Space Marine 2‘s Heavy build is ideal for taking down bosses like the Carnifex and Hellbrute, but it can also be effective in multiplayer, so here’s how to assemble the build.
Those who’ve played the Warhammer 40K tabletop game will recognize Heavy Marine loadout as the classic Devastator Maine. While the term isn’t used in the game, the setup can be used in the story campaign, Operations, and PvP mode. It’s a build that focuses on the biggest guns and downplays melee combat.
So, here’s how to assemble the Heavy build, and how to use it to blast Tyranids, the forces of Chaos, and your PvP opponents into tiny pieces.
Recommended build for Heavy
Here are the best weapons, items, and perks for the Heavy build:
| Category | Item |
|---|---|
| Weapon | – Multi-Melter |
| Grenade | – Melter Bomb |
| Perks | – Thermal Boost– Restoration– Multi-Kill– Auxiliary Ammunition – Fortitude – Overcharge– Encompassing Aegis– Offensive Capability – Overwhelming Power |
Best weapons explained
Primary weapon – Multi-Melter
While you can use more, these are the best perks for the Multi-Melter:
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| Increased Capacity x2 | The maximum Ammo Reserve of this weapon increases by 20% |
| Heavy Immunity | While in Heavy Stance, you do not lose control from heavy hits |
| Executioner’s Fire | After a finisher, fire rate increases by 25% for 5 seconds |
| Heavy Might x2 | Killing an enemy restores armor 0.5 seconds earlier |
| Fast Regeneration | Killing an enemy restores armor 0.5 second earlier |
| Chaos Eliminator | Damage against Chaos enemies increased by 10% |
| Tyranid Eliminator | Damage against Tyranid enemies increased by 10% |
These perks will help you do more damage to all enemies from a distance while ensuring your armor stays topped up at all times. We’ve also targeted perks that help you carry more ammo, increase your rate of fire, and keep you from being knocked down.
Secondary weapon – Bolt Pistol
The Bolt Pistol is the ideal secondary weapon for the Heavy build, use the following perks:
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| Great Might | Damage increases by 10% against Terminus enemies. |
| Retaliation | After a perfectly timed Dodge, you deal 25% more Damage for 5 seconds. |
| Gun Strike Reload | After a Gun Strike, the equipped Weapon instantly reloads. |
| Perpetual Precision | Maximum Spread decreases by 10%. |
| Head Hunter | Headshots deal 10% more Damage. |
| Elite Hunter | After killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a Melee Weapon, Headshots deal 50% more Damage for 5 seconds. |
| Extended Magazine | Magazine size increases by 15% of the maximum. |
| Divine Might | Damage increases by 10% |
The Bolt Pistol is intended to be your backup weapon, but there are some perks that make it much more deadly. Ensuring it instantly reloads, does more damage, and can carry more ammo will help the weapon feel like more than just a sidearm.
The Elite Hunter and Retaliation perks also mean that the bolt pistol is a powerful tool when used as part of a combo. Not only does it buff you, but your other skills can buff it too.
Best grenades for Heavy – Melter Bomb
You’ll be a walking battle tank when playing this build, rather than a quick rogue-style Marine like the Vanguard build. Therefore you’ll want an explosive option that reflects this.
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Melter Bombs are ideal for this build, you can place them, get into position, and detonate them once enemies come pouring at you, thinning their numbers. If you run out, feel free to grab some frag or krak grenades, but make Melter Bombs part of your main offensive strategy.
Best perks for Operations
While PvP gets a choice of grenade, the Operations get character perks, which can be perfect for expertly crafting a powerful Space Marine. Thankfully, you can grab multiple – and we’d suggest prioritizing the following ones for the Heavy build:
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| Thermal Boost | When a ranged weapon is 50% overheated, damage increases by 15% |
| Restoration | Killing 10 enemies quickly restores 1 armor segment |
| Multi-Kill | Killing 5 or more enemies with a Multi-Melter restores ammo by 1 |
| Auxiliary Ammunition | When your primary weapon is out of ammo, killing 10 enemies quickly restores ammo. |
| Fortitude | Health increased by 20% |
| Overcharge | Damage of Charged Attacks increases by 20% |
| Encompassing Aegis | All squad members take 20% less damage from ranged attacks |
| Offensive Capability | When active, Iron Halo deals damage over time to all enemies within 5 meters |
| Overwhelming Power | When Iron Halo is active, all squad members with 10 meters deal 10% more ranged damage |
These perks all work passively to buff your damage output, the effectiveness of your Iron Halo, as well as your overall defense from health and your shield. The Iron Halo buffs also apply to your teammates, so the Heavy build is an ideal one to use in co-op play.
However, having perks that top up your ammo passively is the main draw here. The Multi-Melter is a heavy weapon that runs out of ammo quickly. This way, we can limit the risks of you being caught without it as much as possible.
How to play the Heavy
For this build, mostly forget melee combat, this is all about running (well, plodding) and gunning with a big flame-spewing cannon. Most of the perks for the Heavy build favor the Multi-Melter which is why we’ve picked it over the Heavy Bolter, which has much better range. So, the strategy here is to let enemies come in close, then torch them with melter rounds.
You’ll still be able to perform executions, so don’t forget this when you need to top up your armor or kill a mob of Termagants quickly. For long-range encounters, switch to your Bolt Pistol, then back to your Multi-Mellta when possible. Keep an eye on ammo crates as your Melter will burn through rounds quickly.
For those who’ve played 40K on the tabletop, imagine you’re in a Devastator squad when playing this build. Sit back, relax, and watch the Tyranids burn. Also, don’t be afraid to mix it up and try different weapons, just be aware that the perks are all centered around the Multi-Melter.
If you want to try a different loadout, check out our breakdown of the Bulwark and Assault builds.