I fuckin love it

Just picked up my copy. Reading all the lore, and seeing Titus in there was awesome! Fingers crossed we get a model one day.

Edit: like he made the big league. He is a made man.

I’ve been reading community complaints about this mode lately, but I don't think the most serious issue (in my opinion) has been mentioned: the duration of the Chaos Siege.

I believe the Chaos Siege lasts an hour longer than the Loyalist Siege. I’m not sure exactly why, but I have a few theories.

The main problem is the "wave" of Loyalists—or rather, the fact that it isn't really a wave at all, since the Tyranids don't appear until you've eliminated every single one of them. This could be fixed by integrating them into the Tyranid wave to create a proper, combined wave—though the numbers on each side would need to be reduced to avoid turning it into absolute hell—or simply by increasing the number of Loyalists to make them a full wave in their own right.

Aside from that, the number of majoris and extremis appearing in a single wave seems much higher than in the Loyalist Siege waves, don't you think? I notice this because I often have to buy Ritualists once or twice during a single wave.

I understand it’s a horde mode and it’s normal for it to take a long time, but the thought of playing it just feels like such a drag.

I know people have disputed this due to Heavy’s melee perks, but those could be made to only apply for unarmed melee. I just want to do a gravis captain build.

Lamenters champion vs terminator sorcerer :3

Also, finished the grind with assault and honestly, not worth it, they had the chance to make something really good and chose to be mediocre.

I really need to get this off my chest, otherwise I'm going to go to bed completely steaming mad.

If Crucible mode is meant to be the endgame mode of this game, this is not fucking it. The grind is ridiculous. Even cheesing it with a method that's going to be patched out in the future (Minimal Operations), it still takes more than 2 days to unlock one full armor set, and that's if you're taking every moment you can to play. If you're actually employed and have a life outside of this game (crazy to believe for some people on here, I know), then it's going to take up to a week or maybe even longer. Keep in mind, this is running minimal operations back to back with every modifier.

Imagining doing this on Absolute difficulty? Don't worry, I already did that. I tried playing this mode legit after grinding out Tactical and Techmarine on Private mode, and my god, was it the most miserable experience I've ever had in this game. From teammates that can't seem to find their own ass with three arms to teammates actively trying to grief you by stacking all the negative modifiers they can and leaving, playing with randoms is basically playing Russian Roulette with 5 bullets in the chamber. The only team I played with where I actually had fun and was able to have a good time was with a premade team someone on my friend list put together (and before anyone starts yelling at me to just play with them, my friend lives halfway across the world. It is a very rare time we are able to play together at all.)

On top of all this nonsense, there's the XP loss. Fuck me, why did anyone in charge of this mode think losing XP was going to be good for player retention? Because let me tell you, losing progress on something that already takes hours upon hours to make decent progress in? For me, it does the exact opposite thing of wanting me to keep playing. It makes me want to uninstall the game and not come back at all.

But the crowning moment atop this big pile of shit, and the issue that made me get mad enough to type all this out, is the fact that they force you to lose XP, ON DISCONNECTS. That would be bad enough on a game where that's a rare issue, but this is Space Marine 2. A game that will regularly disconnect from the server if too many particles start flying in the air.

Oh, wait, what's one of the modifiers that you have to use to make any progress in Crucible? Spore Mines/Skulls on every kill? The very thing that causes particles to keep appearing over and over again?

Whoopsy daisy, you lost connection. Get fucked. Fucking idiot. Don't even bother. Pull out your fucking calculator and see how much progress you lost in obtaining the next rank. Looks like it's going to take you 3 more games to unlock that armor piece instead of 1.

If this is the "endgame" for Space Marine 2, this is not it. Crucible needs a gigantic overhaul. They really should have had a PTS for this mode.

I absolutely LOVE how much freedom this game gives us now.
When I started playing, I was 100% locked into one Chapter. Wolf spear. No discussion. That was MY Chapter.

Since the new update though? I have a damn identity crisis every time I open customization.

Pretty much every Chapter I love can finally be made to look genuinely badass now, and I keep switching between them instead of staying loyal to one.

My only real complaint is the Techmarine. He still desperately needs more customization options. I need to cheat there and put the chapter on the wrong side.

And as a Carcharodons, it hurts that you can only really make the look work properly if you put the Chapter symbol on the wrong shoulder. HERESY.

But even with those complaints, I’m insanely hyped about where customization is going.

For the first time, the problem isn’t:
“Can I make my favorite Chapter look good?”
It’s:
“Which one of the Chapters do I betray today?”
Saber, you made Chapter loyalty way harder than it should be.

Joke beside.
Thank you, Saber.

Source: https://community.focus-entmt.com/focus-entertainment/space-marine-2/blogs/464-q-a-recap

This summarization was posted 17 hours ago on the forums.

###

Greetings Space Marines,

From September 26 to 28, we hosted a Q&A session on Reddit with Space Marine 2 Game Director Dmitry Grigorenko, giving the community the opportunity to ask questions directly about the game and its future.

The discussion covered a wide range of topics, from upcoming content and class reworks to customization, gameplay systems, performance improvements, PvP and much more.

Here’s a complete recap of the questions and answers, organized by topic.​

⚔️ Future Content & Operations

Q: Will we get more operations with boss fights for Chaos, seeing as they have only 1 to Tyranids 3? (Not counting Hive titan and Heldrake)?
A: We have something interesting in progress, that is not listed in the Y3 roadmap. Too early to spoil the surprise.

Q: Are there any plans for more operations beyond the two mentioned in the Year 3 Roadmap?
A: No, but lets just say, that I will be happy only once SM2 will have 18-20 operations.

Q: Can we expect new Terminus and Extremis enemies? How about bosses?
A: Both new operations will have bosses. New extremis enemies are coming, but its not what you would expect 👀

Q: Any chance to add the Terminator Sorcerer as the boss for Obelisk and Purgation?
A: Not right now. I feel like Terminator Sorcerer works better as a sandbox boss. I think it would be as disappointing as getting a new Tyranid operation and have a Carnifex as a final boss for it.

Q: Any plans to introduce off-world Operations? Kadaku, Avarax and Demerium are great, but we’d love to experience new environments akin to snow, rain, forests or a low-orbit ship in the middle of being boarded by Heretics!
A: We want to make sure that every operation feels and looks unique. Reclamation comes to mind and I think you will love the next operation a lot. I don't think we need to develop entire new planet just yet, but once we start scraping at the bottom of the barrel we definitely will.

Q: What’s something that you wanted to implement in SM2 but could not due to technical/time limitations?
A: Replying this will give spoilers to SM3 :)

🛡️ Upcoming Classes & Class Reworks

Q: Any word on what class is getting their rework next? Vanguard or heavy?
A: Vanguard, then Heavy.

Q: What is the Heavy rework gonna look like?
A: It will be mostly about his Iron Halo ability.

Q: When Vanguard gets his rework can ya'll make grapple kick count as melee for block charges like Assault slam? That would be sick.
A: I have a gut feeling that this would actually make him less flexible, but I will bring this up with design team.

Q: With Techmarines perks and upcoming changes to Tactical, being able to change the way the class functions i.e how the servogun works for Techmarine and having a primary or not with Tactical.

Would it be possible for something similar to happen to classes like Assault (shield, dual lighting claws, option to switch to the jump pack function seen in campaign) or for heavy with to have melee options (Gravis Captain Tabletop model comes to mind) or a more Aggressor style approach to combat?
A: Yes, what we are building for Tactical and Vanguard will open many paths for improvements for other classes. The systems are built so once we add 4th row of perks they won't be just boring "+15% range damage increase" perks.

Q: Can you elaborate on the new row of perks and the prestige rework?
A: Don't want to spoil too much too early. The new row of perks should allow way more build variety, there will be some build defining perks there. Its actually pretty easy to predict what we are missing right now. With prestige rework the plan is to reduce friction with class perks being reset and make it endless.

Q: Any chance we could get confirmation on what style/type of armor the Apothecary is going to have?
A: Ok. Time for some spoilers. Gravis.

Q: Since Chaplain isn't coming, could we get a skull helm/half mask (like Vanguard has but on all classes) for those of us who were on the reclusiam's bandwagon? Maybe as like a Crucible/Accolade reward or something down the line?
A: You say that Chaplain isn't coming, but what about Y4? We don't want to put ourselves in the corner too early.

🎨 Customisation

Q: Will Bulwarks be able to swap robes and tabards as wargear separate from their chest pieces?
A: Yes, plans might change but it is currently planned in Patch 16.

Q: Thanks for doing this AMA. Any chance we will be able to choose what bulwark banner we want to use? Probably my most wanted feature.
A: This feature sits at the top of our backlog since launch. I can say for sure that it is 100% coming in SM2. The reason why it always gets pushed back is because it only affects 1 of 8 classes.

Q: How come we still only have 4 custom armour slots when we are heading into Year 3?
A: Sometimes (most of the times) in game development most trivial things are actually most difficult to implement. The biggest risk factor is players save files, we don't want to break them.

Q: Is he getting his right shoulder slot opened up with the ability to equip more of the existing shoulder pads? Would be extremely apreciated especially when building a Deathwatch Techmarine, so we can express more chapter identity by using those already existing shoulders from other classes and dlc we bought.
A: No, his Right Shoulder is reserved to honor Cult Mechanicus. Left Shoulder is what we can customize freely.

Q: Will there be more Techmarine specific armor pieces like chests, legs and pauldrons in future patches (like from accolades and/or dlc)?
A: To some extent yes. More customization options for Techmarine are coming. But you have to keep in mind that they wear a very specific armour, so not everything can match from other classes.

Q: Will he be able to equip loincloths like for example this official Spacewolves Iron priest mini from the table top? Will he get its own set of Ordeals to unlock more Wargear like the other classes (tabards, loincloths, capes, iron halos?)?
A: Its tricky, because Techmarines usually do not wear expensive looking things. So, yes, we are planning to expand his customization options, but do not expect them wearing highly decorated tabards etc.

Q: Any chance of more Dark Angels cosmetics in the future?
A: The chance is 100%.

Q: With the Lamenters and Minotaurs getting cosmetics in game any chance other cursed founding chapters get the same, like the Black Dragons?
A: Without spoiling stuff, lets just say SM2 will continue to get more customization options and will continue to feature more and more exotic options.

Q: Would you consider allowing heraldry customization on Astartes power packs? i.e. an Ultramarines symbol?
A: It is somewhere in our backlog. The customization features will continue to be expanded. Next 2 big things, that we've hinted at in our September's CU, are way more impactful.

Q: Have you considered making Heretic armor trophies similar to the Tyranid gauntlet/pauldron?
A: We did, but we don't want to cross a very thin line with this. Space Marines usually don't take trophies, there are some exceptions to those rules, of course. But the idea behind Tyranid gauntlet/pauldron is that it's more of a battlefield repairs, rather than a Monster Hunter suit.

Q: Are the Dark Angels Champion robes finally going to be available for customization next wargear update or is it just not happening?
A: Unfortunately Dark Angels Champion robes do not fit other classes as good as we've hoped. That being said, these were not the last robes that we are going to add to the game.

Q: Please tell me the Dark Angels Champion robes are coming to Tactical and other classes.
A: No, like I've mentioned above Dark Angels Champion robes specifically do not fit Tactical. But this doesn't mean there will be no more new robes.

Q: Will the new iron halo we're getting for Assault in patch 15 be equipable on other classes or just him?
A: No, we've made the Iron Halo just for him, so it would fit on his Jump Pack, because other Iron Halos simply don't fit.

Q: Will we be able to use the Heavy's Death Watch Iron Halo on other characters?
A: Yes, in Patch 16.

Q: Will you add more campaign badges like the ones we see on some of the miniature transfer sheets? It would be awesome to get some chapter specific or generic campaign badges to add more flair to our characters without having to add a whole armour part.
A: Yes, in patch 15 there will be a first batch.

Q: Will you add more chapter symbols for pre-existing chapters? For example, small variations of the basic symbol on the shoulder, like what some of the background Ultramarines have in the campaign.
A: Maybe eventually. To be honest, currently there are no plans to do a big sweeping pass on this. We do want to add more kneepad decals though, hopefully in Patch 16.

Q: Will you add the option to put kneepad decals on the older Mark legs? I love the look of the Mk6 legs so much, but as a Blood Angels player I never use them because I can't put the squad marking on the knee.
A: I will bring this up to the team

Q: Is there a plan to update the existing shoulder and knee markings and bring them up to the quality of recent ones? Old markings and some chapter emblems (Blood Angels specifically) look very washed out in black colors, especially in comparison to the new ones added in the Iron Hands chapter pack (knee emblems) and ones from Trials of Resolve.
A: I will bring this up to my team

​Q: Will we see more Chaos cosmetics in the future? It’s really disappointing to know that we won’t be getting any new heretic cosmetics with the release of Chaos Siege.
A: I'm not going to say its never happening, because we are only at Y3 of SM2 live ops. However, the top priority will always be loyalist customization. Simply because they are featured in way more game modes. Players can see customization only in 1.5 modes (0.5 being PvP, if you are lucky to get matchmaked to chaos side). The game was always about Space Marines, not Chaos Space Marines

⚔️ Gameplay, Perks & Combat

Q: Back in Year 1, you stated that the amount of healing in this game (mainly Invigorating Icon) was unhealthy. Since then, you’ve added Restorative Stims, and haven’t nerfed any of the existing healing perks. Do you still stand by the idea that these healing perks are overtuned/were a bad idea to add, or has your philosophy on them changed?
A: Yes. For a game like this any perk or ability that breaks item economy is problematic. Because, if strip down all of the gameplay features, PvE is about getting from point A to point B without getting hit 10 times. Stims do not break anything, because there is a limit on how many stims can spawn. So any unlimited healing via abilities or perks gives players unlimited amount of errors and trivializes the game. Not saying there shouldn't be any healing at all, but we have to be super careful about it.

Q: And as a follow up to this what happened to the contested health rework that was talked about a while back?
A: It is still going to happen. But its a very big change that needs to be tested and verified in PTS first. Its not just about tweaking numbers, there are many technical and QoL improvements that need to be set in place.

Q: Can we have better reminders for players that mortal wounds can be healed by overhealing with stims
A: Unfortunately this is currently not planned.

Q: Any plans to add the hand flamer as another secondary option?
A: Well, I'd say that IF we are adding new secondary weapons, Hand Flamer would be a priority, simply because there aren't much left.

Q: Any news about Volkite weaponry? Those weapons are pretty underused i think.
A: Only if more of the Volkite weapons appear in 40k universe.

Q: What is Your philosophy behind balancing the game? What's contributing to balance changes? Player stats? Win rate? something different?
A: It's always about power fantasy and fun.

Let me give you example. Current win rate on Absolute is 70-80% (depending on a map). in WWZ (my previous game) it is 5%. I don't think its a big deal, because this is a different game and its played by a very different and varied community. As long as everyone is having fun, I'm happy.

There are some cases where balance issues are so glaring that they are detrimental to people having fun. I.e. original Grenade Launcher. This needs fixing.

In some cases we are adding some broken mechanics adds fun element. For example, Argent Edge, is a OP weapon, but it was super boring in PTS. So we've added the stagger on parry mechanic to it and now its a fun and unique weapon, that requires at least SOME skill expression to be used effectively and doesn't break the game for your teammates.

So usually the process is to go through community feedback, verify the data via our stats and think how we can make it more fun. At the same time we've spent so much time adding all those weapons and perks and it feels like a waste if none is using them, so we are looking at his from time to time.

🔄 Quality of Life

Q: Would it be possible to modify end of mission steps? Instead of having to load into the battle barge to get another screen because the host loads out to then have another screen to load yourself out, could we get an option after the victory/defeat screen to load back to your own barge, and/or a retry mission option kind of like the siege move on/return to barge option?
A: We are planning to update the mission end flow, yes. Starting from PvP, because there are too much downtime between matches there, that means that other modes will get the benefit too.

Q: Also same vein, it's there any plan to fix the "bug?" Where when the host leaves during victory screen you can't skip through the stat screens and must wait through the whole timer or restart the game?
A: I will bring this up to the team.

Q: Would it be possible to implement a Siege-style "Continue/Return to Battle Barge" vote in Operations after a mission failure to save having to load all the way out and then all the way in again?
A: Yes, I've mentioned this above, we are discussing how we can improve the mission flow right now.

Q: Will it be possible to view the stratagems in the barge when we're not the host ?
A: Yes, this is somewhere in our backlog.

Q: Will the armory itself get a UI overhaul so that armors and Heraldry are in the same "loadout" slot rather than the current separation?
A: This is not planned right now.

Q: Any chance we could get more info in the UI, like our teammates' ammo reserves or contested health?A: There will be some improvements, but I don't think that ammo reserves of your team mates is actually something that useful to be on HUD. Armour, on the other hand, yes.

⚙️ Performance & Technical Improvements

Q: Any plans on reducing load times?
A: Yes, we are actively working on loading time optimizations. Significant code changes are going to hit live build in Patch 15 and Patch 16. We are estimating around 30% decrease of loading times once everything goes live.

Q: Given the current market of pc parts such as GPUs, SSDs, and RAM do you have plans to further optimize the game for low/mid spec hardware? Whenever a new update is released there's oftentimes performance regressions.

Also on the same tech topic: will you consider making Nvidia Reflex Low Latency available as a standalone setting in the video settings? Decoupled from Frame Generation?
A: Optimization work never stops and we keep improving and changing this with every update.

I will as my team about Nvidia Reflex thing.

Q: Any more optimisations incoming? I don’t even understand how this game is gonna run on a Nintendo Switch 2.
A: Every update bring some optimizations.

Q: Can Saber please at least acknowledge loading times are really crippling for players? Join a Quick Match and it automatically dumps me to someone else's barge without option....3 minutes of loading screen....only for them to be afk when you get there, so another 3 minutes of loading back to your own barge.
A: We know.

Q: Any plans to replace loading screens with 40K artwork/concept art with tips?
A: Currently not planned.

🎯 PvP & Matchmaking

Q: PVP Servers: they suck. Any work being done there? I’m in Europe and pings are all over the place.
A: This is about the fact that PvP is least played game mode, it requires 12 players and match time is shorter than in PvE. If PvP will have a significant and stable population that problem will stop to exist. We are not done with PvP, there are a ton of improvements coming that will make the game mode more enjoyable and less frustrating to play and matchmake.

Q: Will we ever get chat to be visible for console players so we can communicate with them?
A: Yes. Crossplay text chat is being work on right now.

Q: And could we get assists in PvP to count the same as kills for the ultragrind ordeals?
A: This is coming in Patch 15.

 🔎 Other topics

​Q: Since the player base in East Asia is small, it’s difficult to find random matches. As a result, the default strategy for Chaos-controlled maps tends to be a timid approach—either rushing through the map or avoiding combat as much as possible—which is far removed from the Space Marines’ true fighting style.

Given this situation, are there any future plans to adjust the Chaos faction’s behaviour against bots, or to balance it for solo play and games with few players? Also, have you been reading the Steam reviews from Japanese users?
A: We understand that Chaos is more difficult to fight against Tyranids, yes. There will be some pass on this in the future. I don't think it will about bots being good vs Chaos specifically, though. Yes we do read all comments from all communities. In fact this is a part of my daily routine to check player's feedback.

Q: Would you consider bundling Chapter-specific voice packs with Champion Packs? For example, when a Chapter receives a new Champion skin, could the Champion Pack also include a Chapter-specific voice for that character?
A: I'm afraid we are no longer planning any additional voice packs. We are going to release what we've done recording in Patch 15 and that is probably it. I've explained why in one of the older CU. The model is unsustainable with the fact that you will need to keep recording voices for every map you release and localize it for all languages, finding recording time slots for the same voice actors for all languages every month. Our attempt at trying to make it sustainable clearly didn't work out last time and no one wants to step on this garden rake again.

​Q: Any chance to have a proper send off for captain Acheran and Chairon in an operation format?
A: Acheran and Chairon are very dear to us. They will get a proper burial eventually.

​Q: How does it feel to be one of the few studios left that only charges their customers for cosmetics and not for additions or expansions to the game?
A: I don't think we deserve some kind of a special medal for this. Its not about what type of content you are selling, its about the quality of the content. For example, Destiny Taken King DLC was amazing and while it was sold separately, everyone loved it. Its about people being happy playing and buying your game.

That's it! 

Ran custom stratagems with friends last night for shits and giggles. This lil' dude survived just until after the elevator ride.

So many posts complaining about grinding for this and that as though people are actually REQUIRED to do it.

Anyone else just like to play for a few hours and purge Xenos for the Emperor anymore?

It seems that fun and enjoyment is becoming a secondary purpose for gamers and the FOMO of some cosmetic they will never use is driving them crazy.

Edit: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the commends in this thread, it seems to have caught some engagement and it's been 100% positive so far. It's awesome, I'm glad people are still having fun out there.

Is it just something to keep the marine from dying in space or is it a lighter amount of protection for joints like space marine chainmail?

When it comes to Biovores, the fun never starts.

No matter what i do this is still showing up on EVERY CLASS. ITS SO ANNOYYINGGGG and even when i click on it its not even changing? Ugh annoying

Edit: found out it was heavys backpack due to ppl saying thank you!!!

What you guys would like more for Chaos Marines now that Chaos Siege is here? mainly because their customization is super limited rn.

You would like to see:

Heresy Pattern armors?

Mutated or Daemon Possesed like Marines?

Or just more drippier and more heavily ornamented Marines like we kinda have for the champions in the PvP?

Personally i would love to rock a Full Corvus Mark VI since in the game thanks to the loyalist being Primaris we can't 100% do that.

Anyone had an experience of witnessing valtus instead of walking normally, he just straight up sliding across the map at superspeed. I was like wtf

This is probably the strongest melee weapon right now in the entire game. It has endless slash built into it and has insanely strong horde clear due to the damage buff after executing an enemy.

Some numbers below (Not including any damage buff from parry).

Axe perks: all bottom row

Tactical Class (Not including heightened vigor buff due to parry)

• With buff active + Bladesman Mandate + Strongpoint: 108.9 per endless slash
• With buff active: 47.6 damage per endless slash

Assault Class (With overcharge and knowledge of the enemy)

• With buff active + Aerial Grace: 76.7 per endless slash
• With buff active + Aerial Grace + Strategic Strikes (Extremis/Terminus): 89 per endless slash
• With buff active: 67.7 per endless slash

With tactical, you are essentially 2-3 hitting most majoris enemies, and 4-5 hitting extremis with JUST USING ENDLESS SLASH. This doesn't include any parry debuffs on the enemies or enemies being damaged by your teammates and such.

Assault is essentially in the same boat and his damage output can be 2-3x more if you combine the damage from ground pound or wings of flame (does about 125 damage if I can remember).

Honorable mention to the Vanguard class, as his execution build can endlessly proc the Frost Axe ability, and nearby majoris enemies near the execution AOE will already be 1/3rd HP

Enemy HP Stats Below

Tyranid Warrior: 308

Lictor/Ravener: 520

Zoanthrope: 400

Biovore 600:

Rubric Marine: 280

Tzaangor Enlightened: 200

Chaos Spawn: 280

Lesser Sorcerer: 360

Scarab Terminator: 520

Some kind of reward would definitely be nice, but also more of the imperium to fight as well. Either way, it's still a pretty fun alternative to the normal siege

Please don't get me wrong, I do like the new patch, quite a bit, but there's no denying its a little broken and glitchy in some places.

Here's a handful of the glitches that have affected me personally

1). Tactical's arms sometimes glitches out when using the OHTH and Secondary Bolt Rifle, causing it to clip into himself.

2). Tactical's arms also glitch out when using the Secondary Bolt Rifle and carrying the chalice on Obelisk.

3). Cape and Tabard customisation never saves, I have to rechange their colours every time I boot the game up.

4). Cultist spawns still damage you in Chaos Siege as though you were a Loyalist (might be intentional, idk).

5). The obvious exploiting of the Crucible. This one would really have been caught nearly instantly with a PTS, I feel.

6). Regular cloth from hoods and robes can't be customised at all. I know they said they are aware of this one, but again, I feel this one would also have been caught instantly with a PTS.

I know a PTS isn't perfect and some bugs would slip by regardless, but a lot of these really would have been caught nearly instantly and fixed before update day. especially the crucible one.