Space Marine 2 Eternal War PvP Guide: Best Classes and Tips

The rule that changes everything

Patch 14 removed PvP progression. Every weapon and piece of equipment is available from level one, so a new player is not outgunned by someone with a maxed Relic rifle. Do not judge a PvP class by its Operations weapon tiers, weapon XP, or perk tree — none of that applies here. The only thing you bring into Eternal War is map knowledge and decision-making. Each team may field at most two players of any one class. That cap shapes every lineup: you rarely see six Heavies, because the game will not allow it.

What Patch 14 changed

The Confrontation Update moved the PvP meta hard:

• Vanguard got the biggest buff — ability cooldown cut from 30 to 18 seconds, ability damage raised from 10 to 25, charges raised from 2 to 3. It is now the strongest aggressive pick.
• Assault got less forgiving — Ground Pound damage radii were reduced across Chainsword, Thunder Hammer, Power Fist, Power Sword, and Power Axe, and ability cooldown went from 12 to 16 seconds. Bad entries are easier to punish.
• Krak Grenades now always destroy the Heavy’s Iron Halo, removing a free barrier.
• Bulwark’s shield-stance break cap dropped from 300 to 200, so sustained fire knocks it out faster.
• Shock Grenades had blindness radius cut from 9 to 4 metres and duration from 1.5 to 1.1 seconds.

Picking by job, not by tier

Vanguard creates picks and finishes weak targets. Tactical is the safest all-rounder and the best first PvP class. Bulwark stalls objectives with its shield. Heavy locks a lane with sustained fire. Techmarine controls space with turrets and the Omnissian Axe. Sniper punishes exposed rotations on open maps but drops off when the fight collapses onto a point. Assault still has vertical access, but only reward patient players who track enemy cooldowns.

The modes

Annihilation is team deathmatch and rewards clean trades. Seize Ground and Capture & Control reward fast rotations plus someone who can hold a point. Helbrute Onslaught adds an objective both teams fight over. Map design is symmetrical, which makes spawn camping a real problem — treat public Eternal War as casual and rotate away from your own spawn rather than pushing into theirs. For the class abilities in detail, read the Operations class overview, and for the PvE side of the game see the Operations mode guide.