Helldivers 2 Adding the Illuminate Could Expand the Game in More Ways Than One

Released in 2015, the first Helldivers was a top-down shooter that wasn’t afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve. Taking control of an elite, yet completely expendable soldier known as a Helldiver, players blast their way through hordes of Bugs, Cyborgs, and Illuminate, all in service to Super Earth and its citizens. Much of the first Helldivers‘ gameplay and satirical narrative has carried over to Helldivers 2, but there are still a few glaring omissions.

Possibly the most obvious missing element from the first Helldivers is the entire Illuminate enemy race. An alien species that used to reside on aquatic planets, the Illuminate use powerful beam and energy-based weapons, along with personal teleporters and shields. By the time Helldivers 2 picks up in the year 2184, the Illuminate have apparently been exterminated from the galaxy. But that might just be what the Ministry of Truth wants people to think. It’s been heavily rumored for a while now that the Illuminate will come to Helldivers 2 eventually, and when they do, they’ll expand the game in more ways than one.

Introducing The Illuminate Could Improve Helldivers 2 Two-Fold

The Illuminate Would Bring A Range of New Enemy Types to Helldivers 2

Of course, the biggest benefit of adding the Illuminate to Helldivers 2 would be the wealth of new enemy types that come along with them. In the first Helldivers, enemy types were split into five categories: Scout, Infantry, Tank, Elite, and Master. These general enemy types are still present in Helldivers 2, and as such, many of the Illuminate’s enemies could be translated into the sequel’s third-person action seamlessly.

For instance, the Illuminate’s most basic unit is the Observer, a small drone that surveys the battlefield, cloaks, and teleports back to base. The Observer would make complete sense in Helldivers 2‘s gameplay loop, requiring players to carefully watch the horizon for any cloaked sentries that could reveal their position. The Illuminate is also home to a slew of melee-focused attackers, which Helldivers 2 already has plenty of. But the real hook of the Illuminate is that they also have access to advanced weaponry and gadgets, such as shield generators.

The Illuminate have the potential to be Helldivers 2‘s hardest faction yet, blending together the lethal melee attacks of the Terminids with the ranged deadliness of the Automatons, and sprinkling in some high-tech gadgets to make them even harder to kill. With plenty of Illuminate enemy types already there and ready to go, it’s hopefully only a matter of time before Helldivers 2 veterans are given an even greater challenge.

The Illuminate Would Add a New Segment of The Galaxy

But adding the Illuminate to Helldivers 2 would also presumably add an entirely new section to the galaxy map, presumably one that’s filled with a plethora of brand-new planets. While Helldivers 2 already has some pretty varied environments, there are still more biomes that the game could explore, and adding the Illuminate to the game could be the perfect excuse to kill two birds with one stone, adding a bunch of new enemy types and planets.

Originally hailing from aquatic planets, it would make sense for the Illuminate’s portion of the galaxy map in Helldivers 2 to focus more heavily on water-based arenas than the other factions’ homeworlds. To coincide with these new planet types, Helldivers 2 could also add a range of new vehicles or Stratagems to the game that help players traverse these watery worlds.

Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 is a third-person cooperative shooter developed by Arrowhead Games Studios for the PC and PlayStation 5 where players take control of a Helldiver set to protect the citizens of Super Earth by traveling to hostile alien worlds and destroying threats. Players undergo missions, defeat enemies, and use special items called Stratagems to help turn the tide of battle in this punishing release.

Franchise

Helldivers

Released

February 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Arrowhead Game Studios

Genre(s)

Shooter

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence

Metascore

83

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC & PS5

Number of Players

1-4

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