Oh jeez, they weren't kidding, Helldivers 2's Illuminate are terrifying—and the best/worst of both worlds

GamesThird Person ShooterHelldivers 2Oh jeez, they weren’t kidding, Helldivers 2’s Illuminate are terrifying—and the best/worst of both worldsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Arrowhead Games)

An Illuminate in Helldivers 2 stands, gloomily illuminated by ominous light.

In case you’ve committed undemocratic heresy and had your Super Earth broadcasts turned off, let me illuminate (heh) the situation for you—the Illuminate are herein Helldivers 2, and boy howdy are they pissed off. In arecent interviewwith us here at PC Gamer, Arrowhead Games' CCO Johan Pilestedt promised that the Illuminate would prove a challenge even for seasoned players.

I, like a fool, like an utter clown, brushed this off as mere braggadocio. It’s like he says—developers often tend to underestimate players, right? There’s absolutely no way the Illuminate can be as harrowing as he’s implying, correct? Incorrect, as it turns out. The design of these buggers is utterly devilish. An unholy marriage between the Terminids and the Automatons, forged into something far scarier.

The Automatons, meanwhile, are all about finding solid cover or terrain—almost every unit has some kind of ranged capability, meaning you’re often angling for ways to thin the herd without standing in the middle of an eminently glassable field. That is until a hulk rocks up and tries to melt you, but that’s sort of the point: You’ve got to be proactive about taking out major threats before the rare melee unit threatens whatever safety bubble you’ve obtained.

Image1of2Tractor beams are back in fashion!(Image credit: Arrowhead Games / Sony)Why did I just get deja vu for Mass Effect?(Image credit: Arrowhead Games / Sony)

Image1of2

Tractor beams are back in fashion!(Image credit: Arrowhead Games / Sony)Why did I just get deja vu for Mass Effect?(Image credit: Arrowhead Games / Sony)

Tractor beams are back in fashion!(Image credit: Arrowhead Games / Sony)

Two images - one showing the Illuminate dropships beaming down enemy troops to murder my position, another showing a city in flames from the illuminate menace.

Why did I just get deja vu for Mass Effect?(Image credit: Arrowhead Games / Sony)

Two images - one showing the Illuminate dropships beaming down enemy troops to murder my position, another showing a city in flames from the illuminate menace.

There are a few saving graces here. Already, my crossbow primary is serving me well, since Illuminates will always drop in as conveniently-grouped clusters thanks to the limited scope of their ships' tractor beams. Meanwhile, you can tear through those jetpack boys if your aim’s good enough, and a strong enough hit to their backpacks’ll blow them right up.

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Otherwise, though, the Illuminate are already horrifying—and you know what? Good. I’ve been in full support of the recent updates Arrowhead’s been making to its game, but I get what our own Morgan Park said in the aftermath of those buffs. The game has, in a sense,become easier. However, while it might just be a case of adjusting and gitting gud—I’ve only tango’d with these freaks for a couple of hours at the time of writing—the Illuminate are shaping up to be a severe threat to the free galaxy.

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