One of the most impressive mechanics in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is its Tyranid swarm technology. Built upon the tech used to power swarming zombies in developer Saber Interactive’s World War Z, it sees hundreds of the terrifying xenos swarm not only in the distance but close to you and your squad mates.
It’s an incredible sight to behold: the Tyranid swarm crashing over the landscape in the distance and, closer to the player, clumping together to climb walls or emerge from higher-up platforms before assaulting the Space Marine squad’s position. It adds a sense of scale and impending doom to Space Marine 2, and makes some of the game’s set pieces truly memorable.
What’s more, you can actually shoot individual Tyranid units as they’re swarming and the game will register hits. You’ll see the red hit marker if you take pot shots at the swarm from a distance, and, if you lob a grenade or two, you’ll see Tyranids fly off as they’re caught by the explosion.
But as Space Marine 2 enters its third weekend on sale, players have begun to test the limits of its swarm tech, and have come to wonder how much of it is smoke and mirrors, and how much of it truly impacts gameplay.
Some are now wondering whether shooting at the Tyranid swarm, whether it’s far in the distance or closer to home, has an impact on the number of Tyranids you have to actually face when they inevitably reach your position, of if you’re just needlessly burning ammunition in a game that, on harder difficulties, is stingy with resources.
In an exclusive interview with IGN, Saber Interactive chief creative officer Tim Willits said the truth of the matter falls somewhere in the middle. Essentially, there is no point shooting Tyranids who are swarming in the distance, but there is indeed a reason to shoot Tyranids who are swarming closer, for example up a wall.
“So yes and no,” Willits began when we asked if the Tyranid swarm tech was just an illusion. “When the swarm starts to bunch, especially when they move up and down, there’s this period where they bunch, and if you hit that you actually slow them down, which is critical, and you do reduce them.
“Shooting at them way off in the distance, you’re just wasting bullets. Pro tip, don’t do that! But you can see where they can press. You can take those out, and then that will slow the swarm and then that will reduce when they fall.
“Save your ammo. Wait until they bunch and then start shooting them. That’s key.”
So there you have it, as if the Emperor decreed it himself: save your bullets until the Tyranids are close enough for you to be sure they’re actually having an impact. Otherwise, just enjoy the view.
We’ve got plenty more on Space Marine 2 from our interview with Tim Willits, including the boost he expects the PS5 Pro will give the game, and how the breakout success of Space Marine 2 has “changed everything” for Saber Interactive.
Meanwhile, Warhammer 40,000 superfan Henry Cavill has been playing Space Marine 2 and delivered his verdict, and we also have details on what fans can expect from Space Marine 2’s seasonal post-launch content model. Season 2 runs from October until the end of 2024, and includes a new Operations map, a new enemy, a harder difficulty level, a new weapon, and various other improvements.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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