Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Everything About Horde Mode

This guide explains Horde Mode in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, detailing what the mode is, how to unlock it, how it plays, how completion and extraction work, and valuable tips to improve survival.

What is Horde Mode?

Horde Mode is the endgame activity in Aliens: Fireteam Elite. Much like traditional horde modes in other games, it has you and your fire team teaming up to take on wave after wave of opponents in an arena-style map. 

There is not much exploration; the focus is on combat and surviving increasingly complex waves. Each wave becomes harder, forcing your fire team to face more challenging and more deadly opponents.

At the time of the source, there is only one horde map, though more are expected to be added to the game.

Unlocking Horde Mode

To unlock Horde Mode, play through the primary campaign of Aliens: Fireteam Elite. Once the story mode is finished and the Commander on the Endeavour has been spoken to, Horde Mode becomes available.

How Horde Mode Works

Horde Mode centers on enduring rounds of Xenomorphs. When the mission begins, you enter the arena and gain access to an Ammo Resupply Cache and a Consumable Item Shop.

The Ammo Resupply Cache allows you to resupply ammunition, while the Consumable Item Shop lets you purchase in-game consumables during the match. 

Currency for the shop is earned after each wave; it is awarded for completing waves rather than for individual kills. The shop does not carry every consumable, but it offers a useful variety to help survive later waves.

Waves are not strictly scripted and can be random, but different Xenomorph types appear as waves progress. Around wave 4, elite Xenomorphs begin to appear and can present significant difficulties.

It is expected that DLC may introduce additional maps and enemy factions, such as Synthetics, but at present, the one available map pits you against Xenomorphs.

Completing Horde Mode

Horde Mode is effectively endless, but extraction options exist at regular intervals. Every 10 waves, an extraction option becomes available.

The narrative framing is that an Engineering Team or a Spec Ops Team is performing tasks in the background while you defend them from alien waves; when that team withdraws, extraction is possible. 

Alternatively, you can choose to continue the fight, after which another team may be sent in to perform a further task while you protect them. This design means missions can continue indefinitely for as long as you wish, testing endurance and increasing rewards.

In terms of difficulty scaling, the waves show interesting behavior past each 10-wave milestone: After wave 10, wave 20, wave 30, etc., the difficulty of the aliens may temporarily revert and feel slightly easier than the preceding milestone wave, before gradually ramping up again toward the next milestone.

Extending play beyond the extraction points increases overall rewards but mainly tests endurance rather than offering a true end-state.

Rewards from Horde Mode primarily include credits to spend in the Endeavour shop, experience, and a few additional items such as emotes and decals.

Attachments, new weaponry, or hidden caches are not typically part of the Horde Mode rewards.

Additional Tips

When it comes to health, Xenomorphs can occasionally drop First Aid Kits upon death; this is somewhat random but does occur.

In addition to these drops, three First Aid Kits are scattered around the map, so it is advisable to note their locations in case of emergency. 

Playing Horde Mode with human teammates is strongly recommended: the mode is significantly easier with friends because the AI companions are not always effective.

AI teammates frequently fail to avoid hazards such as Xenomorph bursters and elite enemies, which can hinder overall progress.

Expect Horde Mode to be considerably more challenging when relying on AI teammates rather than human ones.

Also, check our other Aliens: Fireteam Elite guides below:

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Beginner's Guide | Gameplay Tips for All Classes
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | How to Play Doc
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | How to Play Phalanx
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | How to Play Recon
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | How to Play Demolisher
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | How to Play Gunner
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | How to Play Technician
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Phalanx Class Build for Extreme and Insane Difficulty
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Recon Class Build for Extreme and Insane Difficulty
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Doc Class Build for Extreme and Insane Difficulty
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Technician Class Build for Extreme and Insane Difficulty
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Demolisher Class Build for Extreme and Insane Difficulty
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Gunner Class Build for Extreme and Insane Difficulty
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite Guide | Lancer Class Build for Extreme and Insane Difficulty