Super Earth's three-front war has taken a perilous turn as the most dangerous Terminids yet emerge from the Gloom in the latest Helldivers 2 Major Order. The deadly Predator Strain, previously encountered in locations near the Gloom, has now launched an assault on multiple planets, threatening Super Earth's plans to stop the Meridian Singularity.

According to the Major Order that started April 16, "Multiple Gloom-adjacent planets have come under sudden onsllaught by mutated Terminids." These planets include Fenrir III, where astrophysicists at the Center of Science are currently attempting to devise a method for stopping the Meridian Singularity, which has already destroyed multiple planets en route to Super Earth. The Helldivers have five days to defend against nine Terminid invasions.

Predator Strain Is The Newest & Most Deadly Variant Of Terminids

The Gloom Is Mutating The Bugs

The Gloom has long been a looming threat in Helldivers 2's protracted Galactic War. It seemed to surround the Supercolony on the planet Meridia, which was later tactically collapsed into a black hole by Super Earth. Earlier this year, in February, marked the first with the Predator Strain, enhanced Hunter and Stalker Terminids that move much quicker than their regular counterparts.

That first assault with Predator Strain bugs also targeted Fenrir III, where Dark Energy research was just getting underway. Curiously, the Illuminate, a fledgling third enemy faction, have been found responsible for moving the Meridian Singularity toward Super Earth via Dark Energy. There's currently no official confirmation of cooperation between the bugs and the squids, though the Center of Science on Fenrir III could certainly be a target for both.

Our Take: Predator Strain Is Fun, But Defense Campaigns Feel Like Filler

The Illuminate Have Been Slow To Emerge

The introduction of the Predator Strain was one of the more exciting chapters for Helldivers 2 recently, and their return is exciting from a gameplay standpoint, but this Major Order – and defense campaigns more broadly – feels like a stop-gap towards more interesting ones, especially since the Predator Strain is attacking Fenrir III again. There is narrative justification for it, and nine different planets will have to be defended, but it's contributing to a general lull in the ongoing Helldivers 2 story.

Extenuating circumstances may be contributing to this, including the promised performance fix, which requires development resources.

The bugs have remained the most popular enemies since the game's launch, but the longer the Illuminate/Meridian Singularity storyline is stalled, the more glaring it is that the third faction is under-equipped. It, of course, takes time for new content to be created, and Arrowhead Game Studios can't necessarily be faulted for it, but defense campaigns are generally met with less enthusiasm than others. Regardless, with the Predator Strain growing more bold and the Center of Science being threatened, the Helldivers 2 story appears to be gradually building toward another major event.

Source: Helldivers 2/Twitter