New Helldivers 2 leak gives us a close-up look at the Illuminate

So far in Helldivers 2, the fight has been against the Automatons and Terminids, with the Major Orders alternating between the two every few weeks depending on the direction that the story is going. But, when looking at the galaxy map, the Automaton and Terminid sectors only take up a small fraction of the galaxy, meaning there are likely many more enemy types and factions that will be coming to Helldivers throughout the game’s lifecycle.

For as long as Helldivers 2 has been released, there have been rumors and speculation that The Illuminate will be coming to the game. The Illuminate were a key faction in the first Helldivers game so many players are hoping to see them come to the game sooner rather than later. These speculations were proven correct when in March 2024 it was leaked that The Illuminate would be coming to the game, followed by leaked model images in April. Now, the latest leak gives us a first close-up look at an Illuminate enemy.

Posted on Reddit by trusted Helldivers 2 leaker u/IronS1ghts, the new leaked image gives us a look at the face of an Illuminate enemy. It looks like the design of the enemies will be changing drastically between the two games, but based on the image it looks like the enemy could be either a Hunter or Apprentice.

For those that haven’t played Helldivers 1, The Illuminate is a faction of highly sophisticated aquatic creatures that dress in ceremonial robes and use futuristic technology including teleportation and energy-based weapons. They wouldn’t seem out of place in a Halo game and some compare them to the Protoss from the Starcraft series. By the time the events of Helldivers 2 begin, The Illuminate has been eradicated from the galaxy. But, we also thought this about the Automatons who were exterminated for a total of one day before returning with the Factory Strider to cause more destruction and become an even greater threat to Super Earth.

When The Illuminate finally makes an appearance in Helldivers 2, it will mean that all three factions from Helldivers 1 will be in the game. But, with so much of the galaxy still unexplored, that means we can expect never-before-seen factions to appear in the coming months and years.

Although it is exciting to think about how it will be to fight The Illuminate, we need to keep our attention on the current threats to Super-Earth, the Automatons, and Terminids. After having spent the past couple of weeks focusing on the Terminids after they created a Super Colony, it is time to face the robot army again as the latest Major Order called for the eradication of 2 billion Automatons, and so far the Helldivers are performing under expectations. To ensure victory, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you can serve Liber-tea to every robot you encounter.