Why Helldivers 2 Players Are Convinced the Illuminate Are Coming

While most Helldivers 2 players are busy fending off the Terminids and Automatons, some believe they have seen evidence that a third faction called the Illuminate are on their way.

Players of the first Helldivers game will be familiar with The Illuminate, an ancient and technologically advanced alien civilization hell-bent on destroying Super Earth. Now, with Helldivers 2 out for over a month, players have reported seeing odd blue lasers that cause damage if they hit.

Redditor Dye335 reported a “vibrant” blue laser shot knocked them down to around 60% HP. “It must have been an Illuminate Sniper just like the first game, and it (the sniper) must’ve teleported out immediately after the shot,” Dye335 said. “I wish I was screen recording at the time or had anything like that set up.” Other players have provided footage showing this blue laser sniper shot.

The arrival of the Illuminate wouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given models for the faction have leaked. There’s even an in-game news broadcast on your ship that speaks of “rumors of Illuminate sightings.”

New enemy leaks (Illuminate)#HellDivers2 pic.twitter.com/GFTCSGasKd

— Helldivers Alerts (@HelldiversAlert) March 10, 2024

Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt tweeted to deny the existence of these mysterious blue beams in typical in-universe fashion, saying: “Blue beams aren’t real, it can’t hurt you.” Well, Super Earth would say that, wouldn’t it?

Helldivers 2’s recent premium Warbond has an arc theme and adds a number of arc-themed weapons and armor with arc resistance. Some players have speculated this gear is designed to play well with the Illuminate, when the aliens eventually turn up en masse.

If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others. Outside of the Warbond, there’s loads going on in the world of Helldivers 2 right now. Developer Arrowhead released flying bugs in the game, as well as mechs. Meanwhile, Arrowhead has asked for the Helldivers 2 community’s help in coming up with ideas for the “hard to solve” problem of players kicking teammates who don’t have meta loadouts.

Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it’s still growing. Check out IGN’s Helldivers 2 review to find out why it’s going down so well.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.