By Brian Garcia Helldivers 2 has pitted the soldiers of Super Earth against its three alien factions, but one stands out for all the wrong reasons. While the Terminid bugs and the Automaton bots are a menace, the Illuminate faction is under fire from the player base.
For many of the newer players to Arrowhead Game Studios’ game, especially the ones coming in on Xbox, their first encounter with Stingrays, Fleshmobs, and Overseers doesn’t feel like a fair fight but a brick wall. Despite their rich lore and terrifying design, the community argues that they remain severely unbalanced.
Why the Illuminate Ruin the New Player Experience in Helldivers 2
A growing number of high-level players have pointed out that the Illuminate completely breaks the game’s onboarding process. On “Trivial” and “Easy” missions, which are the difficulties that new players play on, we’re getting high-level squid spawns like the Stingrays and Overseer squads that aren’t supposed to be there.
Players are noting that these enemies spawn far too early, leaving the newer players stuck in a loop of instant deaths and failed objectives. As one Redditor put it, “It’s almost like the Illuminate have no difficulty setting at all… Fleshmobs and Stingrays show up way too early.”
Redditor u/Danilablond described completing a “difficulty 2” mission that felt more like a level 10 difficulty in a Terminid mission, with nearly 400 enemy kills required just to extract. For players starting out with only the Liberator or Constitution rifle, the faction’s overwhelming numbers and instant-kill mechanics are a mountain to climb.
It’s silly when you compare it to Terminids or Automatons because their early threats scale more gently. Unlike the Bugs and Bots, who introduce their stronger enemy types gradually, the Illuminate seem to lack a proper difficulty curve, and a lot of players are saying that they feel unfinished. As u/Samuel_Alexander put it, “Illuminate is clearly unfinished. I’ve seen some leaks of what’s to come, and it seems too ambitious. I’m scared it’ll be another buggy mess.”
A Faction With Great Lore but Weak Execution
The irony is that from a lore perspective, the Illuminate should be one of Helldivers 2’s most exciting factions. As ancient, squid-like aliens known as the Squ’ith, their history stretches back to the First Galactic War, when they nearly rivaled Super Earth in power. Before their release last year, they were the most anticipated addition to the game.
Helldivers, join the fight against the Omens of Tyranny!
The newest major update featuring the return of the Illuminate faction, is now live! High Command has ordered all Helldivers to report to their Super Destroyers – time to give these squids hell.https://t.co/4KVGeXtgK4 pic.twitter.com/hipvZSVupJ
And even this year, we saw their presence in the lore with the Heart of Democracy update that turned Super Earth into a battlefield. These missions showcased the Illuminate at their best. Unpredictable, chaotic, and distinct from other factions. But outside those moments, we’re seeing their worst flaws in the everyday missions. It seems like the gameplay hasn’t lived up to the promise of the lore.
With the current Major Order being the first squid-themed one for Xbox divers, these problems will become all too clear, all too soon. It’s easy for all the higher-level players who can adapt to every situation with their gear and experience, but we might be leaving the newer players to deal with these issues on their own.
What have you thought of the Illuminate since their release? Let us know in the comments!
