Helldivers 2 Leak Reveals Exploding Planet

thegamer.com:

We know that the Illuminate will join the galactic war in Helldivers 2, but we don't know when or why. However, leakers have just uncovered a shot of an exploding planet, which some claim will be the catalyst for the Illuminate's arrival.

Spoilers for Helldivers 2 follow.

Dataminer IronS1ghts revealed the exploding planet on the dedicated leaks subreddit. Supposedly, it's Meridia, one of the Terminid worlds which recently became a super colony. That means the bugs are rapidly mutating and breeding at such a pace that sending soldiers to fend them off is no longer a feasible way to deal with the threat, hence the worldwide annihilation.

IronS1ghts also leaked a "Dark Fluid Containment Device" which is a key part of the "Dark Fluid Research Station" objective. This will likely be pivotal to the Major Order in which we will destroy Meridia - some fans even theorise that we will create a black hole with this fluid to consume the planet.

So far, we've only fought the Automatons and Terminid in Helldivers 2, the former a new faction created by the original games' Cyborgs. But there is another species we've yet to face - the Illuminate.

They call themselves the Squi'th, a highly advanced aquatic species that wears ceremonial robes and is protected by blue energy shields. Some players have seen their weapons in action already, and there have even been sightings of ominous cloaked warships far larger than ours lying in the atmosphere of Automaton planets, so the Illuminate are likely observing us right now.

When they eventually join the war, they will likely attack from the south, a part of the map that is suspiciously empty right now.

Perhaps they're watching to see how strong we are, and when they discover that we have weapons capable of wiping out entire planets, they'll deem us too powerful to leave unchecked. Hopefully, we won't find out too soon.

Helldivers 2 is the sequel to the third-person shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios. This time out, the