Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s Game Director, Dmitry Grigorenko, has taken the time to really prime all of us expectant servants of the Emperor on what to expect when Patch 12 introduces the Techmarine as the game’s seventh playable class.
It is a big deal, if only because the game has been out for over 12 months and the one thing that the title has yet to add is a new class, so the entire eco-system of the multiplayer component will go arse-over-tit with new possibilities – and more importantly – delightful new character banter.
The big schtick of our wrench-wielding new friend is their specialty in crowd control and area defence. In a previous community update, they mentioned how the bloke will be able to activate Sentry Guns within existing levels – with Dmitry now confirming:
- Techmarines can locate and service Tarantula Sentry turrets during missions
- These turrets cannot be carried or placed freely
- They will attack enemies automatically until they either run out of ammunition or get destroyed
A static defence item might feel lacklustre to those who haven’t played Space Marine 2’s Operations mode – but knowing the layout of these missions and how some areas are clearly designed for “crescendo” moments with a flood of baddies, I am excited that my tech-minded friend can sort out some helpful covering fire.
The Techmarine also comes armed with unique tools to give his moment-to-moment gameplay distinct flavour. Firstly, his melee weapon (the Omnissian Axe) is a class-specific tool, meaning nobody else gets to heft its lofty chopping power. Being a heavy two-handed weapon, it will likely be a slow one – but with the outcome being that it hits like a truck.
His other unique tool is a shoulder mounted firearm – an automatic Servo-Gun is that frees up your hands by executing Gun Strikes for you. To quote Dmitry:
While you’re busy swinging and smashing opponents around with your mechanical arm, your Combat Skill will put your turret to good use: Activate it with the [Y] button to unleash the Techmarine’s mounted Servo-Gun and rain divine retribution onto your enemies with a barrage of heavy fire. No need to aim: just watch as Tyranids and Thousand Sons get vaporized before your very eyes
Auto-aim, auto-fire – all while you are busy doing other stuff. It is supremely in-character and exceptionally cool to think about. Some keen-eyed people did notice that the provided screenshots of the Tech-man show that this mounted gun also comes in different flavours, so you can absolutely pick what kind of high-tech death serves your gameplay style best.
Finally we get some details on what else will come alongside the Techmarine – with the team adding a 12th mission to Operations and Stratagems modes, a new in-mission power up, 3 new Hero weapons and new customization options for Space Marine helmetless heads – but the one critical bit of information is the reveal of when we might get to play as our very own IT support. The roadmap did promise the guy in Q1 of this year, so there isn’t a great deal of time left to wait – and there will absolutely be a testing phase available to those that want to jump in early.
What has been shown so far looks incredibly on-brand for the Space Marine 2 experience, confirming many of my own hopes that I communicated in an interview with Oliver Hollis-Leick at the end of last year. The game is far from done, and new content like this will energise the experience for all.
Are you ready for a new bloke to drop into your missions? Do you think the worlds of Space Marine 2 are ready for some percussive maintenance? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
Shoutouts to Xbox Wire.
