Helldivers 2’s Potential Third Faction, Explained

Helldivers 2 is still making waves, and luckily the team have ironed out the server issues and have returned to their “original plan,” per Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestdat. This could mean any number of things, but what’s certainly on the horizon eventually is a whole new enemy faction.

Helldivers 2’s Illuminate Faction Explained

The Illuminate were a faction in the original Helldivers, appearing alongside the Terminids and Automatons. These sleek, futuristic-looking units didn’t roam the battlefield in large numbers like their more brazen counterparts, instead using guerilla and stealth tactics to get one over on unsuspecting troops.

The Illuminate are the most advanced race in the Helldivers lore (don’t tell command I said that), and as such their designs are a lot more “Covenant from Halo” than “Terminator.” They make use of energy shields, heavy armor, and, most notably, cloaking devices on the battlefield.

The primary mode of engagement for the Illuminate is to send out some form of Observer unit (which look like floating eyeballs) as scouts. When an Observer spots a player, it alerts more heavily armed units to their presence, which causes enemies to teleport onto the battlefield in large numbers.

Stealth was an optimal strategy for dealing with the Illuminate in the original Helldivers, but we’ll have to see how things pan out if (when) they’re eventually ported over to the sequel. Bug breaches can be targeted with pinpoint Stratagems, and Bot Drops can be shot down with recoilless rifles, but teleporting enemies? I’m not sure how we’re going to effectively stem the tide when they’re showing up directly in our pockets.

Luckily, we’ve already been teased with some new Strategems, like the heavily armored mech unit reappearing in the trailer as a “work in progress” announcement. With these in hand, along with some more game knowledge, maybe we’ll be prepared enough to lose battles in less embarrassing ways.