Helldivers 2 continues to release timely updates and fixes to address stability and balance concerns. With over 12 million players across two major platforms, the live-service game has reached the point where the community is hungry for new content. The monthly supply of new weapons, armor, and emotes with premium Warbonds does only a little to stop the cooperative shooter from becoming stale and repetitive. Most players who have been playing since launch are burning out from grinding the same missions and objectives against the same two factions.

In that regard, the Illuminate is heavily rumored to be returning as the third faction in Helldivers 2. The highly advanced alien civilization was known for using terrifying psionic, shielding, and teleporting abilities. Recognized as the hardest faction to beat in the first game, the Illuminate disappeared from the pages of history after the last war. Their return would certainly be a feature players would love in Helldivers 2. Here is everything to know about the faction that once had the most sophisticated military and space technology in the galaxy.

Updated June 06, 2024, by Saqib Mansoor: Using Dark Fluid to destroy the Meridia planet was necessary to eradicate the Terminid super colony. However, the latest Helldivers 2 major order may have opened a doorway for the Illuminate to come through. WIth more leaks making headway, the high-tech alien faction could possibly make its debut in Helldivers 2 this month as part of game's live service roadmap.

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The Illuminate (Squ'ith) Lore & What Happened To Them

The Illuminate was one of the three factions you fought in Helldivers 1 to safeguard Super Earth as the sole galactic government. They were a highly sophisticated alien faction with heightened intelligence that hailed from the planet of Squ'bai Shrine, a beautiful homeworld covered in lush forests and foliage with large marshes and bodies of water.

The Illuminate originated as an aquatic species hundreds of millenniums ago. Also called the Squ'ith, they had blue skin with long, elastic-like appendages for limbs below their ceremonial robes. In terms of design, they were a cross between the Protoss faction from StarCraft, the Fallen from Destiny 2, and the Covenant from Halo.

During the events of the original Helldivers, which took place around a hundred years before Helldivers 2, the Illuminate faction was considered a serious threat to humankind. This was because they were producing deadly weapons and military technology on a large scale. They had also built a large neural network that allowed them to warp across the galaxy to potentially unleash weapons of mass destruction on planets without giving them time to react.

The Illuminate were eventually beaten by Super Earth at the end of Helldivers, thanks to the bravery of the Helldivers Corp. Their military was dismantled, and all technology was taken away. What happened to the Illuminate afterward, however, is an interesting question that the Super Earth lore and backstory do not clearly answer.

There are two branching narratives here: the Illuminate were either destroyed or exiled. If you speak with the female officer in front of the engineering bay on your ship, she will sometimes mention how "we eradicated the Illuminate" in the previous war. However, the news broadcast on your ship will sometimes have a ticker that states the Illuminate were exiled after agreeing to hand over their technology to Super Earth.

It should be noted that Cyberstan (Valdis Sector) exists in the galactic campaign map of Helldivers 2. This was another faction that was defeated in the first game, but their members were enslaved in the mines. However, the Illuminate's homeworld (Squ'bai Shrine) is nowhere to be found. It is possible that the Illuminate used their space-travel technology to teleport their planet into another galaxy as part of their exile terms.

The Illuminate Weapons & Tech

Unlike the predominantly ranged Automatons and the melee Terminids in Helldivers 2, the Illuminate were equipped to fight both melee and ranged combat. They were expert tacticians adept at splitting up or boxing in teams by using energy walls and barriers.

Most of their units utilized highly advanced shields to absorb incoming damage. The Shield Generator Pack, one of the best backpack stratagems in Helldivers 2, is probably based on that same technology. Having to first destroy their shields before piercing their armor made them a nightmare to fight in groups.

The Illuminate also utilized cloaking technology to make their units invisible on the battlefield. Similar to Stalkers, they would cloak themselves to get close enough for a surprise attack. However, the real threat was the long-ranged cloaked snipers who were notorious for killing players off-screen.

Furthermore, the elite Illuminate enemies could use terrifying psionic abilities to control other sentient beings or technology. Most players tend to think that the Rocket Devastators are the worst projectile-type enemy in Helldivers 2. Imagine having to beat a psionic Illuminate while also shooting down their mind-controlled homing explosive projectiles.

You always had to watch your back while facing the Illuminate. There was no telling where an attack would come from or when enemies would appear out of thin air.

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The Illuminate Sightings & Leaks In Helldivers 2

There have been numerous instances in the past couple of months that suggest that the Illuminate are nearly ready to return in Helldivers 2. Both the Ministry of Truth and Arrowhead Game Studios are denying all such claims, but the evidence just keeps piling up. It does look like the Squ'ith are on their way to seek vengeance from Super Earth for exiling them a century ago. They may even already be here.

• A previous patch was data-mined to reveal several references to the Illuminate as a new faction in Helldivers 2. It should be noted that while data-mined files can be leftover code, some of the weapons, such as the explosive crossbow were eventually released.
• A famed Helldivers 2 leaker who accurately revealed the weapon icons of Factory Striders returned to leak in-game models of an Illuminate melee unit that could be the Apprentice.
• The same leaker also shared a close-up image of an Illuminate enemy this week.
• Then there are the blue lights in the sky. Several players have shared gameplay footage in the past month of a strange blue energy beam firing at them from above. Some players may have even spotted a cloaked Illuminate ship.
• Following the destruction of Meredia in Helldivers 2, a planet-sized black hole has appeared in its place. The major order succeeded in eradicating the Terminid super colony, but it is now widely believed that the black hole is, in fact, a portal or wormhole. Something could possibly come through, and that may be the entry point of the high-tech Illuminate faction.

Where Are The Illuminate Now?

The Illuminate have not been seen or heard from since the last war almost a hundred years ago. Whether they were exterminated or exiled to the deepest corners of space, the Illuminate were far too technically advanced to be beaten so easily.

Do not believe in the Ministry of Truth. There is ample evidence to suggest that the Illuminate have returned with possibly far greater technology. They are likely observing Super Earth's two-front war from their cloaked ships and will attack when the time is right.

Since the Automatons are invading from the west and the Terminids from the east, it stands to reason that the Illuminate will show themselves from either the north or south of Super Earth in Helldivers 2.

Helldivers 2

Franchise

Helldivers

Released

February 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Arrowhead Game Studios

Publisher(s)

Sony

Genre(s)

Shooter