New Space Marine 2 update buffs basically every gun, reworks Assault class

I'm still waiting for the Iron Hands to be added to Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 properly. I know they've got a paint scheme and that's more than most Chaos legions can say, but I want some proper bionics, augmented limbs, and 17 Servo Skulls to follow me round as I beam Multi-Melta shots at Carnifexes. Thankfully, Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2's Patch 9.0 gives me a little hope. There's no sign of my kitted-out Iron Hands skin, but at least my beloved Multi-Melta got a buff. And my Heavy Bolter. And the Las Fusil. Wait, were there any weapons that didn't get buffs in this patch?

It's a bold move to make such sweeping changes to one of the best Warhammer games, but 75 percent of ranged weapons in the game have received buffs in PvE—apologies if you rely on the Auto Bolt Rifle, Heavy Bolt Rifle, Marksman Bolt Carbine, Pyreblaster, or Heavy Plasma Incinerator. The other 15 guns have all been boosted, although not in the way that you might think.

The base stats of the Space Marine 2 weapons remain unchanged, but some versions within the archetype felt a little dull. For instance, who would take the Gathalamor Crusade Relic Multi-Melta? Now its damage efficiency has increased from three to five meters, you're a lot more likely to give it a chance. Multiple versions of each weapon have been buffed within each archetype, giving you plenty more options to choose from when upgrading your guns.

PvE melee weapons have been similarly changed. Balanced weapons will now always have moderate damage and speed, fencing weapons will be faster but have lower damage, and block weapons will—you guessed it—be slower but deal the most damage.

The Assault class has also had a rework. The Winged Fury perk has changed to increase damage from melee attacks while sprinting or dashing by 100%. It should also deal AoE damage within a seven-metre radius, but this is bugged and will be fixed in the next patch. There have also been changes to four other perks, as well as a change to the Thermal Boost perk for the Heavy class. You can read all the details in the full patch notes, because if I wrote them all out we'd be here all day.

Space Marine 2 has also reduced the cost of four items in the Siege Mode shop, including the Guardsman platoon and iconic Redemptor Dreadnought. The latter will also join your party for five minutes instead of three. Another win for the Iron Hands, baby. The usual quality of life improvements and bug fixes round out the patch notes, including the removal of the invincible Lictors that had been plaguing some players' games.

If you're disappointed your favourite gun wasn't buffed, check out our list of the best Warhammer 40k games to play through your tears (and definitely choose Dawn of War 2). If none of them tickle that Space Marine 2 pickle, try one of the best co-op games for a similar scenario of getting annoyed at your teammates.

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