Over the past months, players of Helldivers 2 have found themselves grappling with tough decisions as the ominous Meridia Singularity marches relentlessly toward Super Earth. The unfolding Galactic War rages on, but the folks over at Arrowhead have hit a snag: players aren’t exactly lining up to take on the third faction, the eerie, squid-like Illuminate.
The Illuminate made quite the entrance, bursting onto the scene in the southern quadrant of the galaxy following a surprise unveiling at The Game Awards at the close of 2024. While the Terminids are famed for their brutish melee swarms and heavy hitters, and the Automatons reign supreme at long-range with their artillery and laser antics, the Illuminate seem to have found a niche comfortably squeezed between these two extremes. They bring with them the Voteless, zombie-like creatures in vast numbers but soft as butter. Then you’ve got the armored Overseers, armed to the teeth, and the fearsome Harvesters, which look like something straight out of a War of the Worlds nightmare.
The alien invasion theme is undeniably cool and offers a fresh take compared to the Starship Troopers and Terminator influences seen in other factions. Initially, players were keen to dive into the new urban landscapes and tackle the squid invaders. Within the game’s grand narrative, they stand tall as the most formidable threat, having already obliterated two planets with their sights set on Super Earth!
However, there’s a hitch. This new faction feels somewhat incomplete. They lack the variety offered by the bots and bugs. Sure, in the storyline, they’re portrayed as a reconnaissance unit preparing for a bigger assault. But in gameplay terms, this means encounters with them can feel repetitive, and they don’t quite bring the challenge that the Terminids or Automatons do. Plus, no longer do they have urban maps to themselves; all three factions now battle it out among cityscapes.
Things get trickier with the fact that the Illuminate don’t occupy territories. They can only be fought through defensive missions that last a day per planet. Once that time’s up, whether the planet is saved or not, the Illuminate slip away, resurfacing in another sector later. Major Orders that require players to fend off Illuminate attacks call for tight coordination and timing, which isn’t easy. Many players prefer engaging with more dynamic foes on different battlefronts.
On the bright side, Arrowhead has shown its knack for spicing up alien factions with fresh units. We’ve previously seen new entities like the Terminid Shriekers and the formidable Automaton Factory Striders sneak into the game. They’ve also shuffled familiar foes around, drastically shifting how the game flows. The Stalker, a formidable threat on its own, became a whole new beast with the Predator Strain’s mutated swarms. Recently, Automatons got a boost too, with more durable fabricators and the fearsome Incineration Brigade, not to mention those terrifying Factory Striders packing Stratagem Jammers.
Right now, Major Orders zero in on the Illuminate as they control the Meridia Singularity. Arrowhead is showing they understand the need for variety, with recent orders spotlighting the game’s two original factions. At the game’s outset, Terminids were seen as the easier challenge, and the Automatons weren’t all that popular. But as Arrowhead continues to tweak and balance the game, the Illuminate might just carve out their own space. Until then, they remain a tad too limited and repetitive. Personally, I’m eager to see if they’ll unleash something akin to a Bile Titan. In the meantime, I’ll be sticking to the more action-packed fronts of bots and bugs.
