For the final season of content concluding year 1 of Aliens: Fireteam Elite, Cold Iron Studios has brought in the big guns for the most significant update yet. Season 4 featuring long awaited crossplay functionality is now live across all platforms.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since the launch of AFE. Today we’re bringing our Year One Roadmap to a close with the launch of Season 4. It feels like just yesterday we were releasing the game and waiting to see how all of you would react to it. We’ve listened to your feedback and the team at Cold Iron has worked hard to fix issues, add new features, and create additional content for AFE. We’re proud of the shape it’s in today, and Season 4 is a huge part of that. I’m especially excited about crossplay! That’s one feature we’ve heard you loud and clear on and we’ve been working hard to get it in the game. We’re looking forward to seeing you all enjoy the new content and playing together across all platforms!
– Head of Studio Craig Zinkievich”
Crossplay is just a bit of what’s new here, and Cold Iron has released a Deep Dive article featuring their staff breaking down and offering insight into all that’s gone into this update. The free update also includes a new horde game mode: restock turrets, as well as the ability to prestige your classes past their max rank to unlock new outfits & head accessories, weapon shaders, and nameplates. The prestige ranks wont have any effect on the combat rating stats of your classes.
Four new weapons are ready to be acquired for your arsenals through in-game earned requisition credits, as well as additional cosmetics and emotes:
- CQW – M51 Breaching Scattergun: Early uses of the M51 were as both a breaching weapon and as a suppression device that could incapacitate large crowds where the wielder was under close threat. The double-shot burst results in wide coverage but minimal accuracy beyond very close range.
- Hand Gun – DKT-59 Misha: The Misha, or “Little Bear,” is modeled after the Medved and follows the same principles of devastating short range stopping power with frequent reloading.
- Heavy – P.649 HEL: Only recently released by Weyland-Yutani’s experimental branch, the Project 649 High-Energy Laser is a fully weaponized variable-charge energy weapon. Highly accurate at long range, it brings a new form of combat to the standard Heavy Weapons Platform of the UACM.
- Rifle – SVAT-92 Sokol: One of the only fully automatic Sniper Rifles to be approved for military service, the Sokol is effective at dealing with multiple threats from a distance. While it lacks the single target stopping power of traditional sniper rifles, it can also act as a medium-range Battle Rifle in a pinch.
The new game mode is a play on Horde within a new section of the Katanga refinery. Players will have to make sure pre-placed heavy turrets are kept supplied with ammunition, but you’ll only have a limited amount and the Xenos will be coming from all sides so they’ll need to be stocked strategically.
Unlike the original Horde Mode where you rely on what you’ve brought with you, in Restock Turrets the Colonial Marines have already set up a defensive perimeter of turrets near the pinnacle of Likasi Tower. Turret ammo drops as you progress, and there’s not a lot to go around, so you’ll need to make strategic decisions on which areas to support. The Xenomorphs come from all angles, too, so you have to keep on your toes! I like to keep some turret ammo in reserve during the earlier waves so that later, when the pressure’s on, the turrets have my back.
– Kris DeMeza
New challenge cards have been added, cards can now be used in the extra game modes, and unwanted cards can also be recycled to create new ones using the Fabrication Reprocessor.
The premium DLC cosmetics include the Weyland-Yutani’s APEsuit Mk.3 and Seegson Maintenance overalls for all classes. These are included for Deluxe Edition owners or can be purchased on their own in the Frontier Freelancer Pack for $9.99/£7.99 [Steam, PlayStation, Xbox]
Head on over to Cold Iron’s Deep Dive article for even more information on all that’s been added.
We’re curious about if we’ll be seeing another roadmap released detailing a year 2, but following this update, fans also have Pathogen, the first new story content update to Aliens: Fireteam Elite to look forward to at the end of next month!
The full patch notes can be seen here.
Make sure to keep a close eye on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest intel on Aliens: Fireteam! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums!
Does it even go over 100 like in Hunting Grounds? I'm currently at 15.
I do like the prestige ranking though.
On the matter of Fireteam Elite, can anyone enlighten me, solo story campaign, is there one? I like the odd bit of co op but I'm hankering for a good story mode to get lost in, been that way since Alien Isolation