Helldivers 2 players’ latest Major Order seeks to bring an end to Meridia by turning it into a giant black hole.
Developer Arrowhead Studios made its will known to all players today, commemorating the “Enduring Peace” movement with a special video that calls for an end to Meridia’s Terminid Supercolony. The message notes that the planet’s destruction will be “a tragedy” but says that the Terminid invasion leaves Super Earth no choice. The Major Order’s in-game description (captured and shared by @HelldiversAlert on X/Twitter) offers more insight into how the war will progress.
“We must seize this opportunity to destroy the Terminid Supercolony. Helldivers all across the planet will deploy with a limited supply of the exotic matter known as Dark Fluid, and insert it at critical points in the planet’s crust,” the Enduring Peace Major Order says.
MAJOR ORDER: OPERATION "ENDURING PEACE"
— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) May 30, 2024
The time has come. We must eradicate the Meridia Supercolony via experimental deployment of weaponized Dark Fluid.
The destruction of an entire planet is a tragedy - but the tyrannical Terminids leave us no choice. Good luck, Helldivers. pic.twitter.com/155a9bCnfV
The message continues: “Once critical mass is reached, the planet will collapse into a black hole, destroying the threat to Liberty once and for all.”
Transforming Meridia into a black hole means using a “well-understood alien superweapon", and some Helldivers 2 players are feeling a bit on edge. When Helldivers were asked to spread a neurotoxin known as Termicide earlier this year, flying Terminid enemies known as Shriekers began to emerge. Now players fear their latest Major Order could result in the reemergence of the long-extinct Illuminate enemies.
“This is completely different than the termicide superweapon that backfired, so we will totally be fine,” one Reddit user said. “No chance of those extinct Illuminate aliens showing up.”
“How could they? They’re extinct,” another user replied. “Liberty declared them a threat to peace and smited them.”
The Illuminate, a faction that was explored in the original Helldivers, has been a hot topic among Super Earth defenders for a few months. Rumors of their return began when players took notice of mysterious, blue sky lasers in March, and what seemed to be leaked new enemy designs made their way online soon after.
We’ll have to wait to see if Helldivers 2 players are successful in their mission to deploy the Dark Fluid. If they are, it could mean the end of Meridia and a new beginning for something even more fearsome. Until then, you can read up on how Arrowhead wants to grow. Then, be sure to check out what the team is doing to keep Helldivers coming back for more.
You can also read our 9/10 review of Helldivers 2, where we said, “Helldivers 2's combat feels fantastic, its missions stay fresh and interesting, and its smart progression system doesn’t nickel and dime you.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
