For fans of the game Helldivers, the recent updates have been nothing short of exhilarating. Arrowhead has spiced things up by introducing urban maps, a new recon vehicle, and a third enemy faction. Initially, the return of the Illuminate to the galaxy seemed like a brief event, wrapped up over a single weekend. They had made a dramatic entrance following The Game Awards announcement, targeting Calypso with a vengeance. The Helldivers managed to protect Calypso in the nick of time. But now, those crafty space squids have a fresh target: the black hole that has replaced Meridia.
To get a better grasp of this, let’s dive into some details. The game’s first two adversaries are the Terminids and the Automatons. Players have shown a particular fondness for battling the Terminids, even ignoring commands from Super Earth to fight robots instead. This enthusiasm ignited a series of rapid evolutions in the Terminid threat. Super Earth’s intelligence pinpointed one specific world, Meridia, as a significant Supercolony.
Arrowhead orchestrated a thrilling, time-sensitive event requiring players to flood Meridia with Dark Fluid. They needed to fend off Supercolony forces in this courageous endeavor, and it paid off, transforming Meridia into a black hole. Drawing from the narrative technique of Chekhov’s Gun, if a black hole is introduced, it’s bound to play a crucial role at some point. Now, it seems like Helldivers are facing the mysterious consequences of this black hole, which has drawn the interest of those ominous squids.
The Illuminate, distinct from other enemy factions, haven’t claimed a permanent space territory. Instead, they’ve been executing surprise attacks on Super Earth areas, starting with Calypso and steadily advancing east. Initially, nothing seemed remarkable about their mode of attack, until fans noticed unusual activity surrounding Meridia. The black hole has taken on a more vibrant purple hue, brightening and absorbing debris at an alarming speed.
Up to this point, Helldivers have managed to keep the Illuminate at bay in Terminid territory—quite a shift after months of battling insects—and have successfully pushed the squids back. But with the conclusion of Operation Squid Game around 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, the Illuminate have temporarily vanished from the scene. Yet, it’s hard to shake the feeling that there’s more to this saga. There appear to be gaps in the Illuminate’s lineup, likely to be filled soon with new, fearsome bio-organic enemies. On the bright side, players now have the strategic advantage of using the newly available vehicle for travel. It’s essential to find small victories when you’re caught in a three-front interstellar battle for democracy.
