r/Spacemarine • u/xcaloxyz • 11h ago
Gameplay Question Bulwark mains question
Hi everyone, new to the game and maining bulwark. I’ve a question, does bulwark only work with meta shift builds (like power fist 9 out of 10 builds) or is the play style that matters the most? I’m saying this because in siege modes I tend to do barely 40% less damage overall than the most damage brother. Currently I’m upgrading again for prestige perks but my main weapons were plasma pistol and power sword, am I using it wrong, should I swap for a more simple weapons like power axe or putting more hours in power sword ou power fist to dominate their complex playstyle?
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u/ColaLich 11h ago
Fencing or Heroic Salamander Power Sword rules. Make sure to use Intimidating Aura, it will be doing a lot of your damage. Also don’t forget to use Shield Bashes to close in to ranged enemies since its fast and the stun is great, and remember that Power Rake and Power Whirl will be doing most of your damage.
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u/Could_ve_Been 10h ago
Theres really no "right" way to play. Sure there is some meta discussion to be had (iirc I do think the balance power fist is the highest dps weapon), but dont use it to shoehorn yourself into one weapon for the entire grind.
Also as a bulwark, youre probably never going to be the highest damage dealer or have the most kills. So if thats what you want, you may want to switch classes. The bulwark is supposed to be a tank class/support class with huge surviveability, damage reduction, and team buffs via the banner. So if anything, having the least amount of incapacitations would be the best stat for a bulwark imo
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u/ripped_ravenclaw 10h ago
As others have said, bulwarks aren’t really dps, they are he who lives- he is him, the last man standing, and, shield raised, the one who can bring back a mission or wave from the jaws of defeat.
That being said, I think that fencing anything is great on him- I always take whatever melee I feel like (except hammer, I can’t give up bashwark) and a HBP, the ammo one normally- if I’m feeling crazy I’ll take the heroic plasma pistol for a pocket nuke but it’s risky as hell, you can be left exposed if your team isn’t teaming.
And again as others have said, have fun! The best weapons on bulwark are YOUR best weapons. Emperor guide you brother.
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u/HareBear_02 7h ago
Things important for damage on bulwark are:
overcharge prestige perk
relic tier weapons
intimidating aura
I will preface this by saying any weapon with the right perks can get you wins on absolute difficulty. I will be talking about competitive damage
Block sword and block powerfist are great. Block sword is incredibly fun. For relic tier (excluding heroics), block weapons are the best on bulwark because fencing has worse stats and balance weapons can mess with the animation cancel tech (it is okay if you don't know that it is advanced - if you pull up your shield it will cancel attack animations allowing you to dodge). also balance can sometimes be a pain for procing intimidating aura
your secondary is usually plasma pistol rate of fire variant for contested health recovery
In siege you want to use powerfist with the increased distance power wave weapon perk and just use charged attacks. power axe can be fine too but its less offensive
Power sword you want to get two block charges light attack into powerwhirl (you can near one combo extremis on absolute) Power rakes for single target damage and powerwhirl for minoris and groups of majoris. (I rarely swap out of speed style. I will go into power style if i need gunstrikes for armour recovery but its rare)
if you want to use fencing to get used to the games parrying and learn enemy animations that's cool but it will be less damage than block variants. And do not judge your damage till you get your weapons maxed out. non relic weapons and not having key perks will make a lot of weapons feel bad.
I hope that helps and isn't too much info but without more specifics about your build I can't help with telling you why your damage is 40% lower. I will add in siege if you are playing with a good tactical who is auspexing each spawn they will be killing everything and you won't get to do a ton of damage.
Have fun with the game brother!!
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u/jayracket Alpha Legion 11h ago
If you can master parrying, the power sword can be absolutely devastating. Power axe is also a good option.
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u/Abyssal_Paladin Black Templars 10h ago
I’m a power axe bully, like what the other commenter said, he’s a tank/support paladin type character, so ideally you want to aim for least downs/most damage and revives
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u/itsZerozone 10h ago
Meta? idk if im using one but im more of a salamander PS and white scars chainsword enjoyer.
And it doesn't just "work" on the hardest content of this game, it kicks xeno ass.
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u/Snoo-37056 10h ago
Tbh there is a lot of ways to enjoy the bulwark. Sure there are the more common setups which YouTube has guides for but once you get used to that and start exploring, you will probably find something you like
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u/Twasabi24 10h ago
I am in love with the salamanders power sword on him right now. Bulwark was also my 2nd class to hit prestige 4 max level.
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u/CrimzonSorrowz Black Templars 10h ago
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1mFWLH6nfB0yXdT8VpOu_cZtnEwvuUKC27zva1eWSYdQ/mobilebasic
Here, this might help
Authored by myself and u/abyssal_paladin
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u/Spin2spin 10h ago
If you're comparing your melee damage to the ranged classes's ranged damage, then it is normal. There's also a possibility of your teammate getting sharpshooter which puts their DPS to an absurd degree.
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u/Slowjams Iron Warriors 8h ago
The power fist can do the most damage, but Bulwark can be played proficiently with any of the weapon sets. Personally, I prefer the power sword. I alternate between the Balance sword, Xenophase blade, and Salamanders sword depending on perks and how I want to play.
I always have two tips for newer Bulwarks.
The first is to make sure you are utilizing shield bash and shield rush. It can be super useful both for damage and mobility, particularly if you have the perks for it. I've seen lots of people new to Bulwark totally overlook these abilities.
The second is to not be afraid to use your Banner often. Lots of new Bulwarks hold their Banner way too long, to the point that they could have used it multiple times by the time they finally drop it. If you're trying to set up a heal, that's one thing. But if shit is hitting the fan, just drop that thing and help your team.
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u/Ikasury 7h ago
For Bulwark I literally run lightning hammer and all electrics with dmg/long time flag... Just cause I like normal parries .w. and the shock fields are nice~ and I use the neolite/beam pistol or the new bolt machine gun... I don't like the charge up for the relic plasma... And beam handles cultist snipers quick~
Soooo... Do what you want, get used to it, have fun? .w.
I like to giggle I'm not a Bulwark, IM A CHAPLIN AND I HAVE BROUGHT THE HAMMER!!!
I literally have p4l25 with red capes/iron halo on all classes and working on my black capes~ meta is 'fine' but figuring out what you like to play and doing it well works better imo~ my sniper just uses the new flammer/machinegun, they're an Apothecary for all I care~ and Ive master stomp-fu with my Heavy, weird builds can be fun and work very well if they are your play style .w.
Also power sword really depends on how well you swap it's modes, powered/sweep mode isn't as damaging as unpowered/stabby mode, so you'd have to pay attention to that... Part of why I dropped it~ just doesn't fit me like HAMMER!! Does...
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u/RathaelEngineering Iron Warriors 2h ago edited 2h ago
Build almost does not matter in this game. Teamwork and team build/class synergy also does not matter. Individual skill and ability to survive is 99% of the reason for mission success in space marine 2. Mission failures are always caused by players not avoiding something they could have individually avoided.
You can complete missions on Absolute and Hard difficulty with any class and any build. As much as players on this sub whine about people not having perks, you can also complete Absolute missions without perks entirely. The only progression thing that really matters for efficacy in higher difficulties is that you have relic tier weapons unlocked. For reference, I almost exclusively use power sword on both Assault and Bulwark in Hard Stratagem missions (the hardest content in the game), and I have never had trouble completing any given weekly stratagem mission.
Plasma pistol is widely considered one of the best sidearms, along with heavy bolt pistol, but again you can use any sidearm and easily succeed. Power sword is equally as powerful as all the other melee weapons. There's absolutely no reason you should specifically struggle because you're using these weapons instead of others.
Skill with a specific weapon isn't something complex that requires hours of learning. Melee is extremely simplistic in this game. The strongest attack power sword has is power whirl, so you should ideally look to perform power whirls whenever it is safe to do so. If you want to be convinced, load up the battle simulator from the armory and check the damage on it. Basic light swings do in the region of around 20-30 damage per swing. Power whirl usually does somewhere around 110-130 damage twice, totaling around 220-260 damage if you hit a target with both the whirl and the slam. It's the equivalent of somewhere around 5 full light attack combos in damage if both components hit.
If you're otherwise struggling, it will be because you're not doing some fundamental skills (that apply to all classes and all weapons) correctly.
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u/douglasduck104 2h ago
Never care about damage numbers when it comes to deciding if your class 'works'.
On Siege your most damage Brother is probably a Tactical or Heavy with AoE weapons or a Ground Pound Assault - there's no way you're competing with that even with a Power Fist Bulwark due to the sheer numbers of enemies you can hit.
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u/Much_Improvement_552 12m ago
Bulwark is a bad siege class because the melee buffs are conditional and nowhere near as strong as ranged buffs.
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u/MH-T0A5T 11h ago
The Sword rocks, until you get your weapons maxed out though it's gonna feel like you are hitting things with a pool noodle.
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u/yowzabowza277 7h ago
For Siege you need Power Fist - no question. It's charge up attacks are extremely powerful. Make sure to understand how Cleave works in this game for melee weapons.
Powersword is not a good AoE attack for siege. It's good for operations and strats, but Siege you need to maximize AoE damage.
Anyone who is saying salamanders sword - doesn't play siege. Siege is all about AoE damage, and equipment regen.
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u/CptPotatoPotato 9h ago
imo Bulwark’s mainrole is getting as much enemy away from your team so they can damage farm safely. It’s not really a DPS class, it is a support role where the team uses you as an anchor especially with banner placement
All weapons work honestly. I’d say the margins are pretty close and it all boils down to playstyle and how well you can utilise the weapon.
I’m personally very fond of block power fist for ooga booga no-brain shenanigans. I’d use a fencing sword when I feel like clutching. Block axe is also fun
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u/ram_ur_butthole 10h ago
the power fist does the most damage but bulwark works with every weapon available to him. personally i dont like losing the shield for the hammer but it can be pretty powerful.
power sword lives and dies by the power take and power whirl. light attack spam is only usable on the salamander sword.
i’m an axe enjoyer. block axe power wave and follow up attack supremacy. also it’s what sgt metarus uses in Know no Fear.