Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2: combat strategy- how enemy threat levels work
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has unique terminology for each of the enemy types that players face in the game’s campaign and Operations PVE modes. While this may not mean much to those who just want to kill Tyranids and the forces of Chaos, the terms are often used in class and weapon perk descriptions. Players who plan on creating an optimal build in addition to their well-colored Space Marine would do well to keep the enemy types in mind, as they can drastically change character and weapon attributes.
The general enemy hierarchy is as follows: Minoris – Majoris – Extremis – Terminus; with Minoris being the weakest and Terminus being the strongest. Choosing which enemies to prioritize is the key to combat and will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed.
Minoris-level enemies should not be underestimated
While Minoris-level enemies are the weakest opponents on the field, they can easily swarm players with their numbers. Tyranid Hormagaunts and Chaos Tzaangors like to charge in groups so that even if some of them get taken out, others can capitalize on the openings their dead comrades provide. Some Tzaangors even one-up their Tyranid counterparts by carrying shields that protect them from ranged and melee attacks.
Providing backup to the close-range Minoris-level units are the Tyranid Termagants and Chaos Cultists, which carry mid-to-long-range weapons that can easily chip at players’ health and armor if they are careless. To compensate for their range, these units are weaker than their close-range brethren – making them ideal targets to take out when a firefight ensues.
Another Minoris-level enemy is the Tyranid Gargoyle, which can only be found in the campaign. While these flying nuisances don’t attack your team directly, they go for objectives that need to be protected. Be sure to eliminate them when you aren’t fighting other enemies to ensure that your team doesn’t lose the objective and restart at a checkpoint.
Majoris-level enemies are bigger threats that command the lesser Minoris-level foes
Majoris-level enemies have more health and deal more single-hit damage than their Minoris-level underlings. The Tyranid Warriors and Chaos Rubric Marines that fall under this category have multiple ranges and different variations that make them formidable threats. For instance, the Venom Cannon variant of the Tyranid Warrior has a weapon that peppers the battlefield with poison mines that deal damage over time and can inflict the Poison status ailment that limits vision. It also has a long-range snipe attack that deals massive damage.
One unique Majoris-level enemy is the Tyranid Spore Mine. While they may seem like Minoris-level enemies due to their high numbers and low health, Spore Mines can easily decimate a team of Space Marines by self-destructing near them. The good news is that this self-destruct feature can also be used to eliminate swaths of enemies. Just shoot a couple of Spore Mines near their allies and they will explode alongside them.
What’s interesting about the Majoris-level enemies is that, save for the Spore Mines, they are psychologically linked to the Minoris-level enemies in their vicinity. Killing a Majoris-level enemy immediately kills any Minoris-level enemies near it, which is handy to know when you’re surrounded by enemies and don’t know which ones to prioritize. If you want some breathing room, try taking out a few Majoris-level enemies and watch the herd of lesser foes follow suit. Seeing as Majoris-level enemies can also use this link to call for backup (as denoted by a rapidly filling red skull above their heads), it is usually a win-win to take them out as early as possible.
Extremis-level enemies arrive at the worst possible moments
As if dealing with hordes of Minoris-level enemies and backup-calling Majoris-level heavies wasn’t enough, Extremis-level enemies are tougher, more specialized foes that have a bad habit of appearing in the middle of combat both in Operations PVE and the campaign. The Lictor, Ravener, and Zoanthrope round out the Tyranid mobs while the Lesser Sorcerer and Scarab Occult Terminator complete the Chaos mobs.
Tactics for fighting each Extremis-level enemy widely differ. The Lictor can go invisible, making the Tactical class’s Auspex ability invaluable in Operations PVE. The ranged variant of the Scarab Occult Terminator has a lot of firepower, which makes hiding behind cover a must. Since Extremis-level enemies appear at random, players need to constantly be on their toes. Thankfully, they cannot call backup like the Majoris-level enemies.
Terminus-level enemies pose the biggest challenges
While the Heldrake and the Hive Tyrant are fixed Terminus-level enemies that are fought at the end of the Reliquary and Decapitation Operations missions respectively, there are three enemies of a similar level that are in the campaign and randomly appear in PVE.
The Tyranid Carnifex and Neurothrope are beefed up versions of the Tyranid Warrior and Zoanthrope while the Helbrute is a unique enemy all on its own. These bonafide bosses/minibosses (depending on which mode you’re playing) have dedicated health bars that show up on the top of the screen. Terminus-level enemies possess attacks that must be learned, so consider checking our upcoming guide to defeating each one of them.
Like Extremis-level enemies, Terminus-level foes cannot call for backup. They also spawn solo, allowing you and your team to clean up any ongoing fights and focus on the immediate threat.
It’s hard to say which enemy threats should be prioritized in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s campaign and Operations PVE modes. Defeating Majoris-level threats clears up the field and prevents them from calling enemy reinforcements, but ignoring the Minoris-level enemies can lead to some nasty, unintended defeats. Not to mention the Extremis-level foes that can easily take your team if they are left alone. Hopefully, this guide has shed some light on the game’s confusing enemy hierarchy and how you can use it to your advantage.
