Helldivers 2 Crushers are large, slow-moving enemies that belong to the Illuminate faction. They can kill players instantly with powerful club strikes. Right now, you’ll only encounter these beasts during missions where the Vote Snatcher enemies are active. It’s crucial to know how to take them down quickly if you want to survive. Having fought many of these giant foes myself, I’ll share some key tips on how to defeat Illuminate Crushers in Helldivers 2.
There are two main ways to kill a Crusher, and neither is particularly easy. One way is to keep shooting them repeatedly until they die. The other is to break their helmet first and then shoot their vulnerable head.
The simplest method is to attack them with sustained fire. Crushers have a lot of health and can heal back unless they’re taking damage. To stop their regeneration, use fast-firing guns to wear them down. Since they don’t have much armor, weapons that penetrate light armor work well, like the Machine Gun, Heavy Machine Gun, Bullet Storm, Maxigun, Stalwart, or WASP Launcher. Fire-type weapons such as the Cremator flamethrower are also very effective because Crushers are susceptible to fire, as are Helldivers 2 Wretches.
Another faster method is to destroy their helmet, which counts as heavy armor, and then aim for their tiny head. To do this efficiently, you need specialized gear. Use heavy-armor-penetration weapons like the Autocannon, Railgun, Recoilless Rifle, Expendable Anti-Tank, Quasar Cannon, or the Bolt Pistol and Senator revolver, both of which are excellent secondary weapons. Once the helmet is gone, the head becomes an exposed, fragile spot. Any standard weapon can then shoot it, and the Crusher will go down quickly.
Crushers are generally straightforward to handle but can be deadly. Their overhead slam attack has a surprising reach and can kill you instantly. My main advice is to stay as far away from them as possible. I’ve been caught by that attack many times, so if you’re too close, sprint away and dive to escape its reach.
Remember, staying cautious and using the right weapons are key to defeating these heavy enemies in Helldivers 2.