UPDATE (20/05/25, 10:00 AM BST): Arrowhead has just dropped the Heart of Democracy update that leaks had previously hinted at, meaning missions on Super Earth itself have arrived.
“Fight among the towering skyscrapers and crowded streets of our home turf as the Illuminate rain down destruction all around you,” the studio wrote in a PlayStation Blog post, “Inside the city biomes, you will tackle operations and work to liberate cities together, having a significant impact on planetary campaigns.
Your mission is repel the invasion and arm some killer cannons, with Arrowhead explaining: “The might of Super Earth’s arsenal lies hidden beneath our peaceful, democratic streets. With your help, we must activate our Planetary Defense Cannons and take down the Illuminate fleet in a grand show of power.”
You’ll have help from some commandable squads of SEAF troops and have to avoid killing any of the Super Earth citizens you find running around the streets.
Original story follows:
It’s been clear since last week that Helldivers 2’s Galactic War is headed to Super Earth, with a renewed Illuminate offensive pushing towards the home planet of the Helldivers. With the conclusion of the latest major order seeing three planets fall in one fell swoop, that battle’s now imminent.
We’ll still have to see whether this fight for the ball that gifted the galaxy a militaristic force that acts quite fascisty comes with its own fresh update to the game, as leaks have suggested. Either way, though, it’s shaping up to be just as key a point in the war as you’d think.
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To set up this inevitable next step in the way, the game’s latest major order has just ended with players losing three planets to The Illuminate “Great Host” at once. Widow’s Harbor, Pilen V, and New Haven – all Altus Sector worlds which are right on Super Earth’s doorstep – are now occupied by the squids.
The Helldivers just couldn’t hold them, despite what looks to have been a very valiant effort. Especially so in the case of New Haven, which looks to have fallen at the order’s climax, leaving folks either watching on in horror from orbit or planting the Super Earth flag in defiance before exfiltrating one final time with a declaration that they’ll be back.
As I was writing this, Arrowhead’s just announced a further blow – The Illuminate have “razed” Mars, forcing Helldiver training facilities to be moved to another planet.
Mars has been razed by the Illuminate. All Helldiver Training Sites across the planet, where rigorous, thorough, and safe training of the Galaxy’s Elite has long occured, have been destroyed. The expert and seasoned facility PA operators who facilitated the training died… pic.twitter.com/16yEhLK0MM
— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) May 20, 2025
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All these losses have got them pretty amped up to defend Super Earth too. “Super Earth’s hyper-urbanized landscapes once grew bountiful wheat. Soon, Illuminate blood shall make it fertile again,” a user with the handle Efficient_Menu_9965 wrote in one of those threads, while Diamondeye12 busted out the caps lock to bellow: “WE WILL HOLD SUPER EARTH TILL THE LAST MAN WOMAN AND CHILD.”
Arrowhead’s briefing for the order’s conclusion is every bit the ra-ra speech you’d expect with such an important clash in the offing. “Millions of Helldivers—paragons of valor, fortitude, and unshakable obedience—undaunted by a knowingly unwinnable fight, formed Democracy’s first line of defense,” the studio wrote making it clear this had not been “in vain”.
“Firstly, this heroic stand impeded the unforeseen Illuminate offensive and, in a testament to our martial superiority, reduced their estimated fleet strength by 21.5%,” it continued, “Additionally, the time secured by their sacrifice has been fully utilized: Mega Cities are now heavily fortified, garrisons reinforced by SEAF battalions recalled from distant sectors.
“The fight for our Freedom is upon us. There is no fallback. All eyes now turn to Liberty’s Heart, as the Helldivers prepare to fight for the very survival of Managed Democracy.”
So, get ready to lock and load. There’s a planet to defend, and you can’t just drop a crap tonne of mechs on your foes anymore.