2 continues to grow with every major content drop, giving players new ways to deliver democracy throughout the galaxy. Some of those new weapons are amazing against the Illuminate, so as such, we’ve updated this guide to include those as well.

Tenderizer AR

Among all the assault rifles, the Tenderizer is arguably the most versatile against the squids. It doesn’t have the same armor-piercing capabilities as the Adjudicator and Liberator Penetrator, but its damage per shot value is so high that the lack of armor penetration hardly matters, especially considering how the Illuminate use little to no armor on their infantry units.

This rifle somewhat suffers from its low base magazine size, but it hardly becomes an issue when you use any armor with the Siege Ready perk, which boosts primary weapon reload speeds by 30%. If you really don’t like how the Tenderizer feels, then the Sickle should be a nice alternative.

Pummeler SMG

Submachine guns (except maybe the Knight) are overshadowed by the assault rifles on the Illuminate front. Their low DPS makes them feel lackluster against Overseers, and while the Pummeler from the Polar Patriots Warbond has trouble killing bigger squids in one magazine, at the very least, it can stun targets for a significant amount of time. This includes the Elevated Overseers that use jetpacks to skim the battlefield.

If you’re doing missions that require an objective to be transported across the map, then the Pummeler should see you through all the way to the end. Just don’t expect it to be as lethal as the other weapons here.

Halt Shotgun

The Halt shotgun is incredibly versatile. Its Flechette rounds can blast through Voteless and Overseers alike, and if the team is getting pestered by jetpack squids, you can switch to Stun rounds to temporarily keep those pesky flying units in one place.

To be fair, all the other shotguns in Helldivers 2 are extremely effective against the Illuminate, even the Breaker Spray & Pray variant. However, the Halt trumps over the rest simply because it can change ammo types.

Related

Helldivers 2: How to Destroy Illuminate Leviathans

Illuminate Leviathans in Helldivers 2 are tough, but they can be killed relatively quickly if you know where to hit them.

Eruptor Explosive Sniper Rifle

The marksman rifle class of weapons is naturally weak against the Illuminate. Overseers have heavily-armored weakspots, and the Voteless die quickly no matter where you shoot them. As of writing, the best marksman/sniper rifle to use against this faction is the Eruptor. Not only can it take down groups of Voteless and Overseers with ease, it can also destroy parked Warp Ships and stagger Harvesters. A good Eruptor build in Helldivers 2 can often take on every enemy the game has to offer.

The regular Diligence rifle is also decent against the Illuminate. It can pop Voteless heads and break Overseer armor fairly quickly. However, it doesn’t quite compare to the other weapons on this list in terms of lethality, and if you really want to play a sniper role against the squids, it’s best to just use the Anti-Materiel Rifle.

Related

Helldivers 2: How to Get the TR-117 Alpha Commander Armor Set

Your wish has come true. The highly coveted Master Chief-inspired TR-117 Alpha Commander armor set can now be yours in Helldivers 2. Here’s how.

Purifier Plasma Rifle

The Purifier received a major buff during the second big balance update for the game, and it is currently one of the best weapons to use in Helldivers 2 in general. It can clear groups and Overseers in just a few shots, and it can stagger and even destroy Harvesters with enough well-aimed shots. It can also be used as a rapid-fire weapon for breaking shields in a pinch.

If you’re more concerned about dealing with infantry, then the Scorcher should do the job just fine. However, the Purifier wins over the Exploding Crossbow thanks to its larger magazine size and versatility across many different scenarios.

Blitzer Energy Shotgun

The Blitzer deserves an honorable mention. It is an energy shotgun with infinite ammo, auto-aiming, AoE damage, and stunning capabilities. While the weapon fires slowly and has poor range, it’s an excellent pick for players who want to focus on objectives. The Blitzer is the perfect run-and-gun weapon for the Illuminate, especially since the majority of this faction’s units fight in melee or close-to-melee range.

MG-43 Machine Gun

Given how the Illuminate doesn’t have any units with heavy armor so far, the MG-43 is arguably the most versatile Support Weapon to use against the Illuminate. It shreds infantry and Harvesters alike, and while its performance is comparable to the Laser Cannon and HMG, it kills infantry faster than the former, and has better handling than the latter. The MG-43 is a true jack of all trades against the squids, making it a very safe pick for players who want all their bases covered.

Crisper and Redeemer

The Crisper handheld flamethrower and Redeemer machine pistol are the best sidearms to use against the Illuminate. The former can incinerate Voteless, Fleshmobs, and Overseers, while the latter can strip shields with just one magazine. Sidearms are mostly backup weapons, and when you really need to back up, these guns will keep you alive.

Related

Helldivers 2: All Warbonds, Ranked

Here are all of the Warbonds in Helldivers 2, ranked according to practicality to help players figure out which ones to get first.

Torcher

There are very few Special weapons in Helldivers 2 as of writing, but between this and the Dominator, the Torcher stands as the clear winner. The Dominator in Helldivers 2 is far too heavy and has too few shots per magazine to be viable against hordes of Voteless, and while it can put Overseers down very quickly, the Torcher from the Freedom’s Flames Warbond can do the same, but without the weakness against large groups.

The one drawback of the Torcher is its low range, which could make fighting Elevated Overseers difficult. Consider bringing an MG-43, a Laser Cannon, or a Senator if you plan on bringing this flamethrower as your main gun.

Liberator Carbine

This variant of the standard-issue Liberator is arguably the best against the Illuminate as of writing. It deals the same damage as the default variant, but its fire rate is significantly faster, letting it shred Overseers, Fleshmobs, and big Voteless swarms with ease, especially when the weapon is outfitted for high recoil control via Weapon Customization.

The other Liberator variants perform well against the Illuminate too, but as far as DPS is concerned, the Carbine wins by a significant margin.

Scythe

The Scythe isn’t as great against the Voteless, unlike most other weapons, but thanks to the Weapon Customization system and changes to how fire damage scales, it became a great all-around weapon against the Illuminate. The Scythe can be equipped with larger heat sinks, greatly increasing its effective mag size and making it more suited for dealing with bigger crowds. Also, fire now does more damage against large targets, making this weapon good against Fleshmobs.

Bringing either the Dagger pistol or Laser Cannon is generally a good idea when bringing a laser-based primary weapon. When one starts getting too hot, switch to a different laser weapon. This way, you can cycle between heat sinks without ever having to reload.

Breaker Shotguns

The Breaker and all of its variants are very effective against Voteless, Overseers, and Fleshmobs. Each of them are roughly similar when it comes to performance (especially when customized with attachments), though the Breaker Incendiary wins when it comes to pure DPS thanks to its flaming rounds.

Regardless of what Breaker players pick, Drum Magazines and Full Choke attachments are recommended. The latter can be replaced with a Duckbill Choke for a horizontal pellet spread, but Full Choke makes the Breakers more efficient to use against Overseers and Fleshmobs. Consider bringing a Supply Pack if you want to use the default Breaker or the Incendiary variant.

Related

Helldivers 2: Every Assault Rifle, Ranked

Wondering what Primary Weapons are best in Helldivers 2? This list ranks all Assault Rifles on damage, handling, and armor penetration.

StA-11, M7S, and Knight SMGs

These three weapons are very similar in terms of performance. All of them are great against Voteless hordes and Overseers, and they do a terrific job of stripping shields from ships and Harvesters. They all have the same damage values and comparable magazine capacities, but the Knight is arguably the best due to having access to the Helldivers 2 Weapon Upgrade system and a blistering fire rate.

The StA-11 fires slightly slower than the Knight at 1050 RPM (compared to the Knight’s 1380 RPM), but since it can’t use attachments, players won’t be able to reduce its recoil or add any sights to it. Meanwhile, the M7S has only 872 RPM, but it has the lowest recoil of the three, and it is very accurate even while moving (but it can’t use attachments either).

The thing about these SMGs is that they are all quite expensive. The Knight is exclusive to owners of the Super Citizen edition of Helldivers 2, while the M7S is locked behind the Halo ODST collab Warbond, which is more than twice as expensive as regular Warbonds (1500 Super Credits — regular Warbonds cost 1000 SC, and they give back 300 SC as part of their rewards). The StA-11 is part of the Killzone collaboration, which is expected to become a Legendary Warbond like the ODST one.

The Variable

The VG-70 Variable is very strong against the Illuminate thanks to its unique firing modes. Full-auto mode lets it rip through Voteless hordes while Volley mode makes quick work of Overseers. The Total burst mode is fun to use, and if your aim is steady, it can one-shot Harvesters with a blast to the eye. It can also take down Fleshmobs fairly quickly, making it one of the top-tier primary weapons against the Illuminate.

The WASP Launcher

If you want to bring an explosive Support Weapon to the Illuminate front, then the WASP launcher is one of the best options you can use. It can easily take care of larger units like Harvesters and Stingrays, and it is very effective against infantry as well, especially heavy units like Fleshmobs and Overseers.

The WASP Launcher can deal with every enemy the Illuminate throws at players, with the only exception being Leviathans. Don’t forget to swap to Mortar mode if you want to vaporize big Voteless hordes.