| “ | The ravenous Terminids are guided solely by an instinctive urge to reproduce, spread, and destroy Democracy. They are a fast-evolving plague, a shapeshifting infestation that threatens to devour and disenfranchise every single child on every single planet. | „ |
| ~ Helldivers 2 PlayStation Store Page |
The 
Terminids, sometimes referred to as the Terminid Horde or Terminid Swarm, and commonly called Bugs, are one of the enemy factions in the Second Galactic War. They have control over 21 planets. The Terminids have been identified as "Fascist" by 
Super Earth, despite the individual Terminid clearly being incapable of comprehending the ideology. As a whole, they engage in fascism with their violent atrocities against the citizenry of Super Earth and with their undemocratic power structure.
For a detailed look at the 
Bugs during the First Galactic War, check their article HERE
Galactic Geography[]
The Terminids infest nine sectors, L'estrade, Sten, Falstaff, Mirin, Draco, Umlaut, Farsight and Jin Xi. They have also previously infested two other sectors, the Borgus Sector and the Orion Sector
The Terminids reside in the Eastern side of the Galaxy stretching from Diaspora X in the North to Pherkad Secundus in the South. The Terminids have mostly stayed in the same place in the Galaxy since February, unlike the 
Automatons who went further north during the Reclamation. After the activation of the Terminid Control System, a state of back and forth was created in the Mirin and Draco Sectors through late March and April and was only ended after the failure of the Terminid Control System and the creation of the Meridian Supercolony.
The Orion Sector was invaded for the first time since March with Terminid spores reaching all the way to Cirrus. The Jin Xi Sector was also attacked for the first time in history with Terminids reaching as far as Phact Bay. Operation Enduring Peace and the destruction of the Meridia Supercolony seemed to put things back to what they were before the Terminid Control System failed, but FTL lines to the Falstaff and Jin Xi Sectors on June 18th and 20th changed that. Now, no sector was safe from the Terminids. Another worrying event conducted by the Terminds was the attack on Gatria, as it was attacked by the Bugs without an FTL line connecting to it. This is still unexplained to this day, but Gatria would be retaken on July 11th.
The Escalation of Freedom initiative would shake up the Terminid front dramatically with a Termind Spore cloud called The Gloom appearing around Enuliale, then continuing to expand exponentially until August 27th, where growth has remained stagnant ever since. Yet, the Terminids would continue to spread chaos and destruction, as the Gloom' own spores soon began to bolster one terminid offensive after the other. By the time of the resurgence of the 
Illuminate at the battle of Calypso, the Terminids not only had managed to hold their lines but would soon push all the way to Moradesh and Pherkad Secundus, marking the height of their expansion.
The Bug homeworld of Kepler Prime is missing from the Galactic Map, probably because it is uninhabitable due to Super Earth's bombardment of the planet.
History[]
First Galactic War[]
| “ | The federation has decided that the Bug threat is becoming too great. Senator John W. Killjoy declared: "The Bugs have been a plague in this galaxy for far too long, they must now be eradicated before they spread to other worlds." [...] "The Helldivers are the outfit best suited for this task. While they're on the surface of the many bug infested worlds, they have the possibility to activate lost oil pumps that are essential to the survival of the human race." This is also proven by scientist Henk Ploeg Ph.D.: "The Bugs rapidly generate vast quantities of oil when they decompose. This is beneficial, but is not the primary reason why the Bugs must be exterminated. They are far too dangerous to be allowed to live." | „ |
| ~ Bug War Announcement |
The Bugs, or Terminids, were originally a sentient extraterrestrial species, their form reminiscent of very large Earth insects, arachnids, or crustaceans. As far as the scientists of 
Super Earth know, their homeworld is originally Kepler Prime, a desert planet on the eastern fringe of the galaxy.
Before the First Galactic War, humans discovered that Terminids generate vast quantities of oil called "Element-710" during decomposition, similar to how Earth's pre-human lifeforms provide us with fossil fuel sources. When the first war was announced against the Bugs, mention was made of "lost oil pumps" on Bug-infested planets that the 
Helldivers were to reactivate. These oil pumps could also be found on Kepler Prime, with the implication being that the Federation had attempted the extraction of E-710 on the Terminid homeworld beforehand – possibly triggering the Bugs to attack them.
Super Earth defeats the Bugs on Kepler Prime in 2084.
Super Earth propaganda depicted the Bugs as a threat that would infest the entire galaxy if not suppressed. However, when the war against the Bugs was won in 2084, the tune was quickly changed; suddenly, the Bugs were a rare and valuable species that was a potentially unlimited supply of oil for Super Earth, and eliminating them "just wouldn't be right from a moral perspective". Following this, a certain scientist called Dr. Henk Ploeg worked on a way to safely breed the Terminids in a controlled manner.
Element-710 Farms[]
| “ | You know these actually aren't exactly the same bugs we fought during the Great Galactic War? Yeah, 100 years of rapid evolution, not to mention all the genetic modification they got on the E-710 farms. | „ |
| ~ Service Technician |
After the defeat of the Bugs during the First Galactic War, the creatures were confined to farms and bred, raised, and harvested to produce E-710. This, along with Super Earth conducting tests on them, forever altered the biology of the Terminids, making them more spindly and creating a toxic version of E-710 called Bile, as well as turning them solely into a biological source of spaceship fuel. This farming would last all through the Great Democratisation until February 2184, when billions of Terminids would rise up and overrun the Eastern sectors, marking one of the two starting events of the Second Galactic War.
After the start of the Second Galactic War, human rebels would set up illegal broadcasts telling Federation citizens that the Terminid menace was the fault of their government; broadcasts that the Helldivers would immediately be deployed to shut down.
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"Wake up people! The Bug menace is a Super Earth construct!" -
"This threat is all about oil! The government made this!"
Operation Valiant Enclosure[]
| “ | The Terminids spent decades content on the E-710 farms. Now their most destructive instincts run rampant, to the detriment of all. | „ |
| ~ Democracy Officer |
In retaliation to the Terminid outbreaks and Automaton incursions, the Helldivers were re-mobilised to numbers not seen since the First Galactic War. The newly recruited Helldivers were immediately issued Operation Valiant Enclosure, a multiphase operation to contain the growing Terminids by using a network of towers called the Terminid Control System, or the TCS, to spray Termicide, a chemical that can efficiently kill an entire planet's Terminid population in just a few hours. The location of the TCS was decided to be on the Barrier Planets, a line of four worlds occupied by the Bugs. To reach the Umlaut Sector the Helldivers were ordered to take Heeth and Angel's Venture. Both were taken by February 14th, but surprise Automaton attacks into the Xzar Sector put Operation Valiant Enclosure on hold until a Terminid outbreak on Veld threatened to derail all effort on the front. The outbreak was crushed with ease within a day, but the Terminid attacks on Heeth and Angel's Venture pushed the 
SEAF's efforts out of the Umlaut Sector.
Terminid Control System[]
Finally, on March 12th, Super Earth High Command issued the activation of the Terminid Control System, which would finally rid the Terminids for centuries to come, blocking them behind an impassable wall of Termicide. Over four days, brave engineers and Helldivers worked day and night to rid the worlds of the Umlaut Sector from the Terminid Horde, and on March 15th, all TCS towers in the Sector were activated, culling 99.6% of all Terminids across all four planets.
With the end of Operation Valiant Enclosure and creation of the Terminid Control System, the SEAF continued their liberation of Terminid territory in Operation Prime Liberation and Operation CBCT Protection. During this operation, on March 21st, an evolution among the ranks of Terminids was confirmed by the Ministry of Intelligence. These Terminids are capable of flying, and were named Shriekers. Similarly, the Terminids forced Spore Spewers and Shrieker Nests to develop augmented protection against grenades and small explosive munitions.
Meridia Supercolony[]
Despite the early mutations, the Terminid Control System continued to work well until the Termicide itself failed. Through a novel process called "hormesis", the Terminids managed to not only develop resistance to the Termicide but, even worse, managed to use it to dramatically increase their reproductive pace, getting such a boost that they managed to transform Meridia into a Supercolony in April of 2184.
From April to June, this Terminid Supercolony managed to wreak havoc all over the Eastern Sectors until, on June 2nd, Meridia was destroyed through the use of the Dark Fluid in order to re-stabilize the Terminid front.
The Gloom[]
The Gloom appeared on August 6th, 2184, around the vicinity of the planet Enuliale, which had fallen during the initial February outbreak. It is a mysterious nebula composed of extremely high concentrations of intergalactic Terminid spores, which are spore clouds that are capable of getting across the emptiness of space and can provoke Terminid outbreaks wherever they go.
Little is known about the Gloom, as all attempts to study it have ended in failure, been sabotaged, or have yielded little results.
From the Gloom sprang up old Terminid variants, such as the Impalers, which were first re-discovered on August 6th, 2184 during the defense of Socorro III against the first and so far, largest, ever Terminid Super Onslaught.
Return of the Illuminate[]
With the Gloom, new spore outbursts would continue to bolster the Terminids expansion for the months after the campaign at Socorro. From August to October, the Helldivers would be forced to maintain significant contingents at the Terminid Front in order to hold the line against the Terminids while providing resources for the Democracy Space Station. This tug of war would ultimately take a turn for the worse once the Democracy Space Station was activated, as the Terminid Research Preserve at Acamar IV was breached and soon spiraled into the near-total loss of the Jin Xi Sector.
But, it wouldn't be until the Illuminate resurfaced on December 12th, 2184, that the Terminid Front would shift. With the Helldivers now further fragmented, the SEAF frontlines collapsed and the Terminids would not only advance all the way back to Cirrus but also invaded the Farsight Sector for the first time in the war.
Power Structure[]
When outside the safety of Super Earth's E-710 farms, Terminids form a crude, fascistic hierarchy based around a particular Terminid's genetic composition. Certain Terminids, such as the Brood and Alpha Commanders, seem to be able to give rudimentary commands to other Terminids through pheromones. This command is fragile, however, as bugs will often lose all control and formation when in the presence of Helldivers and attack mindlessly.
Regardless, it can be noticed that certain bugs, such as the Bile Titan and Impaler, are the most elite amongst the Terminid horde, as they often patrol alone if they ever happen to spawn naturally at a Nest or Minor Point of Interest.
Factions[]
Terminids[]
The Terminids resemble gigantic bug creatures with deadly adaptations and instincts. In contrast to Automatons, almost all Terminids use their claws to inflict damage on Helldivers, with a few exceptions in the form of units that possess long-range attacks. As such, Terminids will attempt to rapidly close distance and surround Helldivers, resulting in most battles being conducted at close range and compelling Helldivers to try and gain distance from Bugs. Close-range and crowd-control equipment will be the most effective against the Terminid Horde.
List of Terminid Units[]
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List of Terminid Structures[]
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Terminid Biology and Morphology[]
Terminids are a species of extra-terrestrial insectoids, sharing many similarities with arthropods native to Earth, such as multiple limbs, insect-like mandibles, and an exoskeleton. Terminid hives rely heavily on spores, as they are present near every Terminid hive structure. This suggests that Terminids are either two separate species, one animal and one fungal working in a symbiotic relationship, or a single animal-like species capable of producing fungal-like spores. The existence of very fungal structures made to produce either spores or eggs further complicates their relationship.
The Terminids of the Second Galactic War are descendants of the Bugs fought in the First Galactic War. However, they are considerably different, probably due to either large-scale genetic alteration by Super Earth or heavy mutation from confined populations. Sometime before the First Galactic War, Super Earth had discovered that dead Terminid bodies decay into an oil-like substance which they named Element-710, the pursuit of which ensured that peace would never be an option.
With the end of the First Galactic War in 2084, the Bugs were put onto specific planets to farm them for Element-710. Super Earth then proceeded to perform genetic experiments on Terminids to increase their Element-710 production and possibly create new breeds. This experimentation resulted in the body chemistry of some Terminids becoming highly unstable, producing massive amounts of a highly acidic substance called "Bile". This resulted in the creation of the Bile breed, a species that can spew the corrosive acid at their targets. Other mutations resulting from this experimentation include gigantism and near invisibility.
Predator Strain[]
| “ | A Gloom-enhanced strain of Terminids has been reported on this planet. SEAF patrols have been lured into ambushes and picked off by unseen assailants. Every ounce of a Helldiver's superior senses will be required to hunt down this dangerous threat. | „ |
~  Predator Strain Description
|
On February 15th, 2185, Gloom-enhanced variations of various Terminid units appeared on Fenrir III. Dubbed the "Predator Strain", the Gloom has augmented the Hunter and Stalker with unique abilities and behaviors, giving birth to the Predator Hunter and Predator Stalker units.
Reports from the field indicate discoloration, increased intelligence and drastic changes to hunting patterns.[1] Predator strains are unique for their carapace sporting a black and yellow pattern, along with being faster and much more aggressive than their normal counterparts. Luckily, the Predator strains seem to be confined to upper Terminid space, specifically Hellmire as they were only spotted on Fenrir III during Operation Emperor's New Brood and Operation Black Hole Sun.
Trivia[]
- The Terminids are reminiscent of the Arachnids from the Starship Troopers universe. They carry similar monikers, like being referred to as "bugs" and their homes as "bug holes". The objectives pursued toward the elimination of the bugs are similar to those seen in Starship Troopers (destroying their nests and cleansing planets of them). Similar biology can be seen between the Terminids and Arachnids as well, their forelimbs being of similar shape and the Tankers (ST) being alike to the Chargers (HD2); the Bile Spewers (HD2) to the Plasma Bugs (ST); Shriekers (HD2) to the Wasps (ST). They share similar strategies too, being: strength in numbers, melee preference strategies, swarm tactics, chemical warfare, and divide and conquer. "Stick together, Helldivers! They're just stupid bugs!"
- The Terminids also share characteristics with the Tyranids from the Warhammer 40.000 Universe such as the control certain bugs have over lower variants or the biletitan/biotitan similarity.
- Molted shells of Hive Lords from Helldivers 1 can be occasionally seen throughout Terminid planets, suggesting that a century of rapid evolution has allowed them to attain even more advanced forms, but living individuals of whatever made these have yet to be seen.
- Recently, Terminids have developed immunity to the Termicide that has been previously spread by TCS Towers in the Umlaut Sector, and have now attacked all four of barrier planets, infecting Meridia to the point of no return in the process.
- It is helpful to note that, unlike the Automatons, Terminid spawns may vary from mission to mission. These are as follows:
- Pouncers and Bile Spitters seem to replace each other in the spawn table.
- Nursing Spewers and Bile Spewers seem to replace each other in the spawn table.
- Bile Warriors only appear if Bile Spewers and Bile Spitters spawn but DO NOT replace the normal Warriors.
- As of Patch 1.000.400, Shrieker patrols now also have a chance of appearing as an operation modifier.
- Based on the results of the TCS, the Terminid research initiative as well as experimentation with collected Gloom spores, Terminids tend to mutate when put under external pressure -- whether natural or unnatural. This causes them reproduce faster as well as produce more and higher quality E-710, however it also causes them to adapt or even create entirely new bug subspecies (or bring back old ones thought extinct). In fact, E-710 may be the catalyst for their mutative process, though this has yet to be confirmed or denied by the Ministry of Science.
