Helldivers 2 Best Illuminate Loadout: Stratagems and Weapons for the Void Front (Patch 7.0.0)

Quick answer: The best Helldivers 2 loadout against the Illuminate on patch 7.0.0 pairs a high-ammo chaff-clearing primary (an incendiary shotgun or the Sickle laser rifle) with an anti-tank support weapon for Harvesters — the StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher is the standout pick because its homing missiles one-shot Elevated Overseers and swat flyers out of the air. Round it out with the Orbital Railcannon Strike for heavies, the Guard Dog "Rover" laser drone to melt the endless Voteless swarms, and a medium-penetration sidearm like the P/40-K Bolt Pistol to strip Harvester legs and keep the regenerating Crusher from healing. Prioritise sustained damage over burst — the Void's new enemies punish any pause in fire.

The Illuminate are the story of Helldivers 2 right now. As of a Galactic War pull on 21 August 2026, the squids held 33 planets — more than the Terminids (25) or Automatons (14). — and the new Void front introduced in Devoid of Liberty (patch 7.0.0) is where the war is being decided. If you are dropping onto a Void-corrupted planet with a Terminid loadout, you are going to have a bad time. This guide breaks down the exact weapons, stratagems and armour that work against the Illuminate, how to kill the two brand-new enemies, and how to adjust the build as you climb the difficulty ladder.

⚙️ Updated August 30, 2026 — verified for patch 7.0.0 "Devoid of Liberty" (released 12 August 2026). Arrowhead shipped 13 numbered patches in the first seven months of 2026 alone; core weapon roles and stratagem picks are durable but check Arrowhead's official patch notes for balance tweaks if reading weeks after publication. No balance patch has dropped since 7.0.0. The Illuminate currently hold 33 planets — more than Terminids (25) or Automatons (14) — making the Void front the decisive theatre of the Galactic War as of late August 2026.

Key takeaways

• Segment your loadout by faction. There is no single "best loadout" in Helldivers 2. The Illuminate demand chaff clear, medium-armour damage and anti-tank in one kit — very different from the bugs or bots.
• The W.A.S.P. Launcher is the Void MVP. Its homing micro-missiles delete Elevated Overseers and flying constructs that ground-based anti-tank struggles to hit.
• Two new enemies changed the math. The Crusher regenerates while it takes damage, and the Wretch can dismantle your gear — both reward constant, targeted fire.
• Bring a laser or incendiary answer to the Voteless. The chaff swarms are relentless in the Void; a Guard Dog "Rover" or a flamethrower weapon does the busywork so your primary is free for Overseers.
• The grind scales with difficulty. Reaching Super Helldive (10) with the modules to back it up is a real time sink — more on that below.

Who are the Illuminate, and what changed in the Void?

The Illuminate (slang: "squids") are the third enemy faction, alongside the best Terminid loadout and Automatons. Do not call them the "Illuminati" or confuse them with Cyborgs — those are different things entirely. Patch 7.0.0 pushed the war into the Void, described by Arrowhead as a warped region of Illuminate-controlled space where you have to watch for space-time anomalies on top of the usual terrain and enemy threats.

The update added two new enemies, both mutations that stem from the Voteless. Straight from Arrowhead's official patch notes:

"The Crusher is on a deathmarch, capable of regenerating while taking heavy damage, and needs to be worn down quickly and consistently without a moment of pause. The Wretch is a relentless and nimble enemy that requires quick trigger fingers."

— Arrowhead Game Studios, "Devoid of Liberty: 7.0.0" patch notes (12 August 2026)

That one line tells you how to build. Against the Illuminate you are fighting three problems at once: an endless tide of light chaff (Voteless, Wretches), flying and floating medium units (Overseers, Elevated Overseers, Watchers) and hard-hitting heavies (the Harvester walker, plus the new Crusher). A good build answers all three without leaving a gap.

What roles does an anti-Illuminate loadout need to cover?

Think of your four loadout slots — primary, secondary, support weapon and stratagems — as a coverage checklist. Against the Illuminate the four jobs are:

Job	Threat	What handles it
Chaff clear	Voteless swarms, Wretches	Incendiary shotgun, Sickle laser, Guard Dog "Rover", Arc Thrower
Anti-medium	Overseers, Elevated Overseers, Watchers	Medium-penetration primaries, W.A.S.P. Launcher, headshots
Anti-heavy / anti-tank	Harvester, Crusher	Recoilless Rifle, Quasar Cannon, Railgun, W.A.S.P., Orbital Railcannon
Anti-air	Elevated Overseers, flying constructs	W.A.S.P. Launcher (homing), Anti-Materiel Rifle, Autocannon

The trap is over-indexing on one job. A pure anti-tank kit drowns in Voteless; a pure chaff kit can't touch a Harvester. The builds below balance the checklist.

Best primary and secondary weapons vs the Illuminate

Primaries — pick one that clears chaff without reloading every three seconds:

• Stagger and incendiary shotguns (SG-8S Slugger, Cookout, Breaker Incendiary): knock down and burn packs of Voteless. Incendiary damage-over-time keeps working while you deal with the next threat.
• LAS-16 Sickle: the laser rifle's near-infinite ammo economy (you manage heat, not magazines) is ideal for the Void's non-stop chaff. No reloads means no vulnerable windows.
• Medium-penetration rifles: anything that pens medium armour will drop Overseers with body shots and Elevated Overseers with headshots. If your primary can't scratch an Overseer, swap it.

Secondaries — this is where the Illuminate specialist picks live:

• P/40-K Bolt Pistol (from the Castellan's Creed Warbond): players use it to blow the legs off Harvesters and to punch into the Crusher. A medium-pen sidearm punches far above its slot against squids.
• P-72 Crisper: the handgun flamethrower. Keep it holstered for the moment a Voteless swarm gets on top of you — you can burn everything chasing you while you keep moving.
• GP-31 Grenade Pistol: clears clustered chaff and helps deal with the Illuminate's spawning ships from a safe distance.

Best support weapon and stratagems vs the Illuminate

Your support weapon is the single biggest decision. The StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher — an anti-tank micro-missile launcher with homing capability and two firing modes, originally from the Killzone crossover — is the community's go-to for the Void. Its homing shots reliably one-shot Elevated Overseers at range and knock flying units out of the sky, which is exactly the problem the Illuminate present. As one Void-front player put it, the W.A.S.P. is "king for taking out Elevated Overseers at range" thanks to its ammo economy.

If you prefer a heavier hammer, the Recoilless Rifle and Quasar Cannon both delete Harvesters and stagger Crushers, while the Railgun (charged shots) is a flexible medium-and-up answer.

The Airburst Rocket Launcher is a trap against tight groups. It shines as a "patrol deleter" against clusters of light and medium enemies at a distance — but detonate it within about 15 metres of yourself and it will ragdoll or kill you. Use it for range, not panic.

Stratagem picks (the backpack + red-strike slots):

• Guard Dog "Rover" (laser drone): the best anti-chaff backpack in the Void. It autonomously mows down Voteless while you aim at bigger threats.
• Orbital Railcannon Strike: a homing anti-heavy that reliably one-shots a Harvester. Long cooldown, so save it for the walker, not a stray Overseer.
• Eagle Airstrike / 500kg Bomb: flexible cluster-and-heavy clear; the Eagle Airstrike's low cooldown makes it a workhorse.
• Orbital Precision Strike: cheap, low-cooldown, pinpoint damage for anything you need gone now.
• Arc Thrower / Tesla Tower: chain lightning is excellent value against the Illuminate's densely packed chaff.

Stratagem tier list vs the Illuminate (patch 7.0.0)

The table below ranks the key stratagem options by effectiveness on the Void front. All ratings assume Extreme (difficulty 6) or higher — the difficulty floor where Super Samples drop and Harvesters/Crushers stack reliably.

Stratagem	Role	Tier	Notes
StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher	Support weapon — anti-air/anti-heavy	S	Homing missiles one-shot Elevated Overseers; two volleys drop a Harvester leg. Best all-round pick for Void.
Guard Dog "Rover" (laser drone)	Backpack — chaff clear	S	Autonomous Voteless mow — frees both your hands for bigger threats. Mandatory on any Void build.
Orbital Railcannon Strike	Stratagem — anti-heavy	S	Homing, one-shots a Harvester. Long cooldown means saving it — do not waste on Overseers.
Eagle Airstrike	Stratagem — flexible clear	A	Low cooldown, cluster damage, good utility. Works against chaff clusters and medium enemies.
Orbital Precision Strike	Stratagem — pinpoint	A	Cheap cooldown, exact placement. Best option when you need a fast reliable hit on a single target.
Recoilless Rifle	Support weapon — anti-tank	A	Deletes Harvesters and staggers Crushers. Requires a teammate to reload faster; slower to aim at flyers than the W.A.S.P.
Railgun (charged)	Support weapon — medium/heavy pen	A	Flexible armour-stripping; charged shots pierce most Illuminate armour tiers. Requires ammo discipline.
Arc Thrower / Tesla Tower	Support / emplacement — chaff	B	Chain lightning excels against densely-packed Voteless; weaker value against Harvesters or flyers.
Airburst Rocket Launcher	Support weapon — chaff burst	B	Strong patrol-deleter at range. Kill radius extends to the user at close range — a common death source.
500kg Bomb	Stratagem — heavy burst	B	High single-drop damage but wider timing window. Better in coordinated squads than solo; overlaps with Orbital Railcannon's anti-heavy role.

The core insight: the Illuminate are the most airborne-heavy faction in Helldivers 2, so stratagems that track or cover vertical threat angles (W.A.S.P., Orbital Railcannon) outperform raw ground-clearers. For how Warbond unlocks interact with the stratagem meta, see our best Warbond to buy first guide.

How do you kill the new Void enemies — Crusher, Wretch and Harvester?

Crusher. Because it regenerates while taking damage, chip damage is worthless — you need constant, concentrated fire. Shoot the head to break its helmet, then keep firing on the exposed flesh so it can't heal. Anti-tank support weapons and the Bolt Pistol help here, but the key is never letting up. This is the enemy that punishes reload-heavy or burst loadouts hardest.

Wretch. Ignore the head. Blast off its limbs to immobilise and kill it — a fast, evasive mutant that can dismantle your gear if it gets in your face. Shotguns, SMGs and the Rover drone are your friends; do not try to snipe it.

Harvester. The Illuminate's tripod walker is a classic anti-tank target. Strip a leg with heavy fire to bring it down, or land a W.A.S.P. volley / Orbital Railcannon on it. Keep moving — its beam tracks you.

Overseers and Elevated Overseers. Medium armour, so medium-pen primaries or headshots. The Elevated (flying) variant is where the W.A.S.P.'s homing really earns its slot.

Best Illuminate loadout by difficulty

Helldivers 2 has ten difficulty levels — remember that Helldive is 9 and Super Helldive is 10, not the other way round. Your build should shift as you climb:

• Trivial to Challenging (1–4): almost anything works. Bring a chaff primary and one anti-tank support weapon and you'll cruise. Great difficulties for farming Common Samples and Super Credits.
• Hard to Extreme (5–6): Overseers and the first Harvesters appear in force. Now the W.A.S.P. or a dedicated anti-tank support weapon becomes mandatory, plus the Rover for chaff.
• Suicide Mission to Super Helldive (7–10): heavies stack up and the new Crusher shows up. Run two anti-heavy answers (support weapon + Orbital Railcannon), a chaff backpack, and armour with extra padding or explosive resistance. Coordinate with your squad so someone always has anti-tank off cooldown.

Ship Module upgrade costs: what you actually need

The full Void-ready loadout is gated behind Ship Module upgrades that cost Requisition Slips and Samples. Here are the exact costs for the modules most relevant to anti-Illuminate play:

Ship Module	Common Samples	Rare Samples	Super Samples	Req. Slips
W.A.S.P. Launcher (all tiers)	150	90	5	30,000
Orbital Railcannon cooldown upgrades	200	120	8	40,000
Guard Dog "Rover" ammo/efficiency	100	60	4	20,000
Full 30-module set	3,830	2,920	305	varies

Super Samples only drop from Extreme difficulty (6) and above — meaning the full Ship Module unlock is gated behind a difficulty floor most players can't comfortably clear without those very upgrades. Breaking the cycle: prioritise Rare Sample modules first (available from Challenging/4), and run with randoms in 6+ for the Super Sample trickle before your own build is complete. The fastest leveling path to 300 includes a sample-farming route that handles both objectives simultaneously.

The real cost of the Void grind

Here's the honest part. The loadout is free to theory-craft, but actually fielding it is a grind. The best support weapons and the Ship Module upgrades that make them hit hard cost Requisition Slips and Samples you have to extract mission after mission — the full Ship Module set alone runs 3,830 Common, 2,920 Rare and 305 Super Samples across 30 modules. Add the Warbond Medals to unlock weapons like the Bolt Pistol, and a "best Illuminate loadout" can be dozens of hours of farming away.

If you'd rather spend your evenings actually diving instead of grinding levels, samples and Warbond currency, timesaver.gg runs a Helldivers 2 boosting service that handles the leveling and progression legwork — everything stays in-game and account-based, no third-party currency or trading (which doesn't exist in Helldivers 2 anyway). It's a "save your time" option, not a shortcut around the game.

For more Helldivers 2 guides, see our breakdowns of the fastest way to hit the level 300 cap, the best method and planets to farm Super Credits, and our best Automaton loadout for when the warfront rotates, and how to fix "Servers at Capacity" and connection errors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best weapon against the Illuminate in Helldivers 2? For a single pick, the StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher support weapon is the strongest all-round answer on the Void front — its homing missiles one-shot Elevated Overseers and swat flying units, while still threatening Harvesters. Pair it with a high-ammo chaff primary like an incendiary shotgun or the Sickle laser rifle.

How do you kill the Crusher in Helldivers 2? Break its helmet by shooting the head, then keep firing constantly on the exposed flesh. The Crusher regenerates while it takes damage, so burst damage or frequent reloads let it heal — you need sustained, concentrated fire from anti-tank weapons or a medium-penetration sidearm like the Bolt Pistol.

How do you beat the Wretch? Ignore the head and shoot off its limbs to immobilise and kill it. The Wretch is fast and evasive and can dismantle your equipment up close, so close-range weapons like shotguns and SMGs, plus a Guard Dog "Rover" drone, work far better than trying to land precise headshots.

Is the Airburst Rocket Launcher good against the Illuminate? Yes, but only at range. It excels at deleting clustered light and medium enemies — a "patrol deleter" — but it will ragdoll or kill you if it detonates within roughly 15 metres. Use it for distant groups, not for enemies already on top of you.

Do I need a different loadout for each Illuminate difficulty? The core kit (chaff clear + anti-tank + a chaff backpack) holds at every difficulty, but from Extreme (6) upward you should bring a second anti-heavy answer and tougher armour to handle stacking Harvesters and the Crusher. On lower difficulties almost any balanced build works.

How many Ship Modules does a full Helldivers 2 loadout require, and what is the exact sample cost? The complete 30-module set costs 3,830 Common, 2,920 Rare and 305 Super Samples plus Requisition Slips. The anti-Illuminate modules that matter most — W.A.S.P. upgrades, Orbital Railcannon cooldown reductions and Guard Dog "Rover" efficiency tiers — collectively require around 450 Common, 270 Rare and 17 Super Samples. Super Samples gate the final upgrade tiers and only drop from Extreme (difficulty 6) and above.

Is patch 7.0.0 the only Illuminate balance patch in 2026? Patch 7.0.0 "Devoid of Liberty" (August 12, 2026) is the most recent balance update as of this article. It introduced the Void front and two new Illuminate enemies (Crusher and Wretch) but did not significantly change weapon balance numbers — the priority was new content delivery. Arrowhead has historically shipped weapon rebalance patches on a 4–6 week cadence, so a balance patch targeting the new enemy meta is plausible by late September. Check the official patch notes page before a new major session if reading after August 2026.

What are the best stratagems against the Illuminate in Helldivers 2? The top-tier picks on the Void front (patch 7.0.0) are the StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher (homing support weapon — one-shots Elevated Overseers and legs Harvesters), the Guard Dog "Rover" laser drone (autonomous Voteless clear so you can focus on heavies), and the Orbital Railcannon Strike (homing anti-heavy that reliably drops a Harvester). The Illuminate are the most airborne-heavy faction in the game, so stratagems that track vertical threats outperform pure ground-clearers. See the full stratagem tier table in the body of this guide for the complete ranked list with role labels.

Is the Arc Thrower good against the Illuminate? Situationally. Arc chain lightning excels at clearing the densely packed Voteless swarms the Illuminate deploy as chaff, making it B-tier useful. It loses value quickly against Overseers (medium armour, not enough chain damage), Harvesters (requires direct hits) and the new Crusher (needs sustained concentrated fire, not burst). If you are already running a Guard Dog "Rover" for chaff control, the Arc Thrower's primary use case is already covered — consider a higher-priority anti-heavy or anti-air slot instead.

Is "Helldive" the hardest Illuminate difficulty? No. Helldive is difficulty 9; Super Helldive (10) is the hardest. There is no difficulty 11 or "Mega Helldive." Sample gating still applies — Super Samples only drop from Extreme (6) and above.