HELLDIVERS 2 'Devoid of Liberty' Update Pushes into Illuminate Territory

The August 12 update for HELLDIVERS 2 opens a significant new theatre of war: the Void, a region under Illuminate control described as increasingly altered the deeper one ventures into it. Planets near the Void's core bear strange, permanent mutations — the nature of which the update leaves deliberately obscure.

What changed

New mission objectives:

• Destroy Illuminate spires and gateways
• Complete data reconnaissance missions
• Infiltrate Illuminate structures co-operatively
• New secondary objectives: eradicate Void mutations, extract research materials
• A secondary extraction zone can now be opened on the map, offering a faster evacuation option

New enemy types:

• The Wretch — a fast, nimble creature capable of overwhelming lighter fighters and evading counterattacks
• The Crusher — a heavy, relentless enemy that both absorbs and deals significant damage, but regenerates health if not brought down quickly

Progression expansion:

• Players can now reach all 300 ranks of security access (the source text is cut short, so full details of what this unlocks are not available from the provided material)

The update frames the Void as the Illuminate's most threatening advance yet, and the structural additions — new objectives, a secondary extraction point, and two distinct enemy archetypes — give squads meaningfully different tactical problems to solve compared to prior campaigns.