When the Warhammer 40k universe had its first real hit videogame with the RTS Dawn of War, it was the red and ivory Blood Ravens, not the all-blue Ultramarines, who represented the Imperium of Man. Whether you fondly remember those low-polygon days, or are simply a fan of the Blood Ravens and their infamous reputation as relic thieves, you should check out the Blood Ravens Operations Conversion mod for Space Marine 2.
This is a simple visual overhaul mod for Space Marine 2, swapping the livery on all the Ultramarines infantry, vehicles, and aircraft in Operations mode for that of the Blood Ravens Space Marine chapter.
If you know your Warhammer 40k memes, you’ll know that the most likely explanation for the makeover is that the Blood Ravens have “acquired” the Ultramarines battle barge from right under their noses.
The mod is available now from Nexus mods. By default it only works in offline mode, but it’s compatible with the Astartes Overhaul mod, which lets you use it in online multiplayer.
The Blood Ravens were created specifically for the Dawn of War Warhammer 40k games, and they proved to be enormously popular. Here’s YouTuber Mikey from Hellstorm Wargaming talking about the impact Dawn of War and the Blood Ravens had on his life:
Their official lore portrays them as a fairly standard chapter, albeit with an unusually high number of 40k Psykers in their ranks, and a bad track record of high ranking members of the chapter falling to Chaos.
Fans noticed something odd about the Blood Ravens’ Chapter artefacts. They included sacred relics drawn from almost all the other Imperial Warhammer 40k factions, even including an Adeptus Custodes guardian spear, at a time when the Custodes’ were a nigh-mythical part of background lore.
This gave the Blood Ravens a reputation for stealing anything that wasn’t bolted down – and so were born a thousand memes.
Discovered Warhammer 40k via the videogames and don’t know where to start with painting miniatures? We have a guide specifically about how to paint Space Marines that will see you right.
Source: Wargamer
