A new update is out today for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, with a new weapon, new chances to play as dastardly heretics, and new challenges for the most daring players.
Let’s start with the new Champion pack. The Space Wolves send one of their best with an incredible new armour set based on the Wolf Guard Battle Leader, complete with a round Fenrisian storm shield so you can use it with the Bulwark class.
This modified MkX Tacticus suit is covered in furs and fangs befitting one of the Chapter’s most storied veterans.
But wait, what’s that he’s holding up there? From today, players can bash xenos skulls in and sunder Rubric power armour with a mighty one-handed thunder hammer! This brutal weapon is faster than the two-handed variant and can charge up to deal rippling area-of-effect blows, making it a great option for all kinds of foes.
Players using the Tactical, Assault, Bulwark, and Techmarines classes can all take the one-handed thunder hammer into battle, and there’s even a powerful Heroic version – the Power Maul.
These come alongside top-end additions for the power axe, auto bolt rifle, and five new cosmetic items bought with Accolades, including a fancy shoulderpad for the Black Templars and an Iron Halo.
The Tactical class is getting a top-to-bottom rework in this patch, renovating large swathes of its skill tree to offer more varied and interesting build options. It will also be getting access to the one-handed thunder hammer, the power axe, and the power sword, though with any of these powerful melee options equipped, you’ll lose access to your primary weapon.
So what if you want to take a bolt rifle and a power axe? There’s actually a Signature Perk for that – replacing the old Signal Jammer, you’ll now be able to choose an option that lets you take the regular, humble bolt rifle in your secondary weapon slot, with progression shared with its normal primary slot version. Tactical specialists really are the most versatile Space Marines in the squad.
If you’re looking for more of a challenge to test out the new skills, or simply enjoy running through Operations as close to the wire as possible, try out the new Crucible mode to earn Crucible XP. By talking to the Company Chaplain on board the battle barge you can activate Penances – personal debuffs that make your run harder – and completing missions with them active will put you on track to earning a set of Lamenters armour pieces.
Alongside the Space Wolves Champion Pack, the mysterious Exorcists Chapter also gets a Cosmetic Pack added to the Season Pass. This set of stylised armour pieces includes one Helmet, two Left and Right Pauldrons, two Left and Right Gauntlets, and one Breastplate from everyone’s favourite daemon-hunting Successor Chapter, covered in purity seals and arcane script. The Space Wolves Champion pack and Exorcists Chapter Pack are available to buy individually and also as part of Season Pass 3, whilst everything else included in the update is free.
Fancy getting a bit traitorous? A new spin on the wave-based Siege mode lets you step into the boots of a Chaos Space Marine to slaughter Tyranids, Imperial Guardsmen, and even loyalist Space Marines as you fight for dominion over Avarax. The new mode will initially include two sectors, with a third planned for a later release.
On top of all of this, we’ve still got room for a few more free additions. Heroic weapon variants of the power axe, one-handed thunder hammer, and auto bolt rifle will be added to the armoury, along with five new armour pieces and an expansion of the wargear sharing system. A third slot will open up to be used with capes, tabards, and iron halos, while some new items for Vanguard, Heavy, and Assault classes can be unlocked with new Ordeals.
This is only the first big update coming over the next 12 months, and the Year 3 battle plan is stacked with enough new content to fill a battle barge, from new weapons and new operations to an entirely new class – the Apothecary! Check out our first look at the schedule.
And that just about covers it! Head into Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 now to try out the new update, and get yourself prepared for Year 3.
