When playing Space Marine 2, you’re either going to spend time in the PvE Operations mode or the PvP Eternal War mode. With over 6 classes to choose from and each of them leveled individually, it can be difficult to choose the right class for you. In this guide, we’ll list down all the strengths and weaknesses of every class and where it stands on the meta.
S-Tier
Tactical
The Tactical class is currently one of the best all-rounders in Space Marine 2 and a great choice for beginners jumping into the game. They play very similar to Captain Titus, except they use the Auspex Scanner as their Wargear skill. Tactical Marines have access to all three weapon types and are capable of melee and ranged combat. Their Wargear, Auspex Scanner, highlights enemies while making them take more damage.
In PvE, they’re great for picking off Majoris targets like Tyranid Warriors and Thousand Sons Marines and even stealthier enemies like Lictors, Ravagers and Thousand Sons Terminators. However, they are especially powerful in PvP since the Auspex Scanner essentially gives your team a free wallhack on enemy players caught in its radius.
Overall, the Tactical is a great balanced class that can answer any threat that the Imperium faces.
Bulwark
Bulwarks are Space Marine 2’s tank support class. They eschew a primary weapon in exchange for a Storm Shield and a Power Sword. These powerful melee fighters can take a lot of punishment, thanks to their Wargear, the Chapter Banner. When the Banner is deployed, it slowly regenerates the armor of nearby allies and, with certain perks, even restores lost health.
The Bulwark class is absolutely indispensable in higher difficulty Operations since supplies like Medical Stimms and Armor Boosts are far rarer as the difficulty rises. Since they can provide armor and health in emergency situations, they can save a potentially doomed run and even turn the tides. However, when facing off ranged foes, they’ll have a harder time since they’re unable to use primary, which is why pairing them up with a ranged player can make Operations smoother.
They’re quite valuable in PvP too, since their Storm Shield can completely block enemy shots, but they struggle against players who’re good in melee combat. Their Chapter Banner is great for holding down objective zones and can be a good asset for the team.
A-Tier
Sniper
The Sniper class deals some of the best ranged damage in Space Marine 2 with their Bolt Rifle and Las Fusil. They can easily kill Tyranid Warriors and Thousand Sons Marines in just a few headshots and are great at picking off ranged targets that might pose a threat to fellow Astartes in melee combat. Because of this, they’re best suited in Chaos missions where heretic Astartes are most likely to appear. However, their biggest weakness is horde clearing, struggling against groups of Hormagaunts and Tzaangors that can make short work of them. Luckily, their Cameleoline Cloak Wargear allows them to escape from dangerous fights, giving them time to relocate and can even be used to stealthily revive downed allies.
In PvP, they’re just as good as the player, but they can be absolutely powerful in some of the longer-ranged areas of every map. Their cloak ability makes them very difficult for players to spot and they can even adopt a more close-ranged assassin playstyle if they switch to the Bolt Carbine weapon.
Heavy
The Heavy class has exclusive access to big guns like the Heavy Bolter, Plasma Incinerator and Multi-Melta weapon. They’re the best class for dealing with hordes of smaller enemies with their fast rate of fire and deep ammo reserves. Heavies can even make short work of Terminus enemies if they can land their shots. However, to offset their use of heavy weapons, this class is unable to equip a melee weapon. This means that in melee combat, they’re extremely vulnerable, only able to swing their primary weapon to parry and knock back foes. Their Wargear, the Iron Halo, creates a frontal shield that blocks all ranged attacks, making them a perfect counter to certain Tyranid enemies and the forces of Chaos.
In PvP, they’re best used when holding down an area and can have the fastest time-to-kill if they’re set up in the right place. This also means that flanking enemies can counter them easily, so smart positioning is required when playing this class.
Vanguard
Vanguards are the close-ranged melee powerhouses of Space Marine 2, as they can easily close the distance between them and the enemy with their Grapnel Launcher Wargear. This causes the player to deliver a flying kick that deals high damage and stuns the targeted enemy. Vanguard players have access to perks that keep them alive even in horde situations as they absolutely thrive in melee combat. To make up for their extreme mobility, Vanguards only have two armor bars instead of the usual three, meaning that they are squishier. If players aren't careful, they may die quickly.
However, Vanguards are considered S-tier in PvP as their Grapnel Launcher stuns enemy players caught by it, giving them a huge advantage and even counting it as a secured kill. This might be nerfed by Saber Interactive, but even if the Grapnel stun was nerfed, they can also grapple towards walls which still makes them the ideal flanker class.
B-Tier
Assault
The Assault class, like the Bulwarks, exchanges the use of a primary weapon for their Jump Pack, which gives them a vertical edge off enemies. They are a melee-focused class that can wield the mighty Thunder Hammer and can deal massive AoE damage against hordes. However, there are some issues with the Jump Pack that makes it rather difficult to use, along with a long cooldown time for an ability that should have been short. The Assault class is still viable in the endgame, but its far more demanding to the player to make it effective in Ruthless difficulty Operations.
However, this class is far more valuable in PvP considering that standard Space Marine mobility is fairly slow. Paired with the extra vertical mobility you have, the Assault class is one of the best flank classes to play when flushing out entrenched enemies. The exclusive Thunder Hammer here requires more skill to use, since it doesn’t have the same lunge distance that other melee weapons have.
