Summary
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2opens with Titus serving his last mission under theDeathwatch, before being reinstated into the Ultramarines. This gives us a very brief look at his slick, gothic armour, which we can unlock several pieces of throughout the Successor Chapters later on. But you can’t change from an Ultramarine in the campaign, leaving Titus to don the blue and gold.
However, modderWarhammerWorkshophas completely overhauled the campaign to keep Titus in the Deathwatch, replacing every character model, including companions, while giving them the signature Mk 8 armour. It even reworks cutscenes to make sure the squad better fits the narrative.
Why The Deathwatch Aren’t In The Campaign
Fans Have A Few Theories
While we get to play as a member of the Deathwatch in the opening, there’s a lot of speculation as to why Saber Interactive quickly moved Titus back into the Ultramarines.
One of the reasons may be because Games Workshop simply wants its newer designs front and center, and the old marks of armour aren’t available in plastic any more (other than the Deathwatch Kill Team). Another idea comes fromCreative director Oliver Hollis-Leick’stweet explaining that the license comes with some notable restrictions, such as that “Only first founding marines can wear these older armour types, not Primaris”.
We also have to take lore into consideration. As the Deathwatch in the mod are in the Mk 8 armour, that means they didn’t undergo Rubicon Primaris, which means that they should be shorter than the Primaris Space Marines. As such, in a multiplayer setting, giving the Primaris models Mk 8 Deathwatch armour would clash with canon as they would be too tall.
Deathwatch can be Primaris, however, so this could easily be explained away. And the mod likewise keeps the taller models.
One of these could be the reason, or all three could feasibly explain the lack of Deathwatch wearing Mk 8 armour like the Games Workshop miniatures. A campaign would require smaller models to be lore-friendly, which would require rigging new animations, but Games Workshop likely wants the models it’s currently selling to be the face of the franchise across all media anyway. Regardless, modders have taken it upon themselves to add the Deathwatch to the campaign, so if you’re on PC, you don’t need to sit around speculating about Space Marine short kings.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
WHERE TO PLAY
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 again sees you battling for the Emperor, against armies of Tyranid aliens. You must fight to ensure the Imperium’s survival in the face of extinction.
