Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
A hack and slash third-person shooter set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a 2024 third-person shooter blending ranged combat with hack and slash melee, developed by Saber Interactive Inc. and published by Focus Entertainment. It is the sequel to the 2011 game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, launching on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on 9 September 2024. The game earned generally favorable reviews from critics, and a follow-up is already in development.
Players control Lieutenant Demetrian Titus, an Ultramarines officer returning from the first game. Throughout the campaign, he is joined by fellow Space Marines Brother Chairon and Sergeant Gadriel; in cooperative multiplayer, two other players can take control of these characters, while AI handles them in single-player. Imperial Guard soldiers, also AI-controlled, fight alongside the player in certain sections. Combat is third-person, mixing melee and ranged attacks. Players can parry enemy strikes and follow up with a powerful gun strike, but some attacks are unblockable and must be dodged. Armor protects the character; once it breaks, health begins to deplete when hit. Health only recovers by finding medkits on the battlefield or using certain high-level abilities, while armor regenerates by executing enemies. If health reaches zero, the character falls and bleeds out for 30 seconds, during which a teammate can revive them. If not revived in time, or if they fall a second time, they die fully and must wait through a countdown to re-enter the fight.
The game includes separate multiplayer modes: 3-player cooperative PvE and 12-player competitive PvP. Cooperative modes include "Operations," missions running parallel to the main story; "Stratagems," variations of operations with random modifiers; and "Siege Mode," an endless rogue-like mode where a team defends an imperial fortification. PvP modes—Annihilation, Seize Ground, Capture and Control, and Helbrute Onslaught—feature 6v6 battles between Imperium and Chaos forces. Players choose from seven classes (Tactical, Assault, Vanguard, Bulwark, Sniper, Heavy, Techmarine) and customize their avatar with cosmetic items.
The story is set in the early 42nd Millennium during the Era Indomitus, after the return of Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
- Developer
- Saber St. Petersburg
- Publisher
- Focus Entertainment
- Director
- Dmitry Grigorenko · Oliver Hollis-Leick
- Producer
- Aleksey Tkachev
- Designer
- Anatolii Koruka
- Programmer
- Efim Plotnikov
- Artist
- Dmitry Kholodov
- Writer
- Craig Sherman · Oliver Hollis-Leick
- Composer
- Nima Fakhrara · Steve Molitz
- Series
- Warhammer 40,000
- Engine
- Swarm Engine
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set in the early 42nd Millennium during the Era Indomitus, the Age of the Dark Imperium. After the return of Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, the Imperium of Man has launched a galaxy-wide campaign known as the Indomitus Crusade. An alien race known as the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan emerge from the western part of the galaxy, starting the Fourth Tyrannic War. The game's main enemies are the Tyranids and the forces of Chaos dedicated to Tzeentch, including the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion.
The player controls Titus, a lieutenant of the Ultramarines chapter and returning protagonist from the first game. After the events of the first game, Titus was imprisoned by Inquisitor Thrax on charges of heresy, tortured for a century, and later freed. He chose self-imposed penance by becoming a Blackshield and joining the Deathwatch. The plot follows Titus as he leads a Deathwatch kill team, is recovered by the Ultramarines, and is subjected to the Rubicon Primaris to become a Primaris Space Marine. He must regain his Chapter's favor while confronting the Tyranids and the Thousand Sons.
Reader's Guide
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is notable as a direct sequel to the 2011 title, continuing the story of Demetrian Titus. The game blends third-person shooting with melee combat, allowing players to parry attacks and perform gun strikes, while armor and health mechanics require executions to regenerate armor and medkits to restore health. The campaign can be played cooperatively with two other players, who control fellow Space Marines Brother Chairon and Sergeant Gadriel. The game also features separate multiplayer modes: 3-player cooperative PvE in Operations and Stratagems, an endless rogue-like Siege Mode, and 12-player competitive PvP modes including Annihilation, Seize Ground, Capture and Control, and Helbrute Onslaught. Players can choose from seven character classes and customize their avatar with cosmetic items. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, and a sequel is in development, indicating its significance as a continuing franchise entry.
Did You Know?
- The game was released on 9 September 2024 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.
- The protagonist Titus was imprisoned and tortured for a century by Inquisitor Thrax before being freed.
- The game features a 12-player competitive PvP mode with modes like Annihilation and Helbrute Onslaught.
- A sequel to the game is in development.
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