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Helldivers 2’s New Monsters Look Like Dead Space and Silent Hill, Then Hit Back

The August 12, 2026 Devoid of Liberty update adds two melee Illuminate units, SEAF reinforcements, and a level-cap increase to 300.

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A Helldiver faces two grotesque Illuminate aliens in a dark city street.

Helldivers 2‘s Devoid of Liberty update went live on August 12, 2026, adding two new Illuminate enemies that prefer clubs, claws, and ambushes over ranged firepower. The anticipated Cultist unit is absent, but the Wretch and Crusher have arrived as fresh melee threats. The PlayStation announcement confirms the update’s launch alongside its Void-focused content.

The pair also brings some very recognizable horror influences into the Illuminate roster. Wretches have the twisted, exposed-limb look associated with Dead Space‘s necromorphs, while Crushers wear oversized helmets that recall Pyramid Head from Silent Hill. The resemblance is clear, but both enemies have their own jobs on the battlefield.

Wretches punish straight-line retreats

Wretches operate on the front line beside the basic Voteless zombies. They are faster than a Helldiver running at full speed, unless players shoot away their legs, and they are much more deliberate than a simple charging enemy. Wretches can quickly change direction to leave a player’s sightline before circling around for an attack from behind.

Helldiver fighting Illuminate enemies in a stormy city — Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios

Their small heads and limbs are the main targets, though groups of Wretches can overwhelm a squad before everyone has time to aim carefully. Shotguns look like a sensible answer when several of them close in at once, while accurate players can slow the pack by removing legs before finishing the enemies.

Crushers bring a long reach and a huge health pool

Crushers fill the opposite role. These towering brutes carry long clubs, have no ranged attack, and protect themselves with a prominent helmet. Removing that helmet exposes the head and offers the quickest route to a kill, but their large health pools mean they cannot be ignored for long.

Keeping distance from a Crusher is manageable until the club comes out. Its reach extends farther than expected, and one clean hit can end a fight immediately. That makes Crushers slow-moving targets that still demand attention while a squad handles faster Illuminate enemies around them.

Large Illuminate creature looming over a Helldiver at night — Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios

Devoid of Liberty adds more than two enemies

The new monsters are part of a broader push into the Void-affected region of Illuminate space. Missions can take place in stormy city environments cut by twisters, while Super Earth can now summon SEAF troops from different classes to support players in the field. The 7.0.0 update also expands the progression systems with new campaign-focused goals, as detailed in our Devoid of Liberty update breakdown.

The level cap has increased from 150 to 300, giving long-term players another progression target. Quality-of-life changes affect short magazines and backpack reloads as well: a player assisting with a backpack reload no longer needs to be wearing the backpack. The full set of changes is documented in the Steam patch notes.

Wretches and Crushers may not be the massive new machines some players expected, but they give Illuminate encounters two distinct problems to solve. One forces squads to protect their backs and control enemy numbers; the other slowly advances until somebody deals with it.

Do the Wretch and Crusher feel like a good fit for the Illuminate, or do you think the Cultist should have arrived instead? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

Helldivers 2 is a cooperative third-person shooter in which squads of up to four players are deployed from orbit onto hostile planets to complete strategic missions. Players select loadouts of weapons, armor, and stratagems that allow them to call in orbital strikes, supply drops, vehicles, and turrets during combat. Friendly fire is always active, requiring coordination between teammates. The game features a persistent galactic war where community-wide performance determines which planets are liberated or lost.