Thanks to its positive reception and ease of access, more players are joining the battle inWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, letting them experience the visceral action of the franchise firsthand. However, being a large-scale hack-and-slash action game with many unique mechanics,it can be overwhelming for some players to learn all the ins and outs of each feature for the first time. By understanding all the core features and hidden aspects ofSpace Marine 2, players will have much better luck withstanding the onslaught of enemy Xenos.
Thanks to its engaging story, challenging operations, and endless PvP mode,there’s a lot to keep fans busy for a good while.Space Marine 2even has muchmore content to come, mostly in the form of future content updates and cosmetics that will incorporate even more fan-favorite Space Marine factions. Regardless of whether players opted for early access or are just now jumping into the fight,there are plenty of aspects to learn that can improve everyone’s experience.
10Remembering Melee Weapon Combos
Make The Most Of Powerful Melee Weapons
InSpace Marine 2,melee weapons are an essential aspect forevery class inSpace Marine 2, barring the Heavy with its full reliance on powerful ranged weaponry.Melee combat isn’t just an alternative to gunplay, pairing excellently together to break the guard of stronger enemies, or quickly stun large groups of weaker ones. While melee weapon combos aren’t the most hidden mechanic, they’re easy to forget in the heat of battle.
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With Warhammer 40: Space Marine 2 being a first entry for many players, knowing the classes beforehand can help get you into the action right away.
Each weapon varies in complexity, with the Assault class-exclusiveThunder Hammerbeing the simplest to use out of the bunch, while thePower Fisthas the highest number of combos. No matter which melee option players choose for their class or preferred playstyle,understanding a melee weapon’s full move-set will make a huge difference in both moment-to-moment combat and deadly boss fights.
9Understanding The Parrying Mechanic
An Essential Tool For Survival On The Battlefield
Parrying is another essential mechanic players will learn early on in the game, but is necessary for long-term survival. Most attacks that can be parried are hard to miss, showing a large blue circle over the enemy and around the player’s reticle.Parrying and counterattacks are not only great for saving health but can deal excessive amounts of damage to enemieswhile regenerating a portion of the player’s shield.
Players can completely negate enemy combos, leaving them wide open to a counter-attack.
The opportunity window to counter-attack is quite generous most of the time, but it can get trickier when facing enemies with more complex attack patterns. What the game doesn’t tell players at first, is thatsome enemies with multi-attack combos can still be fully parried,even if only the first attack shows the circle. When timed correctly, players can completely negate enemy combos, leaving them wide open to a counter-attack or distracting them long enough for a teammate to take them out instead.
8Playing Aggressively To Heal
Offense Is The Best Defense In Space Marine 2
Unlike other action-packed shooters relying on taking cover or regenerating health over time, Ultramarines have a different methodology. InSpace Marine 2,the best way to keep the player’s health up is by fighting as aggressively as possible after being hurt. Upon taking damage, a portion of lost health will be shown as a slowly decreasing white bar that can be recovered by attacking enemies.
Letting low-health teammates execute a stunned enemy is a great way to avoid wasting healing items or gaining Mortal Wounds.
The quickest way to recover health by far is by performing executions, asexecuting stunned opponents instantly recovers all white health, adds a shield point, and makes the player invulnerable while performing it. Not only are aggressive playstyles a great way to heal, but they can prevent damage in the first place. By constantly stunning enemies with heavy-hitting melee combos or heavy firepower, the Tyranids won’t have the chance to overwhelm them as easily.
7Swapping Weapons At Drop Pods
Picking The Right Tool For The Job Every Time
For classes with a wide range of weaponry, changing them out for the right gun or blade can often be the key to a successful mission. Not all enemies are as vulnerable to the same damage or weapon types, making knowledge of enemy weaknesses and Tyranid attack patterns a powerful tool in battle. Luckily for players,the weapons in drop pods scattered throughoutSpace Marine 2’s campaign missionsare usually tailor-made for the battle ahead,hinting at what enemies the team will soon be faced with.
Paying close attention to the status effect pop-up will allow players to back away to safety before it takes full effect.
Players battling through the game’s operation mode won’t have the luxury of Drop Pods thinking for them, as they let players swap to one of their pre-made loadouts instead. This difference makes knowledge of levels and enemies an even more powerful tool, especially when facing certain Xenos that can inflict debilitating status effects.Tyranid and Chaos' corruption can both cause a swift end for an unsuspecting Ultramarine, with the Tyranid effect causing blindness that makes players a sitting duck for stronger enemies.
6Utilizing The Environment To Great Effect
Hazardous Materials For The Enemy Invaders
When faced with the unrelenting hordes of the Tyranid swarm, sometimes even the most powerful Space Marine weaponry alone isn’t enough. Thankfully, many players will often notice conveniently placed barrels and otherhazards littering each map that can serve as excellent ways to thin out the incoming waves of enemies. While it’s tempting to use these barrels as soon as possible, it’s best to wait until the right moment when as many Tyranids are surrounding them as possible for maximum effectiveness.
While it’s smart to save them for emergencies, it’s good practice not to let any barrels go to waste before a fight ends.
The three deadly hazards are the standard explosive red barrels, blue disruption barrels, and deadly spike plants in the forests. Each of these respective hazards can have exceedingly destructive effects when used in the right situations.These hazardous materials are even effective ways to take down some of the deadlier elite Tyranids with ease, or at the very least soften them up for a quick finisher.
5Rolling Into Imperium Crates
One Man’s Trash Is Another Space Marine’s Treasure
All those crates and supplies left behind by bastions of Guardsmen aren’t just for decoration but are sometimes filled with valuable ammo or grenades for the battle ahead. Many players have gone far into the game without realizing these are more than background assets, which is understandable given how well the crates blend into their surroundings. The easiest giveaway isthe green color and logo of the Guardsmen, letting players know which crates are worth bashing.
Taking a note from a famous Hero of Time, the easiest way to smash these supply crates is by rolling them into them.
Taking a note from a famous Hero of Time,the easiest way to smash these supply crates is by rolling them into them. Not only does this save time, but it lets players avoid wasting the precious ammo they’re trying to restore in the first place.
4Recovering From Mortal Wounds
Never Go Into A Fight With A Fatal Injury
Mortal Wounds are a mechanic that makes the game significantly tougher depending on which difficulty the player chooses. In the two higher challenge modes,players will get afflicted with the Wound after losing all their health and getting knocked downonce. Meanwhile, on the lower two of the four options, it takes being fully knocked down twice before the status appears.
Only one Guardian Relic can be carried per player at a time, making it a valuable resource players shouldn’t let go to waste.
Whichever difficulty a player chooses to challenge their skills with, leaving Mortal Wounds unchecked will have deadly results. After getting knocked down again with the status,the player will be killed entirely, having to wait for the next checkpoint to respawnin multiplayer, or restarting from the last in solo play.
There is a way to cure Mortal Wounds without dying right before a checkpoint, and that’s by using the incredibly valuable and rare Guardian Relic, which heals Wounds andallows players to quickly revive themselves without the aid of a teammate.
3Targeting Commander Enemies First
Watch Enemies Fall Like Dominoes
Elite enemies are spread throughout the opposing Xenos threat, with some having a greater incentive to defeat them first. In battle, players may noticesome elite enemies will exude a green aura, empowering the smaller Tyranids around them.Not only does this make the smaller foes more aggressive and harder to defeat than normal, but some powerful enemies can have even more dangerous abilities.
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Certain elite Tyranids and Heretics alike can call for reinforcements, continually spawning new waves of enemies if not dealt with fast enough. Luckily, it’s harder for enemies to get away with sneakily summoning more fighters as they’ll have a large red timer above them. While the notification helps, it can still be hard to find these pesky elites, especially whenthe reinforcements they call can sometimes summon more enemies of their own, creating a deadly domino effect.
2Protecting The Gene-Seed Carrier
Saving The Team’s Most Valuable Resources
Despite not being in the campaign and exclusive to operations,Gene-Seeds are an excellent way to level up characters quickly. If a team successfully extracts with a Gene-Seed, they’ll earn a hefty experience point bonus at the end of a mission. But this isn’t as easy as it sounds, since Gene-Seeds are extremely fragile and instantly break if the player carrying one goes down even once.
Gene-Seeds take the slot for a life-saving Guardian Relic, adding even more risk than just missing XP.
Gene-Seeds aren’t just an additional mechanic new inSpace Marine 2,but a vital part of the lore ofWarhammer 40,000.Gene Seed is the genetic material that holds the vital DNA to turn regular-sized humans into the hulking Space Marinesplayers use in the game. On top of how fragile this precious material is, Gene-Seeds take the slot for a life-saving Guardian Relic, adding even more risk than just missing XP.
1Fully Exploring Every Location
Tyranids Have No Need For Treasure, But Space Marines Sure Do
The simplest concepts are sometimes the best, and often the most easily overlooked. Each area in both story and operations missions is filled with hidden areas and secrets worth exploring. Not only do some hidden areas have lots of supplies and even enemies in hiding, butthe main incentives for checking every nook and cranny are Armory Databases and Gene-Seeds.
Each area is painstakingly crafted with tons of Easter eggs and details for long-time fans.
Armory Databases arecollectible servo skulls hidden in certain areas of each map, being an incredibly valuable resource worth scavengingas they’re needed to upgrade and unlock new variants of weapons. With how detailed and visually stunningSpace Marine 2is, fully exploring each location is more of a feast for the eyes than anything else. Each area is painstakingly crafted with tons of Easter eggs and details for long-time fans, making this newest entry into the franchise easily makingWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2one of thebestWarhammergames of all time.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
The galaxy is once again plunged into chaos as Lieutenant Titus returns to battle the relentless Tyranid swarm. With unmatched power and brutal combat skills, he leads the Ultramarines in a desperate fight for survival against overwhelming odds, showcasing the grim reality of endless war in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
