Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines 2: 10 Tips For Lethal Difficulty

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As a seasoned Space Marine veteran who’s faced countless hordes of Xenos and heretics alike, I’ve gathered some battle-hardened wisdom for those brave souls embarking on the treacherous journey that is Warhammer 40k: Darktide’s Lethal mode.

Around mid-October, I got my hands on the Patch 4.0 update for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines 2. This update was packed with a fresh PvE Operation and a whole lot of adjustments and improvements to the game mechanics.

Among the latest updates, developers have added the challenging Lethal difficulty level, designed as the peak for player versus environment (PvE) content.

Similar to the challenging Grandmaster Nightfall missions in Destiny 2, Lethal Operations demand a significant effort from players. The enemies become lethal, fewer items are dropped, warnings are absent, and you might even encounter up to three Extremis adversaries!

Entering Lethal Missions without proper preparation may lead to failure well before reaching the midpoint.

However, individuals with strong determination and proficiency can acquire the sought-after Survivor’s Helm helmet upon finishing all tasks in Lethal mode.

10 Equip Your Best Loadouts

Weapon Perks And Class Perks

In a cooperative game like Space Marine 2, success heavily relies on selecting loadouts that not only work for you but also synergize with your teammates. Whether you opt to follow the popular strategies or stay within your preferred comfort zone, it’s essential to prioritize Team Perks aimed at increasing survivability and Ability Charge availability.

Here are three example team perks that could make you an indispensable Battle Brother:

  • The Heavy’s will revive any teammate back to full health, allowing you and your team to heal a Mortal Wound with a single stim.
  • The Vanguard’s gives every squad mate a 15% cooldown for every Finisher, and since you’ll be executing enemies quite often, your abilities would be practically almost ready all the time.
  • The Tactical’s makes you lose your Contested Health much slower and gives you better survivability when you’re in a pinch.

Big numbers are also important. Relic-tier weapons deal the most damage out of their archetype, and anything less harms your damage output.

9 Max Out Levels

Nothing Less Than Peak Condition

Reaching level 25 caps my character without bestowing extra damage or health, yet it offers me unrestricted access to fine-tune my build by unlocking all the necessary perks.

Additionally, it demonstrates to both you and your colleagues that you’ve worked diligently to ensure you’re ready to tackle even the most challenging levels.

In many instances, I find myself grouped with teammates in solo queues who opt for lower-level characters during Ruthless and Lethal modes, often resulting in quick deaths or minimal kill counts. These modes are designed for experienced players.

It is strongly advisable to have no more than two classes fully upgraded prior to attempting Lethal mode. This will allow you flexibility in case someone else wants to play the same class as you, as you can simply switch to an alternate class instead.

8 Know Your Enemy

Sympathizing Is Heresy

Become well-acquainted with your opposition – are you facing swarms of Tyranids, or perhaps locked in a firefight versus the forces of Chaos?

Understanding the upcoming situation allows you to make intelligent strategies, choose an appropriate team setup, and select suitable equipment. Additionally, be mindful of the kind of Terminus and Extremis adversaries that could show up.

If you’re considering Lethal difficulty, you should have enough battle experience to learn their behaviors and weaknesses so that you don’t get caught off guard. Here are some examples:

  • Hellbrutes have a plasma cannon when you’re outside their melee range.
  • Dodge into a Neurothrope’s AOE blast.
  • Lichtors can’t use their invisibility when scanned by a Tactical.
  • Zoanthropes are weak to Krak Grenades.
  • Raveners can sometimes leave behind a toxic trail.

To ensure success when facing off against a Lichtor, Hellbrute, or Neurothrope, it’s essential to carefully strategize and assemble a team composition that can effectively counter their unique threats.

7 Know Your Class

Serve The Emperor With Foresight

This fits nicely with my earlier thought. Each class can handle any task, but understanding their strengths and weaknesses can assist in choosing the most suitable one for a specific situation.

Consider a team composed of a Bulwark, an Assault, and a Vanguard. They would suck against the Helldrake in the mission Reliquary, but they could be a viable composition in Tyranid-focused missions like Decapitation or Ballistic Engine.

Identify the area where your class excels most, and select accordingly. It’s essential to understand what activates bonuses for your character and keep track of cool-down periods as well.

6 Tactical Is A Must-Have

A Versatile Powerhouse

In my piece evaluating top-tier classes, I ranked Tactical fourth, primarily due to its lack of excitement for me. However, being uninteresting doesn’t necessarily mean it’s without value.

Through various tests and reckless demolition, it can be confidently asserted that, when equipped with the perk, the Tactical becomes an absolute master of explosives.

Since the game feature called Emperor’s Vengeance replenishes your ammo magazine upon defeating any enemy that is considered ‘Majoris’ or more powerful, you won’t ever exhaust your supply of grenades. This advantage boasts a brief 30-second cooling period.

Not only is the Tactical superior in many ways, but it also boasts a unique advantage: if you reduce the range and duration of your Auspex Scan, enemies within the scan receive an additional 175% damage, and the Marked For Death ability allows you to instantly eliminate any troublesome elite units, such as twin-Zoanthropes, which becomes almost effortless.

It’s come to my attention that this course might appear as a promotion for Tactical, but considering its exceptional quality, it seems like a missed opportunity for those who prefer Lethal to turn it down.

5 Stay Alert

Open Your Eyes And Ears

This might go without saying, but keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Make certain you’re well-acquainted with the surroundings where Guardian Relics and Gene Seeds could appear, and always keep an eye out for breakable containers that may hold valuable items.

Leveraging adverse environmental conditions can provide you with multiple opportunities to eliminate enemies while conserving excess ammunition.

Above all, the ability to discern potential threats solely from audio signals is a valuable talent in “Space Marine 2,” particularly during gameplay on Lethal difficulty where the HUD doesn’t provide information about upcoming enemies.

Keep an ear out for these signals, and you’ll be less surprised: Incoming waves produce a loud alarm sound; Extremis enemies have a unique ringing when they appear; and Terminus enemies announce their arrival with a distinctive roar or scream.

4 One For All

All For One

As a dedicated gamer, I can’t stress enough the importance of teamwork even after the “Tight Formation” system was taken out in Patch 4.1. If you’re not a self-assured Assault or Vanguard, it’s crucial that you don’t venture off alone. Trust me, going solo could lead to a gruesome end for you.

Instead of only focusing on grabbing resources for yourself, remember to consider your teammates’ requirements as well. It might be tempting to snatch up an ammo box, stim pack, or even a Guardian Relic, but try to act thoughtfully.

A tacit understanding when playing Bulwark is that, unless explicitly given by your teammates, it’s essential to consistently allow them to gather stimpacks and Relics. This is due to the fact that your class has self-healing abilities.

Keep a close eye on your teammates, they’re crucial for survival; in times of need, our protective roles can restore everyone’s vitality with appropriate abilities.

3 Coordinate With Teammates

Communication Is Key!

Speak openly with your teammates, as it’s crucial for coordinating your team’s shots or developing strategies with them.

You can successfully accomplish Lethal missions with unpredictable teammates (I’ve actually pulled it off myself), and if you happen to end up in such a game scenario, bear in mind that being cooperative and utilizing pings effectively is crucial. Highlight valuable items, signal specific adversaries, or even acknowledge your appreciation can go a long way towards fostering a positive team dynamic.

Additionally, I’d recommend keeping an eye on your team members. It’s all too common to witness individuals acting as if it’s a one-player game, grabbing crucial executions and items for themselves, or rushing through encounters without considering their team. Instead, collaborate, and leverage the strengths of your teammates when opportunities arise.

2 Slow And Steady

It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint

Take Breaks! If years of playing endgame content in PvE games like Destiny 2 has taught me anything, is that nothing is more important than your health. Seasoned gamers among you might already have coping strategies to avoid tilting.

Deadly indeed means deadly, and it’s perfectly normal to experience defeat multiple times. Just remember, frustration is simply a phase in the learning curve.

Rise up, have a sip of water, loosen up, and dive back in. Anger towards the game isn’t going to fix anything; instead, it’ll turn your gaming experience from fun to tiresome.

Remember: the whole point is to have fun. No sense in grinding your teeth just because of a game.

1 Commit To The Mission

See It Through To The End

One crucial piece of advice stands out: Stick with it! I’ve noticed many individuals abandon their efforts midway, either due to frustration or mysterious reasons. Avoid becoming one of them. You’re here to enjoy the fruits of your labor and dedication.

Rather than giving up easily, stand firm and persevere. If there’s no consensus among your team members to depart prematurely, don’t back down just because the task seems flawed. The game is designed to challenge you rigorously, so prepare thoroughly and excel instead.

In case of your demise, there’s a respawn interval of approximately 5 minutes. However, vanquishing Majoris and more formidable adversaries can decrease this waiting time. Who knows? You might even engage in some extraordinarily valiant last stands while your teammates reappear.

Your fight isn’t over until you see a Defeat screen.

The Emperor Protects.

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2024-11-15 17:42