The 9.0 “Quality of Life” update for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has finally arrived with a host of different changes for the game. With these new additions comes a complete rework of melee weapons. In what the developers describe as a significant overhaul, the stat distribution of PvE melee weapons has undergone a complete change, and other game mechanics have been modified to accommodate these changes.
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In an update blog, game director for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Dmitry Grigorenko, outlined the goal with the drastic changes to melee weapons.
“With this update we want to rework all of the melee weapon versions. The stats distribution was too complex between different tiers and wasn’t following the same ruleset as firearms, where Relic tier weapons are strictly better than Artificer ones,” said Grigorenko. “This is a massive overhaul and a lot of popular versions may become less effective than they used to be and vice versa. We are going to make another pass at this if necessary, but we think that we need to do a clean up here first to move forward.”
The changes to progression were described as a way to “streamline the experience.” As part of the update, Relic versions of melee weapons will now be superior in stats to artificer weapons. Stat distribution for melee weapons will now follow general principles, which include:
- Balanced weapons have moderate damage and moderate speed.
- Fencing weapons offer the fastest speed but have the lowest damage.
- Block weapons are the slowest but deliver the highest damage.
In addition to these general changes to melee weapons, the melee-oriented Assault class is also getting some buffs. Assaults are now completely invulnerable while in the middle of the “landed” ground pound animation. The developers also fixed some persistent issues that Power Sword stance had during “certain animations.”
“We heard your feedback regarding the Assault class being too weak and we agree, but to a point,” wrote Grigorenko. “The amount of effort it takes to play it right doesn’t outweigh the benefits, which shouldn’t be the case…the buffs will make Assault better and more fun to play, but the core problem will be addressed in the next content patch.”
Perks for the Assault class also got the most attention in the update, with some abilities getting completely reworked.
Assault Changes:
- “Winged Fury”: The perk has been reworked, the new version is: Damage from Melee Attacks executed while sprinting or dashing increases by 100%. Deals area-of-effect Damage within a 7-metre radius. Cooldown is 5 seconds.
- Note: The AoE is not working properly on this perk. This will be fixed in the next patch
- “Defense Mechanism”: The perk has been reworked, the new version is: Contested Health fades 50% more slowly.
- “Act of Attrition”: Damage is increased from 10 to 15%.
- “Smiting Angel”: Damage increase from 10 to 25%
- “Hammer of Wrath”: The perk has been reworked, the new version is: After use Jump Pack, you take 30% less Ranged Damage, do not lose control upon taking Heavy Hits, and cannot be knocked back for 15 seconds
- Assault Ground Pound Damage: Chainsword and Power Sword ground pound damage increased to match Power Fist and Thunder Hammer’s one.
These changes to melee should breathe new life into the playstyle as Warhammer fans plow through the new update content. As part of the update, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 players can also now enjoy an XP boost in Siege mode that lasts until August 5th.
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