The original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 2011, was the textbook example of a cult classic, and after nearly a decade and a half of demands of a sequel, Space Marine 2 is finally almost upon us. Saber Interactive’s third-person action title has looked increasingly promising each time it has been shown off in the lead-up to its release, and with launch right around the corner now, here, we’re going to go over a few key things you should know about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
CAMPAIGN LENGTH
For many, the campaign is going to be the star attraction in Space Marine 2, and based on what Saber has said so far, it’s looking like it’s going to be a meaty experience. As per the developer, the campaign – which will see players stepping into the shoes of Lieutenant Demetrian Titus once again – is going to be roughly 10-12 hours long, depending on the difficulty and your skill level.
CAMPAIGN CO-OP
Multiplayer is a big part of the Space Marine 2 experience, and while a lot of that will come through dedicated modes, the shooter will also give players the chance to run through its campaign in three-player co-op. When asked about why lore-accurate four-player co-op isn’t supported, Saber’s brand and creative manager Yann François told PC Gamer, “[It] was quite a challenge for the team to say: ‘OK, [Space Marines] are almost invincible. How do we create a challenge around it?’ Because it could be super easy … That is what led to the choice of creating a multiplayer of up to three players. Because many people asked ‘why is it not up to four players?’ They tried it, and they realised it was too easy … it was a massacre. So three was a good number.”
OPERATIONS
Outside of its campaign, Space Marine 2 is going to have plenty of multiplayer content on offer. For those who prefer PvE, there’s Operations, a three-player co-op mode that sees players working together to tackle a variety of different objectives, involving firefights against swarms, encounters against bosses and minibosses, and more. Operations mode will have a total of six maps at launch, and will also be playable solo for those who wish to do so.
ETERNAL WAR
If PvP is what you’re looking for from Space Marine 2 on the multiplayer front, the Eternal War component is where you’ll be spending most of your time. The PvP component will feature a number of different modes, where players will engage in 6v6 matches. At launch, the game will feature three PvP modes- which brings us to our next point…
ETERNAL WAR MODES
Space Marine 2’s three Eternal War modes will be plenty familiar to anyone with experience with multiplayer shooters. For starters, there’s Annihilation, which is a classic team deathmatch mode, while Seize Ground will task teams with capturing and maintaining control over three different points scattered throughout the maps- both modes were also featured in the original Space Marine. Finally, there’s Capture and Control, which, according to Saber, is a new spin on the classic King of the Hill formula, with teams being tasked with fighting for control over a single zone that randomly keeps changing its location.
CLASSES
A big part of the multiplayer experience in Space Marine 2 is going to be the classes you’ll be able to play as, and this in particular is another area where the shooter is cranking things up a notch over its predecessor. With six playable classes, it doubles the original game’s count. The six classes are Assault, Tactical, Heavy, Bulwark, Sniper, and Vanguard, each coming with their own unique default loadouts and special equipment. Players will, of course, be able to unlock upgrades by earning XP and leveling up through the multiplayer component’s progression system.
TYRANID SWARMS
The bug-like aliens known as the Tyranids are going to be one of the primary antagonists in Space Marine 2 (along with the forces of Chaos), and Saber Interactive is leveraging its proprietary tech to bring them to life in exciting ways. Specifically, the studio is using its Swarm Engine to enable players to fight against massive, overwhelming hordes of endless Tyranids to take on in combat. Players will see huge quantities of enemies on the screen during such encounters, all being dynamically rendered in real-time.
WEAPONS
Space Marine 2 is going to live and die by the strength of its action gameplay, so it’s no surprise that the game is going all-in on its selection of weapons. Many of them have already been showcased so far, from the relatively mundane like the Bolt Rifle and its many different variants, to melee weapons like the iconic Chainsword and truly colossal warhammers, to more high-flying weaponry like the Plasma Incenerator.
BATTLE BARGE
The Battle Barge is going to serve as your central base of operations in Space Marine 2- not just in any one, singular mode, but encompassing the entirety of the game. In the campaign, the Barge is where you’ll find yourself between missions, while this is also where you’ll select new assignments or matches for Operations and Eternal War.
CUSTOMIZATION
Customization, as you might imagine, is another area where Space Marine 2 is making some interesting promises. Cosmetic customization is, of course, something you would expect to be a heavy point of focus in a Warhammer game, and it seems Space Marine 2 is going to emulate Warhammer figure painting with its many different options. Additionally, you can expect extensive non-cosmetic options as well, with customization and upgrades available for your weapons, classes, and more. All of this, as you may have guessed, will be done at the Battle Barge.
CAMPAIGN PLAYABLE OFFLINE
Given the emphasis Space Marine 2 is placing on multiplayer in general, it’s fair to wonder whether the campaign is going to be playable offline for those who wish to do so. Thankfully, Saber has confirmed that that will indeed be the case- to some degree, at least. If you’re playing Space Marine 2’s campaign solo, you will be able to do so without a persistent internet connection. You can also play Operations offline, but only if you’re doing so solo, and if you do, you won’t have access to any progression systems.
NO COUCH CO-OP
With co-op being such a crucial part of Space Marine 2, can we expect it to offer local co-op as an option as well? Sadly, no. Saber has confirmed that to play Space Marine 2 co-op in Operations or the campaign, you’ll have to link up with other players online.
NO MICROTRANSACTIONS
Sadly, microtransactions and multiplayer games go hand-in-hand in today’s day and age, but thankfully, Space Marine 2 isn’t following that trend. Publisher Focus Entertainment has confirmed that the game will have no microtransactions whatsoever, cosmetic or otherwise. That means everything in the game will be earnable through gameplay, and only gameplay. The publisher has also said that any and all paid DLC that’s released following release will be cosmetic only.
POST-LAUNCH PLANS
The aforementioned cosmetic DLC is only going to be a small part of Space Marine 2’s post-launch plans. As per Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive, with regular free post-launch updates, the game will add new Operations missions, Eternal War maps, weapons, enemies, and more.
PC REQUIREMENTS
Space Marine 2 looks visually stunning, and its Swarm tech looks equally impressive from a technical standpoint, so it’s no surprise that the system requirements of its PC version are a little on the steep side, especially for the recommended settings. Regardless of what setup you’re targeting, you’re going to need an SSD and 75 GB of free storage on it. For minimum settings, which will run the game at 1080p and 30 FPS, you’ll need either an i5-8600K or a Ryzen 5 2600X, along with either a GeForce GTX 1060 or a Radeon RX 580, and 8 GB of RAM. Meanwhile, for recommended settings, which will run the game at 1080p and 60 FPS, you’ll need either an i7-12700 or a Ryzen 7 5800X, along with either a GeForce RTX 3070 or a Radeon RX 6800 XT, and 16 GB of RAM.