April 1 has come and gone, marking another year where the video game industry delighted fans with April Fool's Day pranks. Among these, the jest from the developers of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 may linger in the minds of fans a bit longer.
On April 1, Focus Entertainment, the publisher behind Space Marine 2, announced a new Chaplain class as downloadable content (DLC). "In story mode, swap out Titus for The Chaplain and experience the game as a true Codex-compliant Ultramarine," they teased, undoubtedly with a chuckle behind their screens.
This mock DLC promised to introduce a new playable character in the story mode, complete with an 'Enhanced Dialogue System.' Every five minutes, the Chaplain would remind his comrades that "the Codex Astartes does not support this action," and threaten to report them to the Inquisition.
The Chaplain was also equipped with a special ability called Discipline, which would report any deviations from the Codex Astartes, offering a 5% discipline bonus but at the cost of a -20% brotherhood bonus.
The humor of this April Fool's gag resonates because, as players of Space Marine 2's campaign know, Chaplain Quintus closely monitors Titus for any signs of heresy, despite Titus's unwavering loyalty to the Imperium, the Ultramarines, and the Emperor. Throughout the campaign, as Titus fights against the Tyranids and the Thousand Sons traitor legion, it becomes apparent that there's something unique about him, which Chaplain Quintus deeply mistrusts. The Chaplain is akin to an overzealous school prefect, ever vigilant for rule-breakers and quick to report them to the authorities—a character that many players find both amusing and frustrating.
Within the Space Marine community, the Chaplain has become a meme, and this April Fool's Day prank taps into that. Some fans have expressed a genuine interest in seeing the Chaplain added to the game as a warrior-priest who upholds the Emperor's veneration, albeit not with the exact skill set presented in the joke.
"This would actually go hard if this was real," said ResidentDrama9739 in a post on the Space Marine subreddit, sparking enthusiastic discussions about how the Chaplain might be integrated into the game.
Interestingly, Space Marine 2 is set to introduce a new class soon, though Focus and developer Saber Interactive have kept the details under wraps. While many speculate it might be the Apothecary—a class resembling a medic for Space Marines—others hope for the mystical Librarian class, bringing warp-powered abilities to the game. The Chaplain's appearance in the April Fool's Day prank might not rule him out entirely from future additions.
Despite the unexpected announcement of Space Marine 3's development, Space Marine 2 continues to evolve. The game's year one roadmap persists, with Patch 7 scheduled for mid-April, and more content like a new class, PvE operations, and melee weapons on the horizon.
