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

In mid-October, Focus Entertainment released the Patch 4.0 update to Warhammer 40000: Space Marines 2, rolling out with a new PvE Operation and tons of tweaks and changes to the game.

Most excitingly, devs implemented the new Lethal difficulty, intended to be the pinnacle of PvE content.

Like Destiny 2's Grandmaster Nightfalls, Lethal operations extract a heavy toll from players; enemies are deadlier, fewer items drop, removed warnings, and you can even encounter up to THREE EXTREMIS enemies!

If you waltz into Lethal missions unprepared, you're bound to wipe before you even get to the halfway point.

But those who have the willpower and skill can earn the highly coveted Survivor's Helm helmet after completing all missions on Lethal difficulty.

10 Equip Your Best Loadouts

Weapon Perks And Class Perks

Like any co-op game, succeeding in Space Marine 2 is all about using loadouts that benefit both you and your teammates. Whether you choose to follow the meta or stick with your comfort zone, you should prioritize Team Perks that focus on survivability and Ability Charges.

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

• The Heavy's Bonds of Brotherhood 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 Inner Fire 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 Transhuman Physiology 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.

Of course, grinding levels for guns and classes can take a while, so check out our list of 10 Best Weapons to level up to help you get started. Oh, and please, please, please, if you have melee weapons, use one with a Fencing trait. Parries are lifesaving.

9 Max Out Levels

Nothing Less Than Peak Condition

Maxing out at level 25 doesn't give you any benefits in damage output or health, but it does give you full access to all the perks you need to tinker with your build.

It also proves to you AND your teammates that you have grinded enough to be prepared for the highest difficulty.

Too often have I encountered random teammates in solo queues where they choose low level characters for Ruthless and Lethal, only to get killed immediately or barely rack up any kills. Lethal is for players who know what they're doing.

While it's not absolutely necessary, I would highly recommend having at least two classes maxed out before you try Lethal. In case your friend or a random player insists that they want to play the same class you are, you can just switch to your backup class.

8 Know Your Enemy

Sympathizing Is Heresy

Familiarize yourself with what you're up against--are you going up against hordes of Tyranids, or maybe engaging in a gunfight against the forces of Chaos?

Knowing what to expect will not only help you strategize wisely, but also inform your team composition and loadouts. You should also consider the type of Terminus and Extremis enemies that might appear.

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.

How will you prepare for an encounter against a Lichtor, a Hellbrute, or a Neurothrope? Consider the potential threats and make sure your team comp reflects that.

7 Know Your Class

Serve The Emperor With Foresight

This ties neatly with my previous point. While all classes are viable for any type of mission, studying their advantages and disadvantages can help you decide whether it's the best for a particular encounter.

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.

Find what your class is best suited for and choose appropriately. You also need to know what triggers certain buffs and be aware of cooldowns.

6 Tactical Is A Must-Have

A Versatile Powerhouse

In my article ranking the best classes, I placed Tactical in fourth place, mostly because I found it boring. But boring does not equal useless.

After some experimenting and wanton destruction, it's safe to say that the Bolt Rifle (Gathalamor Crusade with Grenade Launcher)combined with the perk Emperor's Vengeancemakes the Tactical a demolitions expert.

Because Emperor's Vengeance refills your magazine after you execute any enemy that is Majoris or stronger, you'll never run out of grenades, as this perk has a relatively short 30-second cooldown.

And this isn't the only perk that makes the Tactical a monster. If you sacrifice your Auspex Scan's range and duration, enemies caught in the scan take an extra 175% damage, and Marked For Death lets you instantly kill any pesky elite (which can make twin-Zoanthropes almost harmless).

I realize that this has become an advertisement for Tactical, but this class is too good to pass up for Lethal.

5 Stay Alert

Open Your Eyes And Ears

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

Familiarize yourself with the environment and potential spawns of Guardian Relics and Gene Seeds, and be sure to be on the lookout for destructible boxes that might contain useful items.

Taking advantage of the environmental hazards can also help you score plenty of kills without wasting unnecessary ammo.

But most importantly, being able to tell what you're about to face based on audio cues alone is a useful skill in Space Marine 2, especially when the HUD doesn't tell you what enemies are ahead in Lethal.

Pay attention to these cues, and you won't get caught off guard: Incoming waves make a blaring alarm; Extremis enemies have a very specific ringing when they spawn; and Terminus enemies enter the battlefield with a distinct roar or shriek.

4 One For All

All For One

Even after the "Tight Formation" system was removed in Patch 4.1, sticking together and having each other's backs are essential to your survival. Unless you are a confident Assault or Vanguard, DO NOT GO OFF ON YOUR OWN. (seriously, you'll get torn to pieces)

And don't be selfish. I know it's tempting to just yoink and take an ammo box, stim pack, or even a Guardian Relic, but be conscientious of your teammates' needs.

An unspoken rule for playing Bulwark: unless offered by your teammates, you must ALWAYS let your teammates pick up stims and Relics because your class can self-heal.

Look out for each other; Mortal Wounds are deadly. The Heavy and Bulwark are support classes and are capable of topping off everybody's health with the right perks.

3 Coordinate With Teammates

Communication Is Key!

Verbally communicate with your teammates, because you'll most likely need to time your team shots or strategize with your squad mates.

It's possible to complete Lethal missions with random teammates (I somehow managed it), and if you do find yourself in that kind of match-up, remember to be helpful and communicate with them via pings; pointing out items of interest, alerting them to specific enemies, or even expressing your gratitude are very much appreciated.

I would also suggest being observant of your teammates. Too often do I see random players treat it like a solo experience, where they steal lifesaving executions and items, or speedrun through encounters. Work together, and synergize with your teammates when possible.

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.

Lethal will be, well, lethal, so even if you lose miserably a few times, understand that frustration is only a part of the process.

Get up, drink some water, stretch, and get back into it. Getting angry at the game won't solve anything, but instead will make playing the game more tedious than enjoyable.

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

This might be the most important tip: Commit. Often, I've seen people leave halfway through without a word just because they get frustrated or for some inscrutable reason. Don't be that guy. You're here to reap the rewards of your hard work.

Instead, fight like hell. Unless you and your teammates explicitly agree to leave early, don't give up just because the mission is scuffed. Lethal throws everything the game has at you to test you, so study up and ace it.

If you die, your respawn timer is five minutes, but killing Majoris and stronger enemies shaves down that time. And who knows? You might even have some insanely heroic final stands before your squadmates respawn.

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

The Emperor Protects.