Space Marine 2 Best Eternal War Classes: Top Picks for PvP
Wanna win some games? Pick the right class for the job.
If you're excited to jump into some Eternal War PvP in Space Marine 2, you'll be confronted with a choice. Why class do I choose? You'll need to get decent with at least two for regular play, and picking the right one for you is important to start gathering up those wins. To help you out, we've picked out the best Eternal War classes in Space Marine 2 that'll rank the classes and point out each of their strengths and weaknesses.
But right at the top it's worth noting that none of these classes are bad. Having tested them all out, they all have their quirks and can totally work regardless of team composition. So give them all a try regardless, and if you find one that really sings to you, play it and have a good time. Still, some classes are better than others, and this guide will break down which and why.
Without further ado, here are the best Space Marine 2 classes for Eternal War PvP:
6: Vanguard
I love the Vanguard. They're an incredibly fun skirmisher that's able to quickly grapple to enemies and wipe them out in 1v1 fights. However, the Vanguard doesn't quite have the impact as another high mobility class further down this list, and run into problems in larger scale fights.
Starting with what's great about the Vanguard, their grappling hook allows for quick navigation across the map for unexpected flanks and fast rotations to capture points. This means you can often catch enemy teams by surprise, leading to quick kills before you scuttle away into the darkness. They're an assassin basically, best suited to taking out a Sniper or Tactical marine in the backline.
They are largely a close-range class, which means you'll need to get up close to secure kills. And as a light class with low armour, you'll want to avoid rushing headfirst into enemies most of the time. If you can pull it off, you'll be hella annoying to deal with. You can unlock a precision bolter later in the levels which alters this to more of a mid-range marksman class, but even then the hit-and-run playstyle remains. The only difference is you'll be using the grapple to navigate the environment rather than initiate fights.
If you like grappling in for fights, you might want to wait until you unlock the chainsword too. The knife is fine in a pinch, but if you try stabbing bigger classes you're liable to get a hammer in the face.
Onto the problems. The grapple has a long cooldown and a long animation, so you're vunerable when using it. In addition, grappling to enemies may be cool, but you'll want to avoid grappling to high-armour classes like the Bulwark or Heavy, as you'll likely lose that DPS race despite initiating it with a grapple.
In team fight, you struggle to contribute much from the mid range aside from a grenade, so you'll often have to wrap around for better angles. Not a bad thing necisarrily, but it leaves your team with a marine-down in the event that an Assault marine decides to jump in and kick off a big team-wide brawl. The Vanguard can work, but you need to be smart about it.
5: Tactical
Who doesn't love a jack of all trades? The Tactical Marine is your standard build for mid-range fights, able to engage in most battles straight up without flanking, while also able to hold their own in close range fights courtesy of their chainsword. The reason they're so high up in the ranking isn't because they're bad, but because more specialized classes tend to provide more impact to fights.
However, a Tactical marine that makes good use of their Auspex Scan is truly invaluable. This not only reveals enemies, but makes them take more damage. So having a Tactical marine let one of these loose mid-fight can straight up win big battles. A great class to start off with when first booting up the multiplayer.
They also have the largest selection of weapons among the cast. You can unlock eight primary weapons in total, each providing different benefits and optimal ranges, so you can tweak a Tactical Marine to your distinct playstle. Still, given their position in team compositions as a Auspex wildcard, it's best to stick to mid-range guns in our opinion so you can assist from a safer range in fights. Three armour plates makes you tanky, but not that tanky.
In terms of weaknesses it's basically just that other specialized classes can eat your lunch a bit. You won't beat an Assault marine in melee, you won't beat a Heavy in mid-range firefights, and you won't beat a Sniper at long-range. So you're best bet is to attach yourself to the hip of other players in your squad. Help 'em out, and you'll land a win.
4: Assault
In terms of the two skirmisher classes, meant to sneak around fights and pick off lone marines or low-health fighters post battle, the Assault is the best. With brilliant mobility and high melee damage, you can be incredibly annoying for enemy players. Straight up launch yourself at Snipers, Tactical marines, and even low-health Heavy and Bulwarks if you fancy getting into a fist fight.
The true gem of the class is the jump pack. You get three charges that regenerate quickly. The idea is that you'd use one to launch yourself up into the air for an aerial slam attack, finish off the target in melee, then use the remains two jump pack charges to either run away out of danger or launch yourself towards your next target. Amazingly fun and devestating when done right.
You don't get a primary weapon, which means you don't even want to consider taking on mid-range and long-range fights. You've gotta get in melee, but with only two plates of armour you can't just run through the front. If the entire enemy team sees you shoot up into the sky, they'll just shoot you down. Sneak up on them!
Lots of great melee weapons too. The chainsword is solid but the Thunder Hammer has charged attacks that can just straight up wipe out enemy marines. Give them a go when you unlock 'em and find one that works for you - no bad options!
The weaknesses with the Assault are pretty obvious. After a while the enemy team should wise-up to your shenanigans and keep an eye out for you. If you get marked by an enemy who spots you, you'll get cooked. So play it sneaky - there's a reason why the Heretic Astartes chapter for the class is Night Lords. Be a scumbag!
3: Sniper
So, the power of the Sniper depends entirely on whether or not you can hit your shots. if you can't, they're trash. If you can, they're super powerful. Snipers who can click heads can straight up one-shot low-armour marines.
It goes without saying but the strenghts of the Sniper is at long-range firefights. Pick a spot behind all your friends and start shooting. High spots away from prying eyes, the usual. If you get in trouble you can pop your invisibility cloak to escape scaring situations and just find another good shooting spot.
For weapons you've got sniper rifles, which are your bread and butter. Two are available and they all do wild damage. You can unlock shorter-ranged weapons which switches up the playstyle from long-range duels to sneaky close range assassanitions focused entirely around your cloak. It's fun, and a good option for folks who can't aim to save their lives.
Weaknesses come from melee range and low armour. If an Assault marine finds you for smooches you're in for a romantic escapade to the respawn screen. Same goes for Vanguards and even Bulwark's if they somehow manage to slow walk into your arms. Stay at range, and stay out of direct fire and you should be fine.
But overall Snipers are incredibly strong in Eternal War and a must play for those who are blessed with good aim. Great in all game modes, with serious carry potential.
2: Heavy
The king of firepower, Heavy is a monsterous presense in big fights able to dish out unreal amounts of sustained damage to enemy players in firefights. You're slow and tanky, and thanks to your class ability you'll be right at the front of teamfights shooting as many bullets as you can at enemy players. Great for lovers of all things dakka.
The strenghts of the Heavy is clear. In terms of ranged weapons you deal the most damage-per-second than any other class, and can melt lower-armoured classes in a straight up fight. Teamfights should form around you like a flock of birds, shooting where you shoot and moving where you move. A great class for people who want to be the backbone of their team.
In terms of weapons, you've got some good picks to choose from! The default heavy bolter is grand and will do just fine in most situations. The second unlock - the multi-melta - is interesting as it drastically shortens your range but maintains the high damage. It just means you'll have to run up a bit closer before engaging in fights, but it'll melt melee classes who try and take you on up close.
Your ability is paramount to your success. It's a high durability balistics shield that'll block incoming fire, and while the recharge is lenghty it's an ability you'll want to play around. In fights against other Heavy marines, the one who pops it last typically wins the fights, and taking fights around it is a surefire way to win trades.
In terms of weaknesses, you're super slow. So flanking attacks can wipe you out. Plus, if enemies get into melee range you be in trouble. Your melee attacks are slow and low in power, so you'll want to be shooting at all times pretty much. As long as you keep enemy players in front of you, you should be fine.
So basically, a very, very strong ranged class for lovers of shooting big guns. Absolutely recommended.
1: Bulwark
The Bulwark is pretty busted. An absurd ability to tank incoming fire makes the Bulwark a frankly mandatory pick for pretty much all teams and all game modes. The Bulwark actually has pretty decent melee damage too. In our opinion, it's the best class in multiplayer.
Let me tell you why. When you block with your shield, you negate all incoming ranged damage. All. It doesn't matter if a heavy unloads their entire magazine at you, you'll brush it off no problem. What this means is that the Bulwark can just walk out in front of enemy teams, and as long as you keep them in front of you, you'll be fine. This distraction tactic allows your team to land shots on vunerable enemies, and if they turn off you to start dealing with your team, you pull out your pistol and start chipping away. A very strong presense in fights.
So what can the enemy do? They can throw grenades at your, which you can walk or roll away from. Or they can rush up for melee. If they do, you can fight back with your own powerful melee, but you also have your team at your back to burst them down. You're this annoying, ultra tanky sour spot on the field that needs dealing with, but with no easy option to deal with them.
In terms of weaknesses, you can get shot in the back and the side, so you'll need to stay aware of side passages, sneaky Vanguard players and Snipers taking advantageous spots. But, once you get used to the maps and the various angles on them, you can remain mostly safe. Keep your backs to walls or your team and you'll be okay.
Genuinely, we recommend the Bulwark for all players. Take on in your team at all times. Take two! It frees up your team and deals great damage up close. Just lock it in and have fun.
That wraps up our guide to the best classes in Space Marine 2 Eternal War PvP mode. Let us know your favourite class and playstyle down below!