It’s now just over a couple of weeks until Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 finally gets its big, ceramite boots on the proverbial ground – and, as part of a flurry of incentives to get fans to subscribe to its Warhammer Plus streaming service, Games Workshop has revealed that WH+ members will get a snazzy-looking exclusive Bolt Pistol cosmetic when the game drops.
Called the Porphyr Shield Bolt Pistol, it was revealed via GW’s Warhammer Community site on Thursday, alongside teasers for a bunch of new shows and animations – including (bewilderingly) official Warhammer 40k quiz shows.
It comes as we enter the home strait towards the Space Marine 2 release date on Monday, September 9.
It’s a purely cosmetic skin for the in-game Bolt Pistol – like all the Space Marine 2 weapons, you can only modify or increase its stats and effectiveness by unlocking weapon perks through leveling up in co-op and PVP multiplayer; gun skins like this one can be earned through in-game challenges and other means, but don’t have any mechanical effect.
GW says all Warhammer Plus subscribers will get the skin “if they are signed up by the end of September” – though there’s no detail yet on how to claim it. Obviously, a cool videogame skin is nowhere near enough value to sign up for a subscription service that costs $60 (£50) a year or $7 (£6) monthly – so, as ever, we say Warhammer Plus is worth it only if you want to watch the shows. That said, the new Warhammer 40k bonus mini for members, Inquisitor Ostromandeus, was revealed this week and is quite a stunner.
From our time with the latest Space Marine 2 preview build, we can tell you the Porphyr Shield skin’s level of gaudiness and ostentatious, shiny bling is entirely in line with the other higher-level cosmetics you can unlock for every weapon – although the massive sparkling jewel set into the grip feels like a step too far for even the most swaggering loyalist Space Marine. We smell Emperor’s Children afoot…
GW’s Thursday article did bait its Warhammer Plus hook with one more delicious-looking morsel, however: one lucky duck who subscribes before September 30 will win a prize draw for an enormous stack of Space Marine 2 goodies – namely:
- The Space Marine 2 Collector’s Edition – worth $250 (£230)
- Wētā Workshop Titus statue – worth $1,400 (£1,066)
- SecretLab Titan Evo Ultramarines gaming chair – worth $624 (£519)
- Design Labs Elite Xbox controller
- SM2 custom PS5 controller
- Recruit edition Warhammer 40k starter set with Titus mini
- Two Displate metal posters
- A promotional hoodie
- A promotional T-shirt
We can’t speak to the quality of the Wētā Workshop Titus, as we’ve never seen it (much as we really want one) – but if that dazzlingly blue 40k gaming chair catches your eye, read our SecretLab Titan Evo Ultramarines chair review. It’s ridiculous – but it is good.
As with any prize draw, you’ll only have a small chance of winning – but given Warhammer Plus is reportedly still a comparatively small club (we reported last year it had only 115,000 members after its first year of life) your odds may at the very least be better than a lot of lotteries.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the Warhammer 40k factions you’ll be meeting in Space Marine 2 by checking out our guides to the noble Ultramarines, the ravening Tyranids, and the steadfast Astra Militarum.
And, for daily grimdark updates, bookmark our Warhammer 40k news page and follow Wargamer on Google News.
Source: Wargamer
