If you have already beaten the story campaign of Aliens: Fireteam Elite, you may be eager to dive into the Horde mode. In this game mode, a squad of marines has to survive wave after wave of increasingly more numerous and dangerous xenomorphs. Players cannot take any Challenge cards into Horde mode, but they can use their consumables and are also given resources in between waves to purchase more consumables. We’re going to break down the best classes and consumables to bring in the Aliens: Fireteam Elite Horde mode and share some survival tips to ensure you make it as far as possible.
Best Aliens: Fireteam Elite classes for Horde mode
While each playable class in the game can carry their team through the campaign, not all classes are equal in Horde mode. To be clear, your odds of success are much higher if you go into the Alines: Fireteam Elite Horde mode with this exact composition: one Recon, one Technician, and one Demolisher. The Recon gives their team constant logistical support in the form of ammo, healing, and vision of the enemy — they are their fireteam’s crux. The Technician controls and thins out the incoming swarm with their abilities, and provides passive damage resistance to squadmates. And the Demolisher demolishes, wiping out smaller enemies en masse and knocking back any larger xenos that get too close.
You can substitute the Demolisher for a Gunner, since the increased fire rate and reload speed for their entire squad is almost as useful as the Demolisher’s crowd control abilities. However, the Doc class is simply not optimal for the Aliens: Fireteam Elite Horde mode, so you can safely leave your medic on the Endeavor. There is also no value in doubling up on the same class because their passive ability buffs will not stack.
Loadout and consumables
Unlike your squad composition, you have almost complete freedom in how you build your loadout for Horde mode. There are very few weapons, consumables, or kit perks that won’t be useful in this mode. You can bring almost any loadout into the Aliens: Fireteam Elite Horde mode and thrive with it. Nonetheless, there are some general pointers that might help you out.
- The Recon player should take the Painkillers perk, which grants 10% damage resistance to players within range of the Support Drone. They should also add ability cooldown and duration perks to their kit, rather than weapon buffs. This is because their abilities are more of a factor in Horde mode than their weapons.
- The exact opposite is true for the Demolisher player, who should equip multiple weapon buff perks in order to multiply their Clear The Room passive. This tip is not just for Horde mode, and will also help you out in the Aliens: Fireteam Elite campaign mode.
- The Technician should take the Disruptive Technology perk, which reduces the damage output of enemies affected by Charged Coils by a whopping 25%.
- One member of the team should take the Bedside Manner perk, which increases downed players’ Bleedout Time by 25%. This one perk can sometimes salvage your entire Horde mode run.
- The best weapon attachments for Horde mode are Quickloader magazine (refill 10% of the magazine on kill), Miller Twist Rifling (20% chance to halve the target’s movement speed on hit), High Velocity Brake (+5% stumble chance on hit), and Holo Sight (+5% stumble chance on hit).
- Sniper rifles aren’t a good idea, and neither are Full Scope optics.
- Don’t hesitate to use consumables — the Horde mode rewards are worth it. However, you should save your Mines and special issue Rounds for later waves when the enemies are stronger and more numerous. If your squad’s Demolisher is using a Smartgun, the best consumable for them is Incendiary Rounds.
Tips and tactics
Controlled ability use is the key to surviving the Aliens: Fireteam Elite Horde mode. The Recon player has the most impact on the squad’s success, and they need to use their abilities as soon as they are off cooldown. Their PUPS drone not only shows everyone where to concentrate their fire, but also reveals Spitters behind cover, and shows the Technician where to throw their Charged Coils. The Technician needs watch over their Sentry Turret, and stick incoming heavy enemies with their personal Coils to keep them slowed.
The Demolisher playstyle in Horde mode is the most reactive, with most of their time spent gunning down the incoming swarm and unleashing Micro Rockets to keep their CTR stacks up. As a Demolisher, you need to hold onto your Blastwave until you need to use it to give your squad some breathing room. Also make sure to sit in your Recon’s Support Drone radius whenever able, since as a Demolisher you are prone to running out of ammo more frequently.
As a general rule, players shouldn’t split up too much. Huddle around deployable abilities to have the best chance of surviving in the Aliens: Fireteam Elite Horde mode. Focus fire on enemies that would normally force you to split up (like Bursters and Spitters) and you will be just fine. Assuming consistent ability use and good positioning, all players should benefit from the following:
- Incoming damage reduced by 10-65% at all time.
- A full magazine worth of ammo every 30-40 seconds.
- 20% bonus weapon Accuracy and Stability roughly 50% of the time.
- Slight healing on kill roughly 50% of the time.
- Incoming xenos are revealed, slowed, and easy to take down.
On a final note, you should stay near (and not behind) deployed turrets to protect them from being destroyed early. This is especially true for the Technician’s Sentry Turret, which provides various passive benefits to everyone around it. However, don’t hesitate to run behind a turret if you are on the brink of death. It will likely draw enemy aggro onto itself, giving you a few precious moments to heal up.
