10 Tips & Tricks I Wish I knew before Starting Aliens: Dark Descent

[@pixelpeek9963]

Use motion trackers. Everywhere. They’ll attract every enemy on the map even if you’re being hunted. When aggression gets high, this is a life saver.

[@SykenPlays]

thanks for sharing.

[@bn137]

Yup I use them all over when the patrols are tight send them to the other side of the map. Or put them in the way of the arc. They get taken out you can run to your next objective.

[@theOriginalGamester]

Jumped in and finished the intro last night after playing Alien: Isolation for the past month. Getting some tips before I deploy for the first time tonight!

[@SykenPlays]

Good luck, may you slay many xenos

[@Veheloth]

How are you liking it? I pre-ordered it. This game is something else. Bring your Xanax! 😂

[@theOriginalGamester]

@jesusthugmusic I actually loved the game. Didn't like the last mission as much but I beat the game twice. I wish it was longer though or there was DLC. Maybe they'll make a second one!

[@PigPissBeUponThem]

We wish you well

[@theOriginalGamester]

@@PigPissBeUponThem was an amazing game 👏

[@kolbeyfreeman2380]

Just finished the first mission last night. I've watched half a dozen tip videos and this one was by far the most helpful. Thanks!

[@ohmyjosh3065]

Thanks for the tips, this game will be available on PsPlus in a couple of days.

[@TheSilent333]

Just downloaded the game, and am getting ready to dive in. Thank you for these tips! I think you've likely saved me a ton of potential frustration.

[@SykenPlays]

Glad I could help!

[@Veheloth]

Shoot and move. If you use suppressive fire it'll slow them, leave room to walk backwards while firing. Use grenades, flamer, sniper and shotgun often. Use rt to pause and assess.

[@Veheloth]

Also, set up to funnel them every chance you get. Bottleneck..

[@Veheloth]

One of the best tips i can give is use rt to pause and assess, it works kinda like a turn based strategy game. Pick targets and look at your troops status. Also, move and shoot unless you have a fatal funnel.

[@SykenPlays]

That is a good tip

[@JohnDoe-gn4xj]

Should never be in a fatal funnel marine. If you are though set mines to fall back to

[@Veheloth]

@@JohnDoe-gn4xj I meant to say unless you have them in one...

[@dewaynehough3006]

Mine doesn’t allow to pause on the Xbox, only slow mo - I’ve tried mutplie times but won’t allow me to.. I’m still alive so I keep playing as is

[@jocool562]

​@@dewaynehough3006 change in gameplay options. Might also depend on difficulty

[@Ace83113]

Hopping in for the first time now. Thank you for the video you got a sub bro, you're really good at communicating your points hope you continue to post and hope your channel grows.

[@henderstoned]

Thank you!, playing blind at first is good but I hate wasting points traits etc on useless items!

[@SykenPlays]

Glad that you liked it.

[@DutchGuyMike]

You can even make sure to get what traits you want by just reloading (I just Cheat Engine's speedhack to make that process go much faster, I just can't help but "cheat" this way lol, because some traits are NECESSARY on Nightmare as opposed to say Normal).

[@Gino-u4m]

Usually when you run into a praetorian your close to the queen.

[@SykenPlays]

Ahh, good point

[@mattdanskin4738]

You mentioned using Onslaughts as a way to level characters on the earlier levels, how do you account for/deal with Increased planetary infestation by adding days grinding? I haven’t gotten far enough to see the effects of increased infestation.

[@SykenPlays]

Prior to a certain point in the game, the days really do not matter and there is always a event that allows you to reduce the planetary infestation by 1, so you could theoretically get your entire roster up and reduce the infestation to level 0 and research most of the tech before starting the doomclock.

[@Thedrunkenswede1337]

You can just turn the death clock off now if you want. ​@@SykenPlays

[@slothboi7131]

​@@Thedrunkenswede1337 how do you do that

[@Thedrunkenswede1337]

@@slothboi7131 before you start the game to make it costume in settings and you can turn the death clock up or down

[@jaydenshepard7928]

@@slothboi7131custom difficulty when starting a new game

[@filipesilveira5360]

The mine strategy sounds really powerful. I don't know why I haven't think of that.

[@XannolcZ]

On tip 2 (sealing rooms for safe camps) I was playing mission 3 and welded the door. Had my marines rest and a xeno was smacking away at the door even though I wasn't being hunted. I ended up loading the game (free extra rest and ammo exploit, yay!) And the xeno was gone. Could be because I was at Hard aggression. But I reckon patrolling xenos will whack any door which is in their way

[@SykenPlays]

If you have aggroed a xeno when wielding, they will destroy the wield, if you wield them „out of sight“, then they will not come in and you can use the room to reset and rest (reduce stress and get some charges)

[@XannolcZ]

@SykenPlays that's the thing, I had no aggro on me but it still came knocking lol. I'm farming assaults and Cat2's for exp right now. Maybe it's one of the myriad bugs (pun intended) in the game.

[@jaydenshepard7928]

@@XannolcZYes they will break door welds when patrolling but only if they are blocking their patrol path. They wont attack them on sight.

[@gamersterns]

Thanks for the great videos explaining this game.

[@SykenPlays]

My pleasure!

[@dewaynehough3006]

It’s on gamepass now

[@jeffteskey4232]

This video was very on point and helpful. Especially the tips on the sniper rifle.

[@thatsagoodone8283]

Hey my dude. You have good tips here (just seen a few videos on the topic and yours seemed to be actually helpful, especially the one about the mines, if someone needs to level the difficulty a bit to their liking). If you dont mind, I do think that you should try to tweak your audio editing a little. It sounds a bit static in the background. But this could be easily fixed via software or you try out a better mic (there are really good USB mics for less than a 100 USD out :) ). Also I think that editing out your mouseclick really provides the last 10%. ;) Also: Give your audience some pointers. You already segmented the timeline into headlines. This was helpful. Some corresponding footage of your tips would have elevated it even more. :) Really liked it. Just some friendly thoughts.

[@thatsagoodone8283]

Also: i think that people that come to your channel for hints and helps might like not to see scenes from later game that contain story elements. There were two cutscenes that were lightly spoilery. And at that, i was considering turning the video off. :)

[@SykenPlays]

Great feedback, really appreciate it!

[@thatsagoodone8283]

Everyone that looks for a good exploitation strategy to "level the battlefield": Use the special skills! You need them. And the game becomes understandably easier with them! Have 1 Recon in the group and equip the sniper rifle. It requires Command Points. Also skill the suppressor option. You can usually pick the enemies one by one and the AI usually does not register the dying comrades well. Because of the CP: have at least 2 Sergeants. They can increase the amount of CP and their recovery. Give one a shotgun and the other the mine. In tight situations, the shotgun is your best friends especially in chokes. If you are in a carefree moment in the mission, the mine will assure that you can always secure at least one route to be cleared. Fill the rest with gunners. With the smartguns, they are a menace. I never used their tripod option. However, I always brought my sentries and only left room to pick up 1 more if i encounter them in a mission. That lead to me having an incredible surplus of sentries during the campaign. (If you notice during a run that you have to evacuate and come back later, it is sometimes even helpful to leave the sentries in a good position and pick them up when coming back, but that matters on the context). Medics can put marines out of a coma. But if shit hits the fan that bad, you can load the last save and now where the tightspot will be (story event or an onslaught you underestimated). They are not worth it in my opinion. Techers are not worth it and can be easily replaced by soldiers with the Smart-something skill, where they can hack, too. 1 Recon, up to 2 Sgt and the rest gunners. I think the "team spirit" skill brings also another boost. But be careful that once you are on a mission, that you do not take a defensive position for too long or too often. You will run out of ammunition. Especially if your team put those bullets out to kill more Xenos. Best to keep on the move and only defend when the narrative demands, when there is an onslaught or if you encounter a queen. You should be good to go. And dont get desperate on the Montero ;)

[@motasmagic]

@@thatsagoodone8283 agreed had to look away and just listen

[@morzus6027]

Well no, hive aggression does subside when you evac. I've come back to places and been at baseline easy on the hive progression so idk if that's pre update or something but that's not accurate info. So if it gets crazy aggressive evac and hit it the next day with a fresh team.

[@SykenPlays]

You might have misunderstood what I was saying then. Of course a new team starts with 0 hive aggression. My point was that the moment hive aggression happens, it is easily spiraling out of control

[@pgquips3703]

Great tips for new players, good job marine!

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@GeekPlusGamer]

how to use RT and pause for strategy? I can only slow time so far... in the PS5

[@paullatham8486]

In the options you can toggle it to either pause or slow-down time. Pause is more useful for my slow ass but slow-mo is useful for lining up good shots for shotgun etc

[@GeekPlusGamer]

@@paullatham8486 thanks! :) this game is great but very difficult in the beginning, it seems. But I like challenges.

[@paullatham8486]

@@GeekPlusGamer ikr! I just completed my first playthrough last night and even playing on easy I could feel the tension 😄 Looking forward to playing on nightmare... I expect I might lose a few marines this time round 😈

[@SykenPlays]

You can either decide if you want to just slow down or fully pause the game. It is in the options menu

[@Ramcharger.Outdoors]

You can still use the sniper rifle in tier 2 aliens because of the amount of damage it still deals.

[@XDSingularity]

Very good guide. But stop spoiling me the events of the game with those cinematics haha

[@user-rt1er6cp6b]

Nice vid, thanks a lot!

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you liked it. I do have a few more guides and tricks videos if you are looking for more content.

[@chatokingarmorking]

thanks bro

[@daviddunn7784]

Only got this game yesterday and I'm loving it, tips will be a great help but I had already figured out the arc and sentry guns dont agro the Xenomorphs, plus you can use the arc to your advantage when dealing with the hive swarming you. Gotta say that I'm mega surprised this game wasn't shouted about when it released? It's awesome and the game doesn't hold your hand much. I mean even the tutorial is a hill climb when your on crutches 😂. If you want a challenging game then this is your ticket. 😅. And like a ticket, this game has your number and will happily murder you at the slightest mistake, especially on the hard to the I'm a stupid moron for playing this in the hardest game setting 😂😂

[@SykenPlays]

It is a great game, you might want to check out my review after you have played it and let me know if you agree with it.

[@ye3139]

This game is so good

[@ZimCrusher]

So XP is only gained through killing 2nd tier aliens? Hmm.... So if I stealth my through the game, without firing a shot, I's have level 2 marines at the end?

[@SykenPlays]

No, Xp is gained for completing missions primarily. Then additional xp is awarded for tier2 aliens. Also, even with stealthy gameplay, you will need to fight from time to time.

[@madeofnapalm]

Is it time to play yet? 😁😁

[@SykenPlays]

Very soon young padawan, patience you must have!

[@frekeydekey1990]

It’s on game pass and ps plus

[@SykenPlays]

Good to know, glad you liked the tips.

[@Xanderlorian]

I killed the first queen and now i cant escape lmao.

[@SykenPlays]

How did that happen?

[@AdrianParrish-m5v]

Me tooo

[@AdrianParrish-m5v]

Only got 2 marines left and have to carry a guy out. Can't deal with all the xenos after killing the Queen

[@joserojas8691]

It is very hard game play

[@thomasalderson368]

why only 4 in squad? xcom had many more and was better for it

[@SykenPlays]

You can get 5 later in the game, which is a substantial upgrade, but the game is not a typical tactical game, it is more of a stealth & rogue-like

[@bruhder5854]

​@@SykenPlaysI gotta say I specifically came to the game for the tactical gameplay seeing how many people said it was like real time xcom but spending a few hrs into it, it became clear that was not the case. So far I'm really not feeling it. Squad based stealth with very limited stealth mechanics just made it a chore to play.

[@TheMrEvs]

@@bruhder5854 1000h+ xcom player here, this game is AMAZING on first and maybe second playthrough - the systems get deeper as you play but don't come in expecting xcom 3

[@LogicAndCompassion]

​@bruhder5854 I've heard that this game is far closer to "Darkest Dungeon", than it is to XCOM. I'm about to start my first run right now, so I'm excited to try it out.