Gloom in Helldivers 2 Explained

Helldivers 2 has an ever-evolving galaxy for players to fight across against the three major enemy factions of Super Earth. The Terminids are one of the two first factions that have been the plague of Helldivers since the beginning, and while they haven’t changed much for a long time, that’s all starting to change.

The Gloom is a new element to the galaxy that is doing more than just adding a haze to the Galactic War Map. While the Gloom may seem like just added spice to the game, it’s actually leading to many changes with Terminids that are affected by it.

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What is the Gloom in Helldivers 2?

Terminids can travel from one planet to the other by spreading spores throughout space to eventually become Terminids on other planets. The Gloom is a super-dense cloud of spores that is spreading rapidly from the far ends of the Terminid system, and Terminids within the Gloom mutate to give them new and more dangerous abilities than regular strains. Operation Righteous Reclamation is an attempt at pushing the Gloom back, as it’s led to a huge increase in planets claimed by Terminids.

What Do Gloom-Effected Terminids Do in Helldivers 2? (Spore-Burst)

In the past, Gloom led to the Predator Strain of Terminids, which made certain breeds have black and yellow patterns that moved faster and were much more aggressive than regular Terminids. The current strain is referred to as the Spore-Burst Strain, which is mutating the following breeds:

You can identify Spore-Burst mutated Terminids by the branch-like growths on their bodies.

Spore-Burst Terminids act normally when alive, but explode in a burst of spores when they die. This burst of spores covers the nearby area in an orange mist that is great for concealing other nearby Terminids. These spores are also poisonous to Helldivers that get too close, and killing enough Terminids at point-blank range may end up killing them even if they survive the bugs. Moving away from these clouds will make the damage stop, with the clouds lingering for a few seconds before dispersing.

Not all Terminids in the Gloom mutate, so if you’re running operations on a Gloom planet, be sure to pick your targets carefully and kill mutated ones first and at a distance. Gloom planets also have natural spores all in the air, greatly lowering visibility, especially in areas with lots of vegetation or buildings.