In the grim, dark future of the 41st millennium, there may only be war, but Saber Interactive’s long-awaited Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is proving that there’s plenty of fun to be had there too. Players are head over heels for the latest game set in the 40k universe and the devs are keeping the momentum from launch going with consistent updates to keep fine-tuning an already commendable experience.
Less than a month into launch and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is already three updates deep with the latest patch bringing some much-needed quality of life changes, balance tweaks, and even more ways to purge the xenos and heretic menace. Fortunately, patch notes allow gamers to know exactly what to expect after downloading the latest version of the game.
Does Space Marine 2 Have Ultrawide Support?
Players with ultrawide monitors can find out if Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has official support for their displays in this guide.
Space Marine 2 Patch 3.0 Breakdown
New Features in Space Marine 2’s Latest Patch
The third and most recent update to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 contains a number of additional features to improve the multiplayer and singleplayer experience.
- Private lobbies for Operations mode.
- The Hub Sparring Arena; a mode on the battle barge where players can compete in PvP with the players in their squad while waiting to queue.
- What’s New/Message of the Day Boards for announcements.
- Added Ultrawide Support for PC.
- Custom Color Palettes can now be reset.
The game had a huge launch, but these are the type of quality of life updates that will keep players sticking around for the long term. Queuing for multiplayer matches has a habit of running a little long, so giving players the option for some light PVP sparring while they wait is a great idea and fits well into the space marine lore and mythos. Private lobbies for PVE are another no-brainer addition, since it’ll be easier for friends to play among themselves.
What are the Balance Tweaks in the Latest Space Marine 2 Update?
As with any online game, balancing is an ongoing project the team at Saber are always going to have to stay on top of. This latest patch is the first really deep foray into that arena and, so far, the changes made seem to be putting the game in the right direction. Saber is focused entirely on making the experience feel more fluid and making weapons feel appropriately more powerful, which is a good move when considering the gargantuan bolters and melee weapons favored by the Astartes.
Weapons/Gear Changes
- Powerfist charged attack damage has been massively increased.
- Heavy Plasma has had it’s base ammo increased by 5, base damage buffed by 10%, and overheat per shoot drastically decreased from 50 to 30 for charged shoots and from 20 to 15 for base shooting.
- Aux grenade launcher can be partially replenished with ammo boxes instead of just the infinite ammo crate.
PVE AI Changes
- AI allies have received multiple changes making them more helpful/effective, without making them so powerful that they win the game for the player.
- Zoanthrope’s psychic scream attack has received several nerfs to make it more fair.
- Termagant’s fleshborer spray attack has been nerfed.
- Tyranid Warrior (Devourer Variant) projectile damage has been nerfed.
- Rubric Marine (Warpfire Variant) has had damage reduced across the board and health decreased by 10%.
- Rubric Marine (Boltgun Variant) had damage and health decreased, as well as a decrease in their teleport frequency.
- Tzaangor with Shield has had health greatly reduced.
- Carnifex becomes faster and more aggressive in rage mode, doesn’t taunt as often, and has had a bug fix involving its projectiles not firing.
- Hive Tyrant got a health buff and is now 20% more resistant to explosives/melta weapons.
What Patch 3.0 Means for the Future of Space Marine 2
These changes are very encouraging for Saber’s vision for the game. The various buffs to weaponry, improvements to ally AI, and nerfs to enemy damage paint a very telling picture of what the studio wants the game to be. It’s clear the developers are focused primarily on preserving the promise of the space marine power fantasy.
These changes empower the player to more easily deal with the fodder tier enemies, with the only notable buff being to the Hive Tyrant, which is honestly an enemy befitting a decent challenge to even the most grizzled Primaris. Only time will tell what new content gets added, but this patch is very promising for the future of the game.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 86%
- Released
- September 9, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- Saber Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Focus Entertainment
- Engine
- Swarm Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Your Craft is Death.
Embody the superhuman skill and brutality of a Space Marine, the greatest of the Emperor’s warriors. Hold at bay the horrors of the galaxy in epic battles on far-flung planets with your deadly abilities and devastating weaponry. Uncover dark secrets to drive back the everlasting night and prove your ultimate loyalty to humanity.
Crush the Tyranid swarms. Defend humanity.
Purge the relentless Tyranid swarms as legendary Space Marine Titus in a spectacular new campaign. Play solo or with up to 2 friends in 3 player co-op.
Enjoy intense, gory and fast-paced third-person action with hundreds of enemies on screen, from the creators of blockbuster co-op shooter World War Z.
Defend the Imperium as your own Space Marine in an endlessly brutal and replayable PvE missions up to 3 players featuring 6 classes, unlocking new skills and cosmetics.
Wage eternal war on your enemies in ferocious 6v6 PvP matches and bring glory to your faction!
- Franchise
- Warhammer 40K
- Number of Players
- 1-6
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Hack and Slash
