Helldivers 2 players have finally wrapped up the Menkent liberation Major Order, securing encryption keys about Vessel 00… but at what cost? The binary choice between Menkent and Aesir Pass meant unlocking intel on either Vessel 00 or the “Nucleus,” with High Command warning that Automatons would purge data from whichever site wasn’t chosen first.
The community voted with their feet, prioritizing Menkent’s two-planet route over Aesir Pass’s three-planet slog. Practical? Sure. Strategically sound? Increasingly questionable as the implications sink in.
High Command’s success message reveals Vessel 00 departed Cyberstan in 2180, four years before the initial bot assault. It’s referred to as the Automatons’ “seed or origin” with programmed reverence. Interesting backstory, but hardly actionable intelligence for winning wars.
Meanwhile, the Nucleus data got purged the moment Menkent fell. That intel—whatever it contained about Automaton command structures or manufacturing capabilities—is gone forever. High Command can’t recover it. The bots made sure of that.
Why Nucleus Intel Might Have Changed Everything for the Helldivers
The term “nucleus” almost always signals a command center, whether it’s the heart of a living cell or the brain of an organization. Applied to Automatons, it likely referred either to their central AI cores or their primary manufacturing hubs. Either option would’ve carried significantly more weight than any Cyborg spaceship lore.
What Super Earth needs most right now against the Automatons is clarity. How the bots coordinate across sectors, where their reinforcements are built, and who—or what—directs the entire machine. Vessel 00 sheds no light on these questions. Yes, it confirms ties to Cyberstan, but it reveals no vulnerabilities to exploit.
Database One represented Super Earth’s biggest intelligence coup since the Second Galactic War began. The encryption keys on Menkent and Aesir Pass were the only chance to unlock specific sections before enemy purge protocols activated.
Yet when it came time to decide, the community chose convenience over strategy. Two planets seemed easier than three, but war has never been about taking shortcuts. Aesir Pass may have been the harder target, but the prize could have helped cripple Automaton operations for good.
The Factory Worlds Connection You Probably Didn’t See Coming
Here’s where things get a tad uncomfortable. In early September, prominent dataminer IronS1ghts leaked details about Automaton “Factory Worlds”—industrial planets built around colossal production cities, each with unique objectives. These aren’t just theories anymore; the game’s files confirm that they’re in active development:
(Leak) Automaton Factory Worlds#Helldivers2
Automaton factory worlds are now in development, containing many unique objectives, and large "factory" cities.
Alongside these worlds, the automaton are developing a "Superweapon", which I may talk about in the future. pic.twitter.com/eifUKy1pEr
Factory Worlds would explain endless bot reinforcements. They’re the manufacturing backbone keeping Automaton armies supplied across all fronts. Nucleus intel might’ve revealed their locations, production capacities, or operational vulnerabilities. Instead, that data got purged because two planets seemed easier than three.
IronS1ghts also pointed to something even more alarming: an Automaton superweapon, essentially a Death Star equivalent, featuring a single planet-killing annihilation cannon visible on the galactic map.
(Leak) The Automaton Superweapon#Helldivers2
A planet-size superweapon constructed by the automatons, following the construction of factory worlds.
This device is built around a single annihilation cannon, likely capable of destroying planets.
This superweapon will be visible… pic.twitter.com/vU9s51Rfsg
The timing couldn’t be worse. If “Nucleus” truly referred to Automaton command or manufacturing infrastructure, then losing that intel means Super Earth will face both Factory Worlds and the superweapon blind. The data might have revealed production schedules, critical facilities, or even ways to halt construction. Now? Helldivers will discover everything the hard way.
The million-Super-Credit question here remains: did the community trade critical intelligence on future threats for lore about a spaceship that vanished four years before the war began? Arrowhead won’t confirm, and Cyberstan remains “deep behind enemy lines” with liberation delayed indefinitely.
What intel would’ve actually helped win this war—understanding bot origins or understanding bot operations? The answer seems obvious now, doesn’t it? Drop your thoughts below, Helldivers.
