April 1st has come and gone, marking another year of playful pranks in the video game industry. Yet, the April Fool's Day gag from the team behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 might just linger in fans' memories a bit longer. On April 1st, Space Marine 2's publisher, Focus Entertainment, announced a new Chaplain class as DLC, humorously suggesting players could swap out protagonist Titus for The Chaplain in story mode.
Focus Entertainment cheekily described the 'DLC' as allowing players to experience the game as a true Codex-compliant Ultramarine. The Chaplain would supposedly come equipped with an 'Enhanced Dialogue System,' reminding his comrades every five minutes that "the Codex Astartes does not support this action," and threatening to report them to the Inquisition. Additionally, the Chaplain's special ability, Discipline, would instantly report any minor deviations from the Codex Astartes, offering a 5% discipline bonus at the cost of a 20% brotherhood penalty.
The humor in this prank stems from the campaign of Space Marine 2, where Chaplain Quintus scrutinizes protagonist Titus with a hawk-like suspicion for any signs of heresy. Despite Titus's unwavering loyalty to the Imperium, the Ultramarines, and the Emperor, Quintus remains vigilant, much like an overzealous school prefect. This has turned the Chaplain into a meme within the Space Marine community, which the April Fool's joke cleverly plays into.
Some fans have expressed genuine interest in seeing The Chaplain added to the game, not with the satirical skill set from the prank, but as a dedicated warrior-priest who upholds the Emperor's veneration. On the Space Marine subreddit, ResidentDrama9739 commented, "This would actually go hard if this was real," sparking enthusiastic discussions about how the Chaplain could be integrated into the game.
While Space Marine 2 is set to introduce a new class soon, the details remain under wraps. Speculation among fans leans towards the Apothecary, akin to a medic class, or the Librarian, which would bring warp-powered space magic into play. The Chaplain's appearance in the April Fool's Day gag has fans wondering if it rules him out as a future addition.
Despite the unexpected announcement of Space Marine 3's development, Space Marine 2's roadmap for the first year continues, with Patch 7 scheduled for mid-April. The game will also see the introduction of the new class, along with new PvE operations and melee weapons in the coming months.
