Helldivers 2: Is the Meridian Singularity Reopening a Sad…

Between Helldivers 2 and its predecessor, there is a staggering amount of worldbuilding that players may have FOMO toward if they happen to neglect a certain in-game event. Indeed, for valiant Helldivers who’ve been around long enough to remember when Meridia became a Terminid Supercolony and was subsequently collapsed into a Singularity (believed to be a black hole, but later discerned as a wormhole) via Dark Fluid, the Meridian Singularity stands erected as an ominous purple portal with a rich history in Helldivers 2 lore.

Moreover, it wasn’t that long ago that Helldivers 2 received a big batch of recruits, thanks to a momentous launch on Xbox. Unless these new players had been keeping up to date with a game they were excited to play by the end of August, such narrative updates will ultimately be distant information they’re unattached to, as if they were sifting through a social studies textbook to read about tumultuous and formative events without having experienced them themselves. Therefore, there may be a terrible mixture of curiosity and anxiety concerning what may come of the Meridian Singularity’s sudden reopening to the public.

Helldivers 2’s Meridian Singularity is a Squid Omen That We Can’t Dismiss

Despite it having been inaccessible for a while, the Meridian ‘Black Hole’ now rests among the rubble of the Celeste Sector’s fractured Ivis and Moradesh planets as a bizarre spectacle that you can view from the deck of the Destroyer, and any new players who are unfamiliar with this lengthy and tragic ordeal may also be unaware that Pilen V, New Haven, Widow’s Harbor, and Super Earth’s neighbor, Mars, had been razed by Helldivers 2’s Illuminate faction as it beelined toward democracy’s greatest bastion. As Meridia’s planet description reads:

Meridian Black Hole

“The prosperous Meridian was corrupted into a Terminid Supercolony, necessitating its destruction using the mysterious Dark Fluid. This galactic scar is all that remains.”

The Galactic War table regales players with intriguing tales between each enemy faction’s infested corners, but Helldivers 2’s Meridian Singularity is easily the most paramount piece of lore that Helldivers 2 has had in a while.

So, the fact that it remains and is viewable again as a ‘planet’ players can travel to, but not dive into any missions on, is neat, as new players can bask in the Meridian Singularity’s purple glow and ask questions to their fellow Helldivers about what occurred there. Of course, anyone who understands the severity of the Meridian Singularity will also acknowledge how remarkably thrilling and potentially troubling it is that Arrowhead is bringing it back into the limelight:

Meridia Re-Opened for Observation

“The Meridian Singularity has been re-opened for patriotic observation.

All Helldivers are authorized to visit the former planet to contemplate the immense loss inflicted upon our society by the enemies of Freedom, and the imperative for merciless Justice thereby implied.”

Helldivers 2’s Leaked Illuminate Units May Be Here Sooner Than Later

If the Meridian Singularity being reopened is meant to not only educate newer players but also tease the next squid onslaught, it unfortunately wouldn’t be wholly surprising. The Illuminate still has a ton of legroom to explore new content as an enemy faction, for instance, and Helldivers 2 leaks are saturated with Illuminate units that could arrive whenever Arrowhead wishes to embolden the squids, assuming the leaks are legitimate and/or ever officially confirmed as content that will be added in the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, Arrowhead has a lot on its plate with substantial performance issues it hopes to combat. I’ll be alarmed if Helldivers 2’s Automaton faction doesn’t receive an overdue update first, though, with the Meridian Singularity menacingly lying in wait as a perpetual reminder of what Super Earth has endured.

Third-Person Shooter

Extraction Shooter

Action

Science Fiction

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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