Space Marine 2’s Eternal War PvP mode gives fans the chance to clash as Loyalist and Traitor Astartes and players will want to make sure they have the right build before hitting the battlefield.
The multiplayer experience of Space Marine 2 distinguishes itself from most games by maintaining RPG elements. Players can’t just blast their way to victory. Whether it’s PvP or PvE modes, they have to meticulously put together the right combination of weapons and skills, and then blast their way to victory.
Not every build is viable, though. Here’s the best one for each class, and what they do.
PvP builds for every class in Space Marine 2
The Best Space Marine 2 PvP builds for Eternal War mode
Eternal War’s PvP is fast, frantic, and often overwhelming to new players. To help prospective Astartes get to grips with what they should be taking on their PvP classes, we’ve assembled the best Space Marine 2 PvP Builds for ease of perusal and use. Each of these builds is meant to excel at their role, adding to a cohesive teamplay experience when combined into Eternal War’s six-player teams.
Assault Space Marine 2 PvP Build
Assault can be a very swingy class in PvP, depending on the enemy’s responsiveness and coordination. Assault’s greatest weakness is that it is the worst class at dishing out damage at range, lacking a Primary Weapon entirely. As compensation, when the Assault gets its hands on you, it has some of the quickest time-to-kill of any class short of Sniper.
Secondary Weapon: Heavy Bolt Pistol
Melee Weapon: Thunder Hammer
We recommend the Thunder Hammer for the Assault in PvP. The Assault’s Jet Boost in PvP is right back to being nearly as powerful as it is in the campaign. For players who have been struggling to feel the Assault’s power fantasy in PvE, Eternal War is the solution. The reason we’ve opted for the Thunder Hammer is that between your plummet attack and the first swing of the Thunder Hammer, you can kill classes with two armor nearly instantly.
On top of that, both the plummet attack and the Thunder Hammer offer substantial AoE damage, so seek out a group of enemies from an unexpected angle. Jet Pack is Assault’s greatest advantage, providing a level of vertical mobility that no other class can replicate. Leap between levels of a map, retreat from fights, and catch enemies off guard.
Bulwark Space Marine 2 PvP Build
Bulwark shares the key weakness of Assault, it’s very short range. However, instead of getting lots of mobility, the Bulwark gains versatility and durability instead. The Bulwark is also a support class, working best when combined with allies of different classes. The Bulwark’s Chapter Banner ability restores Armor to all allies in its radius, so sticking next to your friends is crucial.
Secondary Weapon: Plasma Pistol
Melee Weapon: Power Fist
While we recommend the Power Sword for PvE due to its versatility against both hordes and elite enemies, we’re going to recommend swapping to the Power Fist for PvP. Players are only fighting relatively tank enemy Astartes and the Power Fist’s significantly increased damage and savage sprint attack make it the best option for the moments when Bulwarks go on the attack.
The job of a Bulwark in most PvP matches is to essentially be a guard dog. Players should look to attach themselves to a ranged ally, like a Heavy or Tactical, and follow them around. Spend most of your time using the Storm Shield’s Block, only whipping out the Power Fist when enemies get close enough to punish. The Bulwark has to buy space, refresh armor, and be a force of nature in close combat. Don’t get overzealous, but when you see an opportunity, try to open your fight with a Power Fist Sprint attack.
Heavy Space Marine 2 PvP Build
The Heavy is Space Marine 2’s most oppressive ranged combatant, able to completely nullify enemy ranged damage while dishing out truly absurd numbers from their heavy weapon.
Primary Weapon: Heavy Bolter
Secondary Weapon: Heavy Bolt Pistol
We’ve gone with the Heavy Bolter as Heavy’s best choice for this mode, and it’s purely because the Heavy Bolter is the most competent option at range. It lays down high rate-of-fire and high-damage rounds, even if it lacks the stopping power of the Multi-Melta. The Heavy’s Iron Halo is another ability that is best when combined with allies.
All projectiles that pass through the hemispherical shield from the Bulwark’s side have increased damage. That applies to allies as well. Teaming up with a Tactical or even another Heavy to help boost their damage and your own in one fell swoop is a classic play.
Ideally, the Heavy will be able to find a line of sight onto a crucial space or objective and provide cover to allies in that space. However, enterprising enemies will go on the hunt for this Gravis-armored target, so try to have at least one ally guarding entrances behind you so an inquisitive Vanguard doesn’t slip through the cracks.
Sniper Space Marine 2 PvP Build
The Sniper is likely the most skill-intensive class in PvP. If a Sniper can hit headshots and space themselves well, they’ll be a nigh-unanswerable presence in a lobby. However, if they whiff your shots and find themself out of position, they’ll likely be dead weight for your team. So we recommend Sniper for players who are confident in the aim. We’ll be opting for the Las Fusil, as its incredible damage is exactly what Snipers want in PvP.
Primary Weapon: Las Fusil
Secondary Weapon: Bolt Pistol
Melee Weapon: Combat Knife
The Sniper’s job is to find flanks and pick enemies off before they can contribute to the fight. Their Camo Cloak is best as an escape method, not an answer to chip damage in a standoff, so the Sniper probably shouldn’t be with their team on the frontlines. Instead, the Sniper can take control of crucial intersections, entryways, and areas to harass and delay the enemy team. They can use your Camo Cloak to slip past the enemies to get onto their side of the map, which can result in chaos when their Las Fusil begins to claim victims straight out of spawn. As Sniper, don’t fight fair, fight smart.
Tactical Space Marine 2 PvP Build
The Tactical is the everyman of Space Marine PvP, versatile and focused on teamplay. The Tactical has good melee weapons, good ranged weapons, and a great ability in Auspex Scan. The Tactical, perhaps more than any character, wants to be with their team. Auspex Scan boosts all damage, so the more allies you have to dish out damage to affected targets, the better.
Primary Weapon: Plasma Exterminator
Secondary Weapon: Bolt Pistol
Melee Weapon: Chainsword
The Tactical should be on the frontlines almost all the time. It’s their job to push objectives, tag enemy presences, and take favorable fights wherever they are. Between the Plasma Exterminator and the Chainsword, they have great options for both high-damage and high-volume offense. The Tactical, as the most versatile class, is the one that needs the least specific playstyle advice.
Vanguard Space Marine 2 PvP Build
The Vanguard was known as the primary “cheese” class of Space Marine 2 PvP in the early days. Its Grapnel Launcher attack when combined with the right attack sequence would essentially evaporate anything but a Bulwark under their banner. It’s been nerfed since then, but it’s still a great class to play. The Vanguard continues to be an opportunistic skirmisher, zipping into combat to snag a kill before disengaging.
Your key objective as a Vanguard player is to seal the deal on key kills, not allowing enemies the space or time to recover from lost trades. When you see an enemy’s armor burst and you have the numbers advantage, or parity, Grapnel Launcher into the enemy, follow up with a burst of quick attacks, and then pull away, Grapnel Launching to another enemy if need be.
That’s everything you need to know to jump right in on any of the six PvP classes in Space Marine 2.