Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Mod Solves One of the Game’s Biggest Problems
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 modders have made significant progress improving the game, even solving one of its biggest problems since launch.
Ever since Space Marine 2’s record-breaking launch in September, players have faced the prospect of awkwardness before they set out on a co-op mission — awkwardness that makes simply playing the class you want more frustrating than it should be.
Space Marine 2 includes three-player co-op missions as part of Operations mode. These co-op missions are set during the game’s campaign, but with different characters who are off doing other missions that tie in to the events that follow main character Titus.
Operations mode restricts a squad to one Space Marine of each class. So, for example, it is impossible to have an all-sniper team (developer Saber has said this is a deliberate design decision to encourage “strategic variety.”)
The problem is Space Marine 2 will actively matchmake you into a group with a player who is the same class as the one you have selected. In-game, there is an area of the Battle Barge where players must “assemble” before an Operations mode mission kicks off. The countdown only begins when all three players have selected a different class. This means you can end up in awkward standoffs where two or more players want to be the same class, each waiting for the other to blink first and switch.
It’s a frustration that often bubbles up on Space Marine 2 Discords, subreddits, and on social media as players work to level up certain classes above others. Staff at Saber have said class matching is on the cards, but modders have already gone one step further and removed the class limits in Operations mode entirely.
Astartes Overhaul, from Tom, aka Warhammer Workshop, is perhaps the most significant mod yet for Space Marine 2. This massive upgrade to Space Marine 2 gameplay, available to download from Nexus, lets players select any squad configuration without class restrictions, among many other changes that affect the balance of Operations mode. So, if you want an all-sniper team, you can have it.
Remarkably, the changes Space Marine 2 mods make to the Space Marines themselves, whether it’s a purely aesthetic customization not normally possible or certain classes using weapons and equipment they’re not supposed to, can be seen online by other players in public PvE sessions. While Space Marine 2 uses dedicated servers, a lot of the game elements are client-side controlled. So if you’re playing with random players, there’s a chance you might see things like Bulwarks wielding Thunder Hammers.
Space Marine 2 publisher Focus Entertainment has confirmed to IGN that it has no problem whatsoever with PvE modding, but Tom is playing it safe. He recommends those who use the Astartes Overhaul mod stick to private lobbies “to minimize disruption to other players’ games.” “Keeping the Overhaul in private lobbies helps ensure a positive experience for all players,” he continued. “Your support in keeping things balanced is hugely appreciated!”
No class limits in Operations isn’t all the Astartes Overhaul mod does. It even adds allied reinforcements to the Operations missions. This means you’ll encounter various allies who bring fresh support to each mission, including Imperial Guard soldiers, Space Marines, and even Dreadnoughts.
Elsewhere, the mod adds a ton of new Chapter emblems, an expanded arsenal of weapons for each operator, an expanded enemy roster (including early access to a new enemy type), “lore accurate” weapon buffs (“Bolters and other iconic weapons have been rebalanced for that real 40K punch”), new mid-operation checkpoints, new takedown animations, and new Retributor cosmetics and customizable Mark 8 armor.
The addition of Retributor cosmetics is notable because the Loyalist Space Marine Chapter starred in Syama Pederson’s much-loved fan-made YouTube video series Astartes. Speaking to IGN last year, Saber creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick namechecked Astartes as his favorite reference point for the look of the game’s Space Marines.
“He got the sound of them walking down those corridors… ker-klonk, ker-klonk-ker-klonk… but when they move it’s straight away like they’re predatory animals,” Hollis-Leick said.
In September, Saber Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits told IGN how the breakout success of Space Marine 2 had “changed everything” for the company. Eagle-eyed fans have spotted the Space Marine chapter now all-but confirmed to get a cosmetic pack after the Dark Angels, too.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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