Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge warbond is out, sparking fresh debate about the Illuminate faction

Like so many of us, it seems some of Helldivers 2 director Johan Pilestedt's most formative gaming memories are of early Nintendo games. In fact, Helldivers 2 probably wouldn't exist without Nintendo, as the Arrowhead Studios CEO has revealed the house of Mario is the reason he got into game development.

There are few individuals as mysterious as Helldivers 2's galactic game master Joel – the man pulling all the strings of the war, constantly working to evolve the third-person shooter's evolving narrative, as well as issuing Major Orders to us all. 

Helldivers 2 is full of powerful weapons to smash up bots and squash bugs, ranging from satisfying firearms to explosive orbital strikes that often do more harm to you and your team than the actual enemies. Out of them all, though, one weapon stands out to game director Johan Pilestedt for having the best design.

While most Helldivers 2 players are busy fending off the Terminids and Automatons, some believe they have seen evidence that a third faction called the Illuminate are on their way.

Keep your head down, Helldiver, blue sniper beams (that may or may not exist) are rampant. Helldivers 2 players have been sharing footage of what seems like a new unfriendly faction in the game, though the shooter's director is determined to suppress such anti-democratic lies. 

The Helldivers 2 community is a fun place, especially when players remain as enthusiastic about the prosperity of Super Earth on social media as a real Helldiver would out on Erata Prime. There's no doubt the developers encourage this, with game director Johan Pilestedt recently branding the footage of flying Terminids as "propaganda from bug sympathizers" and refusing to acknowledge their existence.

Helldivers 2 players who literally want to watch the world burn have put forward a spicy suggestion for a new Stratagem, which sounds like it has the potential to be incredibly powerful, if not massively risky for your fellow teammates. Enter the idea of the Guard Dog Flamethrower – an auto-firing companion bot that can spew flames whenever it wants, at whatever it wants.

While continues to dominate the video game industry, one star is eager for a crossover with the game his film inspired. It doesn't take a lot to recognize that Arrowhead Studios' game and Paul Verhoeven's cult-classic sci-fi have a great deal in the company especially given that both act as satirical comments on the modern military-industrial complex and the influence of propaganda on society. Despite these heavy themes, there's still a great amount of fun to be had in either given that they also spotlight soldiers firing big weapons at giant alien bugs.

Helldivers 2’s new premium Warbond, dubbed Cutting Edge, is out now and has added a number of new weapons, gear, and armor to the game, as well as cosmetic items such as emotes. But while many players of Arrowhead’s co-op shooter are getting stuck in, some are debating whether the premium Warbond strays into pay-to-win territory.

Several players have insisted that they've encountered a new type of flying Terminid but in keeping with the game's satirical tone,Arrowhead Studios' CEO Johan Pilestedt believes it's all nonsense. In the weeks after the game's launch, the community has been hard and working trying to figure out exactly what could be causing the Terminids to spread so rapidly among the stars. Some are speculating that Super Earth itself could be creating the «aliens» but the game's director is trying to throw everyone off the scent.

presents players with an abundance of different tools to eliminate the deadly armies of the Terminids and Automatons and Arrowhead Studios is giving fans some insight into how those Stratagems are created. One of the core components of the popular co-op shooter is the ability to call down equipment and support from the skies, most of which take the form of explosive air strikes or precision missile launches. They're undoubtedly one of the most fun aspects of and director Johan Pilestedt wants everyone to know how the team creates them.

makes a point of throwing droves of enemies at players but those who do their best to avoid combat may be shocked to learn that enemies have a few extra tools in their arsenals to detect sneaky players. During some of the game's larger open-world missions, Helldivers have the option to engage with roving bands of foes or, if they're careful, sneak past without raising the alarm. That's easier said than done, especially when the Terminids can use more than one of their sense to track their prey.