Helldivers 2 players have served heroically in the ongoing intergalactic war effort, turning out in their millions to patriotically defend Super Earth from the external threats of both Bug and Bot. But reports have begun to trickle in about a new enemy faction moving in the shadows, or perhaps more appropriately, the return of an old nemesis, one known as The Illuminate. Some even suspect they already walk among us, which is obviously defeatist nonsense.
The Illuminate were an enemy faction in the first Helldivers, an ancient and technologically advanced race of aliens hellbent on destroying Super Earth. We all know they were wiped out long ago. Like those pernicous, completely false reports of flying bugs (thanks, IGN), they simply do not exist.
Still, some patriots, perhaps suffering from battle fatigue, are reporting coming under fire from a "vibrant blue laser", which some think matches the energy signature of sniper weaponry employed by The Illuminate previously. It's pretty distinct from the red energy weapons used by both Helldivers and Bots, but visual evidence remains inconclusive.
You should probably also ignore the in-game messages about Illuminate sightings. Super Earth High Command's official line is that "blue beams aren't real, it can't hurt you", and the account Helldivers Alerts (our conspiracy theory is that the devs run it) provided a leaked look at our ancient enemy.