Best Sniper build in Space Marine 2: Weapons, perks & how to play

Sometimes you don’t want to tackle Tyranids and other enemies face to face in Space Marine 2. In those cases, it’s best to take them down from afar. This is where the deadly and stealthy Sniper class comes in.

Sure, when you think of Space Marine, you’ll likely picture the Tactical class or a beefy armored-up tank of a soldier who’s wielding a Chainsword and is eager to place themselves right in the middle of a horde. However, sometimes that’s just not the playstyle you’re looking for, and luckily Space Marine 2 has made sure no one misses out.

So, if you’re looking to craft the deadliest Sniper in Space Marine 2, we’ve got all the best weapons, grenades, perks, and more.

Recommended build for Sniper

Category	Item
Weapon	– Bolt Sniper Rifle – Bolt Pistol – Combat Knife
Grenade	– Shock grenade
Perks	– Melee Mastery – Vantage Point – Iron Grip – Squad Renewal – Renewal – Targeted Shot – Persistence – Emergency Override

Best weapons explained

Primary weapon – Bolt Sniper Rifle

Perk	Description
Long Shot	Enemies at a distance of more than 20 metres take 10% more Damage.
Survival Instinct	When your Health is below 30%, you deal 25% more Damage.
Fast Regeneration	Killing an enemy restores Armor 0.5 seconds earlier.
Head Hunter	Headshots deal 10% more Damage.
Increased Capacity	The maximum Ammo Reserve of this Weapon increases by 20%.
Reloading Immunity	While reloading, you do not lose control from Heavy Hits.
Reloaded Restoration	After reloading, your Ammo Reserve is restored by 50% of the number of enemies hit. Cannot exceed maximum Ammo capacity.
Great Might	Damage increases by 10% against Terminus enemies.
Chaos Eliminator	Damage against Chaos enemies increases by 10%.

The Sniper Rifle is your primary weapon, and should really be the only way you take down enemies unless you get stuck in a horde. You’ll need to choose perks that’ll make using the weapon easier. As such, we’ve opted for Reloaded Restoration and Increased Capacity to help combat the smaller Ammo Reserve from the Bolt Sniper Rifle.

The likes of Long Shot, Head Hunter, Survival Instinct, Great Might, and Chaos Eliminator are also perfect, as they’ll increase the overall power of your character, which is perfect in tougher missions. Lastly, choose Reloading Immunity and Fast Regeneration for a little more survivability.

When you get to a high enough level, we recommend picking up the Ophelian Liberation Beta. Its Firepower and Accuracy are well worth the investment.

Secondary weapon – Bolt Pistol

Perk	Description
Great Might	Damage increases by 10% against Terminus enemies.
Retaliation	After a perfectly timed Dodge, you deal 25% more Damage for 5 seconds.
Gun Strike Reload	After a Gun Strike, the equipped Weapon instantly reloads.
Perpetual Precision	Maximum Spread decreases by 10%.
Head Hunter	Headshots deal 10% more Damage.
Elite Hunter	After killing a Majoris-level or higher enemy with a Melee Weapon, Headshots deal 50% more Damage for 5 seconds.
Honed Precision	Equipped Weapon’s Maximum Spread decreases by 25% when firing without aiming.

If you have to pull out the Bolt Pistol it’s likely because you’re either swarmed or have run out of ammo. In this case, you want to be picking perks that help keep you alive and killing in that position.

As such, we’ve chosen Great Might, Head Hunter, Elite Hunter, and Retaliation, to help you deal a little more damage when you really need it.

The likes of Honed Precision will work perfectly when you’re swarmed and have no time to aim. Then Gun Strike Reload will help you keep a little more ammunition in your pocket, allowing you to stop worrying about reloading and start worrying about the Chaos Marine staring you down.

When you get to a high enough level, the Gathalamor Crusade Bolt Pistol is the best weapon to pick. It’s deadly, easy to use, and will definitely save your life multiple times.

Melee weapon – Combat Knife

Perk	Description
Armored Strength	When you have full Armor, Melee Damage increases by 10%.
Sharp Impact	Right and Left Skull Crusher area-of-effect radius increases by 50%.
Perpetual Strength	Melee Damage increases by 5%.
Shadow Stab	Replace Heavy Swing with Shadow Stab. Hold the Attack button to charge it. Damage increases by 100% per 1 second of charging.
Tyranid Slayer	Melee Damage against Tyranid enemies increases by 10%.
Reeling Blow	Enemies hit by Whirlwind Slash deal 30% less Damage for 4 seconds. Cooldown is 10 seconds.
Extremis Slayer	Melee Damage against Extremis-level enemies increases by 15%.
Kill Streak	After killing 10 enemies in rapid succession with a Light Combo, you do not lose control upon taking Heavy Hits and you cannot be knocked ack for 5 seconds. Cooldown is 10 seconds.

Similar to the Bolt Pistol, you’ll likely only need the Combat Knife if things are getting dire. As such, it’s important to choose perks that’ll help you take down both a tough enemy and a horde when you really need it.

Perpetual Strength, Tyranid Slayer, Extremis Slayer, and Kill Streak are perfect for this as they all work to increase your damage and allow for some great combos against hordes, which will likely be why you’re using the weapon.

We also recommend choosing Armored Strength and Shadow Stab. Armored Strength will work perfectly with your skill and allow you to perform some powerful damage to an unsuspecting enemy. If you run out of ammo, then activate your skill, ensure you have full armor, and unleash devastation on the enemy. Or, go invisible, head over to an enemy, and hold your attack button to deal tons of damage through Shadow Stab.

Best grenades for Sniper – Shock grenade

It’s worth noting this is primarily for the 6v6 PvP mode – you can’t choose your grenade in Operations.

The Sniper class is all about staying back and damaging from afar, so you’ll need to choose a grenade that works with that, otherwise known as the Shock grenade.

This powerful tool will deal continuous damage within a wide blast area and has quite a range on it when thrown. Sure, in PvP the enemy will move a lot, but your biggest ally is your stealth, if they don’t know where the damage is coming from, then it’s likely they’ll spend some time frozen in place.

As you get to a higher Veterancy, you can always choose the Melta grenade for that extra damage, but for ease of use and early access, the Shock is your best bet.

Best perks for Operations

While PvP players get to pick their grenades, Operations get character perks, which power up your Space Marine. Thankfully, you can grab quite a few — and we suggest prioritizing the following ones for the Sniper class:

Perk	Description
Melee Mastery	Melee Damage increases by 10% against Majoris-level and higher enemies.
Vantage Point	Remaining stationary for 2 seconds increases your Primary Weapon’s Damage by 20%.
Iron Grip	Recoil from Bolt Sniper Rifles and Stalker Bolt Rifles is reduced by 30%.
Squad Renewal	A Headshot kill restores Ability Charge by 10% for any Squad Member.
Renewal	A Headshot kill restores Camo Cloak’s Charge by 5%.
Targeted Shot	The first Ranged Attack that breaks Camo Cloak deals 75% more Damage.
Persistence	When Camo Cloak deactivates, you take 20% less Health Damage for 5 seconds.
Emergency Override	When you receive Lethal Damage, Camo Cloak automatically activates without spending Charge and you become Invulnerable for 5 seconds. Cooldown is 180 seconds.

Headshots will be your best friend as a Sniper, so it’s vital you make the most out of the skill through your perks. This is why choosing Squad Renewal and Renewal are so beneficial, especially considering they work perfectly with your Camo Cloak skill.

On the topic of your skill, selecting Targeted Shot is a fantastic option. It works off the back of Renewal, where you hit a headshot, recharge your Camo Cloak, then activate it and deal 75% more Damage to an enemy. Once Targeted Shot deactivates, Persistence will trigger, giving you a bit more protection. Combine this with Vantage Point and you’re wiping out enemies with ease.

To improve headshot accuracy, Iron Grip is an ideal perk. Then, just in case you get into a sticky situation, we’ve chosen Melee Mastery and Emergency Override, to keep you alive until you can get out of the horde.

How to play the Sniper

Now you have the best Sniper build in Space Marine 2, you’ll need to know how to play the class. After all, we don’t want you running into the fray with a weapon like this.

Their description reads: “Deadly Shadow: A Sniper Space Marine is a master of stealth who targets their enemies with pinpoint accuracy from hidden vantages.”

With that in mind, you act as the deadly damage shooter from afar, staying hidden in the shadows while picking off enemies with brutal headshots. As such, staying back is key, and a good aim is even more important.

As for your Skill, Camo Cloak is pivotal in every game mode. That ability to make yourself invisible is second to none and lets you get into position perfectly. Enable this, get into position, and take your time, your skill takes a while to run out, so there’s no rush to get that perfect shot off.

Boss fights are a little trickier, since it’s a smaller space, you may struggle to avoid being a target. However, keep using that skill to line up your shots, and don’t be afraid to stay back and let the other players take some hits. If all else fails, your secondary is your ideal savior.

When it comes to PvP, stealth is no longer optional. Players will pick you off as quickly as they can due to your damage output, so stay out of sight, far away, and make sure you’re aim is true.

So, that’s how to build the best Sniper in Space Marine 2. Naturally, the build can be adapted if your playstyle doesn’t match this, but this is the ideal build for both missions and PvP. If the Sniper isn’t for you, check out our build guide for the Bulwark class or the Assault.