Here’s every reference and Easter egg in Space Marine 2 from the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe, and what they mean.
Beware spoilers for the game and the setting lurk below.
The Warhammer 40K universe has existed for 30 years and has a vast amount of lore and history. Space Marine 2 incorporates many elements of this into its world-building, but a lot of these terms may not make sense to players who are new to the 40K universe.
As Space Marine 2 is one big love letter to its source material and is dripping in fan service from the start, we’ve gathered all the Easter eggs and references to the wider Warhammer 40K universe and compiled them here. We’ll also explain what each one is and what it represents.
Conversations with Orks
The Orks were the main villains of the first Space Marine game.
Early on in the campaign, the Ultramarines throw some shade on one of their comrades and claim they’ve had “more civilized conversations with Orks.” This is, of course, a reference to the Greenskin hordes who are one of the main enemies of the Imperium.
They were also the main antagonists of Space Marine 1 until Chaos turned up. Sadly, the Orks are absent from Space Marine 2, but it’s nice to hear them get a shoutout, even if it is in the form of an insult.
The Emperor Protects
The Emperor of Mankind is the centerpiece of the Imperial Cult, the religion that most humans follow in 40K. However, many Space Marines shun this religion, choosing to follow the Codex Astartes instead. While the Emperor’s divinity is a matter of dispute in 40K, he is still an immensely powerful being.
While the Emperor’s body is broken and barely alive, he still manages to protect humanity from Chaos with his psychic powers. Sadly, he can’t be everywhere, so he’s installed his “son,” the Ultramarines Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, as the Imperial Regent.
Tomb Worlds
The climax of the game takes place on an Imperial Graveyard planet that is revealed to be a Necron Tomb World where millions of the robot Xenos lie in stasis. The aliens had been experimenting with weapons to defeat Chaos, and should they all wake up, will likely continue this mission – even if doing so puts humanity at risk too. Chaos is aware of this plot though, and has arrived to twist the Necron technology to their advantage.
The Lord of Change
The Lord of Change is the Greater Daemon of Tzeench.
At the end of the game, when Chaos starts invading Imperial space, the Thousand Sons summon a Greater Daemon of Tzeench called the Lord of Change. While we get to battle this creature in the final boss fight, it’s an amazing sight to see it from a distance while the story plays out.
Greater Daemons are a shard of their patron Chaos God, and Tzeench is the God of knowledge and sorcery. He’s also often dozens of steps ahead of his enemies when thinking strategically.
Praise the Machine God
The Machine God or the Omnissiah is what the members of the Cult Mechanicum pray to, and to some, it and the Emperor are the same. However, others see the Emperor as a pretender. In truth, both are right, at least partly.
The Machine God is real, but chances are it’s a C’tan on the run from the Necrons that the Emperor managed to defeat and imprison beneath Mars. Over thousands of years, this Machine God has whispered into the ears of the Martians, influencing their culture.
Servitors
One of the more grim aspects of 40K, Servitors are humans who’ve been lobotomized and turned into living automatons and now act as servants for Space Marines, the Mechanicum, and other human forces. Most were human criminals who were converted rather than being executed. They can be seen trudging around the Ultramarine’s ship, performing their menial tasks.
Tzangoors
Tzangoors are Chaos-corrupted beastmen.
Tzangoors are birdlike animal people that fight alongside the Thousand Sons Marines. They aren’t daemonic in nature and are actually a race of humans that mutated over the years. They began to worship the Chaos God Tzeench, and only then did they begin to develop their more daemonic qualities. While Beastmen are often used in the forces of Chaos, Tzangoors are a unique variety.
Deathwatch
The Deathwatch are the Chapter of Space Marines in black armor whom Titus serves with at the start of the game. They are a Chapter in the service of the Inquisition and are used as their own private force of alien hunters.
While a secondment to the Deathwatch is seen as a great honor for a Space Marine, with all Chapters expected to send Marines to serve, it can also be a place where disgraced Astartes go when they can no longer serve their Chapter of origin.
Crossing the Rubicon
When Titus wakes up back with the Ultramarines after his time in the Deathwatch, he’s told he has now “Crossed the Rubicon.” This means he’s undergone surgery to become a Primaris Marine, a new breed of stronger and faster Astartes that is gradually replacing the original “First Born” variety.
While First Born Space Marines still exist, more and more are crossing the Rubicon willingly. However, for others, it’s used as a final effort to save their lives, as was the case with Titus.
The Horus Heresy
The Horus Heresy is referenced several times in Space Marine 2. This was the conflict from ten thousand years ago that saw half the Space Marine legions turn against the Emperor and embrace Chaos. They lost the war and fled into the Eye of Terror.
Today, the traitor legions, like the Thousand Sons, still exist and continue to harass the Imperium and plot its downfall. The Heresy weighs heavily on the Space Marines, and they live in fear of something similar happening again.
Foul Xenos
The Eldar are essentially space elves in 40K.
You may have noticed that humanity is openly hostile towards all aliens in 40K, not just the Tyranids and the Orks. While humanity did once live in peace with the Eldar, the crumbling of both empires saw a breakdown in understanding, and eventually war.
In the 41st millennium, humanity is violently Xenophobic and the Emperor’s Great Crusade didn’t help matters. However, since the Eldar helped the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman return to the setting, there has been more cooperation between both races – as well as inevitable misunderstandings.
The Hive Mind
The Hive Mind is the godlike entity that controls the Tyranids. It is immensely powerful and intelligent. Not only does it plot to consume all biomass in the universe to empower itself, but it also wants to find a way to destroy the Chaos Gods and remove them from the chessboard. It’s also safe from harm as it’s located in a distant galaxy, far away from our own.
The Necron Silent King is especially worried about this entity, as he believes that it may have already consumed all life in our neighboring galaxies. We also have the Horus Heresy to thank for attracting its attention.
Lord Marneus Calgar
Marneus Calgar is the master of the Ultramar system, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, and one of the most legendary Space Marines alive. Since the return of his Primarch, Calgar has taken somewhat of a backseat.
However, as Guilliman is now Imperial Regent, Calgar can continue his responsibilities leading the Ultramarines. Calgar and Titus are also old friends with the Chapter Master, knowing his protege would never be corrupted by Chaos.
The Primarch
One of 20 demigod sons of the Emperor, Roboute Guilliman is the first loyalist Primarch to return to the setting after 10 thousand years in stasis. After returning, Guilliman immediately began fixing the Imperium and launched the Indomitus Crusade to push back Chaos, the Tyranids, and even the Necrons.
While Guilliman isn’t in the game, he’s referred to multiple times, and his presence hangs over it.
While the Ultramarines were his legion, the Primarch is needed on Earth (Terra) to rule in his father’s stead. He’s also no longer alone, as his brother Dark Angel’s Primarch Lion El Johnson has also returned and is slowly making his way home, uniting his own fractured legion as he goes.
Leandros
The Chaplain at the end of the game is revealed to be Leandros, the very same Marine who reported Titus to the Inquisition at the end of Space Marine 1 and had him arrested. In the 100 years since the first game, Leandros has risen through the Ultramarine ranks to become one of its top commanders.
When Titus returns, Leandros is wary of him and keeps a close eye on him to ensure he’s free of corruption. However, there’s also a case for why Leandros is not the bad guy people think he is.
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