Helldivers 2 presented the largest and probably most important update of the cooperative shooter during the Game Awards 2024, fulfilling a wish that players have had since February 2024.
What is that wish? Helldivers 2 finally received new enemies during the Game Awards, something many players have been waiting for months. Part of the community wanted more variety and did not want to always fight against bugs and robots.
The developers have now officially announced that the Illuminated will be released as the third enemy faction as part of the update “Omens of Tyranny”.
As early as February 2024, there were initial hints that the Illuminated might intervene in the galactic war – however, Arrowhead did not reveal any details until the last moment. Recently, however, an update history on Steam suggested that the arrival of the aliens would not be long.
You can see the trailer from the Game Awards here:
Alien Fighters with Modern Technology
What do we know about the Illuminated? The Illuminated are a highly advanced extraterrestrial civilization that will fight against the Over-Earth players in Helldivers 2, attacking in the lower part of the galaxy map.
The fight against the Illuminated is expected to fundamentally differ from battles against bugs and robots, as there will be skirmishes in urban areas. You will fight in the cities of various colonies, among houses and on streets with wrecked cars.
There are different types of Illuminated that have various characteristics on the battlefield – including humanoid melee fighters that resemble zombies in behavior, and stronger opponents with laser-shooting ranged weapons and shields.
Currently, we know of four different Illuminated that you will face in Helldivers 2:
- The Voteless – Former citizens of Over-Earth who were kidnapped by the Illuminated and turned into mindless soldiers.
- Watcher – Hovering drones that scan areas and report enemy life forms.
- Overseer – Dangerous fighters with arcane weapons who can even use the Voteless as living shields.
- Harvester – Huge machines on three legs with a single eye that can fire a deadly beam.
However, in Helldivers 1, there were still a number of other Illuminated units, such as the Hunter or the powerful Council Members. We have an overview of all alien units for you here:
Update brings not only new enemies but also vehicles
What’s coming with the update otherwise? To equip yourself properly for the battle against the new, powerful enemies, the developers are providing new tactical equipment:
- M-102 Fast Recon Vehicle – An off-road vehicle for 4 people with a machine gun
- CQC-30 Stun Baton – A baton that causes electric shocks and can stun enemies
- E/AT-12 Anti-Tank Emplacement – A deployable manned gun that can damage heavily armored targets
Especially the new vehicle might interest many players, as there are currently no vehicles in Helldivers 2 – after all, the exosuits are not vehicles, but crewed combat machines and therefore not very mobile.
