Over the last few months, Helldivers 2 players have found themselves making some seriously tough calls. The Meridia Singularity is steadily advancing on Super Earth, gobbling up planets in its path, which has kept the Galactic War in full swing. However, Arrowhead has hit a snag: gamers aren’t particularly keen on battling the game’s third faction, the creepy, squid-like Illuminate.
The Illuminate’s grand entrance happened with quite a bang. They invaded the galaxy’s southern quadrant following a surprise reveal at The Game Awards in late 2024. The Terminids, with their aggressive melee swarms, and the Automatons, boasting long-range artillery, lasers, and flamethrowers, have already set the stage. The Illuminate sits comfortably between these two foes, coming armed with hordes of squishy-yet-numerous zombies called Voteless, alongside armored Overseers wielding a variety of weapons and haunting, War of the Worlds-esque Harvesters.
It’s an intriguing concept, offering a fresh aesthetic of alien invasion compared to the more familiar Starship Troopers and Terminator-inspired factions. Initially, players were intrigued, eagerly diving into the new urban maps to take on this squid invasion. Within the grand narrative, the Illuminate are presented as the most formidable adversaries we’ve faced — a force that has already obliterated two planets and now sets their eyes on Super Earth!
Yet, there’s a snag: the Illuminate feels like an incomplete faction. Compared to the robust line-ups of the Terminids and Automatons, the Illuminate’s roster is fairly sparse. Sure, the lore provides an explanation: they’re simply a vanguard, scouting before unleashing their full might. But this means battling them can get repetitive and they are notably less challenging than their more established counterparts. Moreover, with all factions now able to contest urban maps, the Illuminate has lost what was once their unique advantage.
Further complicating matters is the fact that the Illuminate don’t hold territory. The only way to engage them is through defense missions that span about a day. After that, they vanish, reappearing in a different sector later. To complete a Major Order where players must fend off multiple Illuminate attacks, precise timing and coordination are crucial. Herding players to consistently tackle these defenses is a tall order, especially when there’s a more enticing enemy front elsewhere.
Fortunately, Arrowhead is known for its creative ingenuity in diversifying alien factions and introducing novel units. Fans have already witnessed surprises, like the flying Terminid Shriekers and menacing Automaton Factory Striders. Arrowhead’s penchant for short-term enemy variants, which shake up gameplay, is evident too. The Predator Strain, for instance, brought forth packs of mutated Stalkers, while Automatons recently received a significant power boost with new, tougher fabricators, an Incineration Brigade, and formidable Factory Striders equipped with Stratagem Jammers.
Currently, the spotlight on Major Orders is the Meridia Singularity, dominated by the Illuminate. Yet, Arrowhead knows variety is essential. Recent Orders have spotlighted the original two factions, reflecting that when the game launched, Terminids were the simpler foe while Automatons faced lower popularity. As Arrowhead continues to tweak and find the right balance, it’s likely the Illuminate will eventually step up their game. For now, though, they’re just too few in number and too much of the same. It’ll be exciting to see their equivalent of a Bile Titan. Until then, I’ll be deeply entrenched on the well-known battlefronts of bots and bugs.
