Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Operations: how to defeat the Heldrake in Reliquary
After being hounded by the Heldrake for a good part of the Reliquary operation, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 players have had more than enough of the flying Daemon Engine of Chaos. Thankfully, the operation ends with a climactic battle featuring the Heldrake, a raid-like puzzle mechanic, and a trio of very angry Space Marines (that’s you and your battle-brothers).
The Reliquary operation hints at what you have to do in the Heldrake boss fight
Not counting the initial appearances by the Heldrake when you can’t damage it, the first hint of the boss fight presents itself after players have entered the cathedral towards the end of the operation. Before you can go deeper into the sanctum, several bits of dialogue hint at a sigil that needs to be interacted with to progress. While only one sigil is required to break the barrier blocking your way, note how the sigil on the window pane corresponds to the same one on the panel you interacted with – you’ll be dealing with more of them later.
Soon after passing the barrier, you’ll come across an ammo cache, a loadout station, and a bevy of random supplies. As video game logic dictates, you and your team are about to fight the Heldrake.
Locate and press the corresponding sigils to make the Heldrake vulnerable
Dropping into the Heldrake boss fight reveals not one, but five sigil panels present in the semi-circular arena. You and your team should immediately be on the lookout for the ammo cache that spawns in a random location as well as the sigil panels. Two panels are located on the far left, two on the far right, and one in the center – making five panels in total.
As with the puzzle at the entrance of the cathedral, you’ll want to press the sigils on the panels that correspond to the lit ones on the window panes behind the Heldrake, which is currently invulnerable. It doesn’t matter which order you press the panels in, as long as you activate the correct ones. While this task is easy on its own, the Heldrake makes things harder by occasionally breathing fire along select areas of the arena. Make sure to hide behind the columns dotted around the area to avoid getting barbecued.
This is where things get a little tricky. Only three window pane sigils can be lit up at any moment in the boss fight, meaning two of the five sigil panels are duds. Pressing any of the duds will reset your team’s progress and require you to press all three correct sigils once again. Once all three correct sigils have been activated, the Heldrake becomes stunned. This is the signal for you and your team to deal as much damage to the boss as you can before it shields itself and the sigil-pressing cycle begins again. Players should note that both the sigils that light up and those on the panels are randomized for each cycle, meaning the puzzle cannot be easily solved by waiting next to a specific panel.
Don’t forget the additional enemies on the field
As if the Heldrake being invincible and occasionally spewing fire wasn’t enough, players should be mindful of other Chaos enemies. Tzaangors (both the shielded and unshielded variants), Rubric Marines, Chaos Sorcerers, and Scarab Occult Terminators all have a chance to spawn in varying numbers, preventing players from activating the sigils. Dealing with both the Heldrake and its cronies can chew through your ammo reserves, which is why you should know where the ammo cache is so you can stock up on munitions.
There are a few ways to make the fight easier, such as leaving one player on either side of the arena and one more in the center to make the sigil-pressing cycle go faster, but these require more coordination. The Heldrake can be a tough foe but as long as you know what you are doing (as you should do now after reading this guide), then it’ll quickly be another notch in your Space Marine kill count.
Not satisfied with your Space Marine’s appearance? Check out our ultimate guide to changing your armor color in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
