Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 Best Classes Tier List

Attention, children of the Emperor! A Space Marine is the finest warrior, molded by the Lord of the Imperium himself. Each Space Marine is a perfect weapon capable of carrying out any task on the battlefield, no matter who is standing against them and how many of them there are.

In this Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 tier list, we’ll take an in-depth look at the classes in the game and rank them based on their effectiveness in both PvE Operations and PvP Eternal War. Each class has its own set of skills, abilities, and access to weapons, as well as different armor types. Classes also have access to skill trees where you can unlock new abilities from various categories. In other words, WH40k Space Marine 2 features a surprisingly deep progression system that allows players to create the space marine of their dreams.

 

 

Space Marine 2 Classes Tier List Explained

There are only six classes in the game, so deciding which are the best classes in WH40K SM2 is not an easy task because they all have their uses. The main criteria for ranking classes would be their versatility. More specialized classes that require more time to learn and use effectively are going to be a weak point in our tier list because while each class can actually dominate, the easier it is to pick up and play a class effectively, the better. With that being said, here’s our Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 class rankings explained:

Once again, with only 6 classes to pick from, there are not that many options for you to choose from. Nevertheless, our Space Marine 2 tier list 2024 is here to give you an understanding of what all classes are capable of in different gameplay scenarios. BLOG20

Remember that tier lists, in general, are very subjective. By no means do we intend to tell you which classes you should avoid completely? Once again, our goal is to highlight classes that have the most utility and are generally easy to play. 

Space Marine 2 Classes PvE Tier List

We’ll start by getting our Space Marine 2 classes ranked for Operations. This co-op mode has several difficulties and multiple random objectives that change from mission to mission. If you want to succeed and beat any mission, including higher difficulties that are full of elite enemies, you need to be at the top of your game, so to speak. So, here’s our tier list of classes for this game mode:

Now, let’s explain our choices for Space Marine 2 meta and why some classes are not as good as they might seem.

S-Tier

Tactical is easily the Space Marine 2 best PvE class in the game because it’s the most versatile one. You get access to the largest arsenal of weapons, including primary, secondary, and melee. Within those classes, you’re free to choose between heavy bolters, plasma guns, semi or full-auto pistols, and any melee weapon. 

Besides, Tactical’s ultimate - Auspex Scan, which reveals enemies in an area and makes them vulnerable, is ideal against elite enemies that tend to go invisible. On top of an impressive arsenal, Tactical marines start with the heaviest armor class, making them an ideal choice at all distances and in all combat situations. This is the definition of the Space Marine 2 meta classes.

A-Tier

The heavy class, also known as the Devastator Marines, is great at dealing with hordes of smaller enemies or dealing massive damage to single targets thanks to their signature heavy weaponry, such as the heavy bolter or heavy plasma incinerators. Because of their arsenal, heavys are definitely among the best Space Marine 2 classes.

Keep in mind that they don’t have a melee weapon, and they’re quite slow, so if you let your enemies surround you while playing as a heavy class, you’re screwed. Sometimes it’s easy to loosen up your guard when enjoying melting down dozens of xenos, but that’s when usually other enemies sneak behind the rear and attack.

Heavy’s ultimate is called “Iron Halo,” and it is essentially a big power shield that blocks off ranged attacks. Coupled with heavy armor, you’re a walking killing machine.

Vanguard is a lighter and faster version of the Tactical class that has access to a lot of unique weapon types and a bunch of fun abilities and perks. This class has only two armor bars (compared to Tactical’s three) but gets to choose from 3 primary weapon types:

1. Instigator Bolt Carbine – a scoped precision carbine with three-round bursts
2. Oculus Bolt Carbine – rapid-fire, mid-range carbine with extended magazine
3. Melta Rifle – a close-range thermal weapon that deals insane damage.

For a sidearm, Vanguards only use Bolt Pistols. For melee, you can choose between the Chainsord or combat knife.

Vanguard’s ultimate is Grapnel Launcher, which allows you to propel to an enemy and then perform a Diving Kick. With this particular arsenal of weapons and such an interesting ultimate, your main job would be targeting and disposing of high-value targets like elites. In other words, a Vanguard must fight smart. They will leave trash enemies to the teammates and focus on stronger enemies that are more difficult to kill, can turn invisible, or call reinforcements.

So, despite the nice weapon variety, Vanguard is a more specialized class than Tactitian, and you must learn how to use it effectively. Therefore, we placed it a tier lower than S.

B-Tier

Sniper is a very skill-based class, meaning you have to be good at landing shots and avoiding enemy attacks; otherwise, you’ll be useless. As the name suggests, Sniper’s signature weapon type is high-damage bolters and lasguns that are, essentially, the Space Marine 2 best DPS weapons.

If you’re good at sniping, you’re going to be super valuable to your teammates. But if you miss your shots, you’re completely useless. Your primary weapon has a very limited supply of ammo. Of course, you can switch to something like the Stalker Bolt Rifle, which is a semi-auto bolter with a scope that will allow you to fight from afar, but the damage is not as good as on a sniper rifle. As a Sniper, you have the option to use a Carbine type of primary weapon, which is basically your SMG bolter with even less damage. Finally, Las Fusil, aka the sniper lasgun, overheats quickly, leaving you exposed after every shot. For your melee, you have the Combat Knife, which is obviously not as good as something like a Chainsword.

Your Ultimate, the Camo Cloak, allows you to go invisible, which, for PvE, is nothing more than a panic button that will help you escape near-death situations. There are not many uses for it besides that.

Bulwark – is like a Heavy class but for melee combat. This class doesn’t have access to ranged weapons, but his signature shield and ultimate make him incredibly tanky.

For your sidearm, you can go either Bolt Pistol or Plasma Pistol, but for your melee choices, you have:

1. Chainsword – extremely versatile for crowd work and parrying elites.
2. Power Fist  – high damage, but very slow. BLOG20
3. Power Sword – slightly different combo than Chainsword, but largely the same weapon with the same uses.

Bulwark’s ultimate is called “Chapter Banner.” You place it on the ground, and it restores armor to all teammates and you in its area of effect. It’s extremely useful in the heat of battle when you’re overwhelmed by the enemy.

Bulwark’s role as a melee tank is definitely not for newcomers. You must be confident enough at melee combat, and you must know and play your role. It’s not an easy class to play, but it is deadly in the right hands.

C-Tier

Assault class is very fun, let’s say that first. Its only gimmick is the Jump Pack that allows you to perform enhanced dashes and powerful jumps that you can use to your advantage. But its downside is that you’re locked to melee weapons only. Your loadout is limited to your secondary – a bolt pistol or something similar, as well as your melee weapon.

Now, you do have a range of different melee weapon types to work with:

1. Chainswords
2. Thunder Hammers – deal massive AoE damage, especially when combined with the Jump Pack.
3. Power Fist

Your Jump Pack doesn’t have the same functionality as the one from the single-player campaign. It’s much more limited. It’s still fun to use, but when you’re bound to melee combat, you’re constantly in danger, which means that you better be good at it.

The Jump Pack is your ultimate, so there isn’t much else going on. If you expect to find anything interesting in the skill tree – don’t. None of the skills change the way you play. Those skills that are actually pretty good are best used when you play with friends.

Space Marine 2 Classes PvP Tier List

Eternal War is a completely different challenge. Those of you interested in competing against real players will soon find that some classes that were great in PvE don’t stand a chance in PvP.

There are three PvP modes, so depending on the game mode you’re playing, there might be need to switch to a more appropriate class. But, overal, we believe that this tier list represents the current Space Marine 2 meta for PvP perfectly.

Now you know what is the best class in Space Marine 2 for PvP. As you can see, some classes have changed their tier, while some kept it. Let’s see why that is.

S-Tier

Tactical space marines are also the Space Marine 2 best PvP class because of their versatility. Besides, their ultimate becomes even more useful in PvP. Revealing enemy positions can be crucial in both objective-based game modes and in team deathmatches alike.

The sniper class is now S-tier, for they’re capable of one-shotting enemy players, and their ability to go invisible makes them almost broken compared to other classes. Yes, you still need to be able to land your shots, and can be revealed by Tactical’s Auspex Scan. Nevertheless, Snipers are much better in Eternal War.

A-Tier

Heavy class is a solid choice for PvP players who love to put pressure on the enemy team. Their Iron Halo can help this class withstand enemy fire, while their heavy bolters can melt down enemy players with ease.

Vanguard class is squishy with only two bars of armor, but if you can find a use for the grappling hook, you’ll be unstoppable. Semi-auto weapons might not be to everyone’s taste, but they deal with a solid amount of damage at a safe distance.

B-Tier

Out of two melee classes, Bulwark has way more chances of winning a fight against one or more enemies at the same time. When played correctly, Bulwarks can overwhelm enemies if they can get in melee range. Still, Bullwarks would have to rely on teammates’ help to kill enemies. Otherwise, they’ll be quickly dealt with.

C-Tier

Assault, unfortunately, is the least effective class in PvP. Their ability to leap into the air can make them a perfect target for enemy players waiting for Assaults to use their Jump Pack. The only thing this class got going for it is the element of surprise. But how often can you realize this tactic in PvP before enemies start predicting your airborne attacks?

Conclusion

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 offers a surprising amount of post-campaign content in the form of Co-op Operations and Eternal War PvP mode. Coupled with a nice variety of weapons, six classes, and a fairly deep skill tree for each class, you can really create your own space marine and pit them against AI or player-controlled xenos and heretics.

In future updates we might receive a new class archetype or possibly a rework of existing classes in some shape or form. We’ll make sure update this tier list when that happens.

For now, we hope that we did a good job introducing you to the existing classes by ranking them based on their application and how noob-friendly they are. Happy purging, beloved children of the Emperor of Mankind!

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