Helldivers 1:Enemies

In Helldivers 1, the Helldivers must fight against three enemy factions, Bugs, the Illuminate and Cyborgs.

Lore

The people of Super Earth are currently engaged in a galaxy-wide existential struggle against three enemy factions, namely Bugs, the Illuminate and Cyborgs. These enemies of humanity all seek to extend their galactic territory through military conquest and Helldiver troops must fight to bring an end to their rapacious and warmongering empires.

Enemy Roles

Each enemy faction is comprised of between 10 and 12 different enemy types that fulfill certain distinct military roles:

Patrols wander the battlefield in search of Helldivers. They are often weak and pose little threat on their own but can raise an alarm to bring their more powerful comrades to their location.

Light and heavy infantry form the bulk of every enemy's forces and engage Helldivers with a variety of gunfire, explosive, and melee attacks. These units vary widely in speed, resilience, and armor levels, from the devious and slight Bug Stalker; to the frenzied nature and immense brawn of the Cyborg Butcher. Armor-piercing ammunition will allow Helldivers to deal with these enemies more effectively.

Tanks are the largest and most durable units of the enemy's regular military forces, their lack of maneuverability is offset by their intimidating size and extremely thick armor. Anti-tank heavy weapons or Stratagems are often essential to allow Helldivers to deal with these brutes.

Elites are among the most powerful and menacing adversaries that the opponents of Super Earth can muster. These fearsome foes are all extremely resilient, with some even being immune to anything but dedicated anti-tank weaponry. Elites use a wide range of tactics and imposing weapons to try to devastate Helldiver forces, from the awesome firepower and nearly impenetrable armor of the Cyborg Warlord to the mind-controlling nanobot technology of the Illuminate Council Member.

Masters are unique and terrifying new enemy units that pose a much greater threat than any encountered before. These huge monstrosities only seem to appear on outlying planets, supported by some of their faction's most dangerous regular military forces. Masters possess an overwhelming array of destructive weaponry and are capable of absorbing far more damage than all other enemies - Helldiver Command strongly recommends that only full squads of experienced Helldiver troops tackle these abominations.

Bugs

A belligerent race of sentient insectoid creatures, desperately fighting for more territory to house their innumerable horde. The Bug homeworld is the desert planet of Kepler Prime. Enemy types:

Terminids
Type	Terminid	Description
Scout	Scout	The Scouts are the weak mindless workers of the bug race.
Scout	Vanguard	They can propel themselves through the air with their powerful hind legs and seem to give off spores much faster than their less ferocious cousins.
Light Infantry	Stalker	Called by many names, Hunters, Lurkers or Stalkers - these peculiar bugs have evolved the ability to camouflage themselves using their color changing skin.
Scout	Shadow	Believed to be an evolution of the Stalker, these Shadows have greater regenerative capabilities but the same weak armor as their predecessor.
Infantry	Warrior	The Warrior is a decently armored, mid-size, enemy that often rush headlong against their target.
Heavy Infantry	Elite	The Elite is much like the Warrior but with heavier armor and more durability.
Elite	Brood Commander	these nightmare inducing bugs will fight even though severely dismembered.
Tank	Impaler	The Impaler is a very different threat compared to the other bugs, it burrows its head in the ground, and tunnels its tentacles so that they burst from the ground in close proximity to its target.
Tank	Tank	Large mindless beings with a thick carapace and great strength. They are easily fooled or led around as they are slow and cumbersome.
Tank	Behemoth	An even heavier breed of Tank, the Behemoth is fully encased in armor and requires anti-tank weapons to bring down.
Master	Hive Lord	The Bug Hive Lord is an enemy capable of creating new tunnels for the Bug hives and will, if left alone, perforate the entire crust of a planet with tunnels.

^* ^{Can be encountered as a patrol.} ^** ^{Sometimes appears as a target for the Assassinate objective.}

The Illuminate

An ancient and technologically advanced alien civilization threatening Super Earth with its formidable weapons of mass destruction. The Illuminate homeworld is the forest planet of Squ'lath Shrine. Enemy types:

Terminids
Type	Terminid	Description
Scout	Observer	This scout unit has an advanced cloaking device which makes it near impossible to spot and is believed to keep the Illuminate civilization under tight watch.
Scout	Watcher	Watchers are basically heavily armored versions of the Observers with a shield added on for extra protection.
Scout	Obsidian Observer	The Obsidian Observer is believed to be a weaponized version of the Watcher.
Light Infantry	Hunter	Utilizing stealth and guerrilla tactics these soldiers use long-ranged high powered electro-pulse gauntlets which vaporize the air at ranges up to 10 km.
Light Infantry	Tripod	Three legged fighting machines under Illuminate command, Tripods utilize electro-static technology to subdue and torture their victims.
Heavy Infantry	Strider	Heavier versions of the Tripod, the Strider is similarly armed, but with much tougher armor and shields.
Light Infantry	Apprentice	The Illuminate society is believed to be based on knowledge, individuals that have attained enough knowledge will eventually become an Illusionist and the Apprentice role is the last step before that.
Light Infantry	Outcast	Outcasts are the Apprentices that tried to attain knowledge and failed.
Tank	Obelisk	The Obelisk is a heavily armored and shielded dome capable of self teleportation and projecting a strong energy wall.
Elite	Illusionist	Illusionists are highly revered among the Squ'ith and have the ability to control other sentient beings with nanobot technology.
Elite	Council Member	The absolute masters of the Illuminate race, Council Members are the ones holding their alien, spaghetti-like, appendages on the WMD trigger.
Master	Great Eye	Intel suggests the Illuminate Great Eye to be large AI creatures monitoring the Illuminate society and correcting any discrepancies in behaviour or even thought.

^* ^{Can be encountered as a patrol.} ^** ^{Sometimes appears as a target for the Assassinate objective.}

Cyborgs

A separatist movement of former human beings whose obsession with the cybernetic augmentation of their own bodies led to their violent rebellion from Super Earth. The Cyborg homeworld is a snow-covered planet known as Cyberstan. Enemy types:

Cyborgs
Type	Cyborg	Description
Light Infantry	Initiate	A misguided rebel that was once part of Super Earth, these low-end troopers have little respect from the more heavily converted war machines that litter the ranks of these separatist forces. (Can be encountered as a patrol.)
Scout	'Squadleader' Soldier	This soldier type is often the commander of patrol squads, using their grenade launcher arm to fire alarm flares and to rain high explosive death on their foes.
Scout	Legionnaire	The Legionnaire is an up-armored 'Squadleader' Soldier taking a page from the Hulk book and protecting itself with a heavy shield. (Can be encountered as a patrol.)
Light Infantry	Hound	The Cyborg Hounds are twisted rabid versions of man's best friend, enslaved by the Cyborgs. (Can be encountered as a patrol.)
Light Infantry	Grotesque	The Grotesques are as the name implies, very grotesque. Believed to be Initiates fallen in battle, too wounded to recover, regrown into mindless beasts capable only of rushing headlong against the enemy.
Light Infantry	Immolator	Made up of about 30% steel, these are the perverted remains of peaceful soldiers from The Federation Of Super Earth that have fallen to the allure of implants and other perverse body-manipulations.
Light Infantry	Comrade	The Comrade is the middle step for all Cyborgs and they are fully committed to their misguided ideology. They fight using their cannon arm for close range attacks and a melee blade for executing would be prisoners of war.
Heavy Infantry	Berserker	Previously separatist soldiers serving the Cyborgs, Berserkers have been driven mad by cybernetic augmentations and surgery that has gone out of hand. They tweak their bodies to become merciless close combat machines and will rush headlong against their enemy.
Heavy Infantry	Butcher	Believed to be the surgeons performing all the Cyborg implantations, the Butchers are fleshy monstrosities capable of soaking immense amounts of damage in their hinged-on flesh.
Tank	Hulk	Massive men completely encased in metal wielding the most awesome firepower the Cyborgs can muster. These enemies are tough but their spirit has long since been broken.
Elite	Warlord	Nicknamed Warlords by the troops, these are massive beings putting the Hulks to shame. They are the absolute top of Cyborg society and formidable opponents, using their power to oppress and control their cybernetic subjects. (Sometimes appears as a target for the Assassinate objective.)
Tank/Scout	Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)	Cyborgs from time to time deploy Infantry Fighting Vehicles to carry Grotesques into battle, these war machines are equipped with a powerful cannon and extremely tough armor. (Can be encountered as a patrol.)
Master	Siege Mech	Cyborg Siege Mechs are the pinnacle of their perverse self-mutilating customs, it is even unclear if anything of the original human survives the process of being integrated into it. They are heavily armed, capable of deploying anti-air turrets and have the armor of a tank.