All factions in Helldivers 2

The Helldivers 2 factions are the two main armies that players will be going up against, but many are hoping for a third faction who made their presence known in the previous game - the Illuminate. Whether they'll show up still remains to be seen, or whether there'll be different factions new to the canon altogether that can be added to the already-expansive Helldivers 2 enemies list, but below we'll explain all the factions in Helldivers 2, and what you can expect from each of them.

What are the factions in Helldivers 2?

Right now there are two enemy factions in Helldivers 2 that players can go up against:

• The Terminids / "The Bugs". Coming from the top right corner of the Galactic map, the Terminids are huge insects that tend to focus on melee attacks, swarming opponents in great numbers, and frequently fire jets of corrosive bile. Terminids are usually vulnerable to fire, and while many of them have armor, they're generally less well protected than the other faction in play…
• The Automatons / "The Bots". Based in the top left corner of the Galactic map, many consider the Automatons - steel robots with glowing red lights - to be the deadlier of the two factions. The bots use more armor plating, have a greater emphasis on ranged firearms, and struggle more against energy weapons than the bugs do.

Will the Illuminate or a third faction be added to Helldivers 2?

Helldivers 1 launched with the same two factions in play, only for a third to be added later on - the Illuminate. If the Terminids are stand-ins for the bugs from Starship Troopers, and the Automatons for the Terminators, then the Illuminate are generally representative of a certain kind of high-minded, robed alien seen broadly in fiction similar to the Covenant from Halo, or the Kaminoans from Star Wars, though their technology has something of a "space magic" vibe to it.

At time of writing, Arrowhead Game Studios has not revealed any plans to add the Illuminate - or any other faction - to the game. That being said, many players suspect that a new faction is coming, owing in part to the fact that Helldivers 1 also launched with just two factions, and partly because the Galactic Map is currently one-third empty, with the other two thirds controlled by the Terminids and Automatons respectively. That means there's a perfect empty space for a new force to enter the fray - but right now it's just theorising.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission