Space Marine 2: Fighting Chaos Less Fun Than Tyranids

As Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2's Siege Mode continues, players are battling relentless waves from both the Thousand Sons and Tyranid forces, striving to climb as high as they can. Beyond the typical frustrations of connection problems and progress-blocking bugs, a larger issue looms for some: Chaos itself.

Siege Mode requires players to face alternating waves of enemies from Space Marine 2's two adversarial factions: the Thousand Sons traitor legion and the terrifying, insectoid alien Tyranids. There is no option to exclusively fight a single faction; waves of Tyranids and Chaos forces will arrive in sequence.

This setup is a problem for some players who find battling the Tyranids significantly more enjoyable than confronting Chaos. A lot of this preference stems from the distinct types of challenges each faction presents. The Tyranids are a swarming enemy that fills the screen with a mix of smaller units and larger, more formidable foes. There's a visceral satisfaction in mowing down hordes of Tyranids as a Space Marine, carving through xenos flesh with a Power Sword, perfectly parrying an attack to create an opening, and—my personal favorite—punching a Tyranid right in the face with a Power Fist.

In contrast, the Thousand Sons offer a more deliberate and tactical challenge. You are, after all, fighting against fellow Space Marines bolstered by daemonic power; they are designed to be tough. When Terminators spawn and unleash a barrage of missiles, facing Chaos can feel like an exercise in frustration. Engaging the Thousand Sons isn't a matter of switching off your brain and cleaving through the opposition. It's more akin to what Space Marine 2 might feel like if it incorporated some of the punishing, deliberate combat of a game like Elden Ring.

The disparity in experience becomes more acute at higher difficulty levels. On easier settings, the challenge posed by Tyranids and Chaos feels relatively similar. However, when you increase the difficulty—which is necessary for certain progression milestones—Chaos becomes an absolute nightmare, while the Tyranid swarms often remain manageable.

It's an oversimplification to just say 'Tyranids are easy, Chaos is hard.' The Tyranids are brilliantly designed to capture their lore and tabletop essence, flooding the battlefield in a way that feels authentic. Similarly, the Thousand Sons perfectly embody a traitor legion empowered by warp sorcery. They feel different because they are supposed to be fundamentally different adversaries.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Siege Mode Screenshots

View 6 Images

Despite this, many Space Marine 2 players—a sentiment echoed in the PvE Operations mode since the game's record-breaking launch last September—frequently express online that they vastly prefer fighting the Tyranids. Some even admit to quitting Siege Mode matches as soon as a Chaos wave begins.

"Is it possible to play Siege Mode with only Tyranids?" recently asked a user on the Space Marine subreddit. "I really dislike fighting Chaos, and being forced to engage them is frustrating. I usually just leave the match when the enemy switches. Since you can select Tyranid-only missions if you don't enjoy Chaos, why can't we choose our opponent in Siege Mode?"

No one realistically expects Saber Interactive to release a Tyranid-exclusive version of Siege Mode. If they did, the Chaos matchmaking pool might become too sparse, given the overwhelming preference for the xenos swarm. It is what it is. That said, the ongoing debate about Tyranids versus Chaos in Space Marine 2 does spark interesting speculation about the enemy factions we might encounter in the already confirmed Space Marine 3.

What kind of tactical puzzle would the widely anticipated Necrons present to the Ultramarines? Could a different traitor legion offer a more engaging fight? Imagine if the disease-ridden Death Guard were added, forcing players to contend with flesh-decaying plagues in addition to enemy fire. And what about the return of the Orks, who featured prominently in the first Space Marine? Could they become the new fan-favorite faction, the go-to enemy that everyone loves to fight?

For now, we have the Tyranids and Chaos, and the persistent challenge of dealing with both in Siege Mode, ready or not. Looking forward, Space Marine 2 has a wealth of exciting content on the horizon. While the forthcoming Patch 9 will deliver balance adjustments, Patch 10 is set to introduce a new Chaos vs Chaos PvP mode, the Power Axe melee weapon, and the Techmarine class. You can find all the details for Space Marine 2's Patch 10 right here.