Players can become the sword and shield that their battle brothers need in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 thanks to the Bulwark class, which can easily dominate with the right hands. This class is all about aggression, unleashing a swift and violent offense on the battlefield to better protect the Ultramarines that shoot from behind the Bulwark’s shield.
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When crafting the best Bulwark build for Space Marine 2, there are a few things to consider. The weapons and perks can make or break a Bulwark build, so listed below are the essentials for a max-level Bulwark build that will easily conquer Ruthless difficulty.
How Does the Bulwark Work?
To know the best Bulwark builds, players first need to learn a few things to come to grips with what compliments the Bulwark’s playstyle. Firstly, the Bulwark does not have a primary weapon, so players rely on a secondary weapon, a melee weapon, and a shield. The melee weapon should be the main focus of the build, as the cleaving potential will easily leave enemies as scattered corpses just as good as a Heavy Bolter. Here’s a look at the weapons used for this build:
Plasma Pistol
Power SwordBulwarks come with a starting perk where their health is increased by 20%, further complimenting aggressive play with the siphon mechanic for health. As for the Bulwark’s ability, they make use of a Chapter Banner, which will restore armor to all Squad Members within its area of effect. With the Chapter Banner, the Bulwark becomes an immovable object that can easily contest areas of defense and hold the line through enemy waves.
Best Bulwark Perks
Players can have 8 total perks for the Bulwark, with 3 in Core, 1 in Team, 3 in Gear, and 1 in Signature. The main purpose of the best Bulwark perks in Space Marine 2 is to ensure team proficiency whilst also maximizing the damage potential of the class to ensure solo players thrive equally to those with a supported team.
|
Perk |
Description |
|
Conviction |
When your Armour is fully depleted, you take 25% less Health Damage for 5 seconds |
|
Shock and Awe |
Enemies in a Shock area take 25% more Damage |
|
Defensive Advantage |
A perfectly timed Parry creates a Shock area for 5 seconds. Cooldown is 30 seconds. |
|
Advanced Conditioning |
Contested Health fades 50% more slowly for all Squad Members |
|
Focused Strength |
Shield Bash knocks enemies back and makes them lose control for a longer period of time |
|
Invigorating Icon |
When the banner is activated, all Squad Members regain maximum Contested Health |
|
Glory’s Shield |
All Squad Members within the banner’s area of effect take 10% less Damage |
|
Emergency Countermeasure |
When your Armor is depleted, a reserve Shock Grenade automatically detonates at your position. Cooldown is 120 seconds. |
The variety of perks from this Bulwark build will allow players a more forgiving window for lost health, whilst also ensuring maximum synergy with Shock Grenades. The fact that Shock areas will cause an extra 25% damage buff to enemies caught in the blast is huge, especially when further shock areas are created with parries and armor loss. The sacrifice of health for confident offense easily makes the Bulwark one of the best classes in Space Marine 2.
If players struggle with parrying, feel free to use Steel Within instead of Defensive Advantage, as this perk provides players with 25% less Health Damage when their Health is less than 50%.
Best Power Sword Perks
Gathalamor Crusade
Players will easily see how much the Bulwark can carry Operations when they access the best Power Sword in Space Marine 2, the Gathalamor Crusade sword. This sword is in the Relic category, requiring a Relic Armory Point and 17,000 XP to access, and its power is legendary.
|
Strength |
11 |
|
Speed |
7 |
|
Cleaving Potential |
2 |
|
Defense |
Fencing |
There are some great Power Swords to use, but the Gathalamor Crusade sword has the Fencing style, which means parry windows are more forgiving. This is especially useful since the Bulwark’s parry can be a tad hard to pull off, as the game will usually treat a parry as a block due to the shield. With the Fencing sword, players might miss out on cleaving, but the strength and speed are as good as they can be.
As for perks, players can have a total of 11:
|
Perk |
Description |
|
Armored Strength |
When you have full Armor, Melee Damage increases by 10% |
|
Master of Offence |
After switching sword-combat Style, you deal 20% more Melee Damage for 5 seconds. Cooldown is 10 seconds. |
|
Perpetual Strength |
Melee Damage increases by 5% |
|
Perpetual Strength |
Melee Damage increases by 5% |
|
Tranquillity |
While in Power Whirl Stance, you do not lose control upon taking Heavy Hits and you cannot be knocked back. |
|
Slashing Blade |
Power Style combo length increases from 3 to 4 strikes |
|
Tyranid Slayer |
Melee Damage against Tyranid enemies increases by 10% |
|
Chaos Slayer |
Melee Damage against Chaos enemies increases by 10% |
|
Hard Target |
While performing a Light Combo, you take 15% less Ranged Damage |
|
Reeling Blow |
Enemies hit by Power Rake deal 30% less Damage for 4 seconds. Cooldown is 10 seconds. |
|
Majoris Slayer |
Melee Damage against Majoris-level enemies increases by 10% |
The main focus of the best Power Sword perks is to increase the melee damage the weapon is capable of against both Tyranid and Chaos forces, as well as further experimentation with aggressive combos in both the Light and Heavy stances.
Best Plasma Pistol Perks
Ophelian Liberation
For the most optimal Bulwark experience, players should use the Ophelian Liberation Plasma Pistol, which is found in the Relic category and requires a Relic Armory Point and 17,000 XP with the Plasma Pistol.
|
Firepower |
9+ |
|
Accuracy |
5+ |
|
Rate of Fire |
3+ |
|
Venting Speed |
4 |
|
Range |
7 |
|
Magazine Capacity |
120 |
The Plasma Pistol may not come with the most extensive ammo supply, and charging a shot will expunge 10 bullets, but it’s entirely worth it. The Plasma Pistol is a reserve, something to use on ranged enemies that cannot be charged down with a Power Sword, including Extremis enemies and boss enemies. Players can further improve the Plasma Pistol with Mastery Points, and the Plasma Pistol can have a total of 8 Mastery Points that can be spent in the weapon’s Perk Tree. Here are the 8 perks we chose for the best Plasma Pistol in Space Marine 2:
|
Perk |
Description |
|
Fast Venting |
Weapons cool 15% faster |
|
Rampage |
After killing 10 enemies in rapid succession, you deal 25% more Damage for 5 seconds. Cooldown is 30 seconds. |
|
Supercharged Shot |
Damage from a Charged Shot increases by 10% |
|
Great Might |
Damage increases by 10% against Terminus enemies |
|
Plasma Collection |
Energy Reserve of Plasma Weapons increases by 20% |
|
Efficiency Charge |
Charged Shots from Plasma Weapons use 2 less energy |
|
Retaliation |
After a perfectly timed Dodge, you deal 25% more Damage for 5 seconds |
|
Fast Venting |
Weapons cool 15% faster |
These perks will provide players with further ammo, reduced charge-up time, extra damage from dodging to encourage a mix of parries and dodges, and faster cooldowns to make more efficient use of the Plasma Pistol.
Displate Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Collection
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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
- Released
- September 9, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Saber Interactive
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Hack and Slash
