Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is giving off all the right Xbox 360 vibes with 6v6 PvP, and Operations co-op mode
The once-rumoured PvP mode in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is real, and there's even a new co-op mode to sink your teeth into after finishing the campaign.
As promised, the Warhammer Skulls event was full of exciting announcements for Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 fans. None were more impressive than the Space Marine 2 reveals, however.
The Saber Interactive-developed action-shooter delivered two big pieces of news, even if one of them technically leaked a little while ago.
Space Marine 2 is a co-op game at heart, so we’ve known for a while that we can play the campaign with two other friends. At Warhammer Skulls earlier, however, we learned that Saber is embracing the co-op spirit even further with a dedicated new mode.
Operations is a three-player co-op mode that kicks off after the conclusion of the main campaign. This is a separate PvE mode with its own progression system. In Operations, you get to pick from six classes as you’re sent on missions to eliminate enemies of the Imperium.
As you play, you’ll earn XP you can use to upgrade your weapons, and unlock new perks for your Ultramarines. There’s an array of cosmetic unlocks available, too, which will let you customise various parts of each character.
More missions, new enemies and extra weapons will be added in free updates post launch. If you feel like sticking with it, there’s going to be a season pass that features its own set of unlockable cosmetics.
Also revealed today is the return of the original Space Marine’s beloved PvP mode. The 6v6 multiplayer mode pits Space Marines against their Chaos counterparts in three modes. Like Operations, PvP also uses the same class system, so there’s even more of a reason for you to invest time into the game after finishing the campaign.
Right alongside today’s news, digital pre-orders for Space Marine 2 went live on all digital storefronts, with three editions to choose from. The game arrives September 9 on PC (Steam, EGS), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Dom played Space Marine 2 at gamescom last year and thought it delivered a solid fusion of Doom and Gears of War, making for something of a throwback. With today’s PvP and PvE reveals, Saber is really leaning into that Xbox 360 legacy - and we’re definitely here for it!
Hopefully, some of the shortcomings that stood out in that preview will have been ironed out by the time we get our hands on the game again. Until then, we’ll just have to watch those trailers on repeat.