Fighting Illuminate Crushers in Helldivers 2 requires specific tactics because these lumbering monstrosities can instantly kill players with brutal overhead club blows. Currently found in missions featuring the Vote Snatcher enemy sub-faction, Crushers demand a precise approach to put down efficiently.
- Choose your strategy: Decide whether to wear them down with continuous gunfire or quickly expose and destroy their head weak spot.
- Continous gunfire method: Use fast-firing light-armor-penetration or fire weapons to drain their health before they can self-heal.
- Helmet destruction method: Hit the heavy-armor helmet with a heavy-armor-penetrating support weapon or secondary weapon until it breaks.
- Target the head: Shoot the newly exposed, unarmored head to finish the Crusher quickly.
- Maintain distance: Sprint and dive away from their extended overhead slam attack range to avoid instant elimination.
Method 1: Wear Down Health with Fast-Firing Weapons
Crushers possess a lot of health and regenerate unless they take continuous damage. Because they lack body armor, light-armor-penetration weapons will suffice, but you need high rates of fire to stop their self-healing.
Effective support weapons for this method include:
- Machine Gun
- Heavy Machine Gun
- Bullet Storm
- Maxigun
- Stalwart
- WASP Launcher
Crushers are also vulnerable to fire. The Cremator and Flamethrower serve as great choices to burn them down efficiently.
Method 2: Destroy the Helmet for a Quick Kill
Destroying the helmet and shooting the head is a much faster method, but it requires specialized gear. The helmet counts as heavy armor, meaning standard weapons will bounce off.
To break the helmet, use heavy-armor-penetration support weapons such as the Autocannon, Railgun, Recoilless Rifle, Expendable Anti-Tank, Commando, or Quasar Cannon. Players can also utilize the Senator revolver or Bolt Pistol.
Once the helmet shatters, the tiny head weakspot is exposed. Because the head has no armor, shooting it with any weapon causes the Crusher to fall very quickly.
Survival and Positioning Tips
Crushers feature a dangerous overhead slam attack with surprising reach. Keep further away than initially expected. If caught too close, start sprinting and diving immediately to escape clubbing range.