The Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 PVP multiplayer mode is called ‘Eternal War’. So far, three game types have been announced for this six vs six mode – here’s everything we know so far.
Some of the features of in PVP multiplayer overlap with systems from the PVE ‘Operations’ Mode. Our guide to Space Marine 2 coop multiplayer goes into more detail on certain systems, and you can find all our guides to Space Marine 2 systems in our Space Marine 2 walkthrough guide.
- Eternal War game types
- Eternal War classes
- Chaos Space Marines
- Experience and Progression
- Cosmetics
- Season Pass
Eternal War game types
Three game types have been revealed for Space Marine 2’s Eternal War PVP multiplayer mode: Annihilation, Seize Ground, and Capture & Control. All three pit game types pit two teams of six players against one another.
Annihilation
Annihilation is a team death match mode – kill enemy marines to earn points for your team. Nice and simple!
Seize Ground
In the original Space Marine, Seize Ground sees teams battle for Control Points across the map, which provide both a flow of victory points, and act as spawn points. Whether this mode functions the same in the sequel remains to be seen.
Capture & Control
In the original Space Marine, the Capture & Control game type tasks the teams with claiming a single Control Point, which provides Victory Points. This Control Point is on a timer, and moves around the map once it has been held for long enough. Whether this mode functions the same in the sequel remains to be seen.
Eternal War classes
In Space Marine 2 Eternal War, and in the PVE Operations mode, players can choose from one of six classes: Bulwark, Tactical, Assault, Vanguard, Sniper, and Heavy.
We cover the Space Marine 2 multiplayer classes in our guide to coop multiplayer. The classes are identical between modes. It seems likely that progression will carry over between the two modes, though this has not yet been confirmed.
Chaos Space Marines
In all the footage shown so far, one of the two teams in each match is made up of Chaos Space Marines. It’s not yet clear if these will be purely cosmetic, or if there will be any mechanical differences. Both teams have access to the same classes, but it is possible that they may have access to different perks or weapons.
For those readers less familiar with Warhammer 40k lore, here’s a brief summary of what Chaos Space Marines even are. 10,000 years before the current timeline of Warhammer 40k, the Emperor of Mankind conquered the galaxy with legions of Space Marines, genetically modified super soldiers.
Thanks to some bad decisions and the meddling of the Chaos gods, half of those legions turned traitor, in what was known as the Horus Heresy civil war.
When the traitors eventually lost that war, they were driven out of the Imperium and into an area where surreal ‘Warp space’ overlaps with material reality, known as the Eye of Terror. Though the surviving loyalists believed they were gone for good, the traitors survived, and have sallied forth from the Eye to wreak havoc on the Imperium of Man ever since.
There are lore differences between the Chaos Space Marines and the current generation of Space Marines active in the Imperium. Chaos Space Marines have been gifted with unnatural power by the forces of Chaos, while loyalist Space Marine armor, weapons, and even genetically modified Space Marine organs have been upgraded in the intervening millennia.
As a result, many of the Space Marine 2 weapons revealed so far are not technically part of the Chaos Space Marines arsenal. Ordinarily Games Workshop are absolute sticklers for making videogame representations of their IP lore accurate. However, the ridiculous Call of Duty Space Marine mode shows that they’re willing to bend this when it’s necessary for the gameplay of a AAA Warhammer 40k game.
Experience and progression
Trailers have confirmed that PVP multiplayer missions will grant you XP that will add new weapons to your arsenal.
It’s not yet clear if this will overlap with the ‘armory data’ that you earn earn from PVE Operations Mode missions, which can be used to customise and upgrade your arsenal. Perhaps these mods are only available in PVE mode, and not in PVP mode.
Cosmetics
Cosmetic options will include individual armor segments, including helm, pauldrons, greaves, breastplate, and backpack, as well as armor color scheme and heraldry. Trailers have confirmed that some of these cosmetics will be unlocked by completing PVP Operations missions – whether these will be tied to experience thresholds, or in-game tasks, is unclear.
Season Pass
According to official announcements, Space Marine 2 will feature a Season Pass that grants access to “even more cosmetics”, but “new content like missions, enemies, and weapons will be available to all players through regular free updates”.
While we’re braced for specific Space Marine Chapters and types of Space Marine armor to be locked behind that pass, we hope that the choice of how to color your toons is totally unlocked. Being able to “paint” your dudes is a core part of any Warhammer 40k game.
If, like us, you’re tenterhooks waiting for the Space Marine 2 release date, check out our Space Marine 2 preview to learn what Wargamer thought of the last playable build.