Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 is a highly anticipated multi-player shooter that has been making all the right noises pre-release. The game features good options of classes (builds) to pick up from when beginning a new game – 6 in fact. Choosing the right combination of class, weapons, and perks can make a huge difference to your gameplay experience – whether PVE or PVP. In this guide; we have put up everything you need to know to decide which of the six classes in Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 you should begin with
On This Page
- Assault Class
- Bulwark Class
- Heavy Class
- Vanguard Class
- Tactical Class
- Sniper Class
- Which Starting Class Should You Pick In Space Marines 2?
The Assault Class: Close-Combat Specialist
This is your go-to class if you like to dish out damage up close and personal. The Assault Class has an Armor Class of 3 – and the extra armor goes a big way in absorbing some of the damage that you will inevitably get when in melee range with your enemies. The class also comes with the incredibly useful and unique ability to re-generate the armor as you keep executing melee attacks.
Special Ability
The Jump Pack is the Special Ability for this class. It comes with 2 charges – you can either use it as a substitute for dodge by making quick horizontal dashes either to close in the distance or avoid an enemy attack; or you can use it for a massive vertical slam, honing in on the enemy and getting a big melee hit through.
Weapons
The Assault Class has no Primary Weapon – it does not need one for its playstyle! Instead, it has three options for Melee: the Chainsaw, Power Fist, and the Thunder Hammer.
The Chainsword is like a quick but powerful greatsword and feels just right when you slash through the battlefield against enemy hordes with this;
The Power Fist has options to charge it up and increase stun damage to when you land a blow – while it has lower reach, the ability to stun helps against single enemies.
The Thunder Hammer is a unique weapon that can only be wielded by the Assault Class, and is every bit epic as it sounds – the only thing holding it back is that it is a slow weapon. However, it also has a slam ability that can recharge the armor when it connects with the enemy.
As far as Side Arms go; I would recommend the Bolt Pistol; the higher ammo helps when the auto pistol hit comes through after a light attack combo from your melee weapon. And this is important, as we discussed to get the armor recharge going.
Bulwark Class: The Tank For Your Team
The class is the go-to class if you want a tank that can soak up damage from enemies and keep the team alive, while the other team members wreak havoc on the enemies in PVE or the opposing team in PVP. This is a great support class with abilities to recharge team armor, have them take lesser damage, increase resistances, and even revive teammates.
Special Ability
The Bulwark Class in Space Marine 2 has the Chapter Banner as its Special Ability – it regenerates your and your teammates’ armor if they are standing near the banner. So you can plant this near the Ranged specialist in your team and have him unleash his heaviest guns on the enemy.
The Storm Shield is the defining weapon for this class – and it gives you the ability to prevent all incoming ranged attack damage and light attack damage, as well as the option for the classic Shield Bash – which can be helpful especially when mobbed in PVE.
Weapons
The Bulwark Class has a Shield and hence cannot (and need not!) wield a Primary Weapon.
As far as Melee Weapons go, the Bulwark can wield the Chainsword or the Power Fist which we discussed above; and in addition to that it is the only class that can wield the Power Sword. Consider them as a lighter and more agile version of the Chainsaw.
The Secondary Weapon can either be a Bolt Pistol or the Plasma Pistol. While not something that you would look to call upon a lot in the battlefield, still I would recommend the Plasma Pistol – it can be charged to deliver higher damage to ranged enemies whenever there is a window of opportunity; better to deal high damage and quickly revert back to the primary duty of holding up the team.
Heavy Class: Massive Ranged Damage-Dealer
The Heavy Class is just exactly that – a decently tanky, high-ranged damage-dealing class. It has an Armor Class of 3 and comes with perks that help restore the armor on doing damage to enemies. The class is the slowest in the game and you would not want this class to move around the battlefield doing melee damage. This class is made to plant itself in one spot, take the Heavy stance, and dish out massive damage to enemies at range. Along with that, it can also be a decent support class – it has a special team perk ‘Bonds of Brotherhood’ that can revive a teammate to full health!
Special Ability
The Heavy Class has Iron Halo as its Special Ability- and it does exactly that: it envelopes you in a protective dome that absorbs all incoming ranged and light attack damage, allowing you to continue dealing uninterrupted range damage to enemies. This can also be upgraded to help squad members take reduced damage from ranged attacks; or increase ranged damage when Iron Halo is in effect.
Weapons
The Heavy Class in Warhammer 40K does not have a melee weapon – and that speaks volumes of the kind of gameplay that the class is supposed to work with.
The Side Arms options remain the same – the Bolt Pistol or the Plasma Pistol. I would recommend the Bolt Pistol as the higher ammo can take care of any enemies that may come within melee distance.
The Primary Weapon is the mainstay for this class, and you can pick from three options:
the Heavy Bolter with a super high DPS and perks that boost up increased ammo, damage, and range;
Heavy Plasma Incinerator that can be charged off for an exploding cannonball and perks for quicker charge, and higher projectile speed;
the unique Multi-Melta: which is a thermal weapon and great for close combat: consider it the equivalent of a shotgun that can just destroy anything that is close and in front of you.
Vanguard Class: The Elite Enemy Destroyer
The Vanguard Class on first appearance may not look that promising: an Armor Class of just 2; bringing a knife (to a gunfight!) as a melee weapon… But, scratch beyond the surface, and this class has all the right setup tools to easily take out Elite enemies, and high mobility options as well. Plus, the perks are designed to make the most out of the 2 Armor Class rating.
Special Ability
The Grapnel Launcher is a killer Special Ability to have: as the name suggests, you target an enemy, launch your Grapnel at it, and hurl yourself right in the middle of all the action (read: enemy hordes). This can quickly close the distance to the enemy before it has any chance to do ranged damage, as well as dish out some lethal damage with the melee options or the close combat gun. The perks also attune very nicely with the use of this ability – like increased damage during the cooldown period of the Grapnel Launcher for example.
Weapons
The Vanguard Class, unlike the ones that we have gone through so far has the option to go with a loadout including melee, primary and secondary weapons.
The Melee options are the Chainsaw and the Combat Knife. I wholeheartedly recommend the Combat Knife – it is lightning fast and can carve out some major damage after you Grapnel launch yourself into the enemy before he has a chance to react. Use it once, and the impact as well as the super cool style quotient when it lands those attacks will quickly make this a favorite of yours. Plus, faster light attacks also mean a quicker recharge to the Armor.
The Secondary Weapon slot only has the Bolt Pistol.
The Primary Weapon option for the Vanguard Class in Space Marine 2 is the Melta Rifle: it comes with lesser ammo but high damage; and is another great option for taking down Elites in the game. The other options are a Bolt Carbine Rifle and an Instigator Bolt Carbine Rifle. The Instigator version is the better one among the two, but I recommend the Melta Rifle since it goes with the overall Elite-enemy destroying build for the Vanguard Class.
Tactical Class: The Versatile All-Rounder
The Tactical Marine Class comes with a balanced mix of offense and defense; and while it does not excel in one area, it is a solid class to begin with. The playstyle works especially well in a team as it comes with abilities to mark enemies and have the squad deal extra damage to these marked enemies, and also individually gives the maximum options of weapons to choose from across Primary, Secondary, and Melee.
Special Ability
The Tactical Class comes with Auspex Scan which can detect and mark all enemies – including Cloaked ones as well, making it a great asset for teamplay. The perks also focus on increasing duration and increased damage on scanned enemies.
Weapons
The Tactical Class can select either of the following as a Primary Weapon:
- Auto Bolt Rifle: a solid and balanced rifle with good ammo capacity
- Bolt Rifle: a good option to take down enemies from a distance – rewards headshots and accuracy
- Heavy Bolt Rifle: a close-range option with higher damage
- Stalker Bolt Rifle: a semi-auto option for long-range
- Bolt Carbine Rifle: distinguished by its high ammo capacity among the options available
- Plasma Incinerator: can deliver charged shots for increased damage.
- Melta Rifle: limited ammo and short range but very high damage – ideal for taking on Elites at close range.
The Secondary Weapon is a Bolt Pistol, and the Melee Weapon is the Chainsword for the Tactical Class in Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2.
Sniper Class: The Camouflaged Marine
This is perhaps the most advanced class that takes some getting used to in my opinion, from all the 6 starting classes in Space Marine 2. The 2 Armor Class rating also does not help. However, the class does have a pretty good role that it can play in a team, as some of its abilities help revive teammates faster as well.
Special Ability
The Sniper Class has Camo Cloak as its Special Ability, which makes you invisible till you land an attack. The perks focus on getting more damage when cloaked, auto-reload when activating Camo Cloak, and so on. This can also startle enemies when you break cover from Camo Cloak – giving you some time to deal damage and then get some distance from the other enemies nearby.
Weapons
The Sniper Class has the Combat Knife as the Melee Weapon; and the Bolt Pistol as the Secondary.
The Primary Weapon options for the Sniper Class are:
- Las Fusil: a chargeable Sniper Rifle that goes well with the overall playstyle for a Sniper class.
- Bolt Sniper Rifle: has a better fire rate – and goes a long way in the typical frantic fights that you will frequently be engaged in.
- Stalker Bolt Rifle: lesser firepower but with higher ammo reserves.
- Bolt Carbine Rifle: more of a mid-range rifle with a higher fire rate.
Which Starting Class Should You Pick In Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2?
In my opinion; you should begin either with the Vanguard or the Tactical Class when beginning a new game in Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2. While there are obviously a lot of factors like team composition, your familiarity with the game and so on to keep in mind when choosing a starting class, the reason for recommending these two are as follows:
Tactical Class As A Starting Choice In Space Marine 2
The Tactical Class gives you the widest option of Primary Weapons to choose from and see for yourself which one works best for you, it has a great option in the Chainsword for Melee combat, and the Scan ability helps you mark and cause increased damage to marked enemies. All in all, it is a super versatile class that can adapt to all playstyles, and be an asset in any team composition.
Vanguard As A Starting Choice In Space Marine 2
You will be engaging in a lot of melee combat in Space Marines 2. And the Vanguard is a class that excels in precisely this. Yes, while you have the Assault class as well, the kicker in case of Vanguard is the ability to cause massive damage to Elite enemies. The Grapnel Launcher combined with the Combat Knife & Melta Rifle make a superb and extremely cool-looking combination for taking apart mobs & Elite enemies with the Vanguard class.
Also, checkout our list on all weapons in Space Marine 2: primary, secondary, melee weapons & grenades.
