A new mod for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has breathed new life into the game, adding a long list of features that will no-doubt encourage fans to jump back in.
Space Marine 2 is approaching its third month on sale, and hardcore players are looking for reasons to keep playing as developer Saber Interactive continues to work on content updates. Astartes 2.0, from Space Marine 2 modder Warhammer Workshop, certainly provides those reasons.
This overhaul for the base game builds upon its 1.0 release last month with a number of eye-catching additions. Warhammer 40,000 lore fans will be keen to try out lore-accurate Space Marine classes, including the Devastator, Bladeguard, and Eliminator. Space Marine 2 launched with generic names such as Bulwark, Sniper, and Heavy for the classes, so the chance to play a more accurate representation of Games Workshop’s grim dark universe is welcome.
Combat is also reworked, with the ability to play with the Pyreblaster a highlight. This flamer weapon is locked to Space Marine 2’s campaign, so bringing it into other modes will add a freshness to the likes of Operations mode.
Speaking of Operations mode, the mod adds two new missions with jetpacks auto-equipped. If you’ve played the Space Marine 2 campaign you’ll know that some of its best moments involve the jetpack, but these sequences are unfortunately short-lived. (The Assault class’ jetpack is nerfed significantly compared to the jetpack you get to play with in the campaign.) The new Operations are Voidsong (one of the campaign missions that features the jetpack) and Skylab.
This week, Saber confirmed its commitment to Space Marine 2’s modding scene, but announced plans to block mods from being used in public servers.
Space Marine 2 has a thriving modding scene that makes a significant number of improvements and changes to the record-breaking third-person melee / shooter hybrid. IGN has reported on Space Marine 2’s modding scene a number of times, shining a light on everything from more in-depth customization to a fix for one of the game’s biggest problems.
Remarkably, the changes Space Marine 2 mods make to the Space Marines themselves, whether they’re 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.
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 wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
