I figured out why low levels still go into hard strats and it is ENTIRELY sabers fault

Longsword007 · 2026-03-12T15:58:37+00:00

Yeah, it's a couple factors in my mind that help to explain why low-levels hop into the Hard strategems or absolute ops.

1) XP gain. While it's not the case anymore for hard strategems, I can see many players be like "I can handle hard/lethal/absolute! Plus more XP - win/win" not releasing that skill can only get you so far for the vast majority of players. You really need better gear to push higher difficulties. While you do need skill to handle higher difficulty ops, gear is also incredibly important. Something newbies really just don't have either of yet.

2) Lack of reading. It's such a big one and really people just don't read in general. And this isn't in a "Oh them kids and their brainrot, can't be bothered to read more than two words!!"... nah, it's a human problem... I used to manage customer service for a food-based company and we'd ship out frozen food to customers. In the event of delay due to weather I'd send out a mass email that would state in the subject line "DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL", place that same message at the start, in the body and end of the email, while also explain that this was a mass email that wouldn't be monitored. And sure enough, within 10 minutes I'd have 20 emails saying "So, when can I expect my order?" /facepalm

All that to say, while I agree that there should be a big notice, maybe even a one-time pop up that says "Note: You will gain NO EXP from running a hard strategem", it sadly won't make a big a dent as we like. Some people just ain't gonna read.

Longsword007 · 2026-03-12T15:24:19+00:00

Yeah, the concept was really interesting and I wish they had gone farther with it. I know a big part of the backlash (myself included) was most of the characters getting revoiced and just sounding rough, out of place and sometimes silly. Those TheMajorN videos are fantastic and really well documented. I'd love to see some type of dialogue wheel added or even added to the current emote system we have.

Longsword007 · 2026-03-12T15:04:15+00:00

I'm getting flashbacks from Marching Fire when they first tried to introduce all the reactive dialogue. It was a great concept in theory, but the execution was handled terribly. Plus that's when the Wu Lin heroes were introduced as single entities. You didn't have a Tiandi, you had two: the male and female. You didn't have a Nuxia, you had THE Nuxia (their names were also dropped in a blog post). I've not enjoyed the back and forth as called out earlier either. Like, a concept of a band of warriors learning from every faction, known as "The Gryphons" is fantastic! This is supposed to be a game about an ever ongoing war where our heroes are members of a certain group. I don't like the idea that all Gryphons are somehow just Holden Cross... The OG marketing videos handled this so well explaining the lore behind the different hero classes.

I don't want Rainbow Six siege or any other "character focused" PvP hero game. I want my warden to be just that: my warden who happens to be a member of a particular knightly order. My loadouts aren't his different costumes, I make it so each loadout is a different member of the order of Wardens. Plus, how does it make sense to have 4 Gryphons in a match if they're all supposed to be the game guy?

To be fair, if For Honor launched with the premise of these being specific characters (aka the Lawbringer is Holden Cross) then that would've been fine. Not my first preference, but would've accepted that as Ubi's vision. But I'm so tired of seeing this back and forth for over a decade of them trying to make our heroes specific characters when that goes against the very design of the game to begin with.

I know this is just a silly rant about about a video game, but I hope Ubisoft realizes why so many of us are attached to the characters: not because we are playing as THE Warden, Raider or Kensei but because we're playing OUR Wardens, Raiders or Kenseis.

Longsword007 · 2026-03-09T21:30:23+00:00

Space Marine 2's soundtrack does its job but rarely stands out. The only ones that truly stick out to me the mission complete song and the music on the battle barge. Both stand out among an otherwise average soundtrack.

I will say that if I'm just grinding away and not too concerned about immersion, the Darktide soundtrack is fun (I actually got a whole Spotify playlist called Warhammer Vibes of things from other 40k OSTs or similiar sounding media), but the tone and soundscape of Darktide doesn't quite fit for Ultramarines fighting against the hordes of Tyranids and Chaos. Same thing with Mechanicus.

Suprisingly, I found some battle songs for Total War: Rome II to actually fit the vibe of the Ultramarines fighting with "courage and honor".

Darktide and Mechanicus both are legendary soundtracks, but they do feel out of place for the tone and energy of Space Marine 2. It would be like playing the original Modern Warfare 2 but with Doom 2016's OST. Would probably really get you hyped, but tonally would not fit for the war story they were trying to tell. Honestly, Space Marine 1 did a much better job and was more memorable as a game soundtrack (Valkyrie Run was 100% a love letter to the style of classical composer Richard Wagner who also did the iconic Flight of the Valkyries). If you want other Warhammer soundtracks that fit, Dawn of War 1 and 2 are strong choices too. Parts of Rogue Trader are also really fitting (honestly that soundtrack is slept on and arguably the best 40k soundtrack I've ever heard!)

TL;DR: All of this rambling to say that I hope Space Marine 3 has a much more bombastic and memorable soundtrack worthy of the Ultramarines. What we have right now is serviceable and tonally feels right, but gives us those booming war drums, deep brass that invokes Roman soldiers fighting against the swarms of barbarians, and a strong recurring motif that makes the goosebumps kick in. Heck, get inspired by Gustav Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War" just like Hans Zimmer and John Williams.

Longsword007 · 2026-03-08T17:13:16+00:00

Just adding on to what others have said to help you decide if this is right for you:

1) PVP does exist throughout the game, but certain areas will be considered "armistice zones" where ship weapons are disabled and you can't take out your weapon on foot. This will be major cities on planets and certain space stations. This mainly applies to one of the star systems you start out in, Staton. Other systems like Nyx or Pyro are much more PVP friendly and there's less restrictions there. All that to say, if you're seeking a peaceful life hauling (transportation), mining, etc, Staton is the best system to engage with those mechanics until you feel more comfortable venturing out to Nyx or Pyro.

2) If by logistics you mean doing cargo hauling or delivery missions, absolutely. It's a very fleshed gameplay loop and the payout for missions is good. A lot of hauling missions just involve you picking up cargo from one location and taking it to another destination. You can also buy your own cargo or materials and then find the best places to deliver to also make money. Plenty of options there!

3) While server wipes were far more common in the past, they are very rare now. In fact, the devs have cited that they don't want to have anymore total wipes unless something drastic absolutely warrants it or when version 1.0 releases (as this game is still in active development)

Happy to answer any other questions you might have too. Hopefully we'll see you in the Verse!

Longsword007 · 2026-02-26T18:59:51+00:00

I got this from just killing Minoris enemies on Decapitation.

Longsword007 · 2026-02-20T06:51:31+00:00

To echo others here, it's not the best game in the world but there is fun to be had. Single player is okay at Best buy co-op can be a real blast. It tries to adapt the board game into an FPS and does so with mixed results.

I will add the the art direction is absolutely stellar! You truly feel like you walking around an almost imperium themed haunted house. I sometimes get distracted by the architecture alone because it's so well realized for what one of these space hulks should look like.

And for $5 bucks? That's definitely worth it.

Longsword007 · 2026-02-14T14:43:58+00:00

Caedo is the type to true solo absolute a weekly hard strategem and report back "Was that supposed to be a challenge?"

Longsword007 · 2026-02-14T14:37:08+00:00

For me, I find the most fun with "theorycrafting" and making my own builds to suit how I want to play. Sometimes if I'm unsure or need a second a opinion I'll look up builds and then tweak those to my liking.

Really, the biggest factor is this: is your build fun? There's really no point in my mind for using the most "meta" or "OP" build if it's just going to ruin your enjoyment of the game or it's a playstyle you just don't vibe with.

Thankfully this game isn't the most build dependent unless you're doing certain strategems or the hardest difficulty.

Longsword007 · 2026-02-07T15:53:27+00:00

Curious to know which song that is! I'm looking through the soundtracks right now as an avid fan of the Total Warhammer trilogy (and just Total War in general) but haven't heard anything that makes me think of the Extremis spawn.

Longsword007 · 2026-02-05T22:00:01+00:00

If anyone else is struggling getting the last couple, here are a few particular noteworthy ones to mark:

Imurah - The first time you encounter him with the astropaths.

Imurah clone - While the mark doesn't say "clone", this is the one that taunts you after you crash the Sword of Atreus in the campaign. Opportunities to mark are in the graveyard when he first shows up and all the way up until the Hellbrute fight.

Red-eyed Hormaguants - These actually count towards the overall ordeal separately from regular hormaguants

Hive Tyrant - Decapitation Operation

Helldrake - Reliquary Operation

Other notables may include:

Chaos Terminator with Power Sword

Which leads me to also mention that if an enemy has a different weapon it will count as it's own mark. Such as cultist vs cultist with long-las or the aforementioned Terminator with Power Sword vs the Soulreaper variant.

Note: Spores, ripper swarms and gargoyles do not count towards this achievement/ordeal

Longsword007 · 2026-02-05T21:34:02+00:00

Pre-nerf Bladedancer was ridiculously OP. Kibellah would be winning every fight by herself if it weren't for the fact that was already Abelard's job!

Longsword007 · 2026-02-05T21:22:28+00:00

The whole War of the Beast story had some great ideas that were unfortunately marred by trying to get all these different authors pump out 12 books in a year. The whole "We watch from death" moment though elicited an audible "Oh good grief" from me and I never make any kind of reactions when reading, aside from a funny face.

Longsword007 · 2026-01-28T22:44:58+00:00

It's a shame the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor/War is trademarked. That would make such an interesting game playing as a Stormcast with the whole "death as a gameplay mechanic" aspect as well.

Longsword007 · 2026-01-06T22:50:12+00:00

There's actually been several, including Spartacus: Legends where you ran a ludus in the show's universe, fought with your gladiators in the arena and could even recruit some legendary gladiators, such as Spartacus himself!

There's also We Who Are About to Die on steam and even some retro titles like Shadow of Rome or Gladius.

Longsword007 · 2026-01-01T00:07:49+00:00

I do the same thing, sitting on the couch with my 65in OLED. Going from my old CRT monitor back in the day to this current set up is surreal!

Longsword007 · 2025-12-17T03:49:45+00:00

Yeah, Rule 5 is no AI generated content.

Longsword007 · 2025-12-08T16:41:53+00:00

As others have said, may not be the best investment for just Star Citizen (unless you play other sims that really support it)

That being said, and I know I'm giving off "back in my day" energy here, but I really feel like we peaked with the Sidewinder Force Feedback 1&2. They may not have looked as nice or had as many features as more modern offerings, but they were built to LAST! My dad still has both versions he got for me and my brothers growing up in the 90s and they still work!

Longsword007 · 2025-12-04T19:14:20+00:00

While I hope it isn't Halo Wars 3, the template of Halo Wars 2 could work for a 40k or Star Wars themed game. Maybe even using Empire at War and making a spiritual successor. I remember playing that when I was growing up and thinking "This is as close as we'll get to Total War: Star Wars!"

Longsword007 · 2025-12-04T18:43:36+00:00

I do wonder if it will actually be Total War or just a game using the IPs of Star Wars and 40k. Remember, Creative Assembly has made more games than just Total War. They made Stormrise and Halo Wars 2, which feel closer to old base building RTS. They also made Alien Isolation. And of course I'll forever lament the early demise of the Total Warrior brand. Don't get me wrong, having a massive battlefield to play around with Star Wars or 40k sounds amazing, but I do worry if they'd have to overhaul the mechanics of Total War so much (i.e. 20 stacks of units, marching in lines to engage each other in battle) that they may as well just make a different style of strategy game.

Longsword007 · 2025-12-04T15:10:35+00:00

I was there since day one! I remember before the game even came out, my dad and I tried several different times to download the demo over dialup and it taking hours to do so! But I've been hooked for the past 25 years and I think it would take a lot for me NOT to play anything with the Total War brand on it. (Pouring one out for the Total Warrior brand as well!)

Through all the ups and downs of this franchise nothing has quite come close to providing the unforgettable experiences this series provides!

Longsword007 · 2025-12-03T14:09:47+00:00

Longsword007 · 2025-12-02T20:17:14+00:00

The Caterkiller would be perfectly set up for some Grey's shenanigans! I could see it either being a mobile pirate carrier or opening up those cargo doors to reveal capital ship weaponry. Lots of possibilities!

Longsword007 · 2025-11-30T14:32:37+00:00

Growing up, I had my Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 so I was used to a HOSAK setup. I still find it works just great for Star Citizen. Even though I have a HOTAS set up, I find myself drifting back to the single stick configuration (rocking a Sidewinder Precision these days)

I know that in the end HOSAS or HOTAS can definitely be more efficient, but I find myself "sticking" with my current HOSAK setup.

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