Helldivers 2 players have succeeded in their mission to destroy a Terminid supercolony by turning its host planet into an all consuming black hole, but are now growing concerned at what might step through.
The creation of the black hole has been brewing since Helldivers 2's first major order — large scale missions which shape the game's overall narrative — as it saw players "liberate" a string of planets from the claws of a bug-like alien race known as the Terminids.
This mission, dubbed Operation Valiant Enclosure, allowed for the creation of a network of termicide-dispensing towers which were later activated in a March campaign that was also, seemingly, successful.
These scientists boasted about removing a whole planet from the space
But what about after that?
It was artificially created and there is High chances it’s not even a black hole!
It could be a passage or even door to endless horrors!
The planet was maybe moved not destroyed!
— Rokirtech (@Rokirtech) June 2, 2024
But the introduction of the termicide forced the aliens to evolve and create a super colony on the world of Meridian, where they reproduced at an uncontrollable rate. Super Earth’s brightest decided the only measured and reasonable way to stamp out the colony was to inject masses of weaponized "dark fluid" deep into the planet’s crust, where it would merge to transform the world into a fledgling black hole.
Many in the community have taken to social media to celebrate the the birth of their new cosmic child, but others have been left pondering if their latest win will come back to bite them in the long run. Super Earth’s campaigns have an unpleasant habit of accelerating the arrival of an ever greater, previously hidden threat, after all, and some are even questioning whether the dark expanse is even a black hole at all.
Those unsettled players have pointed out the suspected black hole is missing certain elements seen in its real life counterparts, such as a ring of glowing debris known as an accretion disk or a photon ring. Others have theorised that, black hole or n, it may even be a portal through which a new enemy could emerge.
Its impossible for anything to emerge from a black hole’s event horizon in real life, of course, but the existence of legions of murder robots, instantaneous travel between star systems, and countless other sci-fi elements have shown that developer Arrowhead Studios and its galaxy master Joel aren't necessarily bound to realism.
The portal theory seems perfectly plausible in that regard, and even more so when considering the "dark fluid" used to create the black hole was a form of synthesised exotic matter recovered from a technologically advanced alien race called the Illuminate, who featured in the original 2015 Helldivers title but have yet to make an appearance in its sequel. Many in the Helldivers 2 community are adamant the Illuminate's reveal is imminent after the appearance of mysterious blue beams sniping players out of nowhere (and a series of leaks revealing enemy models).
Joel only knows what will happen next, but for the time being Helldivers will likely be asked to return to Automaton controlled space to win back the planets lost last month. Super Earth scientists are working on a new and improved termicide formula in the meantime, because why learn from the mistakes of the past?
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
