Welcome, Marines. You made it through Basic Training so your days of being screamed at by drill instructors are over. This is the Basic Infantry School and my job is to prepare you for the difficult task ahead. I will arm you with tactics and methods learned through countless battles fought by the Marines who came before you. If you learn these and apply them your chances of completing your missions and surviving will dramatically increase. Let's dive in.

[EDIT 2017-Jan-7: Guide begins with basics and then progresses to advanced concepts]

Mission prep is everything. Before you deploy you should review three primary items: Weapons, Armor Configuration, and Mission Parameters.

You have five weapon options available. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks. Select the one that most closely matches your fighting style.

• Rifle: The classic. Solid all-around weapon
  
• Razor: High rage of fire, low damage-per bullet. High recoil. Consider it like a submachine gun. Poor ammo efficiency.
  
• Shotgun: Brutal at close range, high alpha-strike damage, forgiving of imprecise aim. Loses effectiveness at longer ranges in open spaces, though ricochet effects can make it surprisingly useful at range in tight corridors.
  
• Hammer(2) and (4): Powerful alpha damage, high accuracy. Requires more precise aim than shotguns.

[EDIT 2017-Jan-06 credit to Zombian] All weapons knock back enemies and Marines to some degree. The Razor has the highest overall knockback, followed by the shotgun, the rifle, and then the hammer weapons, in that order.

[EDIT 2019-08-02 by BustedHipGaming] All weapons have an ammo display. From top to bottom it displays"

• Your "science score" increased by bringing scientists safely from their panic rooms to your escape pod.
  
• Your current ammo type. From weakest to strongest are LIGHT, MEDIUM, HEAVY, ULTRA. Each brings an increase in damage-per-projectile and a decrease in rate-of-fire. This means ammo improvements increase alpha strike damage and ammo efficiency. More on that later.
  
• Current ammo available
  
• Maximum ammo load

Marine armor can be configured to match your gender. Additionally the HUD can be customized for improved battle performance. Adjusting your preferences in the following manner will increase your combat effectiveness:

• Show Helmet: Off (Improves field of view)
  
• Infravision Style: Predator (highest contrast for easiest alien spotting)
  
• Minimized HUD text: On (text updates do not block screen)
  
• Show aiming reticle: ON (improves snap shooting)
  
• Gibs Smoke: OFF (smoke osbscures view)
  
• Blood drips: OFF (blood obscures view)
  
• FOV Effects Intensity: leftmost setting (effects obscure view)
  
• Muzzle Flare Intensity: leftmost setting (muzzle flare obscures view)

When viewing the Missions Board in the ready room you'll be able to see which infested hulks and stations are slated for clearing. As a newly deployed Marine your weapons and armor will be of the most basic variety. Undertaking the most difficult missions is not recommended. At the start of your career look for [set advanced configuration to] the following parameters:

Under OPTIONS:

• Audio Preferences: adjust volume to your liking. Set STINGERS to ON (plays an attention-grabbing noise when aliens are in "about to bite you" proximity) and PREFERRED MUSIC to ADRENALINE (easy-to-digest military style music that helps make it clear when aliens are in the vicinity)

• Seed: Explicit (lets you choose a hexidecimal value for the map and displays the map layout, letting you plan strategy before launching the mission, including locations of doors, fences, breaches, the reactor room, etc.) Using the same value repeatedly allows you to repeat a map if you choose, trying different strategies and allowing you to learn to cope with different tactical situations.
  
• Plan: Corridors (Breaches normally appear only at the ends of corridors, allowing you to practice strategies for coping with standard breaches (discussed further in this guide.)
  
• Infestation: None (allows clear view of door and fence controls)
  
• Doors: More (more defenses for you to use)
  
• Fences: More (more defenses for you to use)
  
• Invert Barriers: On (swaps doors and fences, meaning fences will always be present at the ends of corridors and at intersections, allowing you to easily set up solid defenses at those points)
  
• Rooms: Filled (turns any rooms but the reactor room into corridors, fewer places for you to get ambushed from the side).
  
• Rules: Salvage (only other option is deathmatch)
  
• Sentries: On (more defenses for you to use)
  
• Power Start: On (Everything works at mission start)
  
• Random Breaches: Off (allows straightforward sweep-and-clear tactics)
  
• Astro-Creeps: Off (Astro-Creeps are dangerous)
  
• Difficulty: Hard or lower (determines spawn frequency and rate)
  
• Power Failures: None (keeps the lights on while you learn)

You and your squad mates, if any, arrive in a boarding pod and enter the derelict through an air lock. This point of entry is also your evacuation point. Once you board it will seal behind you to prevent Xeno infiltration into your escape craft. It will not unlock until mission completion, so failure is not an option.

The over-arching thing to remember is that missions are not about killing Xenos. They are won or lost based almost entirely on whether you, or the aliens, control acess to the ship. It is with this in mind that we begin discussing the actual tactical doctrines that your brother and sister marines have fought and died to learn.

[Section suggested by TYZONE]
Your armor protects you from damage and provides you with various combat abilities and tactical intelligence. As of 2017-Jan-6 these include, along the top of the HUD:

Map upgrades detailing which objects you can detect and track
Battery indicators
Night vision indicators
Ammo capacity
Motion tracker
Unlocked pathing guide

Along the bottom your HUD displays:
Radar minimap
Distance-to-objective
Distance-to-nearest-Xeno

All of these items can be disabled when your armor takes damage, and all can be restored at repair stations. By using the 2, 3, and 4 keys you can bring up various forms of split screen, allowing you to monitor squad mates. This allows you to keep tabs on fellow Marines and see their upgrades. That can be vital if one marine has a pathing upgrade (say, back to the airlock) that is necessary at the moment. It lets the squad know who has critical information, and who to follow to reach objectives.

The corridors in the derelict ships are narrow. At most, if one Marine stays to the left in a corridor and one stays to the right, they can reliably fire past each other to engage enemies down range (unless the Marine to the rear has a shotgun, in which case friendly fire will be a problem.)

Designate which Marine will be the left-side Marine and which will cover the right side. The right-side marine is responsible for opening doors as the element advances. The left-side Marine is responsible for closing doors behind the unit as necessary.

Traveling in pairs allows mutual support between two Marines without wasted firepower. Third and fourth Marines will generally not be able to fire without hitting teammates, at best being nothing more than glorified rear-guards.

A four-Marine squad traveling as two elements of two Marines each can cover more ground and fight more effectively than a four-Marine clump. Likewise, each two-Marine element will be safer than four Marines raiding the ship separately.

When moving out from the boarding capsule the first order of business is to establish a perimeter. One two-Marine element should turn left [EDIT suggested by TYZONE] and find the nearest point on the ship's perimeter, then imagine they must walk along the hall with one hand touching the left-hand-side at all times. This will lead that element in a path all the way around the outermost path possible around the ship. At the same time the remaining Marines should do the same thing following a right-hand path.

At each intersection each element should close any barriers (doors, laser fences) leading to the interior of the ship. They should also activate any sentry turrets. Assuming similar rates of progress, the elements will meet somewhere on the opposite end of the ship, having created a relatively safe space around the outer border of it, sealed off by doors and protected by sentries.

This creates an ever-present fallback position. If the fight goes poorly Marines can always retreat via the shortest route to the ship's outer edge, knowing they have established the best possible safe-zone there. It will give them a chance to regroup and form a plan to advance anew.

This strategy is particularly effective on Maze-layout ships, as they have a consistently square perimeter.

When you enter the ship you will see many objects with which you can interact. Your mission goal, to download cores, expose the reactor, and shut off the coolant, will provide you with lots of things to run toward and touch. Don't do it. Mission success is all about access: access to the ship, and access to you and your squad.

If you are moving down a hallway and spot a data core terminal do not stop to download it. Advance to the next door or laser fence and activate it, and then go back for the data core. Denying the Xenos access to you gives you the time you need to download data, repair your armor, or otherwise interact with terminals in peace. It is always preferable to operate terminals outside of combat than during a firefight.

If you enter a room in which are terminals you need to access, walk the perimeter of the room first and seal all entry points. Only access terminals once that has been done. Once again, having the opportunity to deal with all the terminals in the room in peace is preferable to doing it while engaged in combat.

Close all barriers (doors and laser fences) and activate all sentry turrets you encounter. The barriers will either slow the Xenos (doors) or stop them entirely by killing them as they try to pass through (laser fences). A laser fence blocking a breach effectively nullifies a breach as long as the power remains on.

By engaging all barriers and turrets you practice the harshest combination of active and passive area denial possible. It can be frustrating to open and close all those barriers whe moving about the ship, but surviving the mission is worth the extra effort.

Additionally, this strategy gives you tactical information you might not otherwise have. For example, the sound of a sentry firing in the distance tells you a breach is open and unsecured, and that Xenos are moving around the ship. Destroyed doors tell you what path the Xenos are using. A sentry that has run out of ammo tells you that it's in a high-xeno-traffic area and that you should be ready to fight.

In the end, though, remember that the missions are won and lost by controlling access. Doors, fences, and turrets are your tools for controlling access when your Marines are not present to deny access with direct fire.

There will be times when you need to be someplace on the other side of a breach. Breaches have a spawn rate, meaning that once Xenos appear, there is a set period of a few seconds during which that breach cannot spawn more aliens.

That means the best method for crossing that space is to get as close to it as you can without being instantly killed when aliens appear. Wait for the spawn and hose the aliens down with lead, killing them all. Sprint under the breach to the other side and turn to face it again. Wait for the next spawn and kill it. Back away till you reach a door, fence, or turret you can use to defend you from it. Activate that defense, and then continue with your mission.

Since laser fences are an absolute barrier against Xenos, and breaches normally appear only at the end of hallways, you can render a breach harmless most of the time. Simply locate the breach and fall back down the hallway till you find fences at all access points to that breach. Once they are active that breach is rendered harmless so long as the power remains on.

Sentries are useful but not without their flaws. Here's what you need to know.

They will target Xenos automatically but do not care if you or a squadmate are in the way. EDIT 2017-Jan-06, credit to TYZONE] They will emit a loud warning beep if a Marine is between the turret and a targeted Xeno. Their ricochets can also hurt you. Be cautious around them because turret friendly fire is a real threat to keep in mind.

They will not fire through doors or laser fences. If you want to create lanes of fire for them you will have to leave barriers open to allow the sentry to fire.

EDIT suggested by Kusaros 2017-Jan-06:] Turret shots cause KNOCKBACK. That means they can push you into aliens, push you into breaches, push you into laser fences, push large aliens into you, and create other hazards by moving Marines or Aliens in disadvantageous ways.

They have finite ammo reserves. Sentries only have 400 rounds. When it's gone it cannot be resupplied.

Sentry turrets are brutal against single aliens or packs of small ones; but large packs, or several large aliens, can be more than they can handle.

As the mission progresses your weapon will consume ammunition. It is always best to resupply with the best possible ammo type (green) unless the reduced rate of fire it comes with is a problem for your weapon. Try not to hoard all the green ammo on one Marine, however, because it is a finite resource and if that Marine dies the remaining squad mates cannot recover it from the lost Marine.

Your Marine's armor loses functions as it takes damage. Some of the first to go are radar, the distance-to-terminal indicator, and the ammo counter on your weapon. Much of the information those items provide is vital, so repairing your armor as soon as possible is vital.

After downloading all the data cores, exposing the reactor, and shutting down the coolant, your remaining task is to run to the boarding capsule and escape. Before turning off the final coolant your squad should make sure that the route back to the air lock is known and secured. Once the final coolant panel is turned off there is a very short amount of time for all Marines to get to the air lock, so getting lost or having to fight your way to it is unwise.

I hope these basic strategies and tactics have been helpful. Practice will always be your best tool for improvement, and will be fun as well. When you're comfortable with the game and ready for more challenge move on to the rest of the guide. To battle, Marines!

So, you've made it through some basic missions, killed some Xenos, blown some reactors, and made it home alive a few times? Well done. The Corps need battle-tested Marines to undertake missions only the most elite fighters can hope to complete. If you have what it takes, and the courage to volunteer for these missions, you'll need to update your skill set. The Advanced Infantry Training will build on much of what you have learned. It will modify some earlier lessons. It will toss some old doctrine out the airlock and teach you skills applicable to these new, more dangerous combat zones.

Welcome to AIT, Marines.

[EDIT 2017-Jan-07 My thanks to Steam user KKND for suggesting the addition of an advanced tactics section.]

Advanced Missions will have settings where the training wheels come off. Access them in the Advanced Settings menu. There will be three columns: SEED, PLAN, and RULES.

The seed list contains three options:

• Random - chooses a random hexidecimal number to generate a map and the location of map features like the airlock and terminals. Ensures a different layout each game.
  
• Explicit - allows you to specify an exact hexidecimal number to produce a specific map for your mission. Allows replay of a map for things like testing strategies, trying for better times, or competing with friends for faster mission completion.
  
• Randomize All - produces a completely random combination of map layout and mission settings with no information provided to the Marines. Provides the most tense mission experience because Marines go in wtih zero idea what they are facing.

The layout list has four options:

• Corridors - creates a map consisting almost entirely of single- or double-wide hallways plus a reactor room.
  
• Dungeons - creates a map consisting of hallways mixed with larger rooms plus a reactor room.
  
• Mazes - creates a very large, square, densely-populated map of intricate hallways, substantial rooms, plus a reactor room.
  
• MiniMazes - creates maps similar to Mazes, but approximately 1/4 as large.

Beneath the LAYOUT drop list are five options (six if Mazes or MiniMazes is selected):

• Infestation - determines how much, if any, alien crud covers the interior surfaces of the ship.
  
• Doors - determines frequency of doors in the ship.
  
• Fences - determines frequency of laser fences in the ship.
  
• Invert Barriers - changes doors to fences, and fences to doors.
  
• Rooms - determines if rooms are empty, are broken up by pillars to interrupt lines of sight, or are mostly filled in to turn them into glorified corridors.
  
• Extra Rooms - creates extra rooms by adding more open space tiles to the map.

The rules list has two options:

• Salvage - the standard game, which this guide addresses.
  
• Deathmatch - Shoot your friends. This guide does not address Deathmatch mode.

Beneath the rules list are six options:

• Sentries - determines if sentry turrets are present.
  
• Power Start - determines if the mission begins with power on or off.
  
• Random Breaches - determines if breaches appear only at ends of hallways, or can appear virtually anywhere.
  
• Astro-Creeps - determines whether Astro-Creeps, the little aliens that basically hug your face and blind you, are present or not.
  
• Difficulty - determines rate at which breaches appear, and rate at which breaches spawn Xenos.
  
• Power Failures - determines whether there will be power outages, and if so, their frequency, probability, and trigger circumstances.

The Options screen offers a bit more depth for improving your combat performance than detailed earlier in the guide. Some items remain the same. For example, you should keep the effects and muzzle flare turned to minimum, and the gibs smoke and blood drips turned off. Youshould also use minimized HUD text to keep giant messages from appearing in the middle of your display and blocking your view. There is no practical advantage to being blinded. It's also a good idea to keep the helmet view turned off to minimize visual distraction at the top and bottom of your field of vision.

Leave SHOW AIMING RETICLE on. In addition to helping you aim it serves another less obvious but vital function - as part of your HUD, when it disappears it is an obvious visual cue that you have taken armor damage when you may not otherwise realize you've taken a hit. Every bit of feedback you can get is useful.

On the other hand, a few options can be tweaked to your preference to give you just that little bit of an edge. Let's dig into that.

Preferred Music - this is the action music that plays whenever Xenos are near. There are a bunch of different songs and the default setting will choose different ones throughout the mission. This is sub-optimal because you want your reaction time to be as fast as possible. SBTF is a merciless game and fractions of a second count. When an audio cue is often your first indicator of approaching danger you need to react to it instantly.

Therefore, before going into your next match, go through the list and listen to all of the music tracks. Pick one that you really like and select it. That will make it the only track you hear in missions, so you get an incredibly valuable advantage: a CONSISTENT audio cue.

Your author is partial to the Adrenaline track because of the neat, military drumbeat sound, but choose one that you like and (this is vital) will get your attention instantly, every time.

Infravision lets you see in the dark. That's a critical function you didn't need in basic missions but which makes the difference between life and death in advanced combat. Power outages are mission-ending nightmares that are only brought to a close in two ways:

Either everyone dies, or someone finds a circuit breaker.Fighting your way to that circuit breaker is enormously simpler when you can see where you're going, and that's where infravision comes in.

Your infravision comes in five quality levels: None, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Each improvement makes the night vision more crisp and clear. None is exactly what it sounds like - you don't have infravision. The 25% level is almost useless, but if it's all you have, you use it and cross your fingers. It becomes a useful tactical tool at the 50% level and higher.

You access infravision either with your mouse wheel or the TAB key. When you activate it you'll have infravision in one of three versions:

• Grayscale - a grayscale image similar to old black and white movies.
  
• Nightvision - a shades-of green image like what you might have seen in spy movies.
  
• Predator - a reds-and-purples image representing heat signatures.

Each one has a distinct visual impact and each Marine will find one to be the most visually clear, superior to the other two. Test all three using simple mission settings - because you can use infravision even when the power is on - to find out which works best for you. Return to the options menu and select that version of infravision and you'll have the most useful visual display during power outages.

Your radar-style mini-map can be configured to operate in two ways.

First, it can remain static, with compass-north (zero degrees absolute) always in the uppermost position. The advantage to this is that as you gain upgrades and can see the ship layout the floor plans are in an absolute locked form. It gives a great advantage in navigation because landmarks are much simpler to recognize. The disadvantage is that it is a bit harder to tell which way you are facing relative to the floorplan, particularly when you are in a pack of friendlies. (If your display has you covered by a pack of Xenos your mission is about to be over, so your map orientation isn't really a concern any more).

Second, it can rotate to keep your facing (zero degrees relative) always in the uppermost position. This gives the tactical advantage of always letting you navigate directly ahead but is less useful for traversing the ship.

Set this option to allow the map to rotate if you prefer the tactical advantage. Set it to stay static if you prefer the strategic navigation advantage.

Marines must keep a clear picture of their combat environment. There are many tools at your disposal for doing so. Each has its own benefits and varying degrees of usefulness.

As mentioned earlier while discussing setting music preferences, audio cues play a part in the game. The most important function of audio cues is to alet you to danger.

Warning sounds include:

• Turrets firing
  
• Doors being crashed against by Xenos
  
• The sound of Xenos scuttling across deck metal
  
• Squad mates firing
  
• Laser fence discharge sound
  
• Action music
  
• Motion tracker pulses
  
• Turrets beeping to indicate you are between them and a target
  
• The crash of a breach opening
  
• Your weapon screeching the low ammo indicator noise

Each brings a different threat to your attention; a tactical threat (the presence of a Xeno) or a strategic threat (low ammo, doors being removed from use, additional breaches appearing indicating new sources of danger, etc.) Learn what each sound means and develop a conditioned response to each one to minimize your reaction time.

There are also visual cues other than clearly visible Xenos that help keep a Marine informed of the tactical and strategic situation. Examples include:

• Movement in shadows (Xenos outside easy visual range)
  
• Text colors on armory stations (indicates ammo quality)
  
• Glow of sentry turrets (indicates active turret)
  
• Red text on sentry screen (indicates depleted ammo)
  
• Various indicators on mini-map radar (indicates path to strategic objects)
  
• Destroyed doors (indicates travel path of Xenos, allows backtrace to breach)
  
• Flash of laser fence discharge (indicates Xeno source on other side)
  
• Glow/darkness of data terminal screen (indicates whether it has been downloaded)
  
• Presence of astro-creeps (reveals mission parameter)
  
• Presence of breaches other than at ends of halls (reveals mission parameter)
  
• Laser fences at intersections instead of doors (reveals mission parameter)
  
• Power loss frequency and trigger (reveals mission parameter)
  
• Shape of mission area (reveals mission parameter)

One other cue that takes some skill to use is the text flow along the left side of the HUD. By watching the frequency with which the notification, "BREACH DETECTED" appears you can tell which difficulty level the mission carries. If you're particularly attentive you can monitor it and make note of whether those notifications stop, indicating that there will be no random breaches.

By pressing the 2, 3, or 4 keys you can enable various forms of split screen, allowing you to keep close tabs on what is happening with the other members of your assault force.

When the mission parameters are set to "Randomize ALL" or power outages are set to any value other than NONE the mission will include power outages.Losing power means laser fences turn off, sentries turn off, doors won't open normally, and worst of all, the ship's lights all die. Extended power outages almost certainly mean death for the entire squad - and soon.

Your survival depends on two things. First, someone in the squad needs to find a circuit breaker and trigger it. Second, Marines need to stay alive which is much simpler with infravision. I cannot stress enough that if you have a good infravision upgrade that the instant you recognize a power outage has occurred that you activate it and drop everything you're doing in favor of hunting down a breaker.

Breakers are small and hard to spot. They are small silver boxes on the wall with faint red and blue lights on them. They are mounted around chest height, much like door controls. If one is not found before the squad runs out of infravision the usual outcome is death all around.

One strategy for dealing with this is to have a rotating breaker camper. Find a breaker, ideally in a secure location. The best locations are single corridor blocks with laser fences on both sides, a breaker on one wall, and a turret screen on the other. That's because with a turret overhead a breach cannot open in that hallway block. The camping Marine stands in that block with the fences on, facing the breaker, and does nothing but stare at it till the power goes out (which it will if that parameter is on). He immediately trips the breaker, instantly restoring power.

That Marine is now free of that job, and the next Marine in the squad assumes that duty till the next power outage. This splits the responsibility between all squad mates and ensures there is never more than an instant of downtime for the power grid.

If your squad includes at least one member with the armor upgrade to detect and track circuit breakers on the mini map, and that Marine is really attentive and skilled, your squad might risk having him as the Breaker Sprinter. When the power fails, everyone puts their back to a wall and sprays lead like crazy while the sprinter uses his upgraded armor to find the nearest breaker and restore power. This saves anyone from the boredom of camping duty, but as we all know, even a few seconds of darkness with fences and turrets offline can kill a squad. Employ this method at your own risk.

Random Breaches are among the greatest threats in a mission. Essentially they can appear almost anywhere and render any conventional sweep-and-clear tactics useless because previously cleared areas can become hot again in an instant and without warning. They also reduce opportunities for the squad to pause, plan, and regroup, because a breach can open directly on top of a Marine. There is no absolute way to deal with this threat, but there are some ways to minimize the risk from it.

1. Stay alert. Any breach opening will be accompanied by an audio cue, a visible breach, and a notification in the text area of the HUD. Keep your situational awareness high and be ready to respond to any or all of those cues instantly.

2. Stay mobile. The moment you recognize a breach has opened in close proximity you must immediately determine the direction to it and move away as quickly as possible, preferably backing away while laying down suppressing fire if you are able. Remember that breaches have a spawn rate, so if you can eliminate a spawn group you have a few seconds of safety with which to fall back before another group can appear.

3. Stand under an active turret. Turrets are static fixtures and, as of this time, are the only thing this author knows of which cannot be replaced by a breach. If a breach opens near you the turret will also provide fire support to defend you while you make your escape.

4. Travel in two-Marine elements. With two sets of eyes it is vastly more likely that at least one Marine will get eyes on the new breach and open fire in time to stop the first wave of Xenos emerging from it before they can cause any harm.

Some of the most useful functions of your armor run off battery power. It operates your suit spotlights and infravision, two critical systems. By now you've realized that vision is life.

Battery power is a finite resource. It drains in real time but is replenished when a Marine interacts with terminals. That means it is to your advantage to keep your armor upgraded (to increase maximum battery life) and to stay actively participating in the mission (to trigger the recharge process regularly.)

As a generaly rule it's advisable to activate turrets to assist your squad in clearing the ship of Xenos. An alternative is to leave some, or even all, of the turrets inactive to act as randomly placed battery chargers throughout the ship. If you find that Xeno activity is light, or mainly contained, stop activating turrets. Just make a mental note of roughly where to find them so you can pay them a quick visit if you need a recharge.

Ammo and repair terminals will also serve this purpose. Visiting one while low on ammo and energy, or in need of repair and low on energy, will serve a dual purpose.

EDIT: 2018/03/18: You can also recharge as much energy as you want by finding a wall-mounted circuit breaker (the object you use to turn the power back on in missions with power outstages.) Face it, aim at it, and hold down your right mouse button to gain back energy as long as you hold the right-click. Note that you must stand there facing the wall for this to work, so only do this in a secure location.

Xenos are lethal in melee combat. Don't give them the chance. All the weapons issued to Marines cause KNOCKBACK, meaning they shove their targets away from you. Generally, the most effective way to create distance is to face the Xeno and fire while walking backwards away from them. You'll be creating distance both by backward motion and by flinging the Xeno backward or slowing its advance.

The one exception is the shotgun because of its pellet dispersal. Getting too far from the target means fewer pellets will impact the Xeno, causing less knockback. Shotgun-wielding Marines must walk a fine line between getting too far away to inflict significant knockback, and getting too close to be safe from the claws of the Xeno.

Everything about clearing a ship is harder when the assault force consists of a single marine. There are two cardinal rules to remember if you want any chance of survival.

Advance at a crawl. Move one block at a time when possible. Open the barrier ahead of you, clear any Xenos, advance into the new block, seal all barriers, then stop and evaluate. Choose each move thoughtfully. Be aware that falling back to repair and resupply is necessary and simply part of the process for a lone wolf.


Use everything the environment offers. Got a laser fence? Lead a pack of Xenos into it instead of wasting ammo. Green ammo dispenser right outside the airlock? Expend a little bit of trash ammo to make room for the good stuff. Slam doors in the Xeno's faces. Trap them. Create mazes with sealed doors and fences to make them take ridiculous routes to places you can reach in a straight line. Pull any and every dirty trick you can.

Remember, the Xenos have infinite numbers. That's their advantage. Their limitation is that they are absolutely predictable. You have a brain and all the tools in your armor and the ship. Your task is to use them to overcome the Xeno's numerical superiority. You can't beat them in close combat or a war of attrition, but you can beat them on strategy and tactics.

Moving in coordinated pairs is the most effective way to clear a ship provided the Marines work well together. An element needs to master the following skills and follow these guidelines:

1. Assigning left-side and right-side positions to create safe firing lanes and assign combat roles. Right-side Marines open barriers and activate terminals on the right. Left-side Marines close barriers behind the element and activate terminals on the left. The right-side marine should always move a bit ahead of the left-side marine.

2. Select compatible weapon pairs. Elements should select two general purpose weapons (Rifles) or one short range focused (Shotgun, Razor) and one long range focued (Hammer 2, Hammer 4) weapon. In a mixed-weapon element the short-ranged weapon should be carried by the right-side marine to prevent friendly-fire issues.

3. Only access one terminal at a time. If a terminal is being accessed the other Marine should do nothing but activate barriers and provide overwatch.

4. In open spaces move apart to create overlapping fields of fire. This maximizes mutual support, miminizes the chances of a Xeno reaching a squad mate, and prevents a single Xeno from easily eliminating both Marines in the element.

5. When a two-man element assaults a room they should split and follow the perimeter of the room, one to each side, sealing all barriers, in order to secure the room in the most efficient possible manner.

Squads of three Marines face a special challenge. If they form a two-Marine element they leave a third marine un-accompanied and vulnerable. There are three standard ways to deal with this.

1. Break the squad into a conventional two-Marine element and a slow-moving Lone Wolf element.

2. Have all three Marines travel together as a two-Marine element with the third marine moving ahead as a scout. If that Marine finds more trouble then he can handle, he can turn and run at top speed toward the two-Marine element and run right past them, clearing their lanes of fire and letting them hose the corridor down. Once the threat has been neutralized, the scout can resume forward ops.

3. Have the third Marine act as a rearguard in situations where barrier presence is light or insufficient to guarantee a safe rear or flank.

When entering a room a three-Marine element works much as a two-Marine one does, but with the third Marine taking up a centerline position and providing overwatch as the other two advance and seal barriers to secure the room.

I hope this guide is useful and that it helps new players have more success. I'm so grateful Space Beast Terror Fright exists and consider it one of the great hidden gems of the gaming world. Remember to tell your friends about it to keep supporting this amazing game and the developer.