Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is getting an important update this week, addressing recent changes that made the game too difficult for many players and sparked controversy among fans.
Developer Saber Interactive has announced Patch 4.1, set to release on Thursday, October 24, with a host of changes aimed at addressing player concerns following the controversial Patch 4.0. Game director Dmitriy Grigorenko issued a statement in the patch notes expressing gratitude for player feedback and explaining the rationale behind some of the changes.
One major complaint was the Ruthless difficulty level, which players found too easy after Patch 4.0, leading to increased win rates. To address this, the developers have increased spawn rates of Extremis enemies and reduced armor by 15%.
Grigorenko mentioned, “The reason for the armor reduction last week was due to a significant increase in win rates on Ruthless after Patch 3.0.” However, the spawn rates proved to be a more significant issue, making lower difficulties more challenging.
Player feedback highlighted that the game had become too intense and stressful on lower difficulties, contrary to the intended power fantasy. Grigorenko stated, “Space Marine 2 is all about the power fantasy, and Patch 4.0 negatively impacted it for many of you. That’s why we’re reverting these changes.”
While many changes in Patch 4.1 revert to the pre-Patch 4.0 state, the Saber team will continue working to strike a better balance between challenge and fantasy.
Another important change in Patch 4.1 is the buffs to Bolt weapons in Operations mode, addressing their underperformance since launch. These weapons have received damage increases across the board.
Furthermore, Saber has removed the Tight Formation system introduced in the Operations mode’s highest difficulty. This system imposed proximity requirements for co-op players, which received negative feedback from the community. Grigorenko clarified that this system was a step towards introducing gameplay modifiers but restricted some classes too much.
To prevent future negative reactions to patches, Space Marine 2 will introduce public test servers in early 2025, allowing players to provide feedback on potential changes. This approach mirrors the one taken in Helldivers 2, where developers improved the game after initial updates dampened the fun factor by implementing public playtesting.
