Behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 lies a huge world full of lore that is not explained in the game. MeinMMO helps you understand some of the backgrounds and explains who exactly you are playing.
In the campaign of Space Marine 2, you are Titus, a lieutenant of the Ultramarines. You won’t really learn more than that, and if you have only read the brief summary of the lore, you will probably struggle to make sense of these terms.
Throughout the story, names come up repeatedly that sound important – and they certainly excite Warhammer fans. And indeed, you play a very important role, as Ultramarines are more or less the reason why Warhammer 40,000 exists as you know it today.
Note that this is a heavily condensed summary and many secondary events from the lore are not covered. It is solely about explaining who the Ultramarines are as simply as possible.
The key info about Ultramarines:
- Ultramarines wear blue (“ultramarine”) armor with an inverted white omega as their emblem.
- The home world of the Ultramarines is Ultramar, a vast system consisting of about 500 planets. As the only chapter, they dominate an entire sector.
- The order of the Ultramarines comes from the “First Founding,” making it one of the oldest associations of Space Marines.
- The namesake legion from which the Ultramarines originated was the largest legion of Space Marines.
- Ultramarines are known for their immense loyalty to the Emperor and their adherence to the principles of the Codex Astartes.
- The Primarch (essentially “founder” or “father”) of the Ultramarines is Roboute Guilliman.
By the way, in co-op and PvP you can also play other chapters and customize your Space Marine:
Ultramarines are the ultimate soldiers
To give you a little insight into who exactly you are playing: Space Marines are genetically modified super soldiers. Through “gene-seeds”, additional and altered organs are cultivated in a human, making them literally superhumans with superpowers.
These gene-seeds originate from the original Primarchs and have been preserved over millennia. Each seed has special properties – and brings dangers that can cause the organs to mutate.
The gene-seed of the Ultramarines is considered the most stable and at the same time the most versatile of all Space Marines, ensuring that the recipient is very likely to gain certain characteristics:
- Ultramarines are aggressive but self-controlled in appropriate situations.
- They are extremely disciplined and always act purposefully.
- More than most other chapters, Ultramarines have a sense of hierarchy and loyalty to their codex.
Together, this makes Ultramarines the perfect soldiers who work together ideally and obey their commanders. There are only a few exceptions and deviations from the Codex Astartes, which you can even see in Space Marine 2.
Without Ultramarines, there would be no Space Marines
In the lore of Warhammer 40,000, the Ultramarines play a significant role. The legion, from which several orders later emerged, was the largest legion of Space Marines before the Horus Heresy (a kind of civil war between Space Marines) with about 250,000 members.
With this force, despite significant losses, the Ultramarines made a major contribution to the victory of the Imperium. Their Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, even served for a brief time as the regent of the Emperor – at least until stability was restored.
The Codex Astartes, the rulebook by which almost all Space Marines organize their lives, also comes from the pen of Guilliman. With this work, he aimed to prevent another war like that from occurring again.
Subsequently, 25 orders emerged from the Ultramarines in later foundings. Their gene-seed is therefore quite widespread among the Space Marines. However, Space Marines alone cannot win the great wars, which is why they have helpers for maintenance, supply, and similar tasks. But not all of them are treated equally: “Who is that guy?” – A player finds a defenseless NPC that everyone treats like garbage, receiving valuable lore knowledge from fans
