TL;DR<\/p>
- \n
- Pick one of the five base classes first \u2014 Specialist is an endgame class you build out of the others, so there's nothing to assemble it from on day one.<\/li>\n
- The campaign runs 15 missions across four biomes and six chapters: Prologue, Rescue and Recovery, Boarding Party, Rock Bottom, Ancient Anomaly, and Final Endeavor.<\/li>\n
- Casual, Standard and Intense are open from the start. Extreme and Insane are expected to unlock after the campaign, the same way they did in the first game, but Cold Iron hasn't officially confirmed that for the sequel yet.<\/li>\n
- Bots fill empty squad slots, so soloing the campaign works fine \u2014 but Horde mode has its own maps and is available from day one, and it's the thing most new players quietly put off.<\/li>\n
- Squads cap at four players with crossplay across Steam, Epic, Xbox and PS5.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"What Determines Your First Class Pick in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n
Fireteam Elite<\/a> 2 launches with six class paths, but only five of them are actually choosable from the character menu on day one. Players can choose one from several character classes: Duelist, Machinist, Marauder, Hunter, Medic. The sixth, Specialist, isn't a starting option at all \u2014 it's built by combining abilities, perks and weapon options unlocked from the other five classes as you level them. There's nothing to pull from until those classes exist on your account, which is exactly why it sits outside the initial pick. Cold Iron has talked about the Specialist publicly as a way to increase squad-level coordination rather than as a straightforward seventh damage dealer, describing it as a tool to introduce added flexibility for coordinating with teammates rather than a fixed role.<\/p>\n\n
For a deeper breakdown of what each of the six classes brings to a squad, the full class comparison<\/a> covers builds and perks in more detail than a first-hours guide needs to. If you gravitate toward the explosive-damage playstyle specifically, there's also a dedicated look at the Duelist rework<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Class"},{"header_text":"What it does in the squad"},{"header_text":"Take it first?"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Duelist"},{"cell_text":"Rifle-focused damage dealer built around sustained fire and mobility"},{"cell_text":"Yes \u2014 the most forgiving starting pick for learning gunplay"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Marauder"},{"cell_text":"Explosives and heavy ordnance for clearing swarms"},{"cell_text":"Fine, but demands more squad awareness once friendly fire turns on"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Machinist"},{"cell_text":"Turrets and area denial, holds a lane without constant babysitting"},{"cell_text":"Good solo pick since deployables cover for a slower AI teammate"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Hunter"},{"cell_text":"Precision and target marking against armored threats"},{"cell_text":"Workable first pick if you like methodical engagements"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Medic"},{"cell_text":"Team sustain \u2014 revives, healing, keeping the squad upright"},{"cell_text":"More valuable once you're in a full four-player squad than solo"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Specialist"},{"cell_text":"Custom hybrid built from unlocked abilities of the other five classes"},{"cell_text":"No \u2014 unavailable until the base classes are leveled"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"How the Campaign Is Structured: Missions, Biomes and Chapters","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n
The campaign is fifteen missions spread across four biomes, organized into six chapters: Prologue, Rescue and Recovery, Boarding Party, Rock Bottom, Ancient Anomaly, and Final Endeavor. That's the whole main-story path \u2014 no branching campaigns to pick between, just one route that gets harder and stranger as it goes through each biome. You'll return to the hub ship between missions to buy gear and manage your loadout; before each mission, players can explore the spaceship the USS Endeavor where they can purchase new items from vendors and customize their player avatar.<\/p>\n
![\"Aliens](\"https:\/\/shared.akamai.steamstatic.com\/store_item_assets\/steam\/apps\/3448650\/17ebf7c36f98ef79b18d2e158c78937d4beffb43\/ss_17ebf7c36f98ef79b18d2e158c78937d4beffb43.1920x1080.jpg?t=1787772466\")
<\/figure>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Step-by-Step: First Hours Walkthrough","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"steps","intro":"Follow this sequence to get it done fast.","steps":[{"title":"Pick a base class, not Specialist","description":"Duelist or Machinist are the two easiest starting points since one is straightforward rifle damage and the other handles solo play well through turrets.","image":null},{"title":"Run the Prologue on Casual or Standard","description":"this is where you learn movement, cover, and how the four damage types interact with different enemy types before anything punishes a mistake.","image":null},{"title":"Clear Rescue and Recovery and Boarding Party","description":"these two chapters introduce most of the enemy roster you'll fight for the rest of the campaign, so treat them as the real tutorial.","image":null},{"title":"Bump to Intense once friendly fire stops being a surprise","description":"if you can already avoid clipping teammates with explosives and shotguns on Standard, Intense adds threat without changing the fundamentals much.","image":null},{"title":"Try a Horde run on Standard before finishing the campaign","description":"it uses its own maps and is unlocked from launch, so there's no reason to wait for endgame to see how it plays.","image":null},{"title":"Push through Rock Bottom, Ancient Anomaly and Final Endeavor","description":"these close out the fifteen-mission campaign and are the gate for whatever comes after, once Extreme and Insane are actually confirmed live.","image":null}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Where New Players Lose Time in the Early Game","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n