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The announcement of the upcoming major update stirred up the community. Besides the new and old enemies, some QoL improvements, and many intriguing additions, the fans wonder whether they’ll finally meet the long-expected third enemy faction. Everyone is thinking it – will the Illuminate finally arrive in Helldivers 2 with the update, and what can the players expect from these so-called Squids?
What Should You Expect From Facing the Illuminate in Helldivers 2
People reporting sightings of the Illuminates triggered an avalanche of players trying to figure out what was happening. Even though it turned out to be a glitch from the Control Towers, the Illuminate theories persisted, and the players started getting ready to face them.
One player, kubsak, excitedly inquired with the community, wishing to learn more. They said: “I can’t wait and would like to ask what Stratagems were used on their front in the first game. What types of Stratagems as well, since in HD2 we don’t have nearly as many as you had. And also I already got to know that personal shield was handy while fighting squids. But was it essential tho?”.
Trusty veterans from the First Galactic War gladly answered these questions. WayneBrody shared: “Unlike the bugs and borgs, the Illuminate did not have any heavily armored enemies requiring anti-tank, allowing for some more diverse loadout on the highest difficulties. They have a mix of invisible enemies, shielded and armored enemies, snipers, and enemies who could scramble your inputs”.
HatfieldCW added: “Sustained damage from automatic or beam weapons will chew through them. I expect to get good use from clusters and the like. They have some weird and annoying attacks, like a Confuse effect that reverses your inputs for movement and stratagems, and a powerful area denial shield that can kill you if you’re standing in the wrong place when it materializes”.
Could the Illuminate Arrive in the Upcoming Update?
Although the Helldivers 2 devs didn’t mention the Illuminate would arrive in the upcoming update, they did say that the players can expect many surprises. Of course, as with any other community, this one had lots of ideas and suggestions.
Many players supported the idea of the Illuminate being a part of the upcoming update. According to some leaks earlier this year, the Illuminate might be ready for action, just waiting for the perfect time. Some players insist that the bugs need to migrate South so the Squids can come through the Meridia black hole.
Probably the most popular idea was that the Illuminate would crash Liberty Day, October 26. RockyHorror134 suggested: “Imagine we have a full week of celebration events leading up to Liberty Day. A super wholesome event that has pretty chill objectives, but… On Liberty Day itself, portals identical to the Meridian black hole open right above Super Earth’s orbit, and out come the Illuminate”.
Although we’d love to face the Squids sooner, this scenario is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, all we can do at this moment is wait. In the meantime, your fellow soldiers require some help on the bot front, as the Major Order has proven to be quite challenging. See you there, for democracy.