Publisher Focus Entertainment has announced that Aliens: Dark Descent is available on Game Pass starting today. Subscribers on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One will be able to access the game at no cost. Interestingly, it’s also been confirmed that Aliens: Dark Descent will be offered for free throughout December to all PlayStation Plus subscribers, which means the tactics action title is likely to see a healthy bump in player numbers and engagement sooner rather than later.

Aliens: Dark Descent is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Read our review of the game through here, where we awarded it a score of 8/10, criticizing its story but praising the atmosphere and intense strategy gameplay. 

It Takes Two and Aliens: Dark Descent are playable on PS4 and PS5. The former is an award-winning split-screen co-op title where Cody and May must resolve their marriage problems after being transformed into dolls. It offers a range of mini-games and platforming challenges to complete.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a squad-based real-time strategy title where players must lead some Colonial Marines on the moon, Lethe, as they combat Xenomorphs and attempt to survive. Temtem is playable exclusive on PS5 and offers a 3D creature collector set on the Airborne Archipelago. There are various species to collect and battle with as players embark on an adventure to defeat the eight DojoLeaders.

Sony has also confirmed the first classic titles joining PlayStation Plus Premium starting December 10th. These include Sucker Punch’s Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy will also be available. Stay tuned for more details on all the titles coming to PS Plus Extra and Premium in the coming weeks.

Red Candle Games’ sleek action platformer Nine Sols goes live on November 26th, followed by Aliens: Dark Descent on November 27th (which will also be available on Game Pass Standard). Game Pass Standard subscribers can also look forward to Little Kitty, Big City and PlateUp!, both on consoles from November 20th.

Those subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate can also avail of benefits for Genshin Impact when it launches on November 20th. These include free XP materials, Intertwined Fates, Mora, and more.

The following titles are leaving Game Pass on November 30th. Finish them now or avail of the 20 percent discount to own them permanently:

• Conan Exiles (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Coral Island (PC)
• Hello Neighbor 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Remnant: From The Ashes (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Rollerdrome (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Soccer Story (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Spirit of the North (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Walking Dead: The Final Season (PC)
• While the Iron’s Hot (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Aliens Dark: Descent Chapter wise Walkthrough

Prologue

The Prologue is an introduction to Aliens: Dark Descent. There is no plot, nor are there any collectibles in this chater. It’s a simple stage where you learn the skills needed to overcome the upcoming chapters.

Dead Hills

• Primary Objectives – 14
• Datapads – 19
• Materials – 300
• Xenotech – 2

Dead Hills is the first mission after the Prologue. You are to visit one of the alien-filled colonies and rescue the civilians from danger. The missions aren’t too difficult and do a great job of walking you through the basic mechanics. Bring everything you gathered during the Prologue.

Berkley’s Docks

• Primary Objectives – 6
• Secondary Objectives – 5
• Datapads – 11
• Materials – 160
• Xenotech – 1

In this chapter, you have to liberate hostages from a group of enemies and find a comm repeater. Berkeley’s Docks also has a new enemy and a Queen right at the end. The chapter is quite challenging, so bring all marines that aren’t wounded/tired. Brining a Tecker also helps, as their hacking skills make short work of all the locked doors. If possible, bring along a sentry gun and any unlocked Xenotechs, as you’ll be facing the Queen.

Harper’s Hell

• Primary Objectives – 7
• Secondary Objectives – 1
• Datapads – 10
• Materials – 210

Harper’s Hell is a difficult rescue mission that will demand a lot from you and your team. You’ll have to navigate past winding corridors and fight your way through hordes of Aliens, and a new enemy, the Guardian. Bring along a Medic and a Sergeant to increase your odds of completing the chapter. There isn’t much to choose from since this is still the early game, so bring every resource you’ve unlocked so far.

Otago’s Last Stand

• Primary Objectives – 4
• Datapads – 1
• Materials – 70

Otago is a short but challenging chapter. In it, a swarm of Xenomorphs is attacking Otago, and your squad is responsible for holding them off until you have a chance to bomb the caves. To maximize your chances, try to bring a Gunner with the M56 upgrade that lets them deploy Smart Gun as a sentry turret. The rest of the squad can consist of random marines. Note that the short duration of the chapter makes it ideal for training new Marines.

Nuclear Protocol

• Primary Objectives – 5
• Secondary Objectives – 2
• Datapads – 17
• Materials – 120
• Xenotech – 1

The planet is on a path of destruction thanks to the Cerberus Protocol. Your squad is doomed if they don’t stop the nukes that are threatening the planet’s existence. Deactivating Cerberus won’t be easy, as you’ll have to burn through a horde of enemies. Bring your best, fully geared gunners for this mission. We also advise that you equip them with an Incinerator and a Grenade Launcher.

Atmospheric Nightmare

• Primary Objectives – 4
• Secondary Objectives – 6
• Datapads – 22
• Materials – 300
• Xenotech – 2

After failing to deactivate the Cerberus Protocol in the previous mission, it’s time to abandon ship and escape the planet in one piece. The mission demands two squads with a few key marines. The first team must have a Tecker, followed by Sentry Guns and a Sergeant in both teams.

The Montero

• Primary Objectives – 2
• Secondary Objectives – 2
• Datapads – 10
• Materials – 220
• Xenotech – 1

Montero will push your team’s positioning and decision making skills to the limit. The area is small and filled with enemies, and in order to avoid a firefight throughout the mission, you’ll have to be stealthy. Bring a Sniper equipped Recon Marine with the Sniper Upgrade and a couple of mines to distract the enemies and kill them quietly from a distance. A Radio Backpack upgrade on your sergeant increases the maximum command points by 1. Similarly, two marines with the Team Spirit attribute also increase the reserve command points by 1, so bring them along.

Extraction

• Primary Objectives – 6
• Datapads – 4
• Materials – 150
• Xenotech – 2

In Extraction, you’ll have to rescue Harper’s Daughter from Tantalus. This is a comparatively short mission, but the area is filled with tight corridors and encrypted doors. Bring a Tecker to make short work of the locks and an Incinerator to fight the enemies in close quarters.

Facing the Beast

• Primary Objectives – 17

It’s a game of cat and mouse. Navigate Hayes through the area and avoid confronting the alien. In the end, you’ll have to kill it using the power core (lure it close to the core and activate it).

The Pryce of Deception

• Primary Objectives – 11
• Secondary Objectives – 3
• Datapads – 14
• Materials – 220
• Xenotech – 1

Your goal is to enter the Weyland-Yutani headquarters and find Cassandra’s location by interrogating Dr. Pryce. Any team composition usually works, but bringing marines with at least one incinerator, sniper rifle, and at least two shotguns will make clearing out the chapter a lot easier.

Olduvai Dig Site

• Primary Objectives – 4
• Secondary Objectives – 1
• Datapads – 8
• Materials – 100

The Darwin Base is located within the Tromonite mines of Olduvai. You’ll have to visit it and Dave Cassandra from the Xenomorph Queen. Most of the mission involves running away from the monster, so practice your maneuvering skills and bring a bunch of weapons to quickly kill off any stragglers that could jeopardize the mission.

Redemption

• Primary Objectives – 1

On this mission, there is only one objective. Save Cassandra and escort her out of the dig site. There isn’t much to consider. Simply equip a shotgun, as you’ll be chased by Xenomorphs. They can quickly close the distance, and if ignored, they can take down Cassandra quite quickly.

Endings:

Aliens: Dark Descent has two different endings: Escape and Annihilation.

How to unlock weapons in Aliens: Dark Descent

Before you can equip a weapon, you’ll have to unlock it. However, there are three prerequisites to equipping your marines with weapons, except for the ones that are unlocked from the beginning. In order to view the entire arsenal, unlock the Workshop by playing the game and enter it from the main menu. The requirements for equipping a weapon are as follows:

• Marine Level – Marines have to reach a certain level to use some of the weapons. For instance, you’ll need a Marine level 6 to equip the M39-U Submachine Gun.

• Marine Class – Some guns require your marines to be of a specific class, like the M56 Smart Gun, which can only be equipped by a Gunner.

• Cost – Lastly, once you meet the above criteria, you’ll have to spend credits in order to unlock the weapon. For example, the M5 RPG Launcher costs 200 credits.

All Weapons in Aliens: Dark Descent

Primary Weapon

M41E3 Heavy Pulse Rifle 

Ammo Per Burst – 1

Burst Length – 1 second

Clip size – 125

Cost – 200 Credits

Damage – 2

Dismemberment % – 0.6

Reload – 4 seconds

M41 Pulse Rifle

Ammo Per Burst – 1

Burst Length– 0.75 seconds

Clip size – 100

Damage – 1-2

Dismemberment % – 0.5

Reload –  3 seconds

Skill – U1 Grenade Launcher

M56 Smart Gun 

Ammo Per Burst – 1

Burst Length – 1 second

Class – Gunner

Clip size – 150

Cost – 200 Credits

Damage – 1-2

Dismemberment % – 0.3

Reload –  5 seconds

XM99A1 Phased Plasma Pulse Rifle

Ammo Per Burst – 1

Burst Length – 1 second

Clip size – 100

Cost – 300 Credits

Damage – 2-3

Dismemberment % – 0.5

Reload –  3 seconds

Skill – Overloaded Plasma Beam

Secondary Weapon

M4A3 Service Pistol 

Ammo Per Burst – 1

Burst Length – 0.5 seconds

Clip size – 12

Damage – 1-1

Dismemberment % – 0.25

Reload –  1.5 seconds

M39-U Submachine Gun 

Ammo Per Burst – 1

Burst Length – 0.6 seconds

Class – Level 6 Marine

Clip size – 48

Cost – 200 Credits

Damage -1-1

Dismemberment % – 0.25

Reload –  2 seconds

SA .357 Revolver 

Ammo Per Burst – 1

Burst Length – 1.5 seconds

Clip size – 6

Damage – 1-3

Dismemberment % – 0.9

Reload –  1.5 seconds

Special Weapons

M240 Incinerator Unit 

Area Burning Duration – 30 seconds

Burst – 3 seconds

Damage – 5 to15 / second

Enemy Burning Duration – 4 seconds

Range – 5 to 15 meters

Skill – Incineration 

M5 RPG Launcher 

Cost – 200 Credits

Range – 45 meters

Inner Blast Radius – 0 to 1 meter

Inner Blast Damage – 80-120

Outer Blast Radius – 1 to 2 meters

Outer Blast Damage – 20-30

Inner and outer blast dismemberment % – 1 

M37A2 Pump Shotgun 

Short Range – 0 to 6 meters

Short Range damage – 10-20

Short Range dismemberment % – 30

Medium Range – 6 to 12 meters

Medium Range damage – 5-10

Medium Range dismemberment % – 15

Skill – Shotgun Blast 

GEM-80 Mine 

Activation Radius – 2.5 meters

Cost – 100 Credits

Class – Level 2 Marine

Inner Blast Radius – 0 to 3 meters

Inner Blast Damage – 20-35

Outer Blast Radius – 3 to 6 meters

Outer Blast Damage – 15-30

Inner and outer blast dismemberment % – 50

Skill – Mine 

M42A3 Sniper Rifle 

Cast Duration – 1 second

Class – Recon

Cost – 100 Credits

Damage –  35

Range – 80 meters

Skill – Precision Shot

How to earn XP and Level Up Faster in Aliens: Dark Descent?

Here are some activities that grant you XP in the game. Follow them exactly, as any deviations only increase the difficulty and offer no extra benefits:

How to Gain XP on the Field

• Complete Primary and Secondary Objectives – Finishing any objective will grant you XP.

• Stick to Objectives during missions – When you’re doing a civilian or synth extraction mission, only extract the individual(s) mentioned in the mission. Extracting random people or synths won’t earn you any extra XP. You’ll end up with a clean conscience and probably a hundred deaths, but no in-game progression.

• Surviving Onslaught Phases – You won’t gain any XP by mass-killing Xenos. Once you receive an Onslaught message and pull through the Onslaught phase, you will earn that precious XP. So avoid going all Rambo straight out of the gate and save your ammo for the big fights that matter.

• Boss Encounters – Any and all boss encounters grant you XP.

How to gain XP at the Base

Undergoing Intensive Training – Go to Barracks > Training Room to see the list of all your marines. Individuals with a dumbbell sign beside their name are in intensive training and earn 2x XP per day. However, the marines are exhausted at the end of the intensive training. They also cannot be healed or sent on a mission during the training, so choose wisely.

Note: You cannot put any of the main characters through intensive training. Also, be careful not to click on a name twice, as it will instantly end the training. The marine would have gained nothing but would end up exhausted nonetheless.

Next Day Event (Rare) – Head to the Command Deck and click on Next Day. There is no guarantee, but sometimes clicking on the button leads to an event that’ll grant your Marines XP. It’s only a small amount, but every bit counts. However, this method is inconsistent and probably a bug that may be patched in a later update.

Aliens: Dark Descent, an RTS game, is the latest member to join this ever-increasing collection of horrors. In this guide, we’ll be revealing how many chapters there are and how much time you should reserve in order to finish this title.

Aliens: Dark Descent Chapters

Including the Prologue, there are a total of 13 chapters in the game, each containing several primary and secondary objectives.

How long to beat Aliens: Dark Descent?

Depending on the overall difficulty setting, experience, and playstyle, the completion of the game can take somewhere between 13-30 hours.

The tutorials require about 30 minutes, and each of the objectives thereafter takes somewhere between 25 minutes and an hour.

For an average player focusing solely on the main objectives, you’ll be done in about 13-15 hours. However, if you’re a completionist, then finishing the entire game can take more than 30 hours.

Before that, please be advised that the following methods are to be used at the sole discretion of the system owner. GamingBolt or its staff members take no responsibility for problems or issues that may occur from trying the below. Remember that official support is always the best support.

PC Requirements

You’ll need a 64-bit CPU and operating system (Windows 10 or 11) to run the game regardless of your configuration. DirectX 12 and 60 GB of installation space is also required.

Minimum (1080p/30 FPS, Low Settings)

• CPU: AMD FX-6300 / Intel Core i3-6100
• RAM: 8 GB RAM
• GPU: AMD Radeon R9 380 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 (3 GB VRAM)

Recommended (1080p/60 FPS, Epic Settings)

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X / Intel Core i7-9700K
• RAM: 16 GB RAM
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 (6 GB VRAM)
• Additional Notes: A solid-state drive is recommended.

Crashes

One of the major issues in Aliens: Dark Descent on PC is crashes. First, you want to ensure your GPU drivers are up to date. Use either AMD or Nvidia’s dedicated programs (like GeForce Experience) for this, or download the latest drivers directly from their latest websites.

Next, you can verify the integrity of your files. Right-click on the game in your Steam Library and select Properties. Select Installed Files and then the “Verify this game’s files are installed correctly.” If there are any corrupted or missing files, they’ll be re-downloaded.

Another method is to open the Properties menu and go to the General tab. Look for Launch Options and paste “-USEALLAVAILALECORES.” It should improve stability, but crashes aren’t eliminated. You can also launch the game in windowed mode by adding “-WINDOWED” – just ensure there’s a space between both commands. To switch to full-screen mode, hit Alt + Enter while in-game. You can also limit the frame rate to 60 FPS in-game to improve stability.

Marines Stuck “Interacting”

One major bug that can occur is that your Marines will be stuck “interacting” with something. They can interact with objects but can’t use skills or even shoot their weapon. Even worse, you can’t heal them – a death sentence in a game with permadeath. The only workaround for this currently is to reload a previous save. Aliens: Dark Descent only saves at certain points, like when you find a room to rest or when completing specific objectives. As a result, some progress is lost if you have to reload.

Marines Stuck Inside Objects

An even more annoying bug is when a Marine unit is stuck in an object. While reloading from a previous save will fix this, it has to be a save before they get stuck. If they’re stuck and you hit a checkpoint after, say, a pitched firefight, and don’t have a save from before that, then the unit is effectively gone. Expect this to be addressed in a patch, but in the meantime, be especially careful.

Aliens: Dark Descent is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

Note: Given the wide range of PC hardware available, some of the fixes mentioned here may or may not work for you. However, it’s worth giving them a shot since these have worked for some players.

Aliens: Dark Descent puts players in charge of a squad of colonial marines as they explore the planet of Lethe in the hunt for supplies and Xenomorph activities under the stresses the Cerberus Protocol preventing ships from leaving the planet.

Among the enemies players will fight in Aliens: Dark Descent are the iconic Xenomorphs themselves, as well as rogue operatives from ultra-capitalistic megacorp Weyland-Yutani, as well as new creatures making their debut in the Alien setting.

Gameplay revolves around players carefully sweeping large levels as they look for supplies and clues, while at the same time trying to manage their dwindling ammunition as they try and fight off hordes of Xenomorphs. Stealth is an important aspect of the gameplay as well, forcing players to hide out from horde attacks.

Aliens: Dark Descent features a story-focused campaign that will see players returning to the same map for multiple objectives. For more details, here’s everything you need to know about the game.

As the latest story trailer reveals, someone (most likely Barbara Pryce, the colony director for Weyland-Yutani) wants to leverage the Xenomorphs for revenue and medicinal purposes. Pioneer Station deputy administrator Maeko Hayes doesn’t want that, but the Cerberus Protocol prevents ships from leaving the planet. As such, Hayes must work with Sergeant Jonas Harper and his squad of Colonial Marines to survive.

Aliens: Dark Descent is out on June 20th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox One. Check out more details about the experience here, from its strategy gameplay to the persistent world. There’s also permadeath if you fail to save any Marines.