Warhammer Space Marine 2's new class could be a game changer

I'm a bit biased, but the Techmarine might be the best addition to Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2, as the executions turned combat from a dull drag to an exciting display of combat prowess. I haven't even played as a new class yet and it already looks like it will solve my biggest problem with the game so far.

But first, a warning. I want to be fully transparent in everything I do as a columnist here at TheGamer – it's a case of integrity. So full disclosure: I'm an Iron Hands player. My first serious rebuilds were gluing Necron legs to 4th edition Space Marines as raw bionics. I've built more Techmarines than most players have ever seen on the table, and that's not counting Iron Fathers.

Simply put, I'm biased. I've been excited about Techmarine since last year's roadmap revealed that a new class would arrive with Patch 12. With Patch 12 almost upon us, it looks like Space Marine 2 developer Focus Entertainment is using my favorite character to solve my biggest problem with the game.

The largest Techmarine asset since Space Marine 2

The Techmarine takes on the Tyranid in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

The Techmarine has more weapons at his disposal than your average Space Marine thanks to his power harness. This is essentially an exoskeleton backpack that provides Techmarines with varying numbers of extra limbs, each equipped with a weapon or other weaponry to aid them on the battlefield. In a tabletop game, this can be anything from flamethrowers and hydraulic claws to the high-tech skulls of their ancestors.

They get a gun in a video game. Classic shooter. It's not even a particularly special weapon, even if they give it a fancy name (Servo-Gun). It's the standard rifle that regular Space Marines carry into battle, and everyone gets tripped up once they unlock something better in Space Marine 2. So why is this boring old blow more exciting than the Omnissian Ax that a Techmarine wields in battle, I hear you ask?

It's time for Total War: Warhammer 40K

Creative Assembly has done wonders with Total War: Warhammer. Now is the time to take your skills into the 41st millennium.

I understand what you are saying. Who would be more excited for a weapon, even if it's mounted on a mechanical arm, than a custom two-handed ax imbued with the ability to detonate an alien head? A really big alien head? Or several alien heads at once? The answer, my friend, is his automatic horde killing potential.

Bring It Down

Titus fights the Tyranids alongside other Space Marines in Space Marine 2.

My favorite part of Space Marine 2 is killing the big bugs. The Thousand Sons traitors are too mushroomy for my liking, and worst of all are the Tyranid masses. They make sense both in terms of lore and gameplay – you have to fight your way through the chaff to get to the boss – but the little guys just drive me nuts. The smaller the creature, the more annoying. Hormagaunts are the worst offenders, but whenever I face a swirling mass of Rippers? Forget the honor of the chapter, I'd rather paint 'Fulgrim is a legend' on my chest and step out of the pod on the Medus than face another poor scythe claw.

The Servo-Gun, or Bonus Bolter as I like to call it, solves this problem. Instead of having to take down dozens if not hundreds of grizzly bugs every round, this backpack rifle will do the work for you. The Auto Turret sat on the bulging shoulders of your Techmarine, locking onto pesky chaff and firing explosive rounds into their faces so you don't have to. While you probably won't be able to have it online all the time, I like to invest all my perks into reducing cooldowns and maximizing lethality so I don't have to stare down another undersized ug for the rest of my days.

The Techmarine from Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

The Techmarine class from Space Marine 2 sounds too over the top to be true

Gun Strikes just got better!

You might be reading this and thinking, “Maybe this guy doesn't actually like playing Space Marine 2.” Maybe you're right. I haven't touched the game in a good few months now, and with all my friends switching to Arc Raiders random AI generated tones, playing with strangers is even more hit and miss. So when I log in – which I will, for Techmarine – I want to do a great takedown. I want to decapitate the Carnifex and defenestrate the Lictor. I want to see my Omnissian Ax glint in the sunlight, cut through the chest of a huge tunneling monster and change it from Trygon to Try-away.

The Techmarine is clearly intended as a support class and I won't give away its role on the battlefield in search of glory. But at the same time as supporting my teammates, it will support my preferred playstyle, allowing me to focus my fingers on the most interesting enemies. After all, what would an evening of gaming be without the brutality of the Brobdingnagian bug?