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| “ | Watchers are the eyes of the Illuminate. These floating droids scan for free-thinking lifeforms, and report them to their masters for enslavement or eradication. | „ |
| ~ Helldivers 2 PlayStation Store Page |
Watchers are 
Illuminate probes used to scout for vulnerable lifeforms, and alert forces on standby. While physically distinct from the scout units of the past, they perform many of the same functions. Watchers are also among the only Illuminate able to call in reinforcements.
Appearance
Watchers have a cruciform shape, and generally float about five meters above ground.
Tactics
- Watchers are only lightly armored. Any weapon will deal damage to them. They are however, comprised of several "fins", and their central core, which glows when active. It is recommended to aim at this glowing light, as they can survive the loss of their fins, but destroying their core instantly kills them.
- Although Watchers are fairly easy to destroy, their falling remains are still an explosive threat to those underneath.
- Watcher wrecks have the annoying ability to sometimes bounce several times before exploding, which might catch unaware helldivers after dispatching one. For this reason, it is advised to either kill watchers from atleast 20m away, or dive away from them to reduce the chances of them catching you in their death explosion.
- Watchers float and do not touch the ground. This makes melee all but impossible in most circumstances.
- Watchers typically patrol alone, emitting a cyan-blue search cone. A Watcher that becomes alerted to a threat (either visually or aurally) will emit a magenta cone towards its target and glow more intensely.
- Alerted Watchers will generally attract the attention of Voteless loitering nearby, and stronger units in turn.
- Watchers are (so far) the only Illuminate unit capable of calling for reinforcements using it's signal flare.Watcher signal flares take the form of four glowing orbs rising vertically above the Watcher's location. These will summon Warp Ships which beam down reinforcements from its underside.
- Watchers are armed with a special tesla weapon. It does not deal nearly as much damage as the ones found on Illuminate tesla lowers or harvesters, but it does disorient and sap a Helldiver's stamina, leaving them vulnerable if they are being pursued.
Trivia
- Watchers are a returning foe from the First Galactic War, though back then they had no offensive capabilities and a shield.
- Watchers may occasionally clip through buildings or terrain, their glow visible through the geometry. The cyan or magenta glow indicates whether they are a passive or active threat, despite being outside of one's ability to retaliate.
- Stunned Watchers will project a white cone, hindered from calling reinforcements.
