Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will soon get the Techmarine, its seventh playable class, and with it comes a unique ability that sounds very exciting indeed.
In a post on Xbox Wire, Space Marine 2 game director Dmitry Grigorenko revealed that the Techmarine is designed to be a crowd control and area defense specialist, leaning on tech to get the job done, as they do in the Warhammer 40,000 lore and tabletop wargame upon which Space Marine 2 is based.
In melee the Techmarine uses the Omnissian Axe for wide swipes. This is an upcoming weapon only the Techmarine will have access to upon launch. He also has mechanical arms and an automatic turret bolted directly onto his Power Pack.
This means that while you’re actively fighting, you can use the Techmarine’s Combat Skill (Space Marine 2’s version of an ‘ultimate’ ability) to trigger the mounted Servo-Gun, which will lay down heavy fire without the player needing to aim it. “Just watch as Tyranids and Thousand Sons get vaporized before your very eyes,” Grigorenko teased.
But here’s the super interesting part: the automatic Servo-Gun frees you up by executing Gun Strikes for you. This is a big deal indeed.
For the uninitiated, in Space Marine 2, a Gun Strike is a powerful, quick pistol shot you perform after a perfect dodge or parry (or a heavy attack that stuns smaller foes) when a red reticle appears on an enemy, dealing significant damage and allowing for powerful follow-ups without needing to aim or use ammo.
All other classes must manually do a Gun Strike for themselves. But Techmarine players, as Grigorenko put it, “will be free to continue aiming at other targets while their turrets stagger or kill their most pressing assailants.”
Already fans are getting excited about this new ability, even though it’s limited to your Combat Skill (at least, that’s how the Xbox Wire blog post makes it sound). “Jesus Christ, I was already excited for this class, it just keeps on getting better,” said one fan. “I hope there’s a Techmarine perk or weapon perk that’ll help give more Gun Strikes to really take advantage of that.” Said another person who clearly knows their Warhammer 40,000 lore: “Get your blessing brothers, awake the machine spirit, refined the holy oil and praise the Motive Force, this new class looks dope.”
There’s even more to the Techmarine. It also has the unique ability to locate and service Tarantula Sentry turrets during missions. “Though they can’t be carried or placed freely, these can provide much welcome support to your Combat Squad by attacking your enemies automatically until they either run out of ammunition or get destroyed,” Grigorenko explained.
The Techmarine hits Space Marine 2 as part of Patch 12, due out in a few weeks. The new class will be available across all modes apart from the narrative campaign, as it centers around the story of Ultramarines Lieutenant Demetrian Titus.
Also coming with Patch 12 is a 12th mission to the Operations and Stratagems modes, a new mission pick-up type, three new Hero weapon variants, and new customization options for Space Marine helmetless heads. If you own the Season Pass 2 you also get a brand-new Assault Champion Raven Guard skin and a unique cosmetic pack for the Carcharodons.
As announced this week, Space Marine 2 releases on Xbox Game Pass, with Xbox Play Anywhere support, on January 29, so expect an influx of new players.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
