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Aliens: Dark Descentis a fun but tricky game with some complex gameplay mechanics. Players are given a set of skills to help their squad battle the iconic alien Xenomorph drones and other iconic aliens from the franchise. However, with a lot of mechanics to learn inAliens: Dark Descent, some players may need a bit of help and some tips for getting used to the basics, such as skills-based combat.
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Fortunately, issuing and managing squad orders isn’t too tricky once players know how. After some heavy squad work and tired Marines shipped off to the med bay, players may fund they are soon on their way to leveling up their team and unlocking even moreAliens: Dark Descentskills to reign hellfire on the Hunt.
InAliens: Dark Descent,players issue orders to their whole squad as a unit, rather than to individual Marines, which could be tricky forRTS game newcomersto get used to at first. The game then automatically assigns a Marine to complete the associated order, which essentially means performing a skill to deal with different circumstances, such as performing a special attack like the Shotgun Blast to deal with an incoming Xenomorph drone or setting up a handy device like a Deployable Motion Tracker.To issue a skill,players must open the skills menuby pressing the right trigger on an Xbox controller, selecting the desired skill using the LB and RB buttons, and tapping A to confirm the skill.
However,skills are not infiniteand costCommand Pointsto perform, with most costing 1 Command Point. Players begin with 3 Command Points that slowly regenerate throughout a mission, so it’s crucial to issue orders wisely. Additional Command Points are also possible through some skills. New players may also want to considerAliens: Dark Descentbeginner tipsfor managing skills-based combat and other complex gameplay mechanics.
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Players start with an initial set ofskills inAliens: Dark Descentand can unlock more as they level up their squad and purchase new weapons. The beginning set of skills available across the first two missions are:
As players level up their Marines, they canunlock more skillslike mines, theoverloaded plasma beam, incineration, and more.
Aliens: Dark Descentis available to play now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Xbox One.
