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Assault is frequently regarded as the worst class inWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.Compared to its predecessor, this class' Jump Pack has seen some balance tweaks that make it a little tougher to use in PvP and significantly weaker in PvE Operations.
But that doesn’t mean the Assault is a bad class, far from it. With the right perks and mindset, an Assault Marine brings death from above with the brutal grace you’d expect from an Astartes. Your playstyle matters significantly more than the average class, so let’s cover that first before we jump into perk and gear recommendations.
How To Play The Assault
The Assault is all aboutmeasured aggression.You don’t have a primary weapon to rely on with this class, so your main line of defense is yourJump Pack. you’re able to use it to leap into the air or quickly dash away from a target. Dashing with your Jump Pack can perform a perfect dodge, the same as a roll. But thanks to the Assault’s passive50% longer perfect dodge window, it’s fairly easy to chain dodges with this class.
Your perfect dodge window is decreased while on Ruthless difficulty.
That’s ideal since most of Assault’s perks grant bonuses for perfectly dodging targets. Use your dodge to avoid damage, open enemies to Gun Strikes, and gain a temporary damage bonus. Deal damage with yourHeavy Bolt Pistol, then finish the target with your massiveThunder Hammer.Assault is the hardest class to play in Space Marine 2, but they can perform well in Ruthless difficulty once you master perfect dodge timings.
Pick one per row
Melee sprint and dash attacks deal 25% more damage.
Secondary weapons deal 15% more damage.
Retribution
After you are grabbed or knocked down, deal 15% more melee damage for 10 seconds.
Consecutive Execution
Rapidly killing 15 enemies will restore a grenade charge. 180s cooldown.
Perseverance
You cannot be staggered by heavy attacks while performing charged melee attacks.
Knowledge of the Enemy
Majoris and Extremis-class foes receive 15% more melee damage from you.
Act of Attrition
Enemies hit by melee attacks take 10% more damage for 3 seconds.
Pick one
All squad abilities recharge 10% faster.
Strategic Strikes
All squad members deal 20% more melee damage against Terminus-level enemies.
Ground Pound deals 10% more damage.
Hammer of Wrath
After a Ground Pound, you cannot be staggered for 10 seconds.
Precision Strike
Ground Pound deals 100% more damage, but its radius is 50% smaller.
Ground Pound kills restore 10% ability charge.
Pride in Duty
After a finisher, Ground Pound deals 25% more damage for 10 seconds.
Diligence
Charged Ground Pounds deal 20% more damage, but they take 25% longer to charge.
Aerial Grace
After a perfect dodge using the Jump Pack, deal 25% more damage for 5 seconds.
Commitment
Perfectly-timed dodges with the Jump Pack refund ability charge.
Similar tothe Sniper class, the Assault’s best perks are saved for last.Commitmentis mandatory to make this class feel maneuverable, allowing you to spam the Jump Pack’s dash ability if you can time your evades properly.Aerial Gracewill reward this strategy with a constant 25% damage buff. Throw onArmor Reinforcementto replenish your armor from subsequent Gun Strikes, and you can stay alive as the squad’s frontline fighter.
As for melee attacks, you’re highly encouraged to use the Jump Pack’s aerial slam attack.Precision Strikedoubles your Ground Pound damage and makes it a decent method of slaying Minoris and weakerMajoris-class targets.Zealous Blowcan then restore ability energy from Ground Pound kills, letting you spam this ability. However, most of these perks are unlocked towards the tail end of Assault’s progression. Be prepared for a rough leveling experience.
Melee
Assault Marines trade their primary weapon for aJump Packand heavier weapons. TheHeavy Bolt Pistolis arguably the best secondary in the game, chunking Majoris-class enemies while one-tapping Minoris units. Assault is also the only class that can use theThunder Hammer, a cumbersome melee weapon that deals exceptional damage if you can land multiple swings on a target.
If you aren’t a fan of the Thunder Hammer, you can also use the fantasticChainswordfor strong AoE mobbing. ThePower Fistin this game is lackluster and not worth using over the Chainsword or Thunder Hammer.
Class Perks
This build focuses onperfect dodging with theJump Pack.We useCommitmentto refund a dodge charge whenever we successfully perform a perfect dodge, which triggersAerial Grace’s25% damage buff. Enemies you perfect dodge will also be open to a Gun Strike.Precision Strikebuffs the damage of your Gun Strike by 25%, whileArmor Reinforcementforces the attack to restore a chunk of armor, even if the attack doesn’t kill the target.
You’ll want to alternate between dodging targets and launching yourself in the air to perform Ground Slams. Aim for packs of adds to restore as much energy as possible fromZealous Blow. Precision Strikedecreases your AoE size, but the double damage bonus is too good to pass up. Wield a goodThunder Hammerwith Fencing to parry if you’re getting swarmed.
