Aliens: Fireteam Elite launched in August for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles. Cold Iron Studios’ co-op third-person shooter received mixed reviews at release, but it’s still been successful enough to warrant the launch of Season 1: Phalanx content in September.
Now, Cold Iron Studios is getting set to release Season 2: Point Defense for Aliens: Fireteam Elite. The studio also plans to bring Fireteam Elite to Xbox Game Pass when Season 2 launches on December 14th, 2021.
The new content is free for all Aliens: Fireteam Elite players. The primary feature of December’s release will be the titular Point Defense mode. Cold Iron describes it as a “survival-based defense match” with a faster pace than the three-player Horde mode unlocked by completing all story missions in Aliens: Fireteam Elite. The new Point Defense mode tasks players with securing, repairing, and defending three different points from xenomorph attacks. Player’s will have to hold out against multiple waves of hostile aliens. However, players can even the odds by purchasing temporary consumables with a new currency called Fabrication Points, which they earn while playing.
Season 2 also introduces a variety of new weapons, attachments, and cosmetic items for players to customize the appearance of their Colonial Marine. Players can purchase some of these from the in-game store, with others unlockable in the new game mode. According to Cold Iron’s statement, Fireteam Elite players can earn twenty different rewards by completing the new Point Defense mode at various difficulties. Additionally, Season 2 introduces new unlockable Challenge Cards for players to modify their Aliens: Fireteam Elite experience. Players will also soon be able to track their fireteam’s performance with the introduction of the new Lifetime Stats feature.
The launch of the free Season 2 content and arrival of Fireteam Elite on Game Pass coincides with the release of The Nostromo Salvage Pack. The paid DLC includes a variety of exclusive items, including new class skins, weapon colors, decals, accessories, emotes, and other cosmetics. Players who buy or upgrade to the Deluxe Edition of Aliens: Fireteam Elite get The Nostromo Savage Pack for free. Other players will have the option to purchase the DLC separately for $9.99.
For those who missed its debut, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is an action shooter rather than a survival-horror game like Sega’s Alien: Isolation. The base game revolves around a twelve-mission co-op campaign set 23 years after the events of Alien 3. Unlike many other online shooters, the game eschews loot boxes in favor of cosmetic DLC. However, the game’s developers may have a lot of work ahead to reverse Fireteam Elite’s shrinking player base.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Series X/S. Season 2: Point Defense launches on December 14th.
