We don’t yet know if there will be boss fights in Space Marine 2, but by the Emperor, we hope that there will be – with the game’s blend of high-calibre shooting and visceral third-person melee combat, Space Marine 2 bosses could be some of the coolest in gaming.
We already know that the Space Marine 2 enemies will be the ravenous alien Tyranids and the T’zeentch-worshipping Thousand Sons, two Warhammer 40k factions that have oodles of boss-tier horrors packed into their monster closets. In the absence of concrete information, we’ve picked five of our favorite baddies which we want to face in screen-shaking boss fights.
If, like us, you’re impatiently waiting for the Space Marine 2 release date, check out our Space Marine 2 walkthrough, where we’re compiling everything revealed so far in previews, demos, and development updates.
These are the five Space Marine 2 bosses we most want to see:
- Space Marine 2 Hive Tyrant boss
- Space Marine 2 Haruspex boss
- Space Marine 2 Neurolictor boss
- Space Marine 2 Mutalith Vortex Beast boss
- Space Marine 2 Lord of Change boss
Space Marine 2 Hive Tyrant boss
Hive Tyrants are imposing combat monsters and powerful psychic conduits through which the Tyranid Hive Mind controls its swarms. Twice as tall as the already massive Tyranid Warriors, they wield twice as much weaponry, typically pairing an ensnaring lash whip, psychically charged bone sword, and a powerful venom cannon or explosive barbed strangler.
This would make a great early boss fight to test the player’s skills, remixing attacks from monsters the player is already familiar with but ramping up the damage output and health. At the same time, the players would have to fend off a horde of ranged Termagants and voracious melee Hormagaunts, which the Tyrant drives into a frenzy with the power of the Hive Mind.
Space Marine 2 Haruspex boss
The Haruspex is a mammoth monster with a mouth full of grabber tentacles; it would make a perfect gimmick fight for Space Marine co-op multiplayer. As well as stampeding around the arena and causing colossal damage with its claws, the Haruspex would be able to swallow players whole. It’s up to their allies to blast it in its weak spots so that it disgorges its prey before they’re fully digested.
Space Marine 2 Neurolictor boss
We’ve already seen footage of the Lictor, a Tyranid stealth assassin that we suspect is an elite but regular enemy enemy, in Space Marine 2 screenshots. The Neurolictor is even more insidious, combining the stealth capabilities of its sibling with powers to mess with the minds of its enemies.
This fight could use the Neurolictor’s reality-distorting powers to unique effect. Only one player at a time would be able to see and shoot the Neurolictor, and they’d become the priority target of every other Tyranid in the arena. Their allies would have to protect them while they pour damage into the boss.
This isn’t unprecedented – the co-op multiplayer for Dead Space 3 featured similar reality-distorting effects.
Space Marine 2 Mutalith Vortex Beast boss
The Mutalith Vortex Beast is like the nightmare lovechild of Cthulhu and the Eye of Sauron. The Thousand Sons field these mutant abominations as weapons, taking advantage of their sheer bulk as well as the mutagenic magic that blasts from the portal anchored to their spine.
The Thousand Sons are predominantly ranged and psychic combatants, but the Vortex Beast is both a metaphysical artillery piece and a physically massive monster. This boss would make for a great gameplay break in the Thousand Sons section of the game, using a variety of powerful magical attacks, while bringing back the charging, marine-swallowing Kaiju action from the Haruspex fight.
Space Marine 2 Lord of Change boss
The Lord of Change is a manifestation of the raw might of the Chaos god T’zeentch, a master manipulator of reality, physically imposing and lethally strong. It’s a natural final boss, and its magic is a perfect vehicle to bring back mechanics from every previous boss fight to put the players to the ultimate test.
Those mechanics could be reimplemented directly, such as channelling the Vortex Beast’s ranged attacks from the Lord of Change’s staff. Or they could work indirectly; even though the Lord of Change doesn’t have a maw like the Haruspex, it could open a warp portal to swallow up the player characters just the same.
And just like the Neurolictor, it could alter player perceptions to conceal a weak point that is anchoring it in reality – for example, a Chaos Space Marine sorcerer.
If you can’t wait to get stuck into some really challenging 40k boss fights, try retro FPS Warhammer 40k Boltgun – check out our Warhammer 40k Boltgun review to learn why we reckon its one of the best Warhammer 40k games on PC or console.