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Difficulty: Easy Supervisors: Squad Leader Rank: Private (9:59 hours of playtime and below) / Private First Class (10 hours+) Duties: Follow orders. Don't get yourself killed. Don't shoot your squadmates. Guides: Bullet Paths and Friendly Fire, What to buy as PFC Unlock Requirements: Starting role, six hours on squad role for PFC. Detailed Description: Make your way to the cafeteria for some post-cryosleep chow, and then get equipped in your squad's prep room. You are a rank-and-file soldier of the USCM, and that is your strength. What you lack alone, you gain standing shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of the corps. Ooh-rah! |__________| |
"How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?"- Hudson, Aliens
You're in the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Follow your sergeant's orders and don't ask too many questions. Whether you've been to Hell and back or you're fresh out of Boot, you're expected to maintain a level of professionalism. Do your job, follow orders, and maybe you'll go home in one piece.
This guide assumes you have finished the Marine Quickstart Guide and will hopefully help you transit out from being a baldie.
Your Squad
Once you have your earpiece on, you will see the Squad HUD. Your squad is led by its Squad Leader 
, also known as the SL. Listen for his and your Squad Overwatch's instructions over the radio. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Try to stay where you can see Squad Leader so he can see you. The Radio Technical Operators 
, or RTOs, specialize in coordinating with aerial and orbital fire support and also communication when your SL or general radio comms are down. Listen to your RTO's, the SL, and command for warnings about fire support close to you. The Squad Weapons Specialist 
, also known as the Spec has a unique weapon. Try to stay behind him so as not to get in his line of fire. The Squad Smartgunner 
has a powerful smartgun that can fire past marines without causing friendly fire. Try to stay in front of him so he can support you. Remind him not to be in the front! The Squad Hospital Corpsmen 
, also known as medics, treat the wounded and revive the dead. Try to keep them safe so they can help you later. Similarly, the Squad Combat Technicians 
, also known as engineers or engies, construct defensive structures and fix colony equipment to support your squad. Try to keep them safe as well.
Note: When you first start playing as a squad rifleman you will be a Private ( PVT ). Once you have played squad rifleman for 10 hours, you will be playing as a Private First Class ( PFC ).
Automated Closet
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The Weapons
In Marine Quickstart Guide, M41A is recommended as the weapon of choice due to its versatility and ease of use. However, you may find other firearms more appealing to use. Below is a list of standard weapons to choose from, just click expand.
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Loadouts
Your playstyle will be determined by the weapons you carry, the attachments on them and the items you have in your bag. Everyone's got their favorite loadouts but it all boils down to what you prefer. Trial and error is the best way to know what you like and don't like.
Attachment
The RO may hand out two or more attachments, a webbing, a holster/scabbard and two grenades. Some RO's may hand out more equipment/attachments if they are feeling generous.
Secondary weapon
You should have a secondary weapon in your suit storage, ideally with a Rail Flashlight and Bayonet attached, be it a M41A, M37 or a flamer. The Rail Flashlight has no drawback while vastly improving your light range so it's always good to take. Additionally a angled grip is a good compliment for a secondary weapon as it reduces the wield delay.
Adjust your loadouts
Reflect what limitations you faced in the previous rounds. Ran out of ammo? Get a webbing
from requisitions, and use a backpack 
. Ran out of flares? Use a backpack and fill it with 7 flare packs.
In the field
You have superior firepower and can fire across the screen, the limiting factors are lighting, vision, and terrain.
Lighting
To overcome low visibility of the battlefield, you need a rail flashlight and flares.
Inventory management
Notable items to recover are:
- Squad Leader: Tactical Binoculars
, Motion Detector
, Whistle
, B12 armor and M11 helmet - Squad Combat Technician: Building materials
, explosives
, just take them out from backpack/pouches and give/drop them to other engineers - Squad Hospital Corpsman: Roller Bed, first aid kit (keep one or two advanced kit
, standards can use them) - Squad Weapons Specialist: Battle Sights
, they have limited night vision capacity, M3G4 Helmet due to it's facehugger blocking capabilites - Recover empty AP magazines
, they can be refilled with AP ammo box
(click the ammo box with the magazine in hand).
Logistics
Everyone who outranks you has their own tasks to handle, leaving only standards free enough to handle supplies.
The flow of supplies
Move supplies (supply crates, ammo bags, etc) onto the dropship, and transport them to the FOB upon landing at the LZ. Remember to also move wounded marines, empty crates, empty Smartgunner powerpacks onto the dropship whenever possible. When you set off from the FOB, bring some supplies with you, be it an ammo/flare bag, a roller bed/stasis bag or pull a crate of supplies (if the front is established and you have few marines protecting the transport route).
Organization
To make sense of all the bags lying around, take one item from the bag then drop it on top to signify what the bag contains, alternately you could label them with a labeller. Stockpile the empty bags out of the way to reduce clutter.
Recover empty crates
Bring crates back to the FOB and load them onto the dropship. You'll want to load any crates you find as the RO can send them down the elevator for supply points. Use 
(:i) to tell RO there are crates in hanger.
First aid
Helping others
Before pulling a downed marine back in the front, use point at (shift + middle click) to show your intention of going in or to urge the nearer marines to pull them. As you are pulling the downed marine back, shift + click to check the marine, bandage the bleeding wounds when it's safe. If the marine is conscious (not seems to be asleep), shake them with Help intent to get them up, get them to a medic if he doesn't get up. If the marine has no pulse, get them to a medic then remove their armor (drag their sprites onto yours to open their equipment window, click ExoSuit: M3 armor) so that medic can immediately revive them (can't revive with armor on).
- Whenever you have shrapnel injuring you, take out your
from your 
and press the Z key on key on your Keyboard to remove the shrapnel from your person. - Get splints
, you can split the stack by holding it in the active hand then click it with another hand, restock the new stack (one splint) to a NanoMed 
then you keep the rest. - Keep a roller bed in your bag so you can quickly transport wounded out in an emergency (being overrun/no Medic/no CASevac).
- Marines whose revive timer ran out, without a head, chestbursted and turned gray (aka husked, too much burn damage) are unrevivable.
Your Skillset
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To find out about how the skill system works head over to the skills system page.
Tips
- Only take what you need. You're going to need atleast one to two armor piercing magazines in the field for heavily armored enemies. For everything else, soft point, hollowpoint and incendiary ammunition is superior.
- Stick with your squad at all times, a lone Marine is a dead Marine.
- Follow the chain of command. If someone tells you jump, you'd better ask how high on the way up.
- Use appropriate titles. Your Squad Leader is Staff Sergeant, or Squad Leader. He's not an officer so don't call him "Sir" and he's not in the Army so don't call him "Sarge."
- Be useful. Offer to carry extra engineering, medical, or some specialist/smartgunner supplies. Those guys are already carrying more weight than you'll ever be able to.
- Keep your superiors informed. Stay on the radio and keep the squad and command up to date on what's going on. Do you see movement outside the perimeter? Let your fireteam know. Did Private McFuckface blow his hand off playing catch with a grenade? Let your squad leader know. Did your staff sergeant just get his head taken off by incoming artillery? Let command know.
- Stay in the light. There ain't many things out there scarier than marines and they all like the dark. Keep your shoulder lamp on and pop a flare whenever you're stopped for more than a moment.
- Use single fire for long to medium ranges and burst-fire for CQC and close range engagements. By doing this you conserve ammo but can still dish out the pain to incoming hostiles.
- When entering alien infested territory, it's recommended that you clear the resin nodes as they will automatically clear out the weeds if there is no other resin nodes connected to it. This will allow you to walk at normal pace rather than be slowed down by the weeds and it denies the alien places to build on.