Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has stormed onto Steam as the most popular Warhammer 40,000 game, boasting over two million players since its release. However, a significant hurdle is casting a shadow over the co-op experience: the frustrating “joining server” bug. This issue is particularly impacting players diving into the endgame co-op Operations mode, which lacks private PvE lobbies, forcing them into the often-turbulent waters of public matchmaking.
While venturing into Operations mode solo and joining a group of two random players generally functions smoothly, and assembling a full three-player squad with friends is mostly reliable, problems arise when duos attempt to team up and require a third, random teammate. Experiences have been marred by extensive wait times and matchmaking failures, with Space Marine 2 frequently failing to recruit another human player, instead opting for a bot to fill the vacant slot.
Tackling Operations mode on higher difficulty settings, essential for unlocking superior weapons and perks, becomes exceedingly challenging without a trio of coordinated human players. Space Marine 2 is renowned for its brutal difficulty, throwing hordes of relentless enemies at players. In such demanding scenarios, relying on less-than-stellar AI companions is simply not viable.
A makeshift solution emerged among players: one member queues for matchmaking, aiming to join a random group, and then initiates a vote to kick one of the existing players. Following the kick, the second friend frantically attempts to join the newly created vacancy before another random player fills the spot, effectively brute-forcing a three-person team. While functional, this method is far from ideal.
Even with this workaround, the anxiety of the “joining server” bug persists, threatening to undo hard-earned progress as victorious Space Marines transition back to the Battle Barge hub area after missions. Instances of game crashes during this server transition have been reported, resulting in rewards being lost. Given that Operations can last upwards of 45 minutes, encountering this bug can be incredibly demoralizing.
Fortunately, publisher Focus Entertainment acknowledged these issues and announced that Space Marine 2’s initial update will prioritize server enhancements and crash resolutions. The community hopes this update will effectively address these matchmaking woes.
Adding to the evolving multiplayer landscape, IGN has reported on the upcoming implementation of class matching for co-op, designed to prevent pre-mission standoffs caused by players inadvertently selecting duplicate classes. Furthermore, details have surfaced regarding Space Marine 2’s seasonal post-launch content roadmap, promising new maps, a horde mode, and more. Season 2, scheduled from October to the end of 2024, will introduce a new Operations map, a new enemy faction, a heightened difficulty level, a new weapon, and various quality-of-life improvements. Speculation is also building around the potential enemy faction for a hypothetical Space Marine 3, further expanding the game’s universe.
