Helldivers 2 Gamers Fulfill Illuminate Major Order to Rescue Calypso

Just over a couple of days after the surprise reveal of the Illuminate faction by Helldivers 2 developer, Arrowhead Game Studios, at The Game Awards, the troops of Super Earth have successfully pushed back the squid-like alien invaders from Calypso. Thanks to their valiant efforts, the Major Order has been completed, granting every soldier in the Super Earth fleet 50 Warbond Medals and a new stratagem for a Fast Recon Vehicle. This addition was discovered by players during their missions on Calypso and will soon be made available.

The mission to fend off the Illuminate’s advance was unquestionably one of the most intense – if not the most intense – in the Galactic War so far. Helldivers battled relentlessly to stop the invaders almost continuously over 48 hours, wrapping up the mission just 10 minutes before a Level 96 invasion attempt (with Level 100 presumably being the max difficulty on this new scale) could succeed. If there was ever a last-minute victory, this was it.

The recent Omens of Tyranny update has seen a massive increase in Helldivers 2’s popularity on Steam. Players flocked to the battlefield, eager to face the Illuminate and try out the new gear from the Urban Legend battle pass-like Premium Warbond. Arrowhead’s chief creative officer, Johan Pilestedt, took to social media to share that over a million players dived into the game just 24 hours after the Illuminate made their debut. According to SteamDB, there were about 80,000 to 130,000 Super Earth marines playing simultaneously during the Major Order, with a peak of 150,153 on Saturday evening. Helldivers 2 has once again climbed the charts as a Steam Top Seller, surpassing popular new releases like Marvel Rivals and Path of Exile 2, albeit briefly.

(Image credit: PlayStation Studios)

Unfortunately, with the Illuminate’s hold over Calypso broken, the faction is temporarily unavailable for combat. Personally, I find this a bit disappointing as the Illuminate represents everything I desire from a fresh enemy type. Even though I spent countless hours fending off their waves of Voteless hordes and Overseer troops to defend Calypso, I enjoyed it so much that I’m eager to jump back into battle.

Despite reassurances from the Super Earth High Command that this was merely a "small cell of Illuminate forces" that managed to survive the First Galactic War from the original Helldivers, it’s clear they’ll be back soon. I was a bit taken aback that this didn’t trigger an immediate new engagement with the alien menace right after our victory.

For now, Helldivers haven’t received a new Major Order. Until then, they’ll need to concentrate on the Terminid or Automaton fronts to continue promoting Managed Democracy. The bots are inching a little too close to Super Earth for comfort. Still, it won’t be long before the Illuminate strike again in the southern parts of the galaxy.

(Image credit: PlayStation Studios)

The Calypso Major Order was undoubtedly one of the highlights in Helldivers 2. Watching the community band together to devise strategies, create loadouts, and share tips to tackle the Illuminate’s unique blend of zombie hordes, powerful melee and airborne shock troops, and enormous walkers was exhilarating. Participating in those final hours was a real thrill, and my friends and I felt genuinely impactful in the larger community effort as we wrapped up a few operations this afternoon.

Overall, this marks a remarkable milestone in what’s been an impressive opening year for Arrowhead’s PC and PS5 live-service co-op shooter. Although I think it deserved at least a nod for Game of the Year—controversial as that might be, I’ll argue it deserved it more than Black Myth: Wukong or the Elden Ring DLC—I’m thrilled it won Best Multiplayer and Best Ongoing at The Game Awards.