So far in Helldivers 2, the Illuminate were arguably the easiest of the existing three enemy factions to fight, mainly because the variety of Illuminate enemy units was rather limited. However, now that new Illuminate enemy units have been added in Helldivers 2’s Galactic Emergency update, the difficulty of Illuminate missions has significantly increased across the board, potentially making them the current hardest enemy faction to fight in Helldivers 2.
Alongside a sizable list of balancing changes and other new features, the new Galactic Emergency update for Helldivers 2 has introduced four new Illuminate enemy units. For now, three of these new Illuminate enemies can be encountered on Illuminate-controlled planets, while the fourth new enemy unit has yet to be revealed.
Helldivers 2's Best Alternative to a Fourth Faction is Clear
Whether or not a fourth enemy faction ever gets introduced to Helldivers 2, the game already has a perfect alternative to explore in the meantime.
Helldivers 2’s Galactic Emergency Update Expands the Illuminate Enemy Faction
Every New Illuminate Enemy Unit
- Fleshmob
- Crescent Overseer
- Stingray (a.k.a. Interloper)
- A currently unknown fourth enemy unit
Fleshmobs
Although the new Fleshmob enemy unit lacks armor, it’s still one of the toughest enemy types in Helldivers 2, since it still has a large health pool. Like other Illuminate enemy units, the Fleshmob seems to be particularly vulnerable to Explosives, as well as Elemental damage. This enemy unit will rush at players similar to Terminid 
Charger units, except instead of immediately killing players, attacks from the Fleshmob will throw players around and make them vulnerable to being swarmed by Voteless or other Fleshmobs.
Armor: none
Weakness: Explosives, Fire, and Gas Elemental damage
Weak Point: legs
Crescent Overseers
The Crescent Overseer is almost identical to other Illuminate Overseer units, except with a unique weapon capable of long-range mortar attacks that can shoot over buildings and cover to reach players, much like the Terminid 
Bile Spewer. When at close range, instead of the barrage attacks, the Crescent Overseer will resort to direct impact shots against players, which are generally more lethal since they are harder to dodge; the projectiles travel faster and are more accurate when fired this way. Players may want to engage these enemies at long range, if possible. Otherwise, the Crescent Overseers should be approached with similar tactics and weapon loadouts in Helldivers 2 as the pre-existing Overseer variants.
Armor: limbs and body have light armor, head has medium armor
Weakness: anti-armor weapons, Fire and Gas Elemental weapons
Weak Point: any part of their body that has had its armor removed from repeated attacks
Stingray
The new Stingray Illuminate enemy unit is a jet that will line up long strafe run attacks against players, similar to the players’ own 
Eagle Strafing Run Stratagem. This enemy only leaves small windows for players to attack it, and it travels fast, but its attacks have a predictable telegraph via a blue marking on the ground that players should look out for to plan a counterattack accordingly.
Armor: medium
Weakness: Explosives, anti-armor, and Energy weapons
Weak Point: full body
When tagging a Stingray, their name will appear as “Interloper,” though this may be a bug, and the term Interloper may refer to a fourth new Illuminate enemy unit that has been announced, but has yet to be encountered.
The Fourth New Illuminate Enemy Unit
Alongside the Fleshmobs, Crescent Overseers, and Stingrays, a fourth new Illuminate enemy unit is said to have been introduced in Helldivers 2’s Galactic Emergency update. As reported by PlayStation.Blog, “There have been sightings of other, even larger ships, though details remain unclear on their abilities.” This could be referring to the new Illuminate ships that can be seen in the latest cutscenes and on the Galactic War map, considering that these ships have yet to appear in a mission, though it remains a mystery for the time being. However, given the latest leaks and rumors for Helldivers 2 about an upcoming Illuminate invasion on Super Earth, it likely won’t be long now before this enemy unit makes its first appearance in Illuminate missions.
Helldivers 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
