The best Tactical Space Marine build - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Published , by Aidan O'Brien

The Tactical Marine is the backbone of the Emperor's many Chapters in Warhammer 40,000, and it is one of the most versatile classes in Space Marine 2. The Tactical Marine perfectly blends a focus on damage output with being able to provide powerful help to allies to keep them in the fight.

The best Tactical Marine build in Space Marine 2

Our aim will be to build a Tactical Marine that can do intense damage up close, cover the bases at longer ranges, and help our allies achieve their own peak damage output while also benefiting from increased survivability. 

Class Ability

The first thing to understand is the class ability. This will scan and reveal enemies, marking them for you and your team. It will even mark invisible enemies, and while marked, all enemies take more damage. 

You also have a passive starting perk that will automatically reload all ranged weapons that are unequipped after 10 seconds. So, don’t waste time reloading your primary. Stow it for 10 seconds while you use your secondary or melee, and then it will be fully reloaded again. 

Screenshot by Shacknews

Perks

You have access to eight columns, each of which contains three perks. You will need to level up your character by playing Operations and Infernal War to get access to all of them. You may only have one active perk per column. 

Core

Team

Gear

Signature

Weapons

Screenshot by Shacknews

The basis of this build is that you will be using the Melta Rifle. This does a lot of damage, and it is best to think of it as the shogun of the game. As well as causing a lot of damage, it will also pierce groups of enemies and stagger them. 

Combine this with the Emperor’s Vengeance skill that gives you a magazine of ammo back if you kill a Majoris or higher enemy, and you’ll be in a great spot. Take weapon perks that give you more ammo in the magazine to feed into this.

Your secondary will be the best tier Bolt Pistol that you can bring, built for the most damage to take full advantage of Gun Strikes from perfect parries and dodges. Then your Chainsword should build into the Perpetual Strength, Swift Recovery, Reverberating Impact, and Full Throttle weapon perks.

This build will give you a lot of short-range power, and you’ll be able to rapidly swap between the Melta and your Chainsword to rack up bodies. You will be in a spot of bother with flying enemies, but the Bolt Pistol will be more than enough to plink them out of the air. 

My last note is simple: This is just how I have enjoyed playing the class and saw some great results. Don't be afraid to experiment and follow your own instincts; that is the entire point of gaming. For more guides, be sure to check out our Space Marine 2 page.