Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has only been out for just over a week, and it's been fascinating to see Game's Workshop's now decades-old setting consuming an entirely new audience. Its deep universe and expansive lore can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers. As such, they will be forgiven just this once for missing developer Saber's somewhat heavy-handed teasing of a fan-favourite faction, potentially to serve as the villain of the inevitable sequel or particularly generous DLC. Warning: environmental spoilers for Space Marine 2 incoming!
We were somewhat surprised to see a second faction pop up during Space Marine 2's campaign, as we thought that the Tyranids would more than warrant getting top billing. Still, the treacherous, Egyptian-flavoured Thousand Sons chapter of heretic Astartes receives a surprising amount of screen time. As Titus, Gadriel and Chairon's grim odyssey continued, we were almost certain the eternal Necrons were going to pop up as well, what with players exploring the ruins of an ancient Tomb World at one point, littered with the remains of the nightmarish machines.
While this ultimately ended up being something of a red herring, fans are convinced that Titus and company will need to contend with the Necron threat in the next game, with the restless Sleepers at long-last beginning to stir. We think their relentless, self-repairing immortality would make for a fantastic gameplay conceit, and we hope this particular prediction is proven true.