Progress through the campaign and you’ll unlock Operations mode, a collection of six side missions that explore the activities of other space marines working in parallel with Titus’s squad to complete complimentary objectives. These Operations play out very similar to campaign missions, with the key exceptions that you’re playing an anonymous space marine whose loadout is restricted by their chosen class, and you’ll gain EXP, Requisition and Armoury Data that can all be used to upgrade your character and wargear. This page will discuss how leveling up classes and weapons works in Operations mode works in Space Marine 2!

Page Breakdown¶

Leveling Up in Operations Mode¶

The core gameplay loop in Operations mode should be familiar enough to most gamers - pick a class and whatever weapons you prefer that said class has access to and complete missions to earn EXP for that class and the weapons you used. In the case of your class, this is a fairly straight-forward process - gain EXP and you’ll level up, unlocking access to one new perk every level. Actually unlocking these class perks will require Requisition to be accumulated and spent, but more on that in a bit.

• EXP is gained by completing Operations mode missions.
• You gain additional EXP for completing objectives and earning accolades.
• EXP will increase your class level, unlocking new class perks.

Weapon EXP and Mastery¶

Leveling up weapons is a bit more involved. At a glance, it looks simple enough - use a weapon during a mission (not just equip it - you actually have to use it!) and you’ll gain EXP with that weapon… but it’s worth noting you gain EXP with a specific weapon variant as well as that class of weapon at the same time. For example, if you play a Heavy and use a Master-Crafted Multi-Melta - Beta, you will gain EXP for the Multi-Melta weapon as a class and the Master-Crafted Multi-Melta - Beta. The former EXP is required to unlock the next tier of weapon variants (along with Armoury Data - see below) while the latter is used to master a specific weapon variant.

Once you’ve gained enough EXP with said weapon variant you’ll “master” it, earning a Mastery Point that can be spent to unlock a perk in that weapon type’s perk tree. Mastering each variant of a weapon type will get you a Mastery Point that can be used to unlock perks, which are all shared by that weapon type - for example, Master-Crafted Alpha and Master-Crafted Beta variants of one weapon will both yield a Mastery Point when they gain enough EXP, and all weapons of that type will benefit from the perks spent, so you’ve got incentive to unlock and use all variants of a weapon type.

To reiterate, to gain EXP with a weapon, you actually have to use that weapon during a mission - merely having it equipped isn’t enough. This process of leveling up weapons can be skipped by expending Armoury Data, which will master a weapon without having to play through Operations mode missions with it. You cannot, however, fast-track the process of gaining weapon EXP for that class of weapon, only a specific variant, so if you want to unlock Artificer-tier weapons, you’ll need to spend a good bit of time using Master-Crafted weapons.

• Weapon EXP is earned by completing Operations mode missions.
• You must use a weapon during a mission to gain EXP for it.
• You will earn EXP towards an equipped weapon type and the specific weapon variant.
• Weapon type EXP allows you to unlock the next weapon tier (along with Armoury Data).
• Weapon variant EXP will “master” a weapon, earning you a Mastery Point you can use to buy a weapon perk.
• You can also “master” a weapon by expending Armoury Data.

Requisition¶

After EXP, Requisition is the second-most abundant resource you’ll earn by completing Operations mode missions. EXP could be modified by performance - completing objectives and achieving accolades (most kills, most ranged/melee damage, fewest incapacitations, etc.) gave bonus EXP, but Requisition is entirely dependent on difficulty. The higher the mission’s threat level, the more Requisition you will earn. Otherwise the only way to earn Requisition is by completing class Trials, and these are one-time rewards.

Requisition is used for a variety of things, including unlocking new weapon variants (different weapon tiers are unlocked by expending Armoury Data, first, but once that’s done the weapons themselves still require Requisition) and purchasing class perks. Expect to churn through several hundred points of Requisition to max out a class and your favored weapons for it, but the grind to gain EXP for weapons and classes almost certainly ensures that you’ll eventually start to stockpile excess Requisition, which can be used to unlock new weapon variants… you know, in case the experimentation bug bites you.

• Requisition can be used to unlock class perks.
• Requisition can be used to purchase new weapon variants.
• Requisition can be used to unlock new armour, colors and heraldry (cosmetics).

Armoury Data¶

Perhaps the most important resource in Operations mode is Armoury Data, which has two uses: unlocking weapon tiers and fast-tracking weapon mastery. The former is by far more vital, as you need Master-Crafted Armoury Data to unlock access to Master-Crafted weapons variants for a specific weapon type, and the same goes with Artificer Armoury Data and Relic Armoury Data. Expending one Master-Crafted Armoury Data gets you access to all Master-Crafted weapon variants of a weapon type, which then must be individually unlocked by spending Requisition.

Simply put, you want access to stronger weapons, you need to find Armoury Data.

Armoury Data takes a bit more work to obtain than the other resources due to the difficulty requirement. Armoury Data can be obtained in two ways - first, it can be obtained by defeating bosses during Operations mode missions. Eligible enemies will have a health bar at the top of the screen, so a randomly spawning Lictor will likely not qualify, but a Neurothrope might. Second, and perhaps most reliably (random boss aren’t guaranteed to spawn in Operations mode missions) you can find Armoury Data by locating Servo-Skulls hidden throughout the level. Only one Servo-Skull spawns on each mission and its location is randomized (although there’s only a few spawn points per mission). As tedious as it sounds, learning one mission well is a more surefire way of getting Armoury Data than playing multiple missions.

• Armoury Data can be used to unlock new weapon tiers.
• Armoury Data can be used to master weapon variants.

EXP, Requisition and Armoury Data by Difficulty¶

The higher the difficulty of the mission, the more resources you’ll earn. The biggest boon from playing on higher difficulties is, of course, Armoury Data - you’ll earn fewer EXP and Requisition on lower difficulties, but you can always just grind out more missions to make up for this. Artificer-tier and Relic-tier Armoury Data can only be found on higher threat levels. You want the best gear? You need to overcome the game’s greatest challenges… plus it’ll speed up the leveling process.

Leveling Up Fast in Operations Mode¶

There are only six Operations mode missions, and to max out a class and even just your preferred weapons will take well more than six missions. The first run or two of each Operations mode mission probably won’t be too grating - there are new story developments, bosses and objectives, after all, but the grind will become tedious at some point. Then you consider that there are six classes and many more weapon types and the prospect of maxing everything out - or even of making significant progress in two classes - starts to seem like a chore best avoided. Especially since the lower-tier weapons are painfully weak to the point of turning the first few missions into a slog.

Fortunately, there are ways you can expedite the process. EXP earned by a class only affects that class, but just about every other resource you can find in Operations mode is shared account wide. Any weapon upgrades, including EXP, perks and variant unlocks, apply to all classes, assuming they can use the same weapons. The Tactical and Vanguard classes, for example, can both use Melta Rifles, and will both benefit from any upgrades earned with those weapons, regardless of which class earned them.

Requisition and Armoury Data are also shared. Since these are used to unlock new weapon variants and buy class perks, you really only need to advance one class to higher difficulties before that class’s exploits can start shortening the field for the other classes. It becomes a much easier prospect to play a second class when you can skip ahead to some of their Artificer-tier or Relic-tier weapons from the outset. You still have to earn class EXP by playing missions as the new class, but everything else can be sped up by playing as another class.

Find a class whose playstyle you like, go through the grind of playing Operations mode missions on lower difficulties, and once you’ve climbed the ladder and earned Artificer/Relic-tier Armoury Data, skip the slow start for other classes!