Helldivers 2 thrives on its chaotic alien factions, providing chaotic battles. The relentless Terminids, the militarized Automatons, and the mysterious Illuminate. While Bugs and Bots offer strong balance, clear identities, and varied combat challenges, the Illuminate stand out for the wrong reasons.
Despite moments of fun and challenge (especially from Leviathan), they lack depth, variety, and cohesion. Compared to the other factions, the Illuminate feel unfinished at best, becoming truly squishable squids.
Fun Enemies, Empty Faction: What’s Missing from the Illuminate Roster
Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios
Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios
Credit:- Arrowhead Game Studios
Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios
Credits: Arrowhead Game Studios
Helldivers 2’s community frustration with the Illuminate isn’t about raw difficulty; it’s all about absence. The faction is suffering from various issues, the biggest being the fewest enemy types, no real subfactions, and limited tactical variety.
Players often joke that Illuminate units boil down to cannon fodder, awkward melee enemies, and a handful of overtuned elites like Overseers and Leviathans. Several other enemy units in the faction suffer from design issues rather than intentional challenge.
Hoping the new ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ are at least fun to play against byu/IgniteThatShit inHelldivers
Comment byu/IgniteThatShit from discussion inHelldivers
Comment byu/IgniteThatShit from discussion inHelldivers
Staff Overseers are criticized for excessive tankiness and frustrating knockdowns, Watchers are either trivial or janky, and Fleshmobs still suffer from immersion-breaking bugs like phasing through walls.
While Stingrays and Harvesters are widely praised as genuinely fun to fight, they’re not enough to carry an entire faction. Balance-wise, many players argue they’re the easiest faction to fight due to low armor after the initial shield, which further erodes their threat.
Helldivers 2 Is Built on Factions, and One of Them Is Falling Behind
Bugs overwhelm you, Bots outgun you, and Squids politely ask to be ignored. | Credit: Arrowhead
Helldivers 2’s longevity depends on how distinct and replayable its factions are. Terminids overwhelm through numbers and aggression. Automatons dominate with firepower, armor, and battlefield control.
Each faction forces players to adapt loadouts, teamwork, and tactics. The Illuminate, however, fail to demand the same strategic shift. That’s why fans are calling on Arrowhead to refocus. Because of this, devs cannot afford one-third of its core enemy roster to feel incomplete.
Comment byu/IgniteThatShit from discussion inHelldivers
Developers need to expand Illuminate with varied types of enemies, new unit roles, diverse map types (not just mega-city and city maps), and polished mechanics, which wouldn’t just fix balance but would elevate the entire galactic war.
Players aren’t asking for nerfs or buffs; they want variety and purpose. Until Arrowhead delivers the Illuminate as the true third faction, it will remain less a looming alien threat and more a running joke.
Which factions do you prefer between Terminids or Automatons in Helldivers 2? Comment below to let us know.
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