Helldiver 2’s long-awaited third enemy faction, the Illuminate – previously seen in Helldivers 1, but still conspicuously absent from its sequel – has briefly appeared in-game. Which hasn’t stopped developer Arrowhead Game Studios from declaring the incident to be “fake news”.
Players began reporting strange sightings across Helldivers 2’s Galactic War map (thanks PC Gamer) earlier today, beginning with a mysterious cluster of purple sectors where players had previously only seen red for Automaton incursions and orange for Terminids.
If it’s near-incontrovertible proof of an Illuminate presence you’re after, though, then look no further than the small purple symbol players discovered when rolling over one of the mysterious new purple sectors – a symbol long-time fans will immediately recognise as the circle-in-a-circle design representing the Illuminate faction in Helldivers 1.
Helldivers 2 – Escalation of Freedom Announcement Trailer | PS5 & PC Games