Everything we know so far about the Helldivers 2 Illuminate faction

The Illuminate in Helldivers 2 are widely thought to be the eventual third faction added to the game in future updates, after being just that in the first game. A race of technologically-advanced aliens with psychic powers and a focus on defensive barriers, the Illuminate - if they are coming - would pose a very different kind of threat to either the Bugs or Bots, though it's worth establishing that the Illuminate are still just rumoured, and nobody from developer Arrowhead has overtly confirmed that they'll be appearing in the game, even if their inevitable return does feel like something of an open secret at time of writing.

Below we've got everything you need to know about the Illuminate in Helldivers 2, including what hints we've got regarding their return, the info we got about them in the first game, and what you need to know about the alien menace waiting on the outside of the galaxy.

All info on the Illuminate in Helldivers 2 so far

At time of writing, Helldivers 2 and Arrowhead have offered the following info about the Illuminate as a potential third faction.

• The Illuminate have not been confirmed as being added to the game officially by developers Arrowhead. While the community seems very certain they'll show up, nobody on the creative team has actually said that they will be the third of the Helldivers 2 factions. This actually means that the Illuminate coming to the game is technically still just rumour, and isn't necessarily guaranteed to happen.
• However, characters in the game - crewmembers on the ship - refer to the Illuminate from time to time as a previous threat in random dialogue.
• This is a reference to the first game, in which there were three factions for the players to fight - the Terminids, the Cyborgs, and the Illuminate, who were added later after release.
• Datamined info from Helldivers 2's files is highly suggestive of the impending addition of the Illuminate, with them mentioned more than once and referencing specific enemies from that faction. Still, keep in mind that this isn't a guarantee they're coming - as we mentioned in our broader page on the Helldivers 2 roadmap and future updates, files in the game could always just be leftover and redundant data from abandoned elements in the game's development.
• Lights in the sky have been reported appearing for a few lucky players (thanks u/ImDaBooii). We can't verify the accuracy of this ourselves, but a lot of the community are reading into these random events as intentional teases for the eventual return of the Illuminate.

Who are the Illuminate in Helldivers?

In Helldivers 1, the Illuminate were the third faction the Helldivers were fighting, a group of psionic aliens also known as the Squ'ith, vaguely reminiscent of the Covenant from Halo, with a fondness for barriers, shields and protective technology, as well as sleek technological devices and projectile weapons. 

If the goal of Arrowhead turns out to be to translate the Illuminate accurately to Helldivers 2, then players will likely spend their time navigating the aliens' superior defensive abilities and fighting at range.

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