Veteran Mode in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 isn’t just a step up in difficulty—it’s a full-on battle of wits and endurance. At some point, the relentless waves of Xenos, brutal environments, and scarce resources might have you wondering how you’re supposed to survive. After countless missions and plenty of respawns, my team and I learned a few hard-earned lessons that will hopefully help you scrape through these challenges. These tips are designed to keep you fighting for the Emperor, no matter how bleak things get!
1. Play with friends.
If at all possible, don't play Veteran mode or higher with bots. The AI in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, from my experience, is just absolutely horrendous and serves more to hinder your playthrough than help. With a group of friends, you can communicate in real-time where resources are, when strong enemies ambush the group, or when surprise waves pour in from another side. That basic bit of coordination makes a huge difference when you're trying to scrape by a win. The AI marines just…do their own thing, sometimes off in a completely different area away from your team.
2. Watch your resources.
It should probably go without saying, but keep an eye on your surroundings and watch your ammo. While the maps are fairly linear, there are lots of side nooks and crannies that actually have spare ammo, armor boosts, weapons, and med stims. It took us several missions before we realized that some of the most unsuspecting boxes could be broken open to drop supplies. Smash everything, and always explore. In the Operations game mode, it definitely rewards you to explore every corner of the map because there are secret armories to uncover! These secrets can grant bonus experience which leads to more requisition and upgrades.
3. Be prepared to melee.
Get good with counters and blocks. It's easy to go guns blazing into combat, but that is one of the quickest ways to hurt yourself in Veteran mode. Not only is your ammo limited, but when you're swarmed with waves and waves of xenos and all you have left is a pistol, it feels bad, man. Instead, take up the chainsword and try learning a few melee combos. Not only does the chainsword have a pushback to get clingy bugs off of you, but there is an AOE stomp to help do a little bit of a reset when you're getting swarmed. And the best part is that it doesn't need any ammo or power to function!
4. Take the right gun for the job.
Yes, sniping is fun, but think about your group composition and the Operation map. Experiment with some of the guns you find lying around the map to see how it feels and how effective it might be. Oftentimes you'll find the perfect gun just lying around right before the next area. For example, before storming across a bridge with three sniper xenos, I found a sniper rifle behind a rock that provided me with some safe cover and a way to cover my teammates as they moved forward. The MELTA is also fantastic for staving off swarms of Rippers, and can usually be found conveniently placed around areas populated with them. The Plasma Pistol also pairs beautifully with any secondary because it can be charged. As with any game, all guns have their pros and cons, and it’s truly entirely up to preference.
5. Destroy everything.
While scavenging for precious ammo and health stims, keep an eye out for the environmental explosives scattered around. These can be game-changers for your strategy. As you prepare for the next wave, scout the area and pinpoint where these explosive traps are positioned—especially along the enemy's likely path. Timing is everything, and every blast that chips away at your enemies gives you a crucial edge in surviving the onslaught.
BONUS:
Be prepared to die. A lot. It goes without saying, but as you learn how to best tackle some of these missions you're going to die over, and over again, especially on the harder levels. Just take a deep breath. For every failed mission, our team of marines came back swinging twice as hard because we finally understood what it was going to take to progress. We died at least a dozen times in one operation before being able to move on. Be it the swarms of rippers, mastermind Psykers, or brutal warriors, we just couldn’t figure out what we were doing wrong.
Honestly, I’m still not entirely sure how we did it. I just know at one point we were all in sync with taking down the warriors, flaming the rippers, and bursting the psyker as soon as they appeared, and the collective screams of feral joy that went up from my team was incredible. All that to say, don’t get discouraged. Space Marine 2 is a game, and while frustrating at times, it's meant to be fun. Suit up and get back in there, for the Emperor.
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