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\\N's Guide to Marine Combat
Gearing Up
Whether you are a Leader, a Specialist, an Engineer, a Medic, or just a Marine, there are a few things to keep in mind. One, there are specific guides written about these roles so I will not bother going over them in great detail. Instead, I will hit the highlights.
Know your role. If you are playing a Specialist, pick a weapon and stick to it. If you are an Engineer, keep in mind that another engie may want the mine box or plasteel. If you just want to build barricades, take all the necessary supplies for that. Try not to mix and match too much; being good at one thing is often more helpful than being marginally decent at a few things. Nobody cares for a combat medic who only carries enough medicine to treat himself, for instance.
Your backpack is an important tool. While it may be cool to carry your weapon on your back instead of the suit storage, it isn't entirely practical. Your backpack can hold a a lot of useful material, including flares, secondaries, building material, and anything else you can fit inside.
Light is everything to a marine. I will go into more detail later, but for now keep in mind that you should have at least two flares on your person. If you find an abandoned flashlight on the ground, pick it up and stash it in your pack. It's a flare that never goes out, and you will probably find it helpful later. I generally bring at least four light sources on any sortie--don't rely on the shoulder lamp, it will get you killed.
Ammunition is important, and you can run out, especially when assaulting hives. Your primary weapon will depend on your playstyle, attachments included, but I think the standard 10mm is perfectly acceptable in any and all circumstances. Go ahead and stash all the magazines for your primary you can fit in to your belt, as there is no reason not to. If you bring a secondary, it's actually more convenient to just carry another one in your pack instead of reloading.
If you can, attach a bayonet so you do not need to smack weeds with your knife. Purple sacs take several hits from the butt of your rifle to clear, and a bayonet greatly speeds up the process. You can conserve ammunition by destroying alien structures with the bayonet rather than the knife. In case you are attacked by a hostile while clearing out a resin door or some such, you can quickly fire off warning shots and radio for backup, or just blast the door to pieces and escape. A bayonet is also a potent melee weapon, and will serve you well if you are captured. It is a very versatile, tactical attachment, and I highly recommend it. You can make your own bayonet by combining some wires with a combat knife.
Tricord injectors are another thing I find very helpful for a standard marine. Other roles don't have the space for them, if fully loaded, but a standard can greatly benefit from a quick injection of tricord while moderately wounded. It may even prolong your life enough to get out of dodge and into safety, or continue fighting until proper medical attention is found. You can get tricord injectors from the white NanoMed machines scattered around the Sulaco. They are also present in the drop pod.
Tip: You have two empty slots in your armor.