It’s the reverent calm before a beautiful storm for Helldivers 2 as its launch on Xbox is only a week or so away, sure to welcome plenty more recruits in humanity’s plight for managed democracy against Terminids, Automatons, and the Illuminate. It’s also the beginning of Helldivers 2’s latest Major Order, which has spun players back to bug-infested planets on the top-right corner of the Galactic War table’s map. But, despite how players might predict in-game events to transpire, usually relative to what current MOs are focused on, it’s quite difficult to say with any reliability what enemy factions will be highlighted next.
For instance, while a hopeful Halo 3: ODST crossover in Helldivers 2 is being teased, it’s unclear what enemy Arrowhead may enlist to teach Xbox recruits what they’ve been missing out on. Leaks are often unfortunate ways to learn about new content arriving in Helldivers 2, but, if they are to be believed, Illuminate forces may soon be bolstered by three new enemy units: Ghoul Cultists, Zealots, and Illusionists, the third of which is already quite familiar to anyone who’s been a Helldiver since the original game.
Helldivers 2 Leaks Suggest That the Squids are Beefing Up Their Units
According to leaker/YouTube user IronS1ights, and originally reported by VideoGamer, there is incredibly strong evidence that Squiddivers are going to have some formidable and eerie threats to look forward to. Of course, as with any and all rumors or leaks, the following should nonetheless be taken with a grain of salt until actual confirmation of such enemy units is declared by Arrowhead.
In the meantime, the available leaked footage provided by IronS1ghts gives a great glimpse at what these new enemy types might look like. For example, Zealots appear to have a whip attack they can utilize if players close the distance, while otherwise summoning lesser alien “Ghouls” that seem more or less akin to Helldivers’ Hunters, but without armor—maybe even more accurate would be a blend of Voteless’ size and Fleshmobs’ ferocity—alongside other possible units.
The Illusionist, then, appears nearly identical to that of the original game’s Illusionists, suspended midair in a hovering seat. The leak portrays this Illusionist as being able to hurl players upward into a ragdoll state, either as it teleports close to players or with a specific attack, as well as summoning alien units and casting blue energy projectiles that can be strafed. Plus, with Illusionists in the mix, it wouldn’t be at all out of the realm of possibility for Council Members to follow later on as a Helldivers 2 Illuminate unit.
It’s fairly fascinating to see what enemy units Helldivers 2 has been cherry-picking from the original game and adapting for the sequel, particularly because they don’t all seem like one-to-one adaptations. Any enemy unit, whether they are being reprised from the first game or not, has the potential to evolve and make their initial iteration a mere shell of what they’d become in Helldivers 2’s enemy factions.
Leaks such as the ones Helldivers 2 endures are an entertaining look behind the veil, as it were, but they may solely be peeks at an otherwise grand vision that Arrowhead has.
It’ll be exciting to see if and when Cultists, Zealots, and Illusionists may be added at some point in the near future, let alone any other thrilling faction units Arrowhead could have in the oven. If nothing else, assuming these leaked enemy units will make their way into Helldivers 2 gameplay, it seems as though squids will finally be inheriting the sci-fi zaniness that makes Helldivers’ Illuminate, much less StarCraft’s like-minded Protoss, such a distinct faction.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
