It’s a tumultuous time to be a Helldiver. Not only are the cowardly Illuminate back after a century-long disappearance, but they’re kidnapping Super Earth citizens and turning them into horrifying monsters known as the Voteless. This doesn’t even begin to cover the schemes of the other two factions: the Automatons, who are creeping closer toward Super Earth, and the Terminids, who are generating tons of mysterious, evolution-inspiring spores. But the worst part of all is that, well, I’m pretty sure we can’t trust anything Super Earth is telling us. I think they may be telling a couple of fibs.
The Illuminate showed up immediately after the conclusion of The Game Awards in a surprise drop, and Helldivers headed to the planet of Calypso to fight them. This one world was under siege by the Illuminate, and players managed to fulfill the Major Order in the last few minutes of the campaign.
Super Earth sent a little status update afterward, which reads:
The resurgent Illuminate have been repelled by the Helldivers. Order has been restored on CALYPSO. It is assessed that a small cell of the Illuminate forces survived their eradication at the end of the First Galactic War, staying hidden until now. Recent Democratic activity may have made their discovery imminent, precipitating the recent attack. […] SEAF recon units will soon hunt down any remnants. As soon as they are located, they will be eradicated.
A small cell? Well, that sounds reassuring. The Illuminate disappeared for a full day after Operation Ancient Vengeance on Calypso, and Helldivers got a sign of relief. But then, we got a new set of marching orders in Operation Squid Game. This time, the Illuminate are attacking multiple planets, chief among them the world of Genesis Prime. Super Earth has explained this away with mission text that reads:
It is unknown how they eluded detection for the previous century; however, their ability to do so is indicative of the limited size of the cell. Their numbers are limited. This attack is an opportunity to complete the eradication of this xenophobic threat, securing the galaxy once more.
Playing against the Illuminate, I can’t help but notice something alarming. They field a much smaller roster than the other two factions, but there’s also no equivalent to the Bile Titans or the Factory Striders. No matter what difficulty you play on, you’re going to get the same guys: Voteless, Overseers, and Harvesters. It seems pretty likely that we’re going to see more squids emerging. If you check the Illuminate ranks from the first Helldivers, there are some terrifying possibilities: the Obelisk, the Illusionist, and the Great Eye could all show up in one form or another.
Super Earth seems pretty chill about this whole thing, but I cannot stress enough that I think they might be wrong. Helldivers 2 is full of narrative surprises, and I don’t see that changing. If you think the walking Harvesters are bad, hold onto your butts: I guarantee the Illuminate are only going to get scarier.