Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is the most popular Warhammer 40,000 game on Steam, with over two million players since launch. However, there is one issue that players are worried about: the dreaded “joining server” error.
Inexplicably, Space Marine 2 debuted without private PvE lobbies, forcing players participating in the co-op Operations mode to contend with a frustrating matchmaking system.
It’s possible to join a group of two other random players as a solo player in this three-player co-op mode, and it seems to work well enough. Likewise, if you can get together with two friends to create a full three-player group, that’s fine… mainly.
However, things fall apart when you try to play with one other friend and need another random player to fill out the group. My experiences with this were full of wasted time and matchmaking issues, with Space Marine 2 stubbornly refusing to add another human player to our group. Instead, we get a random class bot to fill the role.
Playing Operations mode on the harder difficulties, which are necessary to earn rewards that unlock higher-tier weapons and perks, is nearly impossible without three appropriately leveled human players fighting their way through the mission. Space Marine 2 can be a brutally challenging game, throwing a ton of rock-hard enemies at you. There’s no room for tender AI here.
Me when I joined my friend’s server in Space Marines 2: photo:twitter.com/s2ObHkBOv1
— Jacky (closed communication) (@jackpesaurus) September 16, 2024
My friend and I came up with an awkward solution to this problem this week: have one of us get into a group of random players, then vote to kick one of the other players out. Once a player was kicked out, it was a race to join the group and get a spot before another random player showed up, brutally forcing my friend and I into a group of three. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked.
Even with this method in hand, there is the constant fear that the “joining server” error will ruin all your stiff work as the victorious Space Marines load back into the Battle Barge hub area. We have had cases where the game has essentially crashed while the rewards are being thrown to the warp in the process. When the operation can take around 45 minutes, suffering through this error is soul-crushing.
Last week, publisher Focus Entertainment announced The first Space Marine 2 update will include server improvements and bug fixes. I hope this solves these matchmaking issues as well.
IGN has announced the upcoming addition of class selection to co-op mode, following players found themselves in a class impasse before Operations missions. In the meantime, we also have details about What fans can expect from the seasonal content model when Space Marine 2 launches. Season 2 will run from October to the end of 2024 and includes a up-to-date Operations map, a up-to-date enemy, a harder difficulty, a up-to-date weapon, and various other improvements. We also have a story about a possible enemy faction for the inevitable Space Marine 3.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.