Allow us to illuminate you about The Illuminate.

By Cole Luke

Published: Tuesday, 05 March 2024 at 11:04 AM


Super Earth may face a grave new threat, as a rumoured new faction known as The Illuminate could be coming to Helldivers 2.

Fans of the original game may not be too surprised to hear this, but seeing how popular Helldivers 2 is proving to be in comparison, many of us may not be privy – as there has been no specific mention of them in the roadmap.

No matter the enemy, we’ll make sure you’re ready to see off any foe (unless you’re on Xbox or PS4) at any difficulty level with your friends in crossplay or even if you’re playing solo.

We can’t protect you from being ‘Rickrolled’ by the developers, unfortunately.

What you can be sure of, though, is collecting every trophy by using the best stratagemsserver issues withstanding – and mechs, too, by the looks of things.

The enemies of Super Earth remain undefeated as you read this, so let’s get to it!

Who are The Illuminate in Helldivers 2? Rumoured new faction explained

Helldivers facing off against an Illuminate boss in the original Helldivers
The Illuminate in the original Helldivers.
Arrowhead Game Studios, PlayStation Studios

The Illuminate are a highly advanced civilisation found in the original Helldivers who are known to themselves as the Squ’ith.

Originally an aquatic species, they have spread out across the stars with a neural network that allows them to traverse space.

While not present in Helldivers 2, a datamine – which also revealed stratagems like mechs – suggests that The Illuminate will be set for a return in Helldivers 2.

We even get an idea of what enemies to expect:

New Faction – Illuminate

  • Adept – Can call for allies
  • Ghoul
  • Illusionist – Fire projectile – Force choke victim
  • Obelisk  – Fire
  • Outcast
  • Pathfinder
  • Summoner

The Illusionist, Obelisk and Outcast were present in the original game, making the Adept, Ghoul, Pathfinder and Summoner new to Helldivers 2.

This was uncovered by Redditor u/stodal, who shared it on the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit.

Whether or not this means we can expect to see The Illuminate in Helldivers 2 remains to be seen, but it seems very possible at the least – owing to the fact that uncovered mechs have been confirmed.

Also found in the datamine is a Nuke stratagem – perhaps something players will need to take on the mighty Squ’ith.