The protagonist in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 starts out as a member of the Deathwatch – and that impresses almost everyone who hears about it. But why? MeinMMO explains what makes the order so special.
In Space Marine 2 you play Demetrian Titus, a former and now re-elected lieutenant of the Ultramarines – an already important order. At the beginning of the game, however, you belong to a completely different order: the Deathwatch.
These tough guys in black armor not only look cool, they are only called in when there are really big problems. And when they show up, everyone knows immediately that there is little that mere mortals can do here.
The Deathwatch is formally part of the Inquisition, the people who don’t want anyone to be watched by them. To be more precise, they are the Divisio Militaris of the Ordo Xenos, meaning they are the military arm of the department that deals with alien problems.
The Inquisition itself only takes action in difficult cases, and the Deathwatch only uses it when they see no other way out – except perhaps the complete destruction of the planet (“Exterminatus”).
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Not a normal Space Marine Order
What makes the Deathwatch so special is its structure. The order does not consist of fighters with the same “gene seed”, i.e. the same characteristics and values, but rather brings together Space Marines from all orders.
A Space Marine in the Deathwatch paints his armour almost entirely black, leaving only the right shoulder plate exposed to indicate his old chapter. They stay there for as long as their service requires – which can be several years.
Due to its composition, the Deathwatch is not subject to the Codex Astartes like other orders, so it does not necessarily have to abide by the “rules”. They still serve the Emperor of Mankind faithfully, but in their own way.
Since they are part of the Ordo Xenos, the Deathwatch does not only use equipment that you would normally see from Space Marines, such as bolters, chainswords and the like. The Deathwatch’s arsenal includes, among other things, Xenos weapons, the possession of which alone would get anyone else executed for heresy anywhere else.
Spoiler warning: The rest of the text is about a small detail that Titus reveals quite late in the campaign. If you don’t know the backstory, you won’t know anything about it at this point.
More than just Deathwatch: a Black Shield
Lieutenant Titus now has a special status even among the Deathwatch. He was, as he himself tells his sergeant, a Black Shield. Black Shields are even tougher in the already tough Deathwatch.
A Black Shield completely renounces its old order, something that is actually completely unthinkable for Space Marines. They exchange their entire armour and even cover up the order symbol. This only happens in absolute exceptional cases, for example:
Apparently there are even heretics among the Black Shields who want to do penance. Nobody asks about their background and it is never revealed, because such a Space Marine dedicates his entire life to the service of the Imperium.
The Black Shield are so fanatical that they have no regard for their own lives and only see the fulfillment of their mission as their goal. Although they are accordingly ruthless, protecting their fellow soldiers is also one of their ideals. Black Shields do not strive for glory, but simply want to serve the Emperor “as a final act of devotion”.
You don’t need to know exactly who the Deathwatch is for the story of Space Marine 2, but with the background, some details in the game are a bit more exciting. And the course of the story could become quite relevant: The end of Space Marine 2 could have a massive impact on the future of Warhammer 40,000