Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is addressing player concerns with hotfix 4.1, reversing several nerfs introduced in Patch 4.0. The developers, Saber Interactive, have also announced plans for public test servers in early 2025.
Space Marine 2's Controversial Nerfs Lead to Urgent Patch & Public Test Servers
Nerfs Reverted in Patch 4.1 (October 24)
Following significant negative feedback and review bombing on Steam, Saber Interactive is rolling back the "most pressing" balance changes from Patch 4.0. Game director Dmitriy Grigorenko stated that the decision to revert these changes was a direct response to player feedback. The introduction of public test servers, slated for early 2025, aims to prevent similar situations in the future.
The initial rationale behind Patch 4.0's nerfs was to increase enemy numbers rather than simply boosting enemy health, in response to feedback that the game was too easy, even on the highest difficulty. However, this adjustment negatively impacted lower difficulty levels.
Patch 4.1 directly addresses these issues. Extremis enemy spawn rates are being reduced across all but the Ruthless difficulty, where they will be significantly decreased. To compensate, player armor is increased by 10% on Ruthless, and bot damage against bosses is boosted by 30%. Additionally, the Bolter weapon family, previously underperforming, receives a substantial buff:
- Auto Bolt Rifle: +20% Damage
- Bolt Rifle: +10% Damage
- Heavy Bolt Rifle: +15% Damage
- Stalker Bolt Rifle: +10% Damage
- Marksman Bolt Carbine: +10% Damage
- Instigator Bolt Carbine: +10% Damage
- Bolt Sniper Rifle: +12.5% Damage
- Bolt Carbine: +15% Damage
- Occulus Bolt Carbine: +15% Damage
- Heavy Bolter: +5% Damage (x2)
Saber Interactive will continue monitoring player feedback post-Patch 4.1 to ensure the "Lethal" difficulty remains appropriately challenging.
