Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has announced and released a long-awaited Illuminate update called Omens of Tyranny.
Unveiled at The Game Awards 2024, Helldivers 2 has been expanded to herald the Illuminati’s invasion of the Super Earth planets in the galactic south. This initial alien force brings with it an array of modern enemies to fight, as well as brand modern Super Earth colonies to fight in. These colonies introduce the first urban environments in Helldivers 2, with city streets filled with innocent civilians controlled by the Illuminati. The Voteless, as Super Earth calls them, are little more than zombies who want nothing more than to unite players for their parts.
In an interview with IGN, game director Mikael Eriksson said that the Illuminate Vanguard Fleet is involved in this initial invasion and that it does not appear to be the entire faction. Initially, the Illuminati will not take over planets, instead using guerrilla tactics. Eriksson didn’t say what they’re planning, but he did tease that players will have the chance to influence the ongoing Illuminati invasion as part of a modern story that will take place over several months.
Eriksson also discussed the main differences between fighting the Illuminati and bots and bugs. One is that the Illuminati are “more difficult” and fighting them in urban environments seems narrow compared to fighting Automatons and Terminids in open, more naturalistic environments.
The Illuminati themselves are like demigods, with huge, walking enemies on tripods called Reapers that can one-shot you. In addition, there is horde-style gameplay in which you have to fight against mind-controlled civilians. However, players have a number of modern toys at their disposal to lend a hand defend against the Illuminati threat, the most significant of which is Helldivers 2’s first vehicle, the Fast Recon Vehicle (FRV).
The FRV, which can initially only be found in various locations on the map, accommodates a full complement of players: one driving (manual by default, but automatically via accessibility settings), two in passenger seats with a tilt-and-shoot function, and one crewing the rear turret. The FRV will only be fully unlocked as a stratagem that you can operate if and when the Helldivers 2 community completes a modern enormous order, making it available for purchase the customary way.
Eriksson recommended that players bring anti-tank stratagems to lend a hand destroy Illuminati spawn ships, ships they encounter, and Reaper enemies, all of whom have shields (the modern Anti-Tank defensive stratagem will prove useful). You’ll need a secondary weapon, good against the horde; Eriksson suggested an assault rifle. It’s a good idea to operate FRV to navigate maps, especially on city roads.
The Illuminati join the worms and bots as the third enemy faction in Helldivers 2, and are set to breathe modern life into the explosive third-person cooperative action game. Helldivers 2 is PlayStation Studios’ fastest-selling game of all time, selling an incredible 12 million copies in just 12 weeks after its February launch. Arrowhead has had its share of controversies over the past 10 months, including a review bomb over publisher Sony’s decision to force Steam players to log into PSN accounts.
However, it continues to update the game with modern content and balance changes, which has led to recent Steam user reviews being “overwhelmingly positive.”
Be sure to check out IGN’s recap of everything announced at The Game Awards 2024 for more information on what’s coming to the gaming world in the coming years.
Wesley is the UK news editor at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be reached at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
