Helldivers 2’s ongoing Galactic War appears to have reached another turning point, with the Federation declaring victory over the Illuminate.
“The Illuminate have retreated from Super Earth battlespace,” reads the in-universe message to the game’s community. “The Heart of Democracy has been defended. The Battle of Super Earth is won.”
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The Illuminate’s invasion certainly took its toll on Super Earth, with only two Mega Cities left standing: Prosperity City and Equality-on-Sea.
“Remaining Illuminate forces were last observed making FTL jumps from Super Earth orbit,” the message continues. “The enemy has also vacated New Haven, Pilen V, and Widow's Harbor, burning the surface of those planets as they fled. No stations detect Illuminate forces — the enemy has gone into hiding. They will be found.
“After days of nonstop fighting, Super Earth stands. The mettle of Managed Democracy has been tested; the will of the people has overcome the enemy. The Helldivers have achieved victory.”
The thing is, no-one actually believes the Helldivers have achieved a long-lasting victory here. As is developer Arrowhead’s way, Federation communication is by default propaganda, and further turmoil is almost certainly coming down the pipe. And players really want to chase the Illuminate as they retreat, potentially to their home planet to stamp them out for good.
Meanwhile, an in-game message revealed the President of Super Earth was killed while fighting back the Illuminate forces. But again, there was a healthy dose of scepticism from players, with some saying it might have been an Illuminate communication in disguise. What’s really going on here?
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It’s worth noting that Helldivers 2 suffered a controversy this week surrounding the invasion, leading to a fresh flood of negative reviews.
In the days since the Heart of Democracy update went live, players have fought to hold the various Mega Cities of Super Earth, which correspond to major cities in real-life. York Supreme, for example, corresponds roughly to New York, and Remembrance to Buenos Aires. As the invasion continued, more and more cities fell, leaving only Equality-On-Sea (Shanghai) and Super Earth's capital, Prosperity City (Stockholm) standing.
Efforts rallied behind Equality-On-Sea to make a last stand. But Equality-On-Sea never hit 100%; the current arc closed with the cities' percentage meter at 99.9783%. Many of the negative reviews are in Chinese, and while the machine translation doesn't seem accurate enough to quote, there are some recurring points one can easily glean: frustration over driving the narrative, the perception of a thumb on the scale from Arrowhead, and repeat mentions of "99.9783%."
What’s next? Well, for a start, the Federation needs a new president. Let’s see what Game Master Joel has up his sleeve.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
