You think the Automatons are tough because they shoot back? Try fighting a faction that literally flips your controls upside down while sniping you from across the screen. If you only jumped into the franchise with the sequel, you missed out on the sheer, unadulterated psychological warfare of the Helldivers 1 Illuminate enemies. They weren't just another set of targets. They were a middle finger to your muscle memory.
The Squ’ith—that’s their actual name—weren't your typical sci-fi bugs or clanky robots. They were an ancient, aquatic-looking civilization with technology so advanced it basically felt like magic. They didn't need numbers like the Terminids. They just needed to mess with your head.
Honestly, the first time an Illusionist hits you with a mind-control bolt and suddenly "Left" is "Right" and "Up" is "Down," you realize why veteran divers still have PTSD from the first Galactic War. It wasn't just about shooting. It was about surviving a sensory assault.
The Psychic Wall of the Helldivers 1 Illuminate Enemies
Most factions in Helldivers 1 followed a predictable flow. Bugs swarm, Cyborgs tank. But the Illuminate? They played a game of "keep away" that was infuriatingly effective.
One of the most iconic, and hated, units was the Obelisk. This thing didn't even have a face. It was just a floating, mechanical slab that would warp onto the battlefield and instantly project a massive energy wall. These walls weren't just cover. They were lethal. If that wall materialized on top of you or your teammates, you were instantly bisected. Dead. No reinforces could save that body.
These walls would split your squad in two, making it impossible to support each other. You'd be stuck on one side with a swarm of Tripods while your buddy with the anti-tank weapon was trapped behind a glowing blue barrier three screens away. It forced a level of spatial awareness that the other factions simply didn't require. You had to watch the ground for the warp signature, or you were toast.
Then there were the snipers. The Apprentices and Outcasts.
In a top-down shooter, off-screen threats are the worst. The Illuminate took this to the extreme. You’d be standing there, checking your map, and suddenly a red laser line would track across your chest. A split second later? You’re bleeding out. They used long-range projectiles that could down a Helldiver in a single shot if you weren't wearing heavy armor or carrying a SH-20 Shield Generator.
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Mind Control is Not Your Friend
We have to talk about the Illusionists and Great Eyes. These were the "boss" tier units of the Squ’ith infantry.
Unlike the heavy armor of the Cyborg Warlords, these guys used powerful energy shields. You couldn't just rocket them immediately. You had to pop the shield first with sustained fire, then hit the fleshy, levitating creature inside. But while you were trying to do that, they were firing slow-moving orbs of psychic energy.
If one of those orbs hit you, your controls reversed.
Imagine trying to call in a Reinforce stratagem while your directional inputs are mirrored. Up-Down-Right-Left-Up becomes a nightmare when your brain is screaming that everything is backwards. It was a brilliant, if sadistic, mechanic. It turned the players' own competence against them. You weren't fighting the game; you were fighting your own nervous system.
The Great Eye was even worse. It was basically a giant, floating mechanical eyeball that served as the "Council Member" unit. It had a massive health pool and could spam those mind-control bolts like it was going out of style. If you saw more than one of these on a Level 12 "Helldive" difficulty mission, you knew the run was probably over.
Why Stealth Was the Only Real Strategy
Against Bugs, you could kite. Against Cyborgs, you could hunkered down. Against the Illuminate, if you were in a fair fight, you were losing.
Expert players in the original game almost always ran "stealth" builds for Illuminate masters. This meant using the Campsite or Distractor Beacon to lure the scouts away. The Illuminate scouts, known as Observers, were small, cloaked drones. They didn't attack you directly. They just floated around, and if they spotted you, they’d sound an alarm and summon the heavy hitters.
The trick was to kill the Observers before they could "chirp." If you missed one, a squad of Stalkers would phase into existence right on your lap.
Stalkers (not to be confused with the bug version in the sequel) were highly mobile melee units with twin blades. They could teleport. One second they were 20 feet away, the next they were behind you, carving through your cape. They were glass cannons, but man, they hit like a freight train.
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The Gear That Actually Worked
If you went into an Illuminate mission with a standard machine gun, you were asking for a bad time. You needed specific tools to crack their tech.
- SH-20 Shield Generator: This was non-negotiable. The shield prevented the mind-control status effect. If you had your shield up, the Illusionist's bolts would just bounce off. Without it, you were a liability to your team.
- Obliterator Grenade Launcher: Since many Illuminate units lacked heavy "tank" armor but had annoying energy shields, the Obliterator was king. It could lob explosives over obstacles and clear out groups of Tripods instantly.
- Laser Weapons: The Sickle or the Tanto were popular because they didn't require ammo. Since Illuminate missions often involved a lot of repositioning and running away from Obelisk walls, not having to wait for a Resupply pod was a huge advantage.
- M5-32 HAV: Sometimes, you just needed to be inside a literal tank to ignore the snipers.
The meta for the Helldivers 1 Illuminate enemies was all about burst damage. You had to break the shield and kill the core before they could teleport away or drop a wall on your head.
A Different Kind of War
What made the Illuminate stand out was the lack of traditional "heavies." You didn't see many Behemoths or massive tanks. Instead, the difficulty was "environmental." The enemies changed the map. They took away your ability to move and your ability to aim.
It felt high-stakes. It felt "alien" in a way the other factions didn't. The Bugs were a force of nature. The Cyborgs were a dark reflection of humanity. But the Illuminate? They were superior, and they knew it. Their voice lines (if you can call them that) were eerie, and their death animations involved them collapsing into a pile of robes and strange energy.
Even the lore was deeper. There were hints that the Illuminate didn't actually want a war, but Super Earth "discovered" they had weapons of mass destruction (which turned out to be mostly ceremonial) and decided to spread democracy anyway. It added a layer of dark irony to every mission. You were destroying a sophisticated culture because they were "too dangerous" to exist.
Survival Tips for the Discerning Diver
If you ever go back to the original game to see where the series started, keep these points in mind for the Squ’ith sectors.
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First, never stand still. The snipers are always watching. If you see a red line, dive immediately. Not a second later. Now.
Second, prioritize the scouts. The Observers are the most dangerous unit in the game because of what they bring with them. If you see a ripple in the air, that's a cloaked drone. Shoot it. Use the "Trident" laser shotgun if you have it; the wide spread is perfect for catching cloaked units.
Third, bring a Jump Pack. When an Obelisk drops a wall, you can jump over it. This is often the difference between being trapped in a kill zone and escaping to a better position.
Lastly, don't panic when your controls flip. If you get hit by mind control and you don't have a shield, stop moving for a second. Recalibrate. If you try to run, you’ll likely run straight into a wall or off a cliff.
The Illuminate represent a peak in Helldivers' tactical design. They didn't just test your aim; they tested your composure. Dealing with the Helldivers 1 Illuminate enemies was a rite of passage. If you could handle the Mind Control and the Obelisk walls, you could handle anything the galaxy threw at you.
Go back and load up a Level 10 mission on an Illuminate home world. Experience the chaos of the blue lasers and the teleporting casters. It’ll make you appreciate the relatively "simple" task of fighting a Bile Titan. At least the Titan doesn't make you walk backwards while it's trying to eat you.
To master this matchup, focus your research on energy-based weaponry and mobility stratagems. Practice the "counter-input" movement during mind control effects in lower-stress environments before heading into high-difficulty dives. Ensuring your squad has at least two SH-20 Shield Generators will mitigate 80% of the faction's most frustrating mechanics. This shift in preparation turns a chaotic slaughter into a controlled, surgical strike.