The Voteless in Helldivers 2 are mind-controlled Super Earth citizens. Full stats, lore, how to fight the horde, plus Watcher and Leviathan counters.
Voteless Helldivers 2 — The Illuminate Horde, Explained
The Voteless are the Illuminate's cannon-fodder horde: captured Super Earth citizens, warped by bio-psionic experimentation into mindless melee drones — "stripped of something even deeper than their humanity: their capacity to participate in the Democratic process," per the official store description. Individually they're the weakest unit in the game (100–160 HP, unarmored, claws only), but they swarm in numbers no other faction matches, outrun a sprinting Helldiver, and act as a tar pit that lets Overseers, Harvesters and Watchers do the real damage. You counter them with high-capacity fire, area damage, fire and gas — and you never, ever let the Watchers call reinforcements.
This guide covers their lore, exact stats, the best horde-clearing tools, and the two high-value Illuminate targets folded into the same fight: Watchers (the reinforcement callers) and the Leviathan (the flying battleship).
Official resources: Steam store page · Helldivers Wiki — Voteless · Helldivers Wiki — Leviathan · IGN — Illuminate Enemy List · PC Gamer — How to kill a Leviathan
Official source: Helldivers Wiki — Voteless — "The Voteless are former loyal citizens of Super Earth, warped by Illuminate experimentation into mindless soldiers for their despotic regime. They have been stripped of something even deeper than their humanity: their capacity to participate in the Democratic process."
What Are the Voteless? Lore and Design
The Illuminate (the Squ'ith) returned in the Omens of Tyranny update on December 12, 2024, a century after Super Earth "exterminated" them in the First Galactic War. Their front line is made of us: abducted colonists, mind-broken and physically warped into shambling thralls with glowing blue eyes, tentacle-like digits and breathing apparatuses covering their mouths. The name comes from the central horror of Super Earth's satire — the one thing worse than losing your life is losing your vote. As the Democracy Officer put it during the Battle of Calypso, the Illuminate are few in number and use our citizens as shields, which is exactly what the Voteless are: expendable meat shields for an army that can't afford casualties.
Voteless Stats (per the official wiki)
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 100 (Light) / 130 (Medium) / 160 (Heavy) variants by difficulty |
| Attack | 25 damage swipe + lunge |
| Armor | None (Unarmored I) |
| Behavior | Melee-only, sound-based detection, outruns sprinting divers, leaps to close gaps |
| Weaknesses | Area damage, fire, gas, high-capacity automatic fire |
The "Heavy" variant at high difficulties is why a random headshot doesn't always end them — but nothing about them is armored, so the counter is volume, not penetration.
How to Fight the Horde
- High-capacity automatics beat precision. The M-105 Stalwart (250 rounds, reload-while-moving) is the community's top Voteless answer; SMGs and assault rifles work; shotguns are a trap because they force you into the melee range the horde wants.
- Fire is the best area tool. The FLAM-66 Torcher primary, P-72 Crisper, incendiary grenades and the FLAM-40 Flamethrower stratagem create ground fire that melts whole crowds — spray the street, not the individual.
- Gas works even better than it should. Voteless cluster tightly, so the Orbital Gas Strike's lingering cloud blinds and damages entire swarms while they stumble.
- Arc stuns. The ARC-12 Blitzer or ARC-3 Arc Thrower chain-lightning through crowds and stun-lock them.
- Stratagem dump for emergencies. Eagle Strafing Run (up to 5 uses) deletes a chasing line; Machine Gun/Gatling Sentries hold chokepoints while you do objectives; the Grenadier Battlement is a wall that solves the problem permanently for 180 seconds.
- Suppressed weapons control the pace. Because Voteless detect by sound, suppressed primaries mean you fight only the hordes you choose to fight.
The single highest-value habit on Illuminate missions: funnel. Use buildings, alleys and the Grenadier Battlement to force the swarm into one corridor, then drop a sentry or gas at the mouth. You cut engagement surface from 360° to ~20° and your ammo economy triples. The best weapons guide lists the primaries that do this job best in 2026.
Watchers: Kill Them Before They Call
Watchers are the Illuminate's scouts, and they are the highest-priority target on any Illuminate map. When a Watcher spots you, it locks a purple beam on your position and starts calling in Warp Ship reinforcements — leave one alive for a few seconds and you'll be fighting a second wave. They can also shock you with projectiles, but their real value to the enemy is the call-in. The rule is simple: shoot the central eye, kill it instantly, always. The illuminated enemies have no mercy for slow reactions — this is the Illuminate equivalent of not letting the Commissar fire its flare, and it saves more missions than any loadout choice.
The Leviathan: The Illuminate's Flying Battleship
If you've seen a skyscraper-sized battleship raining plasma on a Super Earth defense mission, you've met the Leviathan — the heaviest Illuminate unit, added with the 2026 updates. It's not a mission objective and killing it earns no bonus, but it suppresses entire areas, so here's how to bring one down if you're pinned:
- Weak points: three glowing blue circles on the underbelly (front, middle, back) and the wing joints. The wings have ~6,000 HP — roughly two Recoilless shots or three EAT rockets to break, exposing heavy-armor flesh.
- The kill weapon: the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle is the community consensus — about four rounds into the underbelly weak points drops one. The Spear lock-on works too.
- Alternatives: the Anti-Tank Emplacement (Urban Legends Warbond) shreds them if you can keep line of sight through the skyscrapers; the Emancipator exosuit and rocket sentries contribute; a perfectly placed Eagle Strafing Run along the hull works in a pinch.
- Survival rules: never stand in the open under one — its plasma barrages are accurate and its wreckage kills Helldivers who stand underneath when it falls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Voteless in Helldivers 2?
The Voteless are captured Super Earth citizens mind-warped by the Illuminate into melee-only horde units — "stripped of their capacity to participate in the Democratic process." They have 100–160 HP, no armor, and attack in swarms that outrun sprinting Helldivers.
How do you fight Voteless hordes?
Use high-capacity automatics (Stalwart, SMGs), fire (Torcher, flamethrowers, incendiary grenades), gas strikes, and arc stun weapons. Funnel them into chokepoints with sentries or the Grenadier Battlement, and use suppressed weapons to control which fights you take.
What are Watchers in Helldivers 2 and why are they dangerous?
Watchers are Illuminate scouts that lock a purple beam on you and call in Warp Ship reinforcements. Leave one alive and you get a second wave. Shoot their central eye immediately — they're the highest-priority kill on the Illuminate front.
How do you kill a Leviathan in Helldivers 2?
Hit its three glowing blue underbelly weak points and wing joints with anti-tank: roughly four Recoilless Rifle rounds, a Spear lock-on, or the Anti-Tank Emplacement. It's not a mission objective and gives no bonus — kill it only if it's pinning you down.
What is the best loadout against the Illuminate?
High-capacity primary (Stalwart or Torcher) + anti-tank support (Recoilless or Quasar) + a sentry + gas or orbital strikes. Kill Watchers instantly, clear Voteless with fire/gas, and save the anti-tank for Harvesters, Warp Ships and Leviathans.
Related Guides
- Helldivers 2 Best Weapons — 2026 Tier List and Meta Guide
- Can You Play Helldivers 2 Solo? — Solo Play Guide
- Helldivers 2 Hive Lord — How to Kill the Boss
- Ergonomics Helldivers 2 — What the Weapon Stat Does
- Helldivers 2 Stratagems — Full List, Unlocks and Best Picks
- Is Helldivers 2 Crossplay? — Full Cross-Platform Guide
Last updated: August 13, 2026.
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