For the latestSpace Marine 2Community Update, Saber unveiled the biggest content drop for the game’s PvP so far, showing a new map, dropping more details on Helbrute Onslaught, and raising the level cap. All of this is welcome news to fans ofSpace Marine 2’s unique PvP, as it has certainly felt for a while that PvP plays second fiddle to PvE.
But the question remains of whether this is enough, or if the game is still playing catch-up with itself. Saber’s commitment to putting out free updates has been lauded for a reason, and some of the best updates, such asSpace Marine 2’s Trygon Operation, show the developer cares about supporting the game in the long term. But all of these great content drops for PvE have come at the expense of PvP, which should be the game mode to tide players over between updates. Instead, it has felt a bit abandoned, and though this new content is promising, it doesn’t look like it will move the needle back in the favor of PvP.
Space Marine 2’s PvP Being the Black Sheep Will Only Hurt in the Long Run
One of the biggest reasons behindSpace Marine 1’s enduring legacy was its adventurous and strangely balanced PvP mode. It crystallized what it meant to be a Space Marine fighting against other superhuman soldiers in a way that hadn’t been realized before, and considering that it got so few updates, it managed to keep a core fanbase engaged for many years. In a lot of ways,Space Marine 2’s PvPis already ahead of the first game - it has three more classes, more weapons, better variety, and the latest map reveal has equalized the number of base game maps at five each.
Space Marine 1 fragmented its playerbase with DLC map packs, something Space Marine 2 will not be doing.
However,Space Marine 1released over a decade ago, when competition for unique PvP offerings was far more limited.Space Marine 2’s PvP is fun for a bit, but it can quickly lose its shine compared to more polished, PvP-focused titles out there. With more and more love being poured into the game’s PvE, it has only felt more left behind, and while these updates are absolutely welcome, this is hopefully the mark of an increased wave of support coming to PvP.
What Space Marine 2’s PvP Needs to Truly Shine
At the moment, PvP lacks a real hook to it. There is nothing in the way of an endgame beyond unlocking all the available weapons, which can honestly feel more like a grind than a rewarding mechanic. PvE, on the other hand, has something to strive for. It isn’t much, but the various cosmetics locked behind completing certain difficulties in Operations have given the mode a lot of replayability, as being able to show off an achievement in the form of a rare armor piece or emblem really fits the theme of being a Space Marine participating in grueling conflicts.Chaos customization coming toSpace Marine 2is great news in this regard, although from the looks of it, there still won’t be nearly the same number of options available as Loyalists.
There are some things coming to PvP that should help it feel fresher, though.Space Marine 2adding the Techmarine classshould add some new ways to play the mode, and it will be interesting to see how it competes with other classes. The new mode is also a nice nod back to the first game, although Helbrute Onslaught might be learning the wrong lessons from Dreadnought Assault. Saber has yet to fully unveil the next year of content, so until then, things can only be speculated on, but it’s clear that if this game is going to last, PvP will need to catch up to PvE.
