I, for one, am continually frustrated by peoples' total lack of understanding game dynamics, even on Substantial difficulty, where you'd figure people know what they're doing. But no, people continue to make silly mistakes. Either that or they're selfish, knowingly or unknowingly. Here's a few pointers to be a better teammate on Operations. 1. Thou shalt have a good team composition This one's simple. The best teams in Operations have a balance of good classes. In general terms, the six classes can be categorised like so: Versatile classes: Tactical and Vanguard. Both are capable of decent shooting and melee, and aren't really caught off guard in any given situation. Shooting classes: Heavy and Sniper. Very good shooting, but don't really want to be parrying or dodging. The more time they spend defending themselves in melee, the less time they're spending shooting. Melee classes: Assault and Bulwark. Good at fighting, but cry as soon as a pair of Zoanthropes or, Emperor forbid, a Neurothrope shows up, due to a lack of shooting. If your team already has an abundance of close combat fighters, go for a shooty class to give them some fire support. Alternatively, if your team has lots of shooting, go for a fighty class to tie up enemies in melee. 2. Thou shalt not rush. Thou shall exercise patience and thoroughness. If you want to survive, you'll want supplies. If you want supplies, you'll have to look around a bit. Basically, don't run off! Yes, I'm looking at you Bulwark who think's he's the Emperor's gift to humanity and runs into groups of Warriors, leaving his diligent teammates in the dust and dying immediately. Check the side areas constantly. You'll often find ammo and armour boosts, sometimes a much needed medkit. In specific locations, you can even find Guardian Relics and Geneseeds. Even better, you could even find Armoury Data, which is the reason you're playing higher difficulties, remember? You gain nothing for completing a mission quickly. Be patient and search the area top to bottom. 3. Thou shalt not steal thine teammates' executions. Executions are vital for surviving, as they not only restore armour, but also contested health! In Space Marine 2, when you take damage, your health doesn't just vanish. It becomes contested. Contested health can be recovered by inflicting damage, performing gun finishers or, most effectively, performing executions. Your teammates will greatly appreciate if you do not steal their executions after they've finished fighting a Warrior or, especially, an Extremis enemy such as a Ravener or Lictor. Your wounded teammates will appreciate it even more if you're able to put enemies into an execution state for them! That's your job Sniper. Don't waste Las-Fusil ammo on stunned enemies. Put them in the red and let your teammates execute them for health restoration. An added bonus of executions is that they can be performed from further away than you'd think, and from the moment you press the 'E' key to the moment you finish the execution, you are completely immune to damage! This can give you a valuable breather to take in your surroundings, or perform such cheeky feats as walking through Barbed Strangler wires without suffering any damage! As a side note, learn to identify when a teammate is executing an enemy, so you don't waste attacks on an enemy that is, functionally, already dead. 4. Thou shalt reserve Medicae Stimulants for thine Geneseed carrier. Geneseeds are great. They are an item that, when picked up and carried to the end of the mission, provide a hefty boost to EXP gained. Sounds great, right? There's a downside. Two actually. Firstly, they occupy the same slot as the ever-so-valuable Guardian Relic, meaning no self-revives. On top of that, if the carrier is incapacitated at all, the Geneseed, and thus the EXP bonus, is lost! The solution is simple. Unless you're in dire straights yourself, reserve any found medpacks for your Geneseed carrier. On the topic of Geneseeds, choose carefully whether or not you are worthy of such a duty. Classes that spend more time near the enemy, such as Assaults and Bulwarks, should defer such a duty to their more reserved comrades, as being in the action more puts them at greater risk of being incapacitated. Likewise, classes with an easily exploitable weakness, such as Snipers, should be careful as well. In my experience, Tacticals and Heavies tend to be the best carriers, as Tacticals have no real weakness, and Heavies stand further away from the action, but not so far away that they can become isolated. On a final note, tell your teammates when you pick up a Geneseed! 5. Thou shalt reserve thine Krak Grenades for thine melee fighters. Zoanthropes suck, don't they? They come in pairs and shield each other. And they fly as well, rendering them immune to melee attacks. However, Zoanthropes, and Neurothropes in fact, weep tears of xenos misery when Krak Grenades are employed against them. They weep even more when an Assault or Bulwark, normally more vulnerable to such despicable xenos sorcery (read: flight) employ such weapons in a surprise turning of the tables! Such teammates will greatly appreciate it if you were to save such ordnance for their use, as it helps cover their main weakness. 6. Thou shalt defer thine duties to less experienced teammates when appropriate. This one's for all of you level 20+ Bulwarks hiding like the cowards you are in minimum difficulty. You know who you are. If you're playing on a difficulty lower than appropriate for your level, and you have an alternative class available, make space for your less experienced teammates. Do not "main" classes. Spread your game time around so that you have an alternative class to play, and so you can be the Black Templar Initiate to your Black Templar Neophyte, and teach them the ropes of their class. 7. Thou shalt not obstruct thine teammates' firing lanes. This is one that I've had happen a lot recently while using the Heavy Plasma Incinerator, and you'd think it'd be common sense. Ammunition is precious, and you should not waste what The Emperor provides. Unfortunately, the only two things better at absorbing shots than your enemies are your allies! High ammo weapons, like the automatic Bolt Rifles, aren't so bothered by this, but certain weapons with low ammo but high power, like the previously mentioned Heavy Plasma Incinerator, will really want every shot to count. So please, if you see a teammate lining up a sniper rifle shot, or charging up a huge explosive blast, show diligence and basic spacial awareness and not obstruct them. If you need to get to grips with the enemy, it's easy enough to run in just off to the side of their firing lane. 8. Thou shalt concentrate thine energy on defeating thine enemy champions. As of recent patches, Terminus encounters (Carnifexes, Neurothropes and Helbrutes) have been made compulsory. Whereas before you could flee like a traitor from such threats, now you must stand and fight them like true sons of the Emperor. If you attempt to flee like the coward you are, you will be given a new objective: "eliminate the threat" that you must accomplish before moving on. That means, when a Terminus enemy rears its foul head, you must stand together as a team and defeat it. Sometimes this means delegating one player, often a mobile class such as an Assault or Vanguard, to deal with outlying threats before rejoining the main effort to defeat the boss. Fortunately, Terminus enemies are no match for organised teams. A Tactical with an upgraded Auspex can dramatically increase the damage taken by a Terminus enemy, and can quite easily solo them with the Grenade Launcher. Assaults are excellent against Carnifexes, as their improved dodges allow them to get multiple consecutive gun shots off while avoiding their charges. Vanguards are arguably the least useful class against Terminus enemies, but make excellent flankers, dealing with other enemies that might disrupt the main fight, such as Venom Cannon Warriors. Bulwarks can provide their team with healing once the enemy is defeated. Little known fact: when a Terminus enemy dies, any contested health will be restored. This means, with a little coordination, a Bulwark can heal the entire team back to full. Alternatively, they can drop the banner, go for the execution and leave their teammates to use stims, achieving the same effect but also recovering any mortal wounds either teammate might have. Snipers are the bane of Neurothropes, as they can stay beyond its effective range and make good use of its enormous head hitbox, dealing incredible damage when boosted by an Auspex or cloak. Heavies can provide covering fire, so long as they are using a suitable weapon (sorry Multi-Melta heavies). Afternote Since Space Marine 2 has only recently been released, game knowledge is still being learned. As such, any suggestions for additional commandments is always appreciated, as there are many players whose experience, especially with higher difficulties and higher class levels, far outstretches my own.