Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is out on August 25th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and the excitement is palpable, especially after I had a chance to go hands-on with the Prologue mission and first campaign (consisting of three missions) on PC.
Obviously, this isn’t the final build, but the atmosphere and tension of the classic films were unmistakably out in full force and drew me into the trials of the UAS Endeavor’s Colonial Marines. It also offered a chance to try out the new systems and gameplay features, including the new Classes, ahead of launch. Here are ten new things you should know, starting with…
Meet the Crew
The UAS Endeavor is back, and this time, there’s a lot more back-and-forth in conversations with the crew. Starting with Raptor, our pilot, who ran comms during the Prologue mission, there’s Captain Ko, who you’ll often debrief with, and Shipp, the commanding officer from the previous game. Other characters abound, and multiple dialogue options will come up, though they’re often more for flavor and learning about them than narrative consequence (at least right now). But I quite liked each character, whether it’s Ko mixing seriousness with the odd smack talk here and there or Raptor’s unfunny yet charmingly positive demeanor. Seeing the protagonist, codenamed Hotshot, communicating back and forth while dropping cheesy one-liners just made my Aliens-loving heart swell all the more.
The Armory and Hundreds of Cosmetic Items
There’s also Wrench, who runs the Armory, selling weapons and attachments for Requisition Credits, which you’ll find in caches and as post-mission rewards. His selection is limited in the early going – Optics only became available after finishing the first campaign – but he’s also your source for cosmetics. That includes outfits, weapon colors, emotes, outfit patterns, decals, and more, all available for Credits. You’ll find more than a few references to the greater franchise, though once again, certain categories are locked behind mission completion. However, you can also find cosmetics throughout missions in special crates, and based on the Collections tab, there are hundreds of unlockables to earn through gameplay. No microtransactions.
Class Modifiers
Having seen all the different Classes, I was a little concerned about the number of Core abilities in each. Granted, Core Perks added some more variety, but I was hoping for something more. That is, until the Modifiers tab, which unfurls several options to further customize each Class. For instance, the Medic’s Guardian Kit Perk grants an ally you defend and yourself 20 temporary health (while they gain 20 percent damage resistance for three seconds). This can be supplemented by Ally Support, which grants them an additional 50 percent temporary health when you defend them. Not feeling particularly generous? Go for Self Support, which instead boosts your temporary health by 50 percent.
Keep in mind that this is only one Kit Perk and two modifiers in a sea of options, and that’s without factoring in how all of this can be mixed with the Specialist. More on that in a bit.
Swapping Weapon Traits
Weapon Traits return, and much like the original, they offer stat boosts for weapons with a one-star ranking (earned by using them more often). The Smartgun gets a 15 percent boost to aim assist; the M41A2 gets 10 percent less recoil; you get the idea. What’s interesting is that Weapon Traits can be swapped across different guns, even if they aren’t the same type. Fancy a lower spread on your shotgun? Use the M4 Service Pistol’s Trait on it. Looking for subtle boosts to handling and aim assist while slightly reducing spread and recoil? The Standard Issue Trait should help. All in all, this opens up weapon customization and encourages using each weapon enough to unlock Traits (though some are also available in the Armory to buy).
Respect the Combat Rating
In your character’s loadout, you’ll notice the Combat Rating. Missions recommend a certain amount, and the higher the difficulty, the greater your Combat Rating should be. Thankfully, like the original, this isn’t about Gear Score or finding the highest tier loot to equip on your Marine. Instead, you need to upgrade your weapons and equip them with more attachments, unlock their Augment slots, equip more Perks and modifiers, use minor items like grenades, and yes, even upgrade your pistol. All of this contributes to your Combat Rating, and its benefits can make a big difference, especially if you need more weakpoint damage, stacking damage buffs or survivability.
Fear the (Smarter) Xenomorphs
Even if you’re going into a mission on Standard difficulty, don’t underestimate the Xenomorphs. Throughout my time in the first campaign, I encountered returning types such as the Prowler, Spitter, Drone, and Runner, and to say they could prove overwhelming would be an understatement. While the Spitters hang back and pelt you from afar, Drones rush you as the Prowlers attempt to leap onto a single ally and pin them down. The Xenomorphs would also climb the walls and the ceiling, dodging left and right when taking fire and leaping over cover, making them that much trickier to fight, especially in more open spaces. Even more terrifying is that they have no qualms about flanking your squad from behind, so paying attention to the Motion Tracker is paramount.
Synth Madness
Then there are the Synths, challenging in their own right since they can utilize cover. Once again, all the classics return, from the grunts to the riot shield, baton-touting types that slowly close in. From afar, Synth Snipers attempt to gun you down while Synth Incinerators and Heavies soak up damage, raining firebombs and wielding miniguns, respectively. Aiming for their heads to quickly dispatch them is advised; anywhere else, and they’ll short-circuit before exploding in a short area, which can hurt you. As annoying as they can sometimes be, it’s not a bad idea to hang back and let them deal with any Xenomorphs in the area (and vice versa).
Lifetime Stats
If you want to track everything about your career thus far, then the Lifetime Stats is your guide. While Collection will highlight all the different attachments, weapons, items, and intel gathered thus far, Lifetime Stats outlines your favorite Class, total kills, damage dealt, and more (including how often you healed allies). You can also check stats by each loadout and the different enemy types encountered, including how much damage you received from them and your preferred weapon against them.
Specialist Impressions (and One Limitation)
I didn’t toy around too much with the Specialist, especially since a good chunk of the kit is tied into the progression of other Classes, but suffice to say that it’s very impressive. I opted for a shotgun and railgun as weapons, the Machinist’s Sentry turret for longer-range fire (which I stayed near to help it recover health courtesy of the Cross-Platform Synergy perk). My second ability was the Marauder’s Blast Cannon, a short-range wave that could kill smaller enemies and stagger larger opponents. Then I just added 30 more health – not the cleanest kit, I’ll admit, but the potential already looks limitless.
However, there are some caveats. Each Class has a first and second ability, right? Well, the Specialist can only equip their first abilities on the left of the Perk Grid and their second abilities on the right. This means the Specialist can’t equip the Machinist’s Bodyguard drone and the Marauder’s Blast Cannon at the same time, because they both occupy the right ability slot on the Grid. In the same vein, you can’t equip a Sentry Turret and Titan Rockets at the same time, because they’re both left-coded. This was probably done for the sake of balance, but even with this limitation, the Specialist is still the be-all, end-all class…once you’ve put some time into everything else.
Accessibility Options
In the original Fireteam Elite, there were options for Colorblind Mode, subtitle size, ADS mode, and so on, along with the ability to enable a center dot at all times, outline targets, enable the Motion Tracker, and various floaters for damage and kill confirmation. Besides bringing all those options to the sequel, Fireteam Elite 2 greatly expands on accessibility. You can enable outlines for interactables, friendlies, downed allies, and so on; toggle sprint and cover FOV adjustments; adjust the camera shake strength; and much more.
