It’s a thrilling era for Helldivers enthusiasts as Arrowhead shakes things up by introducing urban maps, a cool recon vehicle, and an intriguing new enemy faction into the mix. Initially, it seemed like the storyline about the Illuminate reappearing in the galaxy would be a fleeting weekend affair. Their dramatic comeback was announced with a bang at The Game Awards, followed by a sudden assault on Calypso, where Helldivers managed a last-minute defense. Fast forward to now, and these cunning space squids have set their sights on a new target: the mysterious black hole that replaced Meridia.
Let me break this down. The game’s first two enemy factions—Terminids and Automatons—offer quite the challenge. The Terminids, in particular, have captured players’ imaginations. Even when Major Orders sent from Super Earth urge players to combat the robots, many fans stick around Terminid space, living out their Starship Troopers dreams. To spice things up, the Terminids have responded with rapid and impressive evolutionary jumps. Super Earth’s intel had pinpointed Meridia as the home of a massive Supercolony.
Arrowhead hosted a thrilling limited-time event that tasked players with flooding Meridia with Dark Fluid, all while fending off Supercolony assaults. This bold move paid off, transforming Meridia into a vast black hole. It’s akin to Chekhov’s Gun: Introduce a gun early on, and it must eventually be fired. Similarly, now that a peculiar black hole has been unveiled, it’s drawing in those ominous squids.
Interestingly, the Illuminate differs from other factions by not occupying a fixed portion of space. Instead, they favor a hit-and-run approach, targeting Super Earth worlds, beginning with Calypso and sneaking eastward. Initially, there was nothing extraordinary about their movements—until fans started noticing odd changes around Meridia. The black hole’s color was shifting to a more vivid purple, growing brighter, and engulfing debris at an alarming rate.
Helldivers have been busy defending Terminid turf from the Illuminate—a bit of an ironic twist after months spent battling bugs—and have successfully pushed back the squids. By the end of Operation Squid Game, wrapping up around 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, the Illuminate had seemingly disappeared again. However, I’m convinced this tale isn’t finished just yet. There’s a good chance we’ll see the Illuminate’s ranks bolstered by some unnerving new bio-organic adversaries. Meanwhile, players can now enjoy the newly available vehicle Stratagem, hitting the roads whenever they please. In a three-front intergalactic struggle for democracy, it’s important to cherish these small victories.
