Many Warhammer 40k fans were understandably annoyed when two popular characters from surprise hit Space Marine 2 were unceremoniously killed off in a Warhammer Community article last year. Captain Acheran and Brother Chairon were a core part of the Space Marine 2 story, yet they were murdered in a measly blog post. This is Palpatine-returning-in-a-Fortnite-event levels of narrative Ambullsh*t.
Thankfully, they’re given a more respectable send-off in the new Warhammer 40k: 500 Worlds campaign book, which details Titus’ exploits post-Space Marine 2 and Secret Level. Primarily fighting berserk Necron forces on the world of Novamagnor, 500 Worlds Titus begins with a brief recap of the new face of 40k’s modern adventures, including more details on those unbelievable blog posts.
Spoilers for the Titus 500 Worlds campaign follow.
Captain Acheran Gets His Dues
Captain Acheran receives his own boxout in the book, detailing his heroic last stand to prevent a Genestealer Cult incursion on the planet of Trygg. Sealing off the capital hive saved the planet at the cost of his and Chairon’s lives, allowing reinforcements to purge the city before the uprising spread to the rest of the planet. I’ll admit, it’s scant more detail than the original blog post, but at least Acheran’s final deeds have been immortalised in an official capacity now.
However, the sourcebook provides more questions than it answers. Acheran’s replacement, Captain Titus, is the understandable focus of the book as he tackles the unusual Necron force on Novamagnor. However, his new role as Master of the Watch and the bountiful resources at his command could cause problems for future appearances in Space Marine 3 and beyond.
Warhammer 40k Has A Titus Problem
Everything’s coming up Titus. I’m growing more and more certain that he will be the focus of 40k going forward, including being portrayed by the one and only Henry Cavill in the forthcoming Amazon show. The casting of Idris Elba as Veteran Sergeant Metaurus only enhances my theory—has he signed a deal that includes a TV adaptation, too? However, 500 Worlds shows us that Titus’ new role isn’t on the front lines anymore.
The chapters of lore in 500 Worlds Titus tell us that our hotheaded protagonist has “to temper his urge to storm into battle” and that “the strategium is now [his] battlefield more often than not”. He’s ascended to a rank past the point of joining his troops in every minor skirmish, the events of Space Marine 2 far behind him. Later in the tome, he notes again that “his place [is] at the strategium table.” He has taken on Acheran’s mantle in every way, sending his finest troops to do his bidding rather than fighting himself.
How does this impact Space Marine 3? Titus must be its lead. He has led developer Saber Interactive to its most successful game to date, and Games Workshop has doubled down on it in the months since. There are two sureties about the threequel: it will follow Titus, and it will feature the Necrons teased in the final moments of the second game. The latter is no problem, seeing as they’re the primary antagonists of 10th Edition’s final campaign, but how will Titus feature when he’s evolved into a grand strategist?
This evolution of Titus is more suited to an RTS game than a third-person shooter. Would it be too tinfoil to suggest he could feature as a strategist in Total War: Warhammer 40k, too?
Then there’s the problem of power creep. While tabletop players are no stranger to this—the Primarisification of Space Marines and return of Primarchs are the most obvious recent examples—it’s affecting videogames, too. As Master of the Watch, Titus now has devastating weapons at his disposal. I’m not talking Melta Lances or Thunder Hammers, either. Titus has the capability to destroy entire planets from his battle barge.
“The Master of the Watch has at his fingertips the power to shatter alien hordes, annihilate heretic enclaves, and even to burn entire worlds should duty compel him,” the book reads. While the events of the book show that complete annihilation is not always an option, the story now relies on Titus making mistakes in order to see him fight in battle at all.
Titus fights on the front line twice on Novamagnor. The first is to plant a devastating vortex bomb in the centre of the Necron’s source of power, and the second is to prime that very same bomb. While this could work in a video game setting—missions to plant explosives behind enemy lines have been a mainstay of shooter campaigns for as long as they’ve existed—it relies on the characters not wanting to, or failing to, use the resources at their disposal in order to make for a thrilling campaign. That can work once or twice, or if your protagonist is a simple grunt not calling the shots, but that’s not an option after Titus’ rapid ascent up the ranks of the Ultramarines.
Space Marine 3 Needs A Satisfying Narrative
There are options at Saber and Games Workshop’s disposal. Titus’ victory in 500 Worlds comes despite the efforts of the allied Archmagos Wytbor Oct and partially thanks to a flaw in his foes’ code. Similar disruptions from the Adeptus Mechanicus or unpredictable enemy movements thanks to their decaying systems could provide complications in otherwise simple plans.
In the lore, Captain Titus is only deployed occasionally to combat the biggest threats. The narrative tightrope Saber needs to walk is that we need satisfying level design while cohering to the lore. Titus needs to fight through waves of grunts because players need to earn their way to a boss fight. If the only way of providing these gameplay moments is through tactical errors on Titus’ part, then so be it.
In the past, Saber has effectively retconned previous games in order to put Titus where he needs to be. Stripped of his rank and sent to the Deathwatch after the events of the first Space Marine game, this was conveniently explained away during the tutorial of the sequel. But Titus is bigger than these games now. His lore continues in tabletop campaigns, future Codices, and potentially Total War campaigns. There is no easy way out this time. The story Space Marine 3 decides to tell must revolve around Titus, but he’s outgrown the games that created him.
I don’t have all the answers, especially as Space Marine 3 is probably still years (and a new edition of 40k) away. But I don’t envy the narrative designers at Saber Interactive. Right now, their job seems more difficult than that of a single Space Marine tasked with stopping an entire Tomb World. Let’s just hope that single Space Marine goes by the name of Titus. Then they might just have a chance of success.
- Released
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September 9, 2024
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
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Saber Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Focus Entertainment
- Engine
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Swarm Engine
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
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PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
