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Helldivers 2 Leak Claimed Illuminate Return and Automaton Upgrades

A 2024 report claimed the Illuminate would return and Cyborgs would upgrade the Automatons. Later Illuminate additions are official, but they do not confirm the leak’s specific claims.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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A report published April 9, 2024, alleged that the Illuminate would return to Helldivers 2 and that Cyborgs would upgrade the Automatons with new weapons and troop types. Those were leak claims, not confirmed announcements. Arrowhead later released additional Illuminate enemies, but that does not verify the report’s specific predictions—especially its Automaton-upgrade story.

What did the 2024 leak report claim?

Battleground Europe’s April 9, 2024 report described alleged leak material involving two developments: renewed Illuminate activity and a Cyborg return that would bring changes to the Automaton forces. It said those changes could include new weapons, new troop types, and an orbital artillery cannon.

The report is evidence that these claims were made, not proof that the underlying material was authentic or that the details would appear in the game. The specific Cyborg-led upgrade claims have not been confirmed in the official materials reviewed here.

What has Arrowhead officially released since then?

Arrowhead’s later patch notes establish that the Illuminate received additional enemies after the 2024 report. The June 4, 2026 notes name the Stingray, Crescent Overseer, and Fleshmob; the September 22, 2026 version 7.0.0 notes name the Crusher and Wretch as part of the Void update.

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These are shipped-content records, not confirmation that the old leak accurately predicted them. Arrowhead’s commentary on the Void update says, “With the Void specifically, we wanted to dive deeper on Illuminate lore,” and describes an expanded Illuminate Fleet system. That provides context for the faction’s later direction, but it does not establish the provenance or accuracy of the 2024 claims.

Are the Automatons getting the leaked upgrades?

Official patch notes do refer to Automaton activity on Cyberstan. However, the reviewed official notes do not confirm that Cyborgs gave the Automatons the orbital artillery cannon, new troop types, or other specific upgrades alleged in the 2024 report. Automaton activity on Cyberstan and the leak’s detailed upgrade story are separate claims.

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How to read the leak against the later announcements

Evidence What it establishes What it does not establish
April 9, 2024 secondary report That a report alleged Illuminate activity, a Cyborg return, and Automaton upgrades. That the leak material was genuine or that the specific details would ship.
Arrowhead patch notes from June and September 2026 That the named Illuminate enemies were officially added to the game. That the 2024 report predicted those additions, or that its Automaton claims were accurate.
Official notes mentioning Automatons on Cyberstan That the faction is associated with activity on Cyberstan in those notes. That the alleged Cyborg-led weapons and troop overhaul occurred.

A February 6, 2026 GameSpot report discussed a binary teaser from Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani and player theories about a Cyborg return. Community interpretation of a teaser is not an official announcement, so it should not be treated as confirmation of the older leak either.

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