| “ | An ancient, “highly advanced” species, desperately seeking to reclaim their former galactic supremacy. These mind-controlling, xenophobic aliens cannot be reasoned with. They must all be killed. | „ |
| ~ Helldivers 2 PlayStation Store Page |
The 
Illuminate, formerly the Illuminate Empire[1], sometimes referred to as the Illuminate Cult and self-denominated as the Squ'ith, are an advanced race of squid-like alien humanoids serving as the de facto archenemy of the 
Federation of Super Earth. The Squ'ith predate humanity's existence by millennia and are a technologically advanced, mystical, and highly intelligent species.
Originally, the 
Illuminate had been cast out from the Milky Way by the 
Federation after their final defeat at Squ'bai Shrine during the First Galactic War in 2084. However, in the century since, the few Squ'ith that escaped have developed new, horrid tactics. In 2184, with presumably dwindling numbers of their species, the Illuminate Cult returned to the Milky Way via the 
Meridian Black Hole, after which they began to abduct Super Earth colonists to transform them into hordes of enslaved and mutated zombies known as "Voteless".
The Illuminate have come the closest to defeating the Federation out of all of humanity's enemies, as a massive fleet of Illuminate Overships emerged from the Meridian Black Hole and invaded Super Earth itself in 2185. Though the 
Helldivers successfully expunged the Squ'ith from Super Earth's streets and forced the fleet to retreat, the Illuminate still maintain a significant presence in the Galactic South.
History[]
Origins of the 
Illuminate Empire[]
| “ | It is believed that the Illuminate species, the Squ'ith as they call themselves, originated from the ocean and as anybody that has touched one will tell - you can still feel a slight sting from their electrolyte glands - something believed to be part of their evolutionary baggage. This also translates into their usage of electronic and nano-powered devices; they went down the path of electricity in the same way we did from rocks to bullets. | „ |
| ~ Science Officer - Helldivers |
The Illuminate, or Squ'ith, came into existence several thousands of years before Humanity evolved into the Homo sapiens, having evolved from a prior aquatic lifeform on their home planet, Squ'bai Shrine. From this point onward, the Squ'ith mostly dedicated themselves to their continued evolution, growing extra limbs and honing their skills in the handling of electricity and mystical space magic, slowly becoming a society of supposedly enlightened beings.
A Council Member, believed to be one of the leaders of the Illuminate Empire.
As the centuries progressed, the Illuminate would eventually come to form some sort of governing body known as the Illuminate High Council made up of their leaders, the Council Members. They also created a large AI creature called "Great Eye". While little information is known about the reality of Illuminate society, Super Earth intel would claim that the Illuminate slowly grew into an un-Democratic and brutal cult, with the Council Members being the "absolute masters" of their species, while the Great Eye used its telepathic powers to "monitor and correct" Squ'ith society into subservience.
Guided by the Council and the Great Eye, and driven by a quest to attain "knowledge", the Illuminate expanded their domain across most of the Milky Way. For millennia, they grew into an empire that controlled vast swaths of the galaxy and created an extremely complex neural network for space travel.
First Galactic War[]
| “ | The Illuminates consider themselves enlightened, hence the name. They initially came to Earth with a treachorous peace offering which later turned out to be false as they had large quantities of world-destroying devices nicknamed 'obliterator bombs'. Needless to say, the only sensible solution was to wipe them out with a preemptive strike. | „ |
| ~ Science Officer - Helldivers |
| “ | We have solid evidence that the Illuminate have an extremely powerful nano-fusion device that can destroy an entire planet. Could you imagine the cry of millions if even one of these devices are used? That is the reason why we can't allow them to live, they're a threat to the entire galaxy - and after we've suppressed their destructive ways, we should probably be able to get hold of their technology and create devices of equal or greater potency ourselves! | „ |
| ~ Ship's C.O. - Helldivers |
| “ | "We have reason to believe the Illuminates have Weapons of Mass Destruction, capable of destroying entire planets" stated house representative Powley Colle. He continued "Every statement I make today is backed up by reliable sources". Whether or not the Illuminates prove the large threat that Mr. Colle is so certain about is met by little resistance. Some sympathizers deny this fact and instead state that "The Illuminates are an ancient and wise species, they are no threat to us unless we threaten them". These voices were set right immediately afterwards through public executions. | „ |
| ~ Illuminate War Announcement
|
In the early 21st century, Illuminate recon ships were first encountered by the Federation of Super Earth, but these sightings were dismissed as folklore back then. After a time, however, the Illuminate came to Earth with a peace offering. This was declined by the Federation, who instead claimed that the mollusk-like aliens had planet-destroying "Weapons of Mass Destruction". This was deemed sufficient cause for a pre-emptive strike aimed at removing the Squ'ith from the galaxy and obtaining their highly advanced technology. To quote Senator John W. Killjoy: "The statement sends a clear message to all would-be threats to Super Earth; if they have more advanced technology than us, be prepared to pay the price."
A wounded Helldiver surrounded by Illuminate machines during the First Galactic War.
Super Earth dealt with those who took a more tolerant stance towards the Squ'ith (describing the aliens as "ancient and wise") by means of public executions. The Helldivers were sent in to disarm or preferably capture any WMDs and other potentially useful technologies that eclipsed what Super Earth had at its disposal.
For around 40 years, the Illuminate fought against Super Earth in several battles across the galaxy, with many Federation veterans remembering their combat prowess and mind-control capabilities with horror. However, no amount of space technology would allow the Illuminate to overcome Liberty and, in 2084, the Helldivers successfully defeated the Illuminate at their home world, Squ'bai Shrine.
Banishing from the Milky Way[]
| “ | Super Earth soldiers have managed to defeat the highly advanced Illuminate race and talks with their former leaders are under way. The government of Super Earth demands that the Illuminates sign a treaty disallowing the Illuminates from ever creating an armed forces branch and immediately turning over all technology which could be used as weapons to the federation of Super Earth. Dr. Henk Ploeg excitedly exclaimed "The amount of technology we are going to receive will accelerate our technology tenfold and allow us to create peacekeeping devices that have the power to destroy entire planets!" What is to become of the subjugated squid-like creatures is unclear. What is certain, though, is that they will never pose a threat to Super Earth again. | „ |
| ~ "Illuminates Subjugated!" - Helldivers |
Super Earth forces the Illuminate to hand over all of their advanced technology at the end of the First Galactic War in 2084.
The terms of the Illuminate surrender were harsh: the Squ'ith were to dissolve their military, or what little remained of it, entirely. Additionally, they were obligated to hand over any and all technologies with potential military applications, with technologies such as the Dark Fluid being surrendered to the 
Super Earth Armed Forces. With the banishing of the Squ'ith also came the dissolution of the Illuminate Empire and the almost complete populational collapse of their race.
After this military surrender, the Illuminate were banished from the Milky Way, supposedly never to return. This way, Super Earth hoped that the Squ'ith would be eventually driven to extinction, guaranteeing the safety of mankind. For one hundred years, the Illuminate remained a fairy tale for young Federation citizens, with many treating them as boogeymen; citizens recall being told children's stories about how the Illuminate would come back and eat their brains if they refused to vote and do their part for Managed Democracy.
In 2184, a century after the end of the First Galactic War and with the citizens of Super Earth having lowered their guards, the unthinkable somehow came to happen: the Illuminate returned, and their new, "autocratic" intentions came shrouded in mystery.
Resurgence of the Illuminate[]
| “ | History Matters! At the end of the First Galactic War, we magnanimously allowed the Illuminate to flee the galaxy. Now, they're back. Why? Because they hate peace. | „ |
| ~ Broadcast Announcer - Helldivers 2[2] |
The Illuminate return to the Milky Way in 2184, amidst the Second Galactic War.
In February 2184, Super Earth found itself in the middle of a bloody Second Galactic War. Flanked by the massive plague of the 
Terminids in the East and the calculated socialism of the 
Automatons in the West, the Helldivers were mobilized on a large scale for the first time in 100 years. Despite their best efforts, the war had no end in sight: after the Federation claimed full eradication of the Automatons in April 2184, a gargantuan Automaton fleet returned with full force in what was dubbed "The Reclamation". Coupled with the struggle to contain incessant Terminid outbreaks, the Second Galactic War raged on in a bloody, unending fashion for months.
"Adventurous comic books" were initially blamed by Strohmann News for the colonist disappearances.
In late November 2184, strange reports began emerging from the galactic fringe. Reportedly, colonists were seen venturing into the wilderness across several planets and disappearing, with nary a peep as to where they had gone. While planets across the galaxy are known for their violent features and strange wildlife, the story was widespread and odd enough to get the attention of Super Earth news broadcasts. The stories were largely written off as colonists wandering off as a result of cartoonish comic books, along with a brief, yet small epidemic of navigational errors while hiking in the wilderness. High Command agreed to conduct an investigation into the matter, finding nothing abnormal about the situation, also attributing it to small navigational errors. New land navigation training was made available, which was believed to solve the problem... or so it was thought.
On December 12th, 2184, the Helldivers had repelled a Terminid attack on Phact Bay and were now fending off a massive assault on planet Gatria. All seemed to be going well during the Order, with the Terminids being decisively repelled. Little did all of Super Earth and its colonists know, the worst was yet to come: tucked away in the shadows, an old foe thought long-defeated a century prior revealed themselves in the most grotesque manner.
Strohmann News reports on the return of the Illuminate.
On the night of December 12th, 2184, Terminid operations were abandoned by High Command, with replacement orders immediately to follow. For the first time since the Automatons' "Reclamation" in April 2184, LIBCON 1 was activated by the 
Ministry of Defense as planet Calypso came under attack. Worst of all, the final message of the alert stated the most unfathomable of remarks: Illuminate signatures were reported. Thought to have been eradicated from the galaxy, the Illuminate launched a surprise assault on planet Calypso with 96 invasion fleets arriving in the planet's atmosphere. The S.E.A.F. was scrambling, and Calypso immediately made the call to the Helldivers for urgent aid.
The front page of "Freedom's Beacon" no. 30,634 - Volume 191. Issued on December 12th, 2184.[3]
All Helldivers available, both in active service and the military reserve, were immediately ordered to LIBCON 1 and deployed en-masse to the urbanized settlements of Calypso, ready to take on this returning foe. Over 200,000 Helldivers immediately deployed to Calypso within just a few hours of the attack, determined to repel the resurgent Illuminate just as they had done 100 years prior.
During the attack, High Command issued a dispatch, stating that the Illuminate held multiple locations on Calypso and that human-like assailants were somehow reportedly fighting for the enemy. All Helldivers were ordered to use all necessary force to repel the invasion, and that they did as they continued to fight like hell to stop the Illuminate in their tracks.
The Illuminate create a new, mind-controlled horde of former humans called "Voteless".
Amidst the 3-day attack, it appeared the mystery of the disappearing colonists was finally solved: the reports of human-like assailants referred to by High Command were not false. The colonists who had apparently wandered off into the wilderness and disappeared weren't, in fact, just wandering off. Tragically, the Illuminate had been kidnapping Super Earth colonists and turning them into a horde of mind-controlled zombies known as Voteless, turning them against S.E.A.F. and Helldiver forces and using them as cannon fodder in their attack. As if it could get more tragic, there were scattered reports of these Voteless doing the Super Earth salute upon being slain, perhaps their true, pure Super Earth patriotism coming out in death in protest against their mind-controlled form while alive.
In a rollercoaster of a race, with Calypso's defense timer standing at 8 minutes left before the planet's defenses collapsed, the Helldivers completed a stunning turn-around, and officially repelled the attack late on December 15, 2184. The battle, which had seemed insurmountable at the start, was successfully completed with Super Earth's elite fighting force once again sending the Illuminate on the run.
"Keep their tentacles off our children!" - Anti-Illuminate propaganda poster seen in Federation cities.
On December 16, 2184, celebrations began to ring out across the galaxy honoring the brilliant efforts of the Helldivers once again. Just minutes after the attack on Calypso ended, both the Terminids and Automatons launched invasions of Gar Haren and Shelt respectively. The majority of the Helldiver Corps split between the two planets after leaving Calypso, and by nightfall on the 16th both defenses were on the verge of success. Unfortunately, once again thought to be defeated, the Illuminate were ready to wreak havoc once more.
Late at night on the 16th, the Illuminate had once again resurfaced. Genesis Prime, an undefended outer colony in the Rictus Sector of the Galactic South, saw 11 Illuminate invasion fleets appear in its atmosphere. High Command immediately received a call for help from its Colonial Overseer and swiftly issued a new Major Order, ordering all Helldivers to converge on Genesis Prime to finally eradicate the Illuminate once and for all.
Immediately, the main Helldiver fleet turned up to Genesis with over 100,000 Helldivers arriving at the planet within just 2 hours of the extremely short defense timer of 12 hours. The race appeared to be too close to call, with both the Illuminate and the Helldivers making significant advances on the ground with time running out. However, as with many instances during the Second Galactic War, Liberty is not earned so easily, with the enemies of Super Earth always having a devious, brazen idea up their sleeve.
About 3-4 hours after the attack on Genesis began, Illuminate forces appeared within the atmosphere of Mog, a snowy world within the Morgon Sector. This shocking development confirmed everyone's worst fears: the Squ'ith were clearly not near full eradication yet as was once thought. With 2 Illuminate invasions ongoing and the Helldivers scrambling, High Command issued a dispatch stating that with the Illuminate seemingly resurgent, the Helldivers were ordered to fight the Illuminate on any and all emerging battlefronts.
"Crush our enemy" - Anti-Illuminate propaganda poster for the Helldivers.
At both Genesis Prime and Mog, the Helldivers were defeated. Strangely, despite winning their invasion, the Illuminate did not take control of both worlds and instead retreated after their victories. It seemed the Illuminate were not interested in capturing planets, instead opting to adopt hit-and-run tactics. While Genesis and Mog remained in the hands of Super Earth, both planets were left ravaged, with colonies and cities in ruins and countless colonists either slain or kidnapped to be converted into more Voteless. This same pattern would continue across Bellatrix, Kerth Secundus, Valmox, Andar, and Acubens Prime. The Illuminate even became aware of the new 
Factory Hub on Achernar Secundus and threatened to delay the release of the newly-developed M-102 Fast Recon Vehicle, but were luckily repelled.
Eventually, though having been defeated in certain attacks, the Helldivers were victorious in the Major Order with 7 successfully repelled Illuminate invasions. Despite the excellent victory and valiant defense against the Squ'ith, planets all across the Galactic South were in ruins. Cities were damaged, homes were destroyed, supplies were ransacked, and more families had been abducted and turned into Voteless. The evidence was clear: the Illuminate were in the Second Galactic War for good, prepared to menace the Federation just as they had done in the First Galactic War. Despite the Helldivers' best efforts, Super Earth would now be forced into a 3-front war once again.
Following the defense against the Illuminate, novel phenomena in the form of electromagnetic flares were spotted around the Meridian Singularity. High Command demanded proper investigations into these phenomena by ordering the Helldivers to liberate Fenrir III from the Terminids in order to construct a new 
Centre of Science by which to study the Singularity while also furthering research into the resurgence of the Illuminate. With the Helldivers fending off the Terminid plague on Fenrir and Erata Prime, the Illuminate used the window to destructive effect, continuing their cowardly hit-and-run raids across the Galactic South. More of the Federation's colonies lied in ruins, with the xenophobic tide of Tyranny rampant.
Into January 2185, the Illuminate Raid Campaign continued unabated. Every 12 hours, the Illuminate launched new assaults, leaving planetary infrastructure across Stout, Rasp, Sirius, and Baldrick Prime ravaged, along with countless other planets. Of course, being in a 3-front war, Super Earth could not dedicate all their attention to the squids as the Tyranny of the Terminids and the Automatons remained rampant. Though the Automaton Front was notably quiet for the first 2 months of 2185, the Terminid Front remained ever-hyperactive, with a massive Terminid offensive leading an invasion of several worlds beginning on January 13th. With the Helldivers forced to contain the brazen Terminid attacks in the East, the Galactic South was left abandoned, leaving the Illuminate with free reign to devastate planet after planet.
The Moving of a Black Hole[]
| “ | Even after 100 years, the Illuminate likely remain few in number. Their use of our citizens as shields evidences their fear of total eradication. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
Helldivers battling the Illuminate during the Second Galactic War.
Following the brave efforts of the Helldivers to repel the continual skirmishes with the Illuminate, fluctuations of Dark Energy within the Milky Way caused universal concern. This, combined with regular fluctuations in space-time, was finally explained by the Centre of Science to be focused towards one goal: moving the Meridian Singularity from its current location to one unspeakably important location - Super Earth itself. With the Illuminate's intentions finally revealed, the Helldivers mobilised to stop the harvesting of Dark Energy from across the galaxy.
In the afternoon of February 8, 2185, following the successes of the Helldivers and the Democracy Space Station out West, High Command issued a Major Order confirming everyone's worst fears: the Illuminate were harvesting Dark Energy in their consistent raids of the galactic south to move the Meridian Singularity. In the Order, High Command stated that the current trajectory of the wormhole indicated movement toward Angel's Venture in the Orion Sector, putting all of its citizens in extreme danger. All Helldivers were immediately ordered to deploy across the galactic south to stem the Illuminate's raids in the hopes that they could delay the movement of the Singularity.
On February 13, 2185, the planet of Angel's Venture was totally destroyed by the Meridian Singularity, followed later by Moradesh in the Celeste Sector on the 14th March. While countless lives had been lost in one of the most destructive actions ever committed against Super Earth, the Helldivers were able to prevent further destruction, halting the singularity in its path through several decisive skirmishes with the Illuminate, and allowing a blockade of S.E.A.F. ships and other spacecraft to surround the wormhole. Super Earth, through great losses, had earned some reprieve from the threat of the Illuminate.
Strohmann News explains the return of the Illuminate to the Milky Way via the Meridia wormhole.
Ministry of Science researchers were granted no reprieve, however, being hard at work on the Penrose Energy Siphon, which would absorb some of the Meridia black hole's momentum and slow it down significantly. Following the completion of the Siphon, the Helldivers were ordered to gather massive amounts of E-710 to deploy the rocket. However, this would unfortunately be delayed by a week as a massive offensive led by the Automatons in March forced the Helldivers to try to contain wave after wave of the robot advance. Ultimately, both E-710 fuel collection and the defense against the bots failed, and Ivis was now under severe threat of being torn apart by the Singularity. Luckily, under orders to commence rapid E-710 fuel collection, the Helldivers liberated both Bore Rock and Esker from the Terminids leading to the official deployment of the Siphon. Unfortunately, the delay caused by the brazen attacks by the Automatons meant that the Siphon was deployed too late to save Ivis. Ivis was torn apart by the Singularity on April 5th, 2185.
Blitz of the Altus Sector[]
| “ | It seems that the black hole created by the Dark Fluid was in fact a wormhole, to some dark depths of the galaxy in which the Illuminate were hidden. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
| “ | The Illuminate believe themselves enlightened, yet all their delving has not acquired them immunity to the liberation of an honestly-placed bullet. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
An Illuminate Overseer in combat.
With the destruction of Ivis, the Federation steeled its resolve to stop the Singularity once and for all. As the war continued, the Ministry of Science began the construction of the Repulsive Gravity Field Generator, with the sole purpose of bringing the Meridian Singularity to a complete stop. The Illuminate, seeing their plan for revenge being turned around so quickly, decided to immediately change course and, starting on April 20th, began to conduct raids on critical Super Earth facilities. From the 
Centre for Civilian Surveillance and Safety on Mastia and the construction site of the Repulsive Gravity Field Generator at Pilen V, to the Centre of Science and the Xenoentomology Centre on the Umlaut Sector, the Illuminate began to focus their invasion fleets on these crucial planets. The Helldivers were immediately redirected to these sites in order to prevent the Illuminate from delaying these critical projects.
Apparent Defeat of the Illuminate[]
| “ | Does this host comprise the full might of the Illuminate Cult? Or are there others, still trapped outside the galaxy, awaiting the opportunity to join their tentacled vanguard? | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
The Dark Fluid bomb scientists who created the wormhole are investigated for Illuminate mind control.
At long last, the Pilen V Repulsive Gravity Field Generator would be completed. On April 29th, it released a pulse that completely stopped the Meridia wormhole, saving the citizens of New Haven, Pilen V and Super Earth. After this Super Earth success, the Illuminate were seemingly completely wiped out: Ministry of Defense analysts theorized that the Illuminate were either completely exhausted of manpower during the last invasions, or fled the galaxy out of fear of the Federation's Democratic might.
The Invasion of Super Earth[]
| “ | The Illuminate likely spent the past 100 years constructing this fleet. Its gargantuan size is a reflection of our enemy's hatred for all things Free. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
| “ | The Illuminate long ago anointed themselves galactic shepherds. In their twisted minds, Super Earth is an existential threat that must be destroyed. Abject insanity... that jeopardizes the entire galaxy. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
The Great Host emerging from the Meridia wormhole.
After the Helldivers celebrated their apparent victory over the Illuminate, they were instead suddenly, and terribly, faced with the most dangerous crisis of Super Earth's history: after a four day long battle to repair and reconnect to Station 81, massive space-time disruptions shook the galaxy, centered towards the Heart of Liberty itself. Station 81 bravely sacrificed itself to provide final images: the Illuminate, with new monstrosities and enormous spacecraft known as Overships, emerging from Meridia with a singular destination - Super Earth itself.
No less than an hour after the fall of New Haven on the 20th of May, 2185, the Illuminate Great Host entered the Sol System and struck at Mars. Rather than stage an offensive, the Illuminate chose to raze the planet, burning its surface and everything on it to ash. All remaining Helldiver training sites across the planet, where rigorous, thorough, and safe training of the Galaxy's Elite had long occurred, were destroyed.
Thanks to the foresight of High Command, however, the planet's Helldiver training facilities and shipyards had been relocated to an undisclosed planet, though a number of expert training personnel were killed in the Mars attack. Though the destruction of Mars was a devastating blow, it was only a prelude to the real horror: with the Illuminate now officially in the Sol System, the Battle for Super Earth had begun.
Immediately after touching down on Super Earth, the Illuminate began their invasion: Overships hovered over Mega Cities, Leviathan warships roamed in the air, killing every human in sight, and countless Voteless and Overseers flooded the streets. Stingray jet fighters engaged Eagles, delaying them from assisting forces on the ground. In the chaos, Superstone National Park was destroyed.[5]
A squad of Helldivers make their last stand against the Illuminate atop the wreck of the Statue of Lady Liberty during the Battle of Super Earth.
All seemed hopeless for the Federation, until a force of over 200,000 Helldivers, pulled from every front and reserve, dropped onto Super Earth, landing in the Mega Cities and immediately engaging the squid-like aliens while being assisted by S.E.A.F. Army forces. Through the use of hidden planetary defense cannons, they began to shoot down any Overships in range and, by exploiting weak spots, destroying Leviathans. Soon after, a Major Order was enacted to thin Illuminate ground forces and disrupt their fleet's cohesion. High Command stated that the battle would last through several Major Orders, and the Helldivers were ordered to hold the Mega Cities; if the last one were to fall, so would Super Earth. The Divers and S.E.A.F. Army Troopers held their ground, but the future of Humanity's cradle was uncertain.
The Illuminate Great Host retreats from Super Earth.
After ten days of vicious fighting on the capital of Managed Democracy - which involved the fall of multiple Mega Cities and the death of the President of Super Earth - the Battle for Super Earth was won by the Federation. The Illuminate Great Host, once massive and intimidating, had been reduced to a fraction of its strength and warped away to parts unknown. Though multiple planets were now in ruin and tens of billions of citizens were killed, the Federation vowed to recover and seek revenge.
Illuminate Reappearance in the Galactic South[]
| “ | The battle is won, but the war is not yet over. We rejoice... and then seek retribution. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
For the longest time the interstellar ships of the Illuminate were undetectable by the Super Earth Navy. However, following the successful defense of Super Earth against the "Great Host", the Ministry of Science reverse-engineered Illuminate wreckage in order to defeat their cloaking mechanisms. These efforts proved fruitful, as the Ministry of Science was able to confirm that the Squ'ith's cloaking mechanisms used Dark Fluid to bend light around their smaller spacecrafts.
By identifying the resulting gravitational distortions, military analysts were able to identify Illuminate forces hiding on multiple planets in several outlying systems, all of which were previously ravaged by the Illuminate during their Raid Campaign. Thus, the stage was set for Operation Deep Cleaning spearheaded by the Helldivers, who were tasked to liberate Mog, Hydrobius, Bellatrix, and Haldus.
About 4 days later, Operation Deep Cleaning had ultimately failed. Due to some tactical miscalculations by the Helldivers, along with unexpectedly high Illuminate resistance on Mog in particular, only Mog and Bellatrix were fully liberated by the end of the Order. Even still, with Hydrobius at 35% liberation progress, the Helldivers were encouraged to continue their liberation efforts. Some hours later, these liberation efforts were forced to be on pause as the Terminids launched a massive assault on highly-developed worlds in the Korpus Sector. High Command immediately ordered the Helldivers to stage a defense, postponing ongoing Illuminate operations for the next week.
During the defense of multiple worlds from the Terminids, a deep-satellite in the orbit of Super Earth was apparently sabotaged. A dispatch to all Helldiver personnel was issued, stating that the Illuminate had interfered with the system. As such, numerous planets in the near vicinity of Hydrobius and Haldus were no longer observable, and were cut off from the FTL network. Analysts immediately stated that the likelihood of anti-Democratic activities on those planets was "Very High", and Helldiver galactic maps indicated red alert symbols over the designated planets.
A SEAF Soldier in a city twisted by the Illuminate.
Several days later, multiple planets in the Hanson and Akira sectors fell under Illuminate control. When the Super Earth Satellite Observation Network was finally repaired, the Federation discovered what the Squ'ith had been doing on the planets they had occupied: they had twisted entire cities and re-engineered their infrastructure into new, bizarre xeno-structures, the purpose of which was unknown. High Command immediately issued a Major Order and sent the Helldivers to assist the S.E.A.F. Army in reclaiming the altered cities and rescuing any uncorrupted citizens.
As of October 31st, the Illuminate now control 23 planets in the Galactic South spanning from Setia in the west to Haldus in the east. Now, with the establishment of new FTL lines to the rest of their former raid targets further west, it is likely that the Squ'ith will continue their expansionist efforts to re-establish their former empire. Only time will tell if the Helldivers can stop their advance.
Illuminate Culture[]
Rituals[]
| “ | Helldiver: You may encounter strange Illuminate structures within our invaded colonies. Whatever you do: do not touch them. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
Being a theocratic society and an apparent cult, the Illuminate often engage in mystical rituals with the intent of worshipping some unknown space deity. These rituals involve tall obelisks, monoliths, and tall, shining, metallic staffs and totems; the Squ'ith have spread the rumor that these rituals & artifacts are actually advanced technology which simply appears mystical to Super Earth citizens due to their advanced and "enlightened" nature.
Quest for Knowledge[]
| “ | According to historical texts, the Illuminate society is strictly hierarchical. Their leaders may be over a thousand years old. But ancient though they may be, their return has sealed their doom. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
During the First Galactic War, it was generally agreed upon by Super Earth analysts that the Squ'ith were ruled by an unhealthy quest for knowledge, with the social standing of an individual Squ'ith directly relating to how much knowledge they had acquired. Squids that failed to learn "fast enough" would become Outcasts and forced to fight on the frontlines against Helldivers, while the most knowledgeable were granted the revered rank of Illusionist or even could become a Council Member.
How much of this knowledge-based hierarchy remained intact between the two galactic wars is unknown. The Overseers, Elevated Overseers and Crescent Overseers in the Second Galactic War appear to retain some sort of social caste system, but what this ranking is remains to be seen. They may have descended into theocratic mysticism, but they still enjoy amassing knowledge.
Galactic Shepherding[]
| “ | The Illuminate long ago anointed themselves galactic shepherds. In their twisted minds, Super Earth is an existential threat that must be destroyed. Abject insanity... that jeopardizes the entire galaxy. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
At some point during their history, the Squ'ith adopted an ideology of conservationism for the galaxy's many lifeforms, wanting to preserve them from war, exploitation and conflict. According to a developer livestream, in a hypothetical world where Super Earth somehow wasn't involved, this philosophy would likely drive the Illuminate to war against the Automaton Legion due to the Automatons' reckless exploitation of resources and to protect the Terminids from being harvested for Element-710. Another possibility is that the Illuminate would also wield the Terminids themselves against the Bots.[6]
Illuminate Language[]
| “ | Can you smell it? The tantalizing scent of calamari, frying. Whenever you see Illuminate writing, recall the scent... and refocus on your mission. | „ |
| ~ Super Earth Meditation[7] |
The Illuminate, much like the Automatons, have developed their very own language over their thousands of years of evolution. However, unlike the Automatons, it does not consist of a hijacked language from Earth. Rather, the Illuminate seem to have developed their own alphabet and phonetics, though they are able to speak human languages, as demonstrated by their prior attempts to make peace with humanity before the First Galactic War. Additionally, the Illuminate can use their language to further confuse those who fall victim to their mind control, as Helldivers within the effect of a Cognitive Disruptor start seeing Illuminate characters in their UI instead of the normal stratagem names.
An inscription found on the legs of a Harvester.
The Illuminate alphabet is comprised of a series of lines and ellipses, never surpassing five strokes per character. The lines are all shaped like terrestrial cattail plants, with a thin tail and a large, elongated round cylinder head, while the ellipses are always half-circular, never surpassing one hundred eighty degrees. These characters can have a dot at any location, with the points found so far being at the center, the bottom-center and center-right, as well as a small line of even thickness striking through the thicker top of cattail lines. Additionally, some strokes feature a forking cattail line that follows its normal direction independent of its source line. It is possible that these dots and additional lines serve as accent marks, much like how tildes, carons, rings, and diaresis (among many others) are utilized in terrestrial languages.
It is not known whether these characters are to be read from left-to-right or right-to-left, nor if they are to be read from top to bottom or from the bottom to the top, as the sample of Illuminate script that can be found on the Harvester's legs is written on a longer limb. Additionally, it is not known whether the Illuminate writing system is phonetic, where each character is a grapheme that represents a vocal sound like in English, or logographic, where each character represents a whole word like in Japanese.
Other pictures of downed Harvesters have been left below in order to aid with the deciphering of the Illuminate language. Additionally, pictures of discovered Illuminate crates, barricades, ramparts and containers, all with inscriptions in Illuminate language, have been discovered.
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Another angle of the leg of a downed Illuminate Harvester, showcasing the length of the limb.
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Angle of the head of a downed Illuminate Harvester. Traces of an Illuminate inscription can be seen, although they are cut short by the broken chassis. The front face of the Harvester faces to the left of the picture.
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An Illuminate artifact. It appears to be a metallic energy scepter displaying a blue glyph. This might indicate the direction in which the Illuminate symbols are written.
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A Helldiver's Stratagem Menu in their Helmet Display, scrambled by an Illuminate Cognitive Disruptor. The characters will change every second in random order.
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An Illuminate container of some sort. Found close to a Cognitive Disruptor.
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An Illuminate barricade.
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An Illuminate container of an unknown sort.
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An Illuminate crate of an unknown sort.
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Illuminate boxes and ramparts.
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An Illuminate crate.
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An Illuminate barricade.
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An Illuminate barricade.
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Close-up of an Illuminate Monolith. Note the Illuminate characters in blue on the lateral fins, which may be blurred due to the Monolith's emissions
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Close-up of an Illuminate Monolith. Note the engraved Illuminate characters on the top antenna of the Monolith, which may be partially illegible due to the angle of the picture.
List of Illuminate Units[]
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List of Illuminate Structures[]
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Tactics[]
Infantry Gameplay[]
The Illuminate behave like a blend of both the Terminids and their waves on unrelenting hordes, mostly through the various waves of Voteless, and the dynamics of units such as the Commander and Heavy Devastator from the Automatons.
The Voteless, being zombies who have been stripped of their Freedom, are virtually the same as any small Terminid unit. Individually, they are fairly easy to take down, if more chunky as they are still humans with some extra flesh for bullets to punch through. When in crowds, it is always best to keep a distance from them, as the Voteless can lunge at random intervals and, since their attacks deal far more damage than that of a Terminid Scavenger, can take down a player with two or three attacks. The Fleshmobs are a heavier evolution of this concept, as they are an abominable amalgamation of multiple Voteless fused together into one grotesque creature.
The real challenge during fights are the Squ'ith themselves. Overseers come in three different variants; the normal Overseers carry polearms which can fire a blue bolt of plasma at range or, when Helldivers get too close, can be used in a devastating melee attack. When taking too much damage, the Overseers will deploy a blue energy shield that can take several magazines to overpower, which can easily lead to a Helldiver firing all of their ammunition to no avail. When faced with Overseers, the best tactic is to aim for the head when they are exposed and for the legs when their shields are up in order to stagger them and create more openings for you or other teammates to shoot them, all while keeping a safe distance so as to remain able to dodge any melee charges.
The Elevated Overseers are instead equipped with a special jetpack that allows them to fly. While flying, they shoot bursts of plasma bolts (which bear an uncanny resemblance to the PLAS-1 Scorcher's own plasma bolts) and occasionally will throw Illuminate High Explosive Grenades that, much like all other grenades thrown by enemies, can be tossed right back. The best tactic to deal with these enemies is to shoot their fairly exposed backpack when possible. However, engaging them head on is still possible, as Elevated Overseers do not have the ability to project a shield.
The third Overseer variant is the Crescent Overseer, which is equipped with a massive, shoulder-mounted plasma cannon. Said plasma cannon can be both used directly if Helldivers are in line of sight or as mobile artillery, designed to flush Helldivers out of cover. Like the Elevated Overseers, Crescent Overseers do not project energy shields.
The Watcher is an Illuminate scout unit. It projects a blue light cone as it patrols certain areas but will go into alert whenever it spots an enemy. When alerted, the Watcher's vision cone will go from blue to purple and, unless an Illuminate Warship has already been called, will immediately shoot a burst of white flares into the sky, summoning Illuminate Warp Ships to drop in hordes of enemies. If the Watcher cannot call for reinforcements, they will stalk the detected player from a distance while periodically shooting electric bolts at the player that momentarily stun them, much like how the ARC-3 Arc Thrower and A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower shoot out electric arcs.
The Harvesters are massive tripodic war machines that move slowly, but can deal devastation at a consistent pace. The Harvester moves constantly while projecting a blue shield bubble around its position, similar to how a Helldiver's own SH-32 Shield Generator Pack would encase them. Periodically, the Harvester will slow down significantly and project a blue beam from its central eye, which will very quickly kill any player it touches. If their targets are at close range, Harvesters unleash bursts of electric arcs that can deal devastating damage, much like how the ARC-12 Blitzer behaves.
To deal with Harvesters, players must first overpower its shield using their weapons or stratagems that deal a sustained burst of damage, such as the Eagle Cluster Bomb, the Orbital Airburst Strike, or the Orbital Gatling Barrage. Once the Harvester's shield is deactivated, players must then use explosive weaponry against the exposed tripods, making weapons such as the EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank or the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle crucial in taking down these walking abominations.
Objective Gameplay[]
The Illuminate objectives are a departure from how most others would be done.
The Illuminate Encampments, currently available in Light, Medium, and Heavy variants, consist of arrays of parked Warp Ships. Light Encampments will feature one saucer, Medium encampments will feature two, and Heavy Encampments can feature either three or four saucers. To destroy these ships, one must first overpower their blue bubble shields, then utilize explosive weaponry to destroy them, either by throwing a grenade into the glowing open doors or using any explosive stratagems. Certain stratagems will destroy the ships without the need to take down their shield, such as the Orbital 120mm HE Barrage, the Eagle 500kg Bomb, or the Orbital Precision Strike.
The Cognitive Disruptor is one of the most unique effects deployed by the Illuminate. While within its effect radius, the Illuminate disruptor will periodically randomize the code of every stratagem currently available at intervals of ten to fifteen seconds, with the shortest possible random code being three arrows and the longest being up to eight arrows. To disable the Cognitive Disruptor, Helldivers must either use enough explosive ordinance to destroy its power sources, or destroy the Cognitive Disruptor's four energy conversion panels that are attached to colonial power equipment. Once all four power sources have been destroyed, the Cognitive Disruptor is disabled and players will be able to use their stratagems as normal.
The Illuminate Monolith is a possible main mission objective that can appear. Whenever the Helldivers are in the map and the Monolith hasn't been destroyed, the Monolith will occasionally play a voice line for all players currently alive. The only way to destroy a Monolith is by calling down and detonating a Hellbomb within close proximity of the structure.
Sectors[]
So far, during the Second Galactic War, 34.7 billion Illuminate and 420.7 million Helldivers have died on the Illuminate Front. Below are statistics about all the Sectors:
| Sector | Status | Illuminate Killed
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Helldivers KIA
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| Saleria Sector | Super Earth Control
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3.5 Billion | 43.1 Million |
| Rictus Sector | Illuminate Presence
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2 Billion | 23.4 Million |
| Morgon Sector | Illuminate Presence
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843.8 Million | 9.6 Million |
| Guang Sector | Super Earth Control
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1 Billion | 11.5 Million |
| Akira Sector | Illuminate Presence
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1.7 Billion | 18.5 Million |
| Gallux Sector | Illuminate Presence
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1.6 Billion | 18.8 Million |
| Ferris Sector | Illuminate Presence
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1 Billion | 11.5 Million |
| Ursa Sector | Super Earth Control
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787.7 Million | 9 Million |
| Borgus Sector | Terminid Control
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344.8 Million | ? |
| Tarragon Sector | Super Earth Control
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966.6 Million | 10.9 Million |
| Meridian Sector | Super Earth Control
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1 Billion | 11.9 Million |
| Omega Sector | Illuminate Presence
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1 Billion | 11.3 Million |
| Rigel Sector | Super Earth Control
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1.9 Billion | 20.3 Million |
| Hanzo Sector | Illuminate Presence
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774.9 Million | 9 Million |
| Nanos Sector | Automaton Presence
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277.2 Million | ? |
| Korpus Sector | Super Earth Control
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250 Million | 2.6 Million |
| Alstrad Sector | Super Earth Control
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437.2 Million | 4.4 Million |
| Xi Tauri Sector | Super Earth Control
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515.8 Million | 5.9 Million |
| Leo Sector | Super Earth Control
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295.7 Million | 3.3 Million |
| Farsight Sector | Terminid Presence
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59.9 Million | ? |
| Quintus Sector | Super Earth Control
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553.4 Million | 6.1 Million |
| Umlaut Sector | Super Earth Control
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526 Million | ? |
| Altus Sector | Super Earth Control
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4.5 Billion | 69.4 Million |
| Marspira Sector | Automaton Presence
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259.7 Million | ? |
| Celeste Sector | Terminid Presence
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93.3 Million | ? |
| Tanis Sector | Automaton Presence
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45.1 Million | ? |
| Severin Sector | Super Earth Control
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45.2 Million | ? |
| Theseus Sector | Super Earth Control
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4,000 | ? |
| Sol System | Super Earth Control
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7.9 Billion | 120.2 Million |
| Cancri Sector | Illuminate Presence
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? | ? |
Trivia[]
- The Illuminate appear to take inspiration from several alien empires found in popular sci-fi. The faction as a whole bears heavy resemblance to both the Combine from Half-Life 2 and the Covenant from Halo, the Harvesters are likely inspired by the Martian Tripod from War of the Worlds, and the Warp Ships are likely inspired by the classic flying saucer UFOs. The Illuminate may also be inspired by the Reapers from Mass Effect due to their use of corrupted humans and their capital ships resembling aquatic life.
- Prior to their resurgence, the Illuminate music file was leaked online. Once Meridia was destroyed and had collapsed into a black hole, players would discover that the sound coming from it was a slowed down version of the Illuminate music.
- Certain variants of the Heavy Illuminate Encampment are built on top of Element-710 Storage Facilities. The reason for this would remain a mystery until the discovery of Element-711 during the Great Expedition to Oshaune in September 2185. The ability to synthesize E-711 into Dark Fluid would finally serve to explain this.
- All Illuminate units, even the Voteless, bleed blue and splatter blue blood onto surfaces when damaged or killed. This is most visible on players that survive long encounters against the Illuminate.
- Blue blood is usually produced by hemocyanin, a copper-containing protein that animals like octopuses, horseshoe crabs, and squids use, and which turns into a bright blue color when oxygenated.
- Both the Illuminate Overseer and Elevated Overseer have a dark blue skin underneath their armor, which gets exposed when they take enough damage.
- It has been suggested by some that the symbols that appear in the stratagem menu when under the effects of a Cognitive Disruptor could be used to translate the Squ'ith language, though this has neither been confirmed nor denied.
- Touching the Monolith makes players explode due to "Unknowable Forces". However, if they wear an armor set with the "Fortified" perk, they can survive.[8]
- If an active Hellbomb is placed closed enough to the Monolith, this can be used to prematurely detonate the Hellbomb, as the "Unknowable Forces" from the Monolith still cast an explosion on the player's position which can pre-emptively detonate the Hellbomb.
- The Voteless seem to show progressive stages of infection, with most severely affected citizens looking very close to their Overseer masters.
- The Illuminate were seemingly eliminated on April 29th, 2185 but came back on May 13th with the emergence of The Great Host from the Meridia Wormhole. Similarly, the Illuminate would seemingly be eliminated on May 30th after their defeat on Super Earth, only for them to later resurface in June. This makes the Illuminate the only faction to have been wiped out of the Galactic War Map twice.
References[]
- ↑ Helldivers 2 - Omens of Tyranny Deep Dive
- ↑ Illuminate Propaganda - Super Destroyer Announcements
- ↑ "Helldivers, we remind you to get your copy of the Freedom's Beacon front page from December 12, 2184"
- ↑ The Razing of Mars
- ↑ "Super Earth Invaded" - Strohmann News
- ↑ Someone asked "What do the three factions think about each other?" on this timemark
- ↑ Helldivers 2 TV - Super Earth Meditation Tune (With Quotes)
- ↑ "The developer team knew we would try this..."