There’s both good and bad news for Helldivers 2 players, but in this case they’re basically the same thing. The bad news is that 12 Super-Earth scientists at the Dark Fluid Research Facility went “spaghettified” when volatile material suddenly and without warning collapsed into a “micro black hole.” The good news is that this unfortunate incident has convinced some players that the arrival of the Illuminate, the third enemy group thus far absent from Helldivers 2, is imminent.
For your information, we will be talking about leaks and spoilers here, so if you want to avoid such things, stop reading now.
We will start with the event:
Spaghettifying Dark Liquid is being weaponized by Super-Earth scientists for use in the war against the Terminids, and specifically the Terminid Supercolony on the planet Meridia: The briefing for the latest major order says the Helldivers will use the substance “to carry out a targeted attack.” To permanently end the threat posed by the supercolony.”
The briefing also reveals where Dark Fluid comes from, and this is where things get interesting: “Dark Fluid is a form of a synthesized exotic substance recovered from the Illuminate following the First Galactic War.”
The technologically advanced Illuminate were one of three enemy factions in the original Helldivers, along with the Terminid and Automatons, but they were noticeably absent from Helldivers 2. It is widely accepted that their return is not a matter of “what if”. but “when”, various leaks and rumors suggest that reports of the Illuminate’s demise at the hands of Super Earth may have been exaggerated.
Some of these leaks appear to be spot on. One, reported by The Gamer in April, showed a planet believed to be Meridia exploding. The original leak has since been deleted, but the same leak also revealed a “Dark Fluid Containment Device” and a “Dark Fluid Research Station” target, which some players suggest is linked to the formation of a black hole that will lead to the destruction of the planet. This black hole, the thinking goes, is what draws the Illuminate back into battle.
Meridia, as mentioned, becomes the target of the new Helldivers 2 Major Order:
Another leak, posted on Reddit in March, includes multiple Illuminate references; most importantly the presence of “Illuminate energy readings in the area surrounding the singularity created by the Dark Fluid.” In Super-Earth fashion, history also appears to be being rewritten: Text in the leak says that rather than be destroyed by the Super-Earth’s superior military might, humanity “generously allowed the Illuminate to escape the Galaxy.” Now they’re back. From where? Because they hate peace.”
It remains to be seen whether this new spaghetti incident indicates that Illuminate will return soon, but it seems certain that Helldivers 2 is following suit. Even without all the supporting evidence (or weird coincidences), it’s clear that developer Arrowhead is continuing to improve. Something. And there is certainly a precedent for good news turning into very, very bad news: the great victory at Malevelon Creek on April 1 was immediately followed by a massive invasion of Automaton battleships and walkers, and the “Thermicide” gas that would lead to final victory. Overcoming the bugs actually made things worse, deploying a new superweapon that attracted the attention of another formidable intergalactic enemy, right?
We may not have to wait long to find out. The current main order seems to be going well: Angel’s Venture is under control, Fenrir III is halfway through, and in about an hour Turing has gone from 2.8% free to 6.6%; There is still a long way to go, but managed democracy looks to be advancing rapidly. Once this is complete, Meridia and all it brings awaits her.