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Thread: Black's Guide to Killing Xenos

  1. #1
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    Black's Guide to Killing Xenos

    Before we start... let me ask you: What is the biggest advantage that xenos have over marines?
    You might say:
    1. Night vision
    2. Infinite 'ammo'
    3. Conversion of marines into xenos via facehuggers
    4. Built-in armor
    5. Queen screech
    6. Boiler range
    7. AOE attacks on many of their castes
    8. High movespeed (usually)
    9. The ability to change caste/specialization on the fly
    10. A single controlling intelligence (the queen) and a REQUIREMENT that everyone obey her orders


    The truth is... it is... none of those.
    The actual strongest combat advantage that xenos have is their health regeneration.

    But why? Don't they have to retreat to even use it?
    Yes. But in the long term, the xenos being able to regenerate their health almost whenever they want (just find a weed) and at no cost except a little time, means IN A WAR OF ATTRITION, MARINES ALMOST ALWAYS LOSE.
    Why? Marines in combat burn through supplies. Ammo. Health. Medkits. Metal.
    Xenos don't. While their health can be depleted, as can their plasma, these recharge shockingly fast if there is a weed nearby, and there is almost always a nearby weed to use.

    Why does this matter?

    Because the only way to successfully kill a xeno is to overcome its natural health regeneration.
    If you don't, they'll just come back. Again and again.

    Okay, but how do we do that?

    Broadly speaking, there are five classes of technique that I've found effective.
    There are a huge number of techniques within these classes, but pretty much all of them fit into one of the five classes.

    (1) Simple Burst DPS

    Forget single-shot DPS. Forget your DPS over, say, a minute. You're really talking here about 'how much damage can I put out in about 5 seconds of sustained fire?'
    There are many ways to increase this.
    Examples:
    • Extremely high burst-damage weapons, like the sadar, or shotguns
    • Attachments that let you put more shots down range faster, like quickfire / burst fire
    • Simple focus fire from a group of marines on a single target
    • Choosing ammo that negates some of their health pool (IE: AP ammo, which is why it is so popular)
    • Point man kits

    The exact technique you use in this category is less important than the general principle that you should be using SOMETHING from this category.
    The idea is that you kill the target before their regeneration can kick in.
    This technique class tries to nullify the xeno regeneration by killing them so fast they don't have a chance to retreat and use it.

    (2) Stunlock

    This is one of the most powerful methods, but really only reaches maximum potential when used by the heavy grenadier specialist, or possibly the tank running over xenos.
    Still, PFCs with grenade launchers (HEDP, not HEFA) can use it to a limited extent.
    The basic principle is to keep the enemy stunned with successive grenade blasts, so they cannot move, and kill them while they're stunned.
    This is extremely effective, even against T3s (with the right gear).
    It is also, however, one of the worst techniques to mess up. It only takes one misplaced grenade to do huge harm to your allies.
    If you aren't lucky enough to be the heavy grenadier spec, try to hang out with a buddy who has a flamethrower.
    A flamethrower (and its ability to set targets on fire, as well as cover the grenadier against close-range attacks) combos very well with this technique.
    Stun, then kill. Re-apply stuns as needed to stop them escaping.
    This technique class tries to nullify the xeno regeneration by stunning them before doing damage, so they cannot retreat at all.

    (3) Trapping

    No, I am NOT talking about claymores. Claymores and their explosive stun would fall under stunlock (2).
    What I am talking about here is trapping xenos in dead-ends on the map, so they cannot retreat.
    This does require a bit of tactics, but it can be very effective.
    It can be as simple as falling back with your squad to try to persuade enemies who are harassing your cades to duck into a side corridor (which, having explored there, you know to be a dead end).
    Once they do... your group of marines CHARGES that corridor. Result? They're trapped there, unable to retreat. They'll probably die.
    This technique might sound simple, but I have personally witnessed it wipe 3/4 of the entire xeno force at once.
    How? As the LZ1 shuttle was leaving on solaris ridge, recalling all troops via the alamo, and then re-deploying them via the normandy to DS2. Then sweep into LZ1 from the front with the entire marine force.
    Most likely, the xenos will be in LZ1 still, and there's no way out of LZ1 except the front gate... and they won't have had time to make other entry points.
    Thus, the entire xeno force is trapped inside LZ1, facing your entire army.... in a wide open space with little cover, precisely the terrain marines do best in. You also have surprise on your side.
    Admittedly, this is an extreme example, but still, the point stands. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to trap the xenos in spaces that don't have a back way out.
    You can reliably secure kills this way, and sometimes, just sometimes... if executed by the entire marine force, it can almost completely wipe out the xenos.
    This technique class tries to nullify the xeno regeneration by ensuring they have nowhere to retreat TO, and thus nowhere to safely regenerate - and are forced to fight and risk dying.


    (4) "Big Guns"

    No, your M4 doesn't count as a 'big gun', no matter how tricked out it is.
    When I say "Big Guns" I am talking about the tank, CAS (Close Air Support), and the biggest gun of all, Orbital Bombardment (OB).
    These are some of the most powerful weapons available to the marine side, BUT most of the time, they are used in a very ineffective way.
    The tank, for example, is capable of putting out a tremendous amount of pain... but all too often, friendly fire harms allies, and the unnecessary use of flame on the ground actually slows down a marine push.
    A more effective way to use the tank is to use it to defend a chokepoint, while the rest of the marine force pushes through the other direction.
    Why is this more effective? Because it makes the best use of the tank's strongest ability (its front facing DPS), in order to negate the xenos' ability to run away and heal (by cutting off their retreat).
    This tactic is not foolproof (xenos may have tunnels, and be smart enough to use them) but it is still surprisingly effective.
    Another smart way to use the tank is to spearhead the charge - to take hits that would have otherwise landed on (much squishier) marines, and to clear sticky resin quickly to speed up pushes and run the xenos down more quickly (bonus points if you literally run them down).
    What about CAS/OB?
    Unlike what some may tell you, CAS/OB are NOT defensive abilities. Why? Because if you're being sieged, and you call CAS/OB on your attackers, they can simply MOVE out of the way.
    The strongest use of CAS/OB is against targets that CANNOT move.
    For example, when you are sieging an enemy position, and use CAS/OB to wipe out the defenses (like walls that aliens use for cover, or traps, or eggs in the nest, or whatnot).
    Not only do you do more damage to a trapped enemy force, but you also prevent the enemy from moving most of the things you're seeking to destroy.
    CAS/OB should, generally, be used offensively to support pushes - not defensively in open areas where they are easy for targets to avoid.
    This technique class tries to nullify the xeno regeneration by the use of special weapons which output so much damage to so many targets over such a wide area, so quickly, that statistically if you follow up with a push that makes good use of focus fire, your chances of chasing down and killing a target are quite high.


    (5) Psychological Warfare

    This class of technique convinces your enemy to do things that help you, then exploits that.
    For example, although the xenos may be perfectly able to escape, you convince them that they don't WANT to, and thus they keep pushing, only to realize, too late, that you WANTED them to keep pushing.
    One of the methods in this category is simply to keep all marines inside a single giant FOB, hoping the enemy gets bored, attacks, and then gets nigh-instantly killed by the overwhelming amount of firepower they face when they approach the FOB. Essentially you're banking on the enemy making a mistake and rushing in out of boredom. You're boring them until they get reckless. This is a risky technique to use, because many marines WON'T stay in the FOB, and its not very fun for many marines either, but it IS a strategy I have seen used successfully, sometimes.
    Another example of a technique in this category is the Q-boat. In warfare, a Q-boat is something deadly, disguised to look like something innocent. Something that tempts you to attack it, only for you to find out when you do that it is very heavily armed. Someone wearing heavy armor and packing a buckshot shotgun, wandering 'alone' but in reality having friendly forces with long-range weapons just offscreen and ready to jump in at a moment's notice, would be an example of this sort of trap. The tank, too, can actually function like this if the xenos hate it so much they swarm it - and it proceeds to turn them into roadkill before it backs off and gets repaired.
    Yet another example that you can do even as a single marine is to retreat when you don't actually need to. The xeno may chase you trying to secure a kill, only to find out you were less wounded than you appeared to be. Or closer to aid than you appeared to be. Or both.
    This technique class tries to nullify the xeno regeneration by persuading them not to use it. That sounds insane (why would they not use their strongest ability?) but players make mistakes. They might get bored, and cut it a little too close when attacking your FOB. They might try to stay in combat with you even when they're low health because they underestimate your DPS. They might feel tempted to 'go for the kill' because they think they can win if they chase you down - even though you're deliberately giving them that impression to try to lead them into a trap.
    This class of technique requires some next-level mindgames. It can work quite well, but it is difficult to pull off.


    These techniques aren't foolproof. Some of them are actually quite hard to pull off. But then again... killing xenos in general is hard.
    These techniques, though, help you put yourself in the right frame of mind to be able to win engagements with xenos.
    Ask yourself: "how am I going to nullify their regeneration?"

    Your answer doesn't need to be complicated. It can be as simple as 'throw a grenade, then charge in and shoot them while they're knocked down'.
    That's perfectly valid.
    You should have an answer, though.
    If you don't have a way to nullify their regeneration, and they're smart, they'll simply run away, regenerate, and come back.
    Last edited by Kyet; 03-03-2020 at 09:24 AM. Reason: typo fix

  2. #2
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    yes
    i agree

  3. #3
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    Good overview of most common strategies, good examples on how to use different weapons/systems. I would just add no FF capability on xeno side, and raise its importance on par with HP regenerating, if not higher.

  4. #4
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    While its true that xenos cannot FF:
    - xenos can still do things that hurt their team, such as killing rather than capturing when capturing is an option, constructing walls in unhelpful places, body-blocking more valuable xenos so they cannot retreat in time, etc.
    - marines can use techniques to mitigate the damage of friendly fire, such as not stepping in front of each other, running when they hear the grenade shoutout, and just not bunching up so tightly together to start with
    - marine FF is not guaranteed to kill the marines (unless, say, someone OBs the FOB), but inability to kill xenos before they can retreat and heal IS guaranteed to kill the marines eventually

  5. #5
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    1. Find Xeno
    2. Apply gun
    3. Repeat until you or the hive dies

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