Helldivers 2: Omens of Tyranny Illuminate Faction Explained

After months of fan speculation and more than a few leaks, the Omens of Tyranny update has finally brought the Illuminate to Helldivers 2. The update was released last Thursday with almost no announcement, likely due to Arrowhead developers hoping to simulate the surprise attack nature of the Illuminate invasion. While the patch also brought numerous balance changes, new vehicles, a new war bond, and a new biome in the form of urbanized Super Earth colonies, the arrival of the third faction is by far the biggest development the patch has to offer.

Although they were a major player in the first game, the Illuminati were conspicuously absent Helldivers 2The launch of and their inevitable return had a major impact on the game's narrative and the community at large. Now that the third faction is finally here, there's a long way to go. Far from the mindless hordes of the Terminids or the militarism of Skynet-style automatons, the Illuminati introduce an entirely new slate of enemies and threats that require a new set of strategies if the hell divers are to send them back to whatever planet they find themselves on. came from.

What are the Illuminati?

The Illuminati are a squid-like alien species from beyond the established galaxy. Their advanced society predates humanity by several millennia, giving them a huge advantage in the technological arms race. They are said to engage in cannibalism of each other's brains to pass on knowledge, though this may just be alarming Super Earth propaganda. They were a major threat in the original Helldiversas the third faction during the events of the First Galactic War.

The Illuminati, or Squ'ith as they refer to themselves, were soundly defeated at the end of the first war when Super Earth reached their homeworld, the Squ'Bai Sanctuary. And although Super Earth told its citizens that the last Illuminati had been exterminated here, in reality they were simply forced to leave the galaxy for a hundred years.

The Arrowhead developers have hinted that the current Illuminati force represents only a small portion of their total army. What is currently happening on Calypso is only scouting groups making themselves known, and the full force of the Illuminati's vengeance has not yet been exerted. Only time will tell how much more devastating this faction will become over time, and how much more firepower the hell divers will need to stop them.

Explanation of the Illuminati faction and how to deal with it

Those without a vote

The most common type of enemy players will encounter on Illuminati planets are the Voteless: colonists from Super Earth who have been kidnapped and turned into mindless, zombie-like slaves for the Illuminati. And from the sheer number of these things, it's clear that the Illuminati have been busy. The unvoted are chattels in the purest sense of the term. They die incredibly easily, but the danger comes from their own strength. They attack with numbers that even the terms can't match and can easily overwhelm or route players who aren't paying attention. At that point, they begin to act as a tar pit for larger enemies to take advantage of or simply kill the player outright via a death-by-a-thousand-cuts offense.

The Voteless are trivially easy to eliminate if a Helldiver maintains his wits and doesn't get overwhelmed. Almost any weapon or stratagem will do, but shotguns may be a last resort, as staying within effective range opens the door to easier ambushes. The ideal are weapons with a high rate of fire at medium-long range. Helldivers 2Assault rifles, SMGs, and especially stratagem machine guns are excellent at eliminating Voterless quickly and from a safe distance. Fire-based weapons come in handy for their unrivaled DPS as long as players are careful not to get defeated.

Supervisors

These muscular aliens are the vanguard of the Illuminati's invasion forces across the galaxy. Resembling an elite that Master Chief could easily eliminate, these armored squids are melee-based like the Vowless, but unlike their zombied underlings, these brutes can make short work of any hell sub unlucky enough to be on their last legs of forces. They can quickly close the distance with energy shields and a powerful energy blast.

Obviously the best way to deal with them is from a distance to prevent them from using those personnel. The energy blast attack moves slowly and is heavily telegraphed, making it fairly easy to dodge, but overpowering the energy shield takes some clever thinking and a quick-shooting finger. Helldivers 2's shock weapons and lasers are excellent at draining the shield, and follow-up attacks to the head will keep them staggered long enough to take them down. Stratagems of all sorts will also work in a pinch, though these enemies are faster than they appear, so players should be sure to aim their headlights accordingly to ensure Eagle 1 doesn't miss its target.

Elevated supervisor

These units are similar to other Supervisors but the main difference is the flight ability. High Overseers are equipped with jetpacks to nimbly navigate the battlefield and rain death from above via energy blasts and grenades.

Since these Overseers have been swapped for mobility and range, they lack the energy shield of their ground counterparts, making them easier to damage directly. The same rules apply as for basic Supervisors: aim for the head and open fire. Their jetpacks can make them slightly difficult to aim, but shock-based weapons like the ARC Launcher and ARC Blitzer can mitigate aiming issues.

Observers

The most dormant enemies filling the ranks of the Illuminati, the Watchers are the flying drone units that cast players in an otherworldly purple light. As disturbing as it may be, this light has a practical function outside of psychological warfare.

Observer lights are beacons to illuminate ships to drop additional enemies on the affected player. And if not dealt with quickly, the Watchers themselves can begin unleashing devastating slow attacks that will allow them to launch a series of lethal projectiles. Luckily, they are very weak to sustained fire, particularly in the central region of the eye.

Harvesters

Like HG Wells' iconic and terrifying tripods War of the Worldsthese Reapers currently represent the greatest threat on the Illuminati front. These powerful colossi are easily identifiable by their imposing stature and their enormous blue energy shields that protect them from even the most powerful stratagems. These shields must be activated and detonated to damage the tripod itself. All weapons will work, but the more powerful, the better. Especially lasers and quasar guns seem to be particularly effective in this. Entering the shield while it is active comes with a nasty surprise: the shield emits a lethal electrical discharge, similar to the effects of a Tesla tower.

Once the shield is lowered, fire should remain concentrated on the main body of the harvester. Similar to the Watchers, its weak point is its central “eye” from which its laser attack comes. The main body is covered in medium armor, meaning that several weapons will be able to penetrate it and deal light damage while other teammates blast its eye. Neglecting to damage the Reaper for too long will allow its shields to regenerate. As the biggest enemy currently on the Illuminate roster, these are massive threats that need to be addressed as soon as possible.