ADVANCED TACTICS

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

The most important decision you can make is what you drop with. A mission may be impossible, or at least very difficult, to win if you make the wrong choice of EXO, weapon, or both. There is no magic combination that works equally well for all missions, however there are some good rules of thumb:

  • Rescue -> Light or Medium EXO

  • Escort -> Light or Medium EXO and always drop with a passenger sled

  • Nest Purge -> Medium or Heavy EXO (generally with a sled)

  • Data Troves -> Light EXO for most, but Heavy (with a sled) for some

Single players should stick with Sniper Rifle and HMG weapons, especially when starting out. The Grenade Launcher and Howitzer are designed for team play.

Know When To Leave

If you find yourself thinking “I made a mistake” with what you dropped with, the best thing to do is abandon the mission. You don’t get penalized for leaving early, but you do face a large charge to restore your skills if the bugs get you.

Remember, you are a mercenary! There’s no shame in admitting a battle is not worth it to your bank account. When you return to the ship use your new found wisdom to select a different combination and try again. Your employers are desperate for help, so it’s not like nobody will hire you after running away.

Avoid Commanders

It is possible to kill a Commander with any weapon, including the Sniper Rifle. The thing is, there’s probably more than one and by the time you kill the first a second or third might appear. It’s better to run and live to fight another day.

Cannons and Howitzers are a different story! If you have one at your disposal, then it is smart to prioritize taking down Commanders.

Ammo Management

Some missions require a lot of ammo in order to win, in particular Nest Purges. It is important to recognize the point when you don’t have enough ammo to finish the mission and move to Resupply before the situation is critical.

To reload, grab an ammo can with your grip and put your hand to your body or that of a teammate and release the grip. Machinegun Turrets can also be reloaded if they survive long enough.

Ammo cans stowed with Cannons can be used by EXOs. Cans can also be carried long distances if you keep your grips pressed. Light EXOs are excellent at resupplying teammates using this technique.

Fight On The Bounce

Many combat situations are improved by getting above your targets, especially when there’s too many to easily handle. Medium and Heavy EXOs can even land on top of bugs and generally jet back into the air before taking more than one hit. Don’t try this with a Light EXO because being wrong means being dead!

Experiment and find how jump jets work best for you. Just remember that your jump jets need time to recharge, so don’t use your jets to get into a situation you can’t jet out of.

Bugs Can’t Climb (much)

Some missions have large rocks or buildings that you can jet onto and be safe from ground combat. This allows you opportunities to thin out a cluster of bugs or recover from combat damage. Since standing on things is not a mission objective you’ll eventually have to move, however as a temporary move it can make the difference between mission success and failure.

Breachers Don’t Hold Back

If you see a hoard of bugs with a Breacher nearby, move towards it while making sure you have lots of jump jet energy stored up. Get near enough to the Breacher to set off its self-detonation charge process, then immediately jet away as far as your jets will take you. A single Breacher can take out a couple dozen closely packed Soldiers, though it won’t do much against a Commander.

Just remember that if you time things wrong, start out with damage, don’t have enough jump capacity, or are just unlucky… this move might be the last one you do for that mission.