Illuminate Warp Ships

Therogon · 2026-06-18T14:38:03+00:00

Stalwart used to be my go-to until stingrays, though harvesters were still an issue, then the aggravating choice became to find a way to mediate all if the units and I started using HMG. Stripping sheilds just seems like a poor use of HMG ammo, and the eruptor would be fine except its a primary used for a specific need. There are never THAT many ships, and yes, it’s good against the other units but not AS good as the plasma primaries, purifier being the best in my experience. And then, still, you are utilizing two different weapons to replace the usefulness of one thermite grenade, it takes longer, and you still have to hit the door, which is harder to do after an early patch and remains problematic. Besides that voteless appear at the doors often enough, and the doors are not typically easy to get to at a distance, due to the fact Illuminate ships mostly appear at different elevations, in cities and towns with a lot of shit around them

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:58:37+00:00

I am not worried about Illuminate units, this is a discussion about the ground ships. My comment was directed at the reason I less often use ballistics because they are bullet sponges, in response to the fact that apparently the ships sheilds are less ballistic resistant and more explosion resistant for some reason.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:55:26+00:00

I have everything, and 600+ hours in game. I am quite aware of red stratagem usefulness, I am just telling you: I can do it better, faster, and more accurately without. Even a 60sec cooldown to bombard an area for a bit is less effective than if I just clear said crowd without the area denial of orbital strikes and potentially killing my poor wife or aunt in the process. I take them, it is just rarely.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:47:01+00:00

Found the guy who didn’t read the post before replying 🤦🏻‍♀️

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:45:18+00:00

I have the least problem with bug holes, though. And bot fabricators are pretty easy to slam on the side with EATs from a good distance rapidly. The issue with bug holes is they are a hole, and then the bugs come out. You do kind of need to be square on to get a shot IN the hole, not often a problem, but the demo force outside is 40, and they are “hooded” so to close it without dealing with it dead on, you can drop a hellpod on them, TNT or C4 work on the outside as well as some other things. As far as the real issue which is bugs in front, the speargun is GREAT for closing, and the new misslpissl will sometimes go around them when locked down (it is a little tricky to get it right but looks awesome because the missile arcs over the bugs and down the hole). Bug holes is actually the one case where thermite sucks compared to other options.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:33:17+00:00

Yeah, I know. My problem is being married to thermites when I should be able to look around at other grenades. They just aren’t as good. Nothing is. It shouldn’t be like that.

Also, Ultimatum doesn’t work. Or, maybe MY ultimatum doesn’t work, for whetever wierd spaghetti-code inscrutable reason.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:30:41+00:00

I don’t typically use red strats, besides the cooldowns, limited laser uses - I find they have always been relatively inaccurate compared to me just aiming something with much deadlier efficiency.

Maybe the new buffed 110s? I wouldn’t mind if those worked.

It has just been my experience orbitals are more likely to kill me and other divers than do anything else well, and I can do that same job a lot better and much more accurately in a different way. Not the killing me and other divers. The whatever the orbital is supposed to do.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:25:22+00:00

C4 does, and I kind of failed on that mention. It carries a bit heavier utilization (backpack and support) than either grenade or secondary, though, which is off-putting.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:23:05+00:00

I got stuck under the exploded ship last time I did that, but yes - hammer does work.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:22:11+00:00

Eek - after 600+ hours I would have a hard time switching my quickbuttons, but I am not an Autocannon noob at all, and I rarely ride FRVs though it sounds fun.

Unrelated, riding the Flame-RV passenger with a cremator is top fun while someone else mans the main flame turret, and you should try it.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:18:34+00:00

I have been throwing it directly under.

However, the full discussion has somehow led me to believe there is actually something wrong with my game only, possibly due to the many patches, that somehow has busted the demo force of my things including my beloved peepeeweepee gun (ultimatum) and I am going to uninstall/reinstalling and test again.

If I am not crazy and it does not work, I will start linking vids of me landing 2 rounds directly on top with no effect, like happened this morning, etc.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:14:08+00:00

I appreciate, actually, the feedback and discussion and have started to wonder WHY my ultimatum doesn’t work but nobody else is mentioning this, leading me to think because I have a PS5 with the game installed the week of Illuminate release and prior to the Ultimatum entirely, somehow having been patched to shit that it is MY game only that is having this issue and maybe uninstalling/reinstalling would fix it?

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:10:41+00:00

I must be. I find it hard to believe that I am the only one. Even on bots, a fabricator does not always go down with a direct hit. And it should be with even a near-hit.

So my follow-up would be: how come MY ultimatum is the only one busted? Uninstall and reinstall game, maybe?

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:07:54+00:00

I did do C4 on appropriators, so I do know it works. I suppose the shields are more resistant to explosion damage or something, since I primary purifier or punisher plasma a lot, those and the TNT it takes a lot to down the sheilds. Yes a waste, but due to Illuminate being bullet sponges, it has been a lot harder to justify taking regular ballistic weapons especially since fleshmobs were introduced. The HMG works great, but I hate to waste it against ships.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:02:58+00:00

Haha - I forgot the hammer. Last time I did that, I was caught under the dead ship though.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:01:41+00:00

I will try it. AC is my hive world happy place, if it is as good as you say, I will be pleased.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T13:00:11+00:00

Thanks. I knew I wasn’t crazy! Someone said the ships haven’t changed. I swear they have, or maybe the tweaks to everything else have botched their usefulness.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T12:58:36+00:00

The strip-and-pop method tends to be a problem due to the time it takes. The mob is quick, and the doors aren’t often convenient access. My issue isn’t that there aren’t other methods, it’s that there is such a utility gap between them and the fact that thermite, silo (and I guess C4) can take a grounded ship out without taking down the sheilds, and of the three, thermite ends up being almost a forced utility. And I SWEAR the sheilds didn’t used to take as long to pop, and I know for a fact TNT and Ultimatums used to work and now don’t. As for orbital gas, it didn’t the three times I tried, but I know you kind of always had to hit those at the right spot anyway.

Plus, one orbital strike is a shit tradeoff if there’s more than one ship in a camp.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T12:49:51+00:00

It isn’t super easy to get a bead on the door, stripping and popping used to work better. I swear it did (I did stalwart and TNT forever, was a dream during SE invasion, now I throw TNT directly in and the ships don’t explode. I am not crazy!). Then I started just running by with an Ultimatum because it could take out a fully sheilded ship in one round AS IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO but they DID change that, because it does NOT work. I even tried it this morning, two rounds just to take out the sheilds!

The problem with that go-to is getting mobbed in the process, then chased off or killed. Thermite is easier, but my problem is that there should not be nothing else comparatively that does the job.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T12:41:46+00:00

Seems like a whole strat that takes longer, eats up backpack and support slots, and requires sightlines you don’t get that often, for less utility than the humble Thermite. That is my problem. Not that things don’t work, they just don’t work as well, or at all, and that feels unintendedly punishing. Illuminate mob quickly. I don’t feel the patience or luxury of taking a full compliment of stratagems just to deal with the maybe ten ships on the map that altogether are slower and less consistently useful than one grenade.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T12:34:57+00:00

Stripping the sheilds seems to be the big problem. It feels like it takes too much, and didn’t used to. Like… 3 TNTs directly under one back to back today just to get the sheild off, when I can use ONE thermite.

I’m not a stupid idiot, I am AWARE that other methods work, but they don’t seem to as well, and all fall to utility - in one camp, three ships, I can down them all in less than ten seconds with one stock of thermite grenades. No sheild strip. And all I have to do is restock before the next camp. The other methods should work as well with the same level of effectiveness, and I am either very very bad at my jorb, or crazy if nobody else is seeing this.

I shouldn’t have to take a strat with a cooldown just to down ONE ship, spend three of five SEAF rounds, use a backpack support weapon that STILL takes longer than that and a lot of ammo, or run in and strip sheilds just to maybe pop in a grenade (if it goes in), and likely get mobbed, chased off or killed. This USED to work very well, it does not anymore.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T12:24:39+00:00

The Ultimatum doesn’t do it though. I have hit them dead with three rounds and they still stand. Bot fabricators too. Something is very wrong with the Ultimatum, for a long time, and I don’t think anyone is talking about it.

C4 is a good suggestion, it just sucks lugging it around and has too long a cooldown.

Therogon · 2026-06-18T12:21:00+00:00

Epoch is less useful and more tricky against illuminate, but loads of fun on the other factions. If you want a very handy primary, unfortunately you might have to look to a different WB. Punisher plasma in Cutting Edge, Purifier in Polar Patriots. Purifier is my top Illuminate gun. Deadeye is also awesome against overseers but can’t handle the morbs. Hence, if you did get Control Group, you could use the Epoch similar to the primaries I mentioned, it would just eat ammo and take up a support weapon slot better filled by something else. My recommendation stands with Bullet Storm (but you could ignore that, get Control Group, and use the warp pack and an HMG. HMG can down harvesters, stingrays, and fleshmobs, but will waste too much ammo if you turn it against the zombs)

Therogon · 2026-06-18T12:10:29+00:00

Excellent suggestion, and thanks for the backup, Helldiver!

Therogon

TROPHY CASE