Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 - Lethal Difficulty, Explained

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has added a fifth difficulty tier in its October patch, the first major PvE update we've received since launch. This difficulty tier pushes your Astartes to their limits, throwing hordes of Majoris and Extremis-class forces your way with limited ammo reserves and a restrictive armor mechanic.

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Clearing a Lethal Operation is a difficult task, but doing so will reward you with tons of XP and progress towards a unique cosmetic. In this guide, we explain how Lethal difficulty works, how the new armor mechanic works, and showcase the cosmetic reward you can earn by clearing all seven Operations on Lethal.

What Is Lethal Difficulty

Lethal is the fifth difficulty tier for PvE Operations that was added in the October update. There are no unlock pre-requisites for this difficulty tier, but it is tuned for coordinated Level 25 players. While you can technically play Lethal Operations solo, they are extremely difficult to beat without the help of other players.

In terms of difficulty, it's the same as Ruthless but with a few added modifiers. HP values are the same, but enemy damage output seems increased. Hostiles are more aggressive in combat, ammo drops are scarce, and Extremis enemies now spawn in groups.

Differences From Ruthless

• Armor no longer regenerates while your squad is separated. You must be within 15m of at least one squad member to gain armor.
  • While separated, you can't regain armor at all. This includes armor restoration from Minoris parries, executions, and perks.
  • This also means you cannot restore armor if your squadmates are dead. Be careful.
• Extremis enemies are significantly more common. At least two spawn per reinforcement wave, sometimes three.
• Majoris enemies become enraged at low HP, making them immune to stagger.
• Reinforcement waves are no longer telegraphed.
• Enemies deal more damage and are slightly more aggressive.
• Ranged units are more accurate.
• Ammo caches have limited uses. You may only use a resupply cache three times before it runs dry.
  • This change also applies to Ruthless difficulty as of the October patch.

How Armor Works In Ruthless

The single largest change in Ruthless difficulty is Tight Formation. While your squad is within 15 meters of each other, your armor can replenish like normal. Get too far from your squad, however, and your formation meter will break. This means you cannot restore armor at all unless it's from an Armor Boost consumable.

We don't just mean passive armor regeneration here. Minoris parrying, enemy executions, and even loadout perks that restore armor will cease to function. You must stick close to your squad in Ruthless for any hope of survival. Worst of all, if your allies die, it's impossible to restore your armor since they're technically not near you. This is likely a bug and will hopefully be addressed in a future update. Until then, take these missions slow.

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The Best Classes For Lethal

Every squad will want a Tactical Marine for this difficulty tier. Auspex Scan effectively triples your team's DPS against tougher enemies, which is downright necessary for eliminating Terminus-class units and other difficult foes. Beyond that, any class that has strong burst DPS weapons will work well here, such as the Sniper and Heavy.

Unfortunately, due to the armor changes in Ruthless, we do not recommend playing Vanguard or Assault. Pushing ahead of your squad is heavily punished in this mode, which is the preferred playstyle of these two classes. That doesn't mean you can't beat Ruthless with either class; you absolutely can. But doing so is going to be much more difficult than playing as a Tactical or Sniper.

Lethal Difficulty Rewards

Your main incentive for beating Lethal difficulty is to earn the Survivor's Helmet for all classes. This is a scorched variant of the standard Primaris helmet with visible cracks and a broken visor. You must beat every Operation on Lethal difficulty to unlock this helmet.

Lethal difficulty drops Relic-tier Armoury Data. If you need Relic items, you'll have an easier time on Ruthless.

Beyond the cosmetic, the only other reason to farm Lethal is for weapon XP. A successful clear grants about 2,800XP, close to a Ruthless clear with a Gene Seed. Even still, we don't recommend playing Lethal solely for XP farming. Runs are significantly slower due to increased enemy aggression and Extremis forces. If you need to level a new class, play Substantial or Ruthless instead.

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