One of the things that Aliens: Fireteam Elite does really well is adding variety to its source material, with variety being a prerequisite to the game’s live service model. The game takes the atmosphere and detailed fictional setting of Aliens and stratifies it into many diverse aspects and moving parts. For example, the memorable jarheads from the original movie are represented in Aliens: Fireteam Elite through its five playable classes, which are all drastically different in gameplay and the tools available to them. Here is a breakdown of all playable classes in Aliens: Fireteam Elite.
Demolisher
The Demolisher is a very fun class and one that can single-handedly turn the tide of a fight. Both of their abilities hit in large areas of effect, providing strong damage and crowd control.
- Active ability 1: Micro Rockets – Aim and launch a barrage of rockets which deal heavy damage and stumble enemies. This ability has a short windup period during which you can aim where you want to hit.
- Active ability 2: Blastwave – Damage and knock back all enemies around you.
- Passive ability: Clear The Room – Activating either ability grants a number of CTR stacks equal to the number of enemies hit +1. Your weapon damage is increased by 2.5% per stack for 15 seconds. Subsequent ability use replaces the previous stack total rather than refreshing it, which means you should stagger your abilities and always aim to hit as many targets as possible.
- Weapons: Rifles and heavy weapons.
Gunner
The Gunner is a self-sufficient and flexible Aliens: Fireteam Elite class that doesn’t take much brainwork to play, but nonetheless rewards good accuracy.
- Active ability 1: Overlock – Increase the rate of fire and reload speed of your weapons and those of your squadmates for a short period. Using Overclock makes you run through your ammo reserves fast, and is best saved for when your squad is near a supply crate.
- Active ability 2: Frag Grenade – It’s a grenade.
- Passive ability: Stay On Target – Each instance of weapon damage increases your damage output by 2%. This bonus stacks up to 10 times and quickly depletes when you’re not dealing damage. You can see your current number of stacks next to your crosshairs. Note, that the damage stacks apply only to firearms, and not ability damage or consumables. Use fully automatic weapons with decent accuracy to get the most out of Stay On Target.
- Weapons: Rifles and close quarters weapons.
Technician
Technicians are perhaps the single most important class in Aliens: Fireteam Elite. Without at least one Technician on your team to control the battlefield, many of the engagements in the game become a bigger problem than they need to be.
- Active ability 1: Sentry Turret – Deploy an autonomous turret which fires on enemies within range. Facing doesn’t matter, as turrets automatically rotate 360 degrees to acquire targets. Sentry Turrets can be destroyed, and enemies will often aggro on them. Unlike consumable Turrets, Technicians’ Turrets never run out of ammo, and can be picked up, instantly resetting the ability’s cooldown. Tapping the ability button while a Turret is deployed destroys it instantly and puts in cooldown, which is useful if you don’t want to run back to pick it up.
- Active ability 2: Charged Coils – Toss a spike which lodges into terrain (or opponents) and continuously shocks all enemies in a small radius around it, damaging and slowing them. Spiking a heavy enemy is a great way to ensure they are permanently slowed, as the spike will stay with them until they are killed. This ability is devastating against Synthetic enemies. Luckily, the Coils deal no friendly fire damage, even when tossed into bodies of water. They also don’t damage environmental hazards like barrels.
- Passive ability: Cross-Platform Synergy – All marines standing near a Turret have 10% damage resistance, and your Turret self-repairs 5% of its max HP every second while you stand near it. Huddle up.
- Weapons: Handguns and close quarters weapons.
Doc
The support class in Aliens: Fireteam Elite is essential if you are playing with Synthetics, or if you want to finish a mission with a zero-downs Challenge Card.
- Active ability 1: Trauma Station – Deploy a device which continuously heals allies standing in its area of effect. The device can be picked up, and has a limited supply of healing energy which does not recharge over time.
- Active ability 2: Combat Stims – Buff every member of the fireteam for a short period, granting them 30% Stamina regeneration, 15% movement speed, and 50% weapon accuracy and stability.
- Passive ability: Field Medic – Your ability cooldown is 15% faster for each nearby ally. Picking up an Aid Kit restores a portion of your Trauma Station’s healing energy.
- Weapons: Rifles and handguns.
Recon
The Recon class is unlocked automatically when you complete the Aliens: Fireteam Elite campaign.
- Active ability 1: PUPS – Release a drone which marks enemies around you lowers their damage output by 20%.
- Active ability 2: Support Drone – Deploy a stationary drone which replenishes nearby marines’ ammo and increases their weapon accuracy and stability by 20%. Additionally, Supported marines heal a small amount of health on every kill.
- Passive ability: Focus – Scoring two headshots within a ten second window grants you 10% bonus weapon accuracy and stability. This effect can stack up to three times. In case you are wondering, higher accuracy reduces the weapon’s innate imprecision, making shots land closer to your crosshair’s center, and higher stability reduces your weapon’s kick, making it easier to control.
- Weapons: Rifles and close quarters weapons.
On a final note, all Aliens: Fireteam Elite classes have teachable perks unlocked in their grid, which can be used by other classes. For example, playing as a Demolisher will eventually unlock the Demolisher Rifle Training perk, which you can then use with any other class that uses Rifles.
