We’ve been speculating about the potential of seeing Helldivers 2 introduce a third faction—the Illuminates from the first game—for what feels like forever. But now, there’s a glimmer of excitement thanks to a recent Steam depot update. The update has an eye-catching label: “gameplay_illuminates.”
I’m serious, this isn’t just a wild rumor. Arrowhead, in a rather straightforward (yet intriguing) move, appears to have done something quite remarkable to the game, drawing everyone’s attention back to the much-anticipated appearance of this illustrious faction. We’ve been tossing around theories ever since the first whispers appeared back when Meridia got a little too close to the black hole.
Over on the Helldivers 2 subreddit, a user called Dangerous-Return5937 has brought some interesting news to light. According to SteamDB, Helldivers 2 saw a depot update today with the notable title “gameplay_illuminates.” What does this mean in concrete terms? Hard to say. Are we really about to see the Illuminates land themselves in the game, or is this just a thrilling tease? There’s no fixed timeline for when, or even if, they’ll show up in-game.
Of course, the very public nature of this name means it’s not a traditional ‘leak’—just something out there for any curious soul with a Wi-Fi connection to discover. Reactions among players are mixed. The true believers are buzzing with excitement, while the skeptics are adopting a wait-and-see stance, and some are just left scratching their heads.
Interestingly, some players have noted that if these actually are the Illuminates, Arrowhead’s choice to flag them so blatantly seems odd. The studio has previously categorized updates with labels like “studio_playtest” and “gameplay_worlds.” They’ve also opted for more cryptic names such as “mimosa,” “orion,” and “wushu,” which are more likely to keep speculation in check.
As one of the subreddit moderators pointed out, “If anything, Arrowhead is kind of inviting speculation by naming the depot update like that.” Yet there are those who reckon it could all just be a playful trick by the developers. “Can’t wait to find out it’s just about some tweaks to the game’s lighting, and everyone ends up being hilariously fooled,” quipped one witty commenter.
For now, caution seems the best approach. Even if this is a hint at the Illuminates entering the fray, there’s no promise it will happen immediately. But do let us know your thoughts on this intriguing twist!
