Space Marine 2 classes explained and best class overall

GamesThird Person ShooterWarhammer 40000: Space Marine 2Space Marine 2 classes explained and best class overallWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 customisation - Different chapters

Jump to:Best classTactical (best all-rounder)Vanguard (best melee)AssaultBulwarkSniperHeavy (best ranged)

Crush the enemies of the Imperium(Image credit: Focus Interactive)Space Marine 2 tips to stomp foesHow to customise armourBest Space Marine 2 weaponsSpace Marine 2 PvP builds

Crush the enemies of the Imperium

(Image credit: Focus Interactive)Space Marine 2 tips to stomp foesHow to customise armourBest Space Marine 2 weaponsSpace Marine 2 PvP builds

(Image credit: Focus Interactive)

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 promo art - three Space Marines standing in formation

Space Marine 2 tips to stomp foesHow to customise armourBest Space Marine 2 weaponsSpace Marine 2 PvP builds

Each of theSpace Marine 2classesoffers its own particular playstyle with both strengths and drawbacks that it brings to bear on the battlefield. As ever, though, the best class is whichever you find the most fun. With the variable difficulty of both the campaign and the Operations co-op mode—and whether you decide to play PvP or not—you’ll likely find yourself favouring multiple rather than sticking to just one.

If you are looking for a brief summary of what each class does well in PvE, you can refer to the list below. I’ve also included what I think is objectively the best PvE class—despite the fact I absolutely adore the Heavy—in case you’re wondering which feels the smoothest to play. If in doubt, you can always play the Tactical class until you get a feel for whether you prefer melee or ranged.

What’s the best class in Space Marine 2?

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 best class - Vanguard with helmet

The best class in Space Marine 2 is the Vanguardin my opinion. In Operations co-op, many of the other classes struggle to deal with ranged enemies most of all, but the Vanguard’s two-charge Grapnel Launcher is perfect for closing the distance to ranged enemies and quickly moving in for auto-executions to replenish armour when needed. The Vanguard gets the combat knife—the fastest melee weapon in the game—as well as the instigator bolt carbine, which is one of the best scoped weapons.

Honestly, just a very strong melee class in a game where melee is vital for replenishing armour. The Assault marine is also very good with two Jump Pack charges and the excellent thunder hammer, but lacks the versatility of a primary weapon.

Tactical (best all-rounder)

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 classes - Tactical

Choose this if you want:

Vanguard (best melee)

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 classes - Vanguard

Choose this if you want:

As mentioned above, the Vanguard class is both extremely versatile and a blast to play. With two Grapnel Launcher charges, you can zoom towards enemies to stun-kick them, or auto-execute them if they’re in a state where a finisher is possible. This makes it easy to escape tight spots and replenish armour. The Vanguard also gets a unique choice of primary weapons, one of which is the excellent scoped instigator bolt carbine. If you like the game’s melee combat, I’d recommend this one.

Assault

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 classes - Assault

Choose this if you want:

The Assault marine is my second favourite melee class, and only falls behind the Vanguard because of its lack of a primary weapon. It’s worth noting that this Jump Pack trooper is also the only class that gets the thunder hammer, which is reason enough to pick it if you’re a fan of smashing tyranids to mush. This class has a special ability that lets it fly into the air and hover, before plunging to deal AoE damage. You can also use the Jump Pack charge to escape tricky situations and get to hard-to-reach enemies.

Bulwark

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 classes - Bulwark

Choose this if you want:

The shield, on the other hand, is a little trickier. It can block damage from attacks when you hold it up and bash enemies to stun them, but it’s best used against ranged attacks or when enemies are all coming from one direction so you can funnel them. It often feels a bit useless when you’re being swarmed on all sides, so positioning is a vital part of playing the Bulwark. It’s also the only class that can get the versatile power sword melee weapon.

Sniper

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 classes - Sniper

Choose this if you want:

I’m going to level with you here; I don’t really rate the sniper as a class in PvE—though I’m sure it’s strong in PvP, and it does get a lot stronger as you unlock its later perks. The problem is that combat is Space Marine 2 is very melee focused because you need to regain armour through executions or close ranged Gun Strikes if you want to stay alive. Still, if you like ranged weapons and want to give it a try, the sniper’s Camo Cloak ability is very fun and great for escaping melee combat to pick off troublesome enemies.

Heavy (best ranged)

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space Marine 2 classes - Heavy

Choose this if you want:

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What’s the best class in Space Marine 2?#

Tactical (best all-rounder)#

Vanguard (best melee)#

Assault#

Bulwark#

Sniper#

Heavy (best ranged)#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

What’s the best class in Space Marine 2?

Tactical (best all-rounder)

Vanguard (best melee)

Assault

Bulwark

Sniper

Heavy (best ranged)

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals