Perhaps one of Helldivers 2's greatest accomplishments is its ability to keep making the Second Galactic War escalate. It was remarkable enough when Meridian collapsed into a singularity, then hurtled towards Super Earth and destroyed a planet along the way, but the Illuminate invasion of Super Earth felt like a step-up nonetheless. As big as that was, Helldivers 2 leaks suggest there are still more forms of escalation to come. It's possible that, sometime in the future, Helldivers will find themselves landing on the Automaton homeworld to strike at the heart of Super Earth's enemies.
Fans of the original Helldivers might remember lore about the Cyborg homeworld, known as Cyberstan. While this planet was eventually captured by Super Earth forces, it remains a point of contention in Helldivers 2, with the new Automaton threat seeming to display an interest in recapturing the planet. With that in mind, it's unsurprising that the Helldivers 2 Automaton homeworld leaks refer to the planet as New Cyberstan, marking it as a spiritual successor deeper in Automaton territory. The planet's ties to old lore aside, though, an invasion of the Automaton homeworld would be the perfect contrast to Helldivers 2's latest storyline about the invasion of Super Earth.
Helldivers 2's Automaton homeworld leaks remain unconfirmed, and shouldn't be taken as final.
Helldivers 2's Battle of Super Earth is Going to Be Tough to Top
Helldivers 2 has launched one of its most thrilling updates to date, but it also leaves the third-person shooter in a tricky situation.
Helldivers 2 Players Could Turn the Tables on Super Earth's Invasion
The Super Earth invasion will likely go down as one of the most memorable events in Helldivers 2 history. Not only did it spotlight some of the game's most urban terrain yet, but it struck at the heart of the Helldivers much earlier in the game's lifespan than one might have expected. A Super Earth invasion seems like an endgame scenario for Helldivers 2, but instead, Arrowhead Game Studios was bold enough to introduce this plotline only about a year into Helldivers 2's life. Much like the destruction of Angel's Venture, it was crystal clear evidence that Arrowhead is never afraid to take massive narrative swings.
The Automaton Homeworld Would Mirror Super Earth's Invasion
That's why leaks suggesting Helldivers 2 will soon send players to the Automaton homeworld are so exciting. After Super Earth's invasion, an attack on the Automaton homeworld would be the perfect reversal of the Super Earth arc; it has all the same existential stakes of the previous arc, except the roles are reversed, casting Helldivers as the aggressors instead of the defenders. It'll be interesting to see if New Cyberstan and its neighboring planets have similarly dense, urban terrain like Super Earth and its neighbors, or if they introduce an all-new, highly industrial terrain layout.
Since the Illuminate were responsible for the initial attack on Super Earth, an attack on their homeworld would've been a more perfect parallel, but given that the Illuminate are still a relatively new Helldivers 2 faction, revealing their homeworld would be a bit premature.
Of course, by the time the Automaton homeworld releases, it may not feel quite so timely. Leaks about the Illuminate came out many, many months before Helldivers 2 actually debuted the faction, and odds are the same is true here. Still, after the devastation on Super Earth, any future attack on an enemy homeworld is the perfect way to even the score in Helldivers 2's
war, so it's great to see a sign that Arrowhead has jumped on a reversal like this. The Second Galactic War isn't going to end anytime soon -- Helldivers 2 is a live-service game, after all -- which means back-and-forth strikes on each faction's homeworlds go a long way to keeping the war's narrative balanced on a knife's edge.
Faction Homeworlds Would Be Just One Step
Based on past precedent, one wonders what other surprises Arrowhead has in store to raise the stakes of the war. Before players get to visit the alleged New Cyberstan, maybe the Automatons will mount their own offensive on Super Earth, sabotaging or hijacking SEAF technology along the way, or maybe two factions will threaten a human planet at once. If nothing else, New Cyberstan would set a precedent for mission on the other Helldivers 2 factions' homeworlds, so if the leaks come to fruition, it'll almost certainly be a sign of things to come.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
