The mood within the Helldivers 2 community has taken a nosedive today. Despite the valiant attempts of the gallant troops working for Lady Liberty, the players fell short of the target of defeating 1 billion Automatons and 1.5 billion Terminids. This defeat means they couldn’t complete the blockade around the Illuminate’s Meridian Singularity. Consequently, a significant amount of Dark Energy managed to leak into the black hole, sending it hurtling into the planet Moradesh, which led to its devastating demise.
However, there’s no time to dwell on what’s lost. High Command swiftly issued a new Major Order to the Helldivers: defend planets Achernar Secundus, Fenrir III, Ursica XI, and Heeth from invasion by the Terminids. Holding these territories for the next three and a half days will enable Super Earth’s leading scientists to set up a Penrose Energy Siphon in their orbits, which should drain a lot of the black hole’s Dark Energy.
While the defensive maneuvers are underway, some players have begun to notice what seem to be cryptic messages hidden in the in-game videos uploaded by Arrowhead Game Studios, which informed everyone of Moradesh’s catastrophe. Titles like “Destruction Imminent,” which urged Helldivers and citizens to evacuate, and “Signal Lost,” confirming the planet’s obliteration, have been scrutinized extensively by the community.
After examining these videos through a spectrogram, players uncovered mysterious Morse code, an odd egg-shaped item, potentially an energy beam, and a distorted image of a planet’s horizon. Interestingly, one user pinpointed that pausing the “Signal Lost” video at a precise moment offers a clearer view of a planet in one frame’s corner.
Despite attempts to translate the Morse code, results are still murky, though enthusiastic players have come together, compiling their findings in a shared Google Doc. One prevalent theory is that the decoded “06EFBC” — which translates into a hexadecimal color value — points to Rogue 5. This world resides on the galaxy’s southern edge, and when its color is applied to the hue wheel on Helldivers 2’s Galactic War map, it aligns with Rogue 5’s location perfectly.
This hypothesis has sparked speculation that the Illuminate faction may be planning to turn Rogue 5 into their base of operations. The planet’s description as a “wet planet” with “deep oceans” makes it an inviting locale for the squid-like aliens. The Helldivers had already fended off an Illuminate attack there earlier this month during a Major Order focused on Automatons.
There’s also considerable chatter about the planet shown in the spectrogram images and the “Signal Lost” freezeframe. Some are convinced it’s Rogue 5, given its light blue, almost purplish hue that mirrors its appearance. Others suspect it might be Squ’bai Shrine, the Illuminate’s home world from the First Galactic War, which, interestingly, is not present in Helldivers 2. It too shares similar characteristics.
While the meanings behind these findings remain elusive, many suspect the Illuminate might be attempting to pull Squ’bai Shrine through the Meridian Singularity for a full-scale assault on Super Earth. Alternatively, they could be plotting to use Rogue 5 as a staging area for future attacks. Whatever their motives, they don’t appear to bode well for the good guys.
At this stage, all the Helldivers can do is stick to their mission of protecting the four threatened planets and slowing down the Meridian black hole’s advance. Failure could mean Ivis, the next planet on the black hole’s trajectory toward Super Earth, faces imminent doom. Gear up; the fight is on, Helldivers.
Helldivers 2 is a standout among PC and PS5 games, perfect for those who love co-op shooters, thrilling sci-fi adventures, and enjoy the occasional humorous twist. Usually retailing at $40, this action-packed title can often be snagged for a steal if you keep an eye out for discounts. Currently, one of the best deals is through CDKeys, where you can pick it up for over $13 off, bringing the price to under $30.
