Space Marine 2 Siege Mode Makes the Case for an Important Feature to Get Buffed

Almost a year after it was initially teased, Space Marine 2’s Siege Mode has brought wave-based carnage to the game in a brutal and exhilarating way. Where Operations was a game of piecemeal fights and racing for the finish line, Siege Mode has refocused the action squarely on killing every last enemy on the map, bringing a new dynamic to how the game is played in a way that makes it feel fresh.

Its tight focus and small arenas offer a big contrast to the game’s existing PVE offering, and this hasn’t come without a few changes to Space Marine 2’s sandbox, such as Spore Mines hitting a lot less hard. However, due to the game mode’s sheer volume of enemies, one previously debated feature is now back in the spotlight, and Saber ought to take a look at it if the studio wants to preserve the game’s dynamic and rewarding combat model.

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Space Marine 2’s Siege Mode Turns Gun Strike Opportunities Into Unintended Traps

Players of the new update have probably noticed Space Marine 2’s Siege Mode is brutal, and in keeping with 40K’s grimdark tone, there is little respite from huge hordes of enemies. Adapting fast is key, with repositioning and resource conservation paramount to survival. But sometimes the contrast between the PVE modes can be a little too great, as enemies can overwhelm even the most experienced players through their huge numbers very quickly, and not every strategy that works for Operations will work for Siege Mode.

This is most true of Space Marine 2’s gun strike system. There has always been a bit of a trade-off between gun strikes and executions, as they allow players to perform an instant finisher from a distance at the cost of being locked in an animation for a moment, and lack the protection of an execution.

But it is this animation that is causing some unintended problems for Siege Mode, as finding a moment to perform a gun strike while surrounded by potentially a hundred enemies gets more and more difficult as the waves go by. Players are simply too vulnerable when taking a gun strike opportunity in Siege Mode, and what should be a reward for a skillful dodge becomes a difficult trap to avoid, as big groups of enemies can so easily stagger or kill a player in the animation.

Gun Strikes Need a Buff in Siege Mode to Be Competitive With Executions

The biggest problem with being constantly staggered out of gun strikes is how it ruins the flow of the game’s combat, and the feature needs a buff to not feel frustrating. While it’s true that some of the best builds for Space Marine 2 Siege Mode are very different from Operations, the danger of taking gun strike opportunities completely invalidates certain builds for a few classes that rely on them. This is not to say that they need to offer full immunity like executions do, but given the extreme lethality of Siege Mode, it’s clear that gun strikes need to offer a level of protection from staggering, and possibly damage reduction too, to keep combat feeling fast, reactive, and most importantly, rewarding.

Gun strikes could be an occasional source of frustration in Operations, where they can interact strangely with certain bosses, but with more limited enemy numbers and greater freedom, it felt balanced. Space Marine 2‘s Hive Tyrant combo attacks could often punish gun strikes, but those felt intentional; Siege Mode’s focus on packing as many enemies in at once exposes a particularly brutal flaw in the system that will affect every class, no matter the build.