Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2's Patch 4.1 Reverses Controversial Nerfs After Player Outcry

Following significant player backlash against Patch 4.0's gameplay adjustments, Saber Interactive has announced hotfix 4.1 for Space Marine 2, reverting many of the unpopular changes. The announcement also includes plans for public test servers in early 2025.

The October 24th update directly addresses player concerns regarding nerfs implemented in Patch 4.0. Game director Dmitriy Grigorenko stated that the "most pressing" balance changes are being reversed, acknowledging the negative community response. This decision follows a wave of negative Steam reviews and criticism directed at the game.

Initially, Saber Interactive aimed to increase challenge by tweaking enemy spawns in Patch 4.0, resulting in an unintended increase in difficulty across all levels. The developers now admit that this approach negatively impacted even lower difficulty settings.

Patch 4.1 will significantly reduce Extremis enemy spawn rates on Minimal, Average, and Substantial difficulty levels, returning them to pre-Patch 4.0 levels. Ruthless difficulty will see a more substantial reduction. Further adjustments include a 10% armor increase for players on Ruthless and a 30% damage buff for bots against bosses.

A substantial buff to Bolt weapons is also included in hotfix 4.1. This addresses player feedback regarding their underperformance across all difficulty levels. Specific weapon damage increases include:

• Auto Bolt Rifle: +20%
• Bolt Rifle: +10%
• Heavy Bolt Rifle: +15%
• Stalker Bolt Rifle: +10%
• Marksman Bolt Carbine: +10%
• Instigator Bolt Carbine: +10%
• Bolt Sniper Rifle: +12.5%
• Bolt Carbine: +15%
• Occulus Bolt Carbine: +15%
• Heavy Bolter: +5% (x2)

Saber Interactive will continue monitoring player feedback following Patch 4.1's release to ensure the "Lethal" difficulty remains appropriately challenging. The introduction of public test servers aims to facilitate future balance adjustments and prevent similar controversies.