Leveling up in Aliens Fireteam Elite 2 can take a while, especially because you aren’t just leveling one thing. You’ll need to level your Marines, improve your weapons, and eventually level multiple characters if you want to unlock everything available to you.
That’s why I wanted to put together this quick guide showing you one of the easiest ways I’ve found to earn XP quickly.
The method works especially well when you’re playing solo, but you can also use the same basic idea with a team. The biggest part of the strategy is combining an XP-boosting perk with the right Challenge Card so you can increase the rewards from each run.
How to Level Up Fast in Aliens Fireteam Elite 2
So, if you’re trying to level up your characters quickly without spending hours wondering which mission to run, let’s get into it.
Best Mission for Fast XP
For solo XP farming, the mission I recommend is Rock Bottom, specifically Mission 2: Running on Fumes.
There are a few reasons I like this mission for leveling.
First, the map gives you plenty of resources to work with. You have multiple ammo refills and useful incendiary items, along with opportunities to pick up perks for your weapons and turrets.
The map is also fairly large, which gives you more room to position yourself properly when enemies start coming at you.
That matters when you’re playing solo because you don’t want to get trapped in one small area with enemies surrounding you.
The actual objective is also pretty straightforward.
You mainly need to move around the map and activate a few terminals to progress the mission.
Because the objective isn’t overly complicated, you can focus on completing the run efficiently while earning XP for your character and weapons.
Choose the Right Difficulty
Difficulty is one of the most important parts of XP farming.
Generally, higher difficulties give you more XP, while lower difficulties allow you to finish missions more quickly.
For example, you can run the mission on Casual if you’re still getting comfortable with the game. You’ll finish the mission faster, which makes it a convenient option for repeated runs.
However, if your character is strong enough to comfortably handle a higher difficulty, you can increase the difficulty to earn more XP per run.
I wouldn’t recommend jumping straight into a difficult setting just for the extra XP if you’re struggling to survive.
A fast, successful Casual run can be more useful than repeatedly failing a harder mission.
The important thing is to find the difficulty where you can clear the mission consistently and quickly.
You’ll also need to meet the required Combat Rating for the mission, but your exact rating isn’t as important as being strong enough to handle the enemies comfortably.
Use the XP Boosting Specialist Modifier
This is the part you really don’t want to miss.
Before starting your XP runs, head over to your Loadouts and open the Perks section.
From there, look through your Specialist modifiers.
As you unlock and level up different characters, you’ll gain access to their individual Specialist modifiers.
Some of these modifiers provide an XP bonus, which means you can increase the amount of experience you earn simply by having the appropriate modifier equipped.
The more characters you level up, the more of these bonuses you can potentially unlock.
For example, once you’ve unlocked the appropriate modifier for a character such as the Marauder, you can apply it to your loadout and gain another XP increase.
Depending on how many relevant character modifiers you’ve unlocked, you can stack these bonuses significantly.
The example shown in the original method reaches around a 40% XP boost by combining multiple character unlocks.
So, if you’re planning to level every character anyway, I strongly recommend paying attention to these Specialist modifiers.
How to Activate the XP Modifier
The process is pretty simple:
- Open your Loadouts.
- Go to your Perks.
- Open the Specialist modifier section.
- Look for the XP-boosting modifier you’ve unlocked.
- Equip it to your current character.
- Add any other available XP modifiers that you can use.
Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to move on to the Challenge Card part of the setup.
Use a Challenge Card for Even More XP
After setting up your XP modifier, head over to the Armory.
Talk to the Armory vendor and open the Challenge Cards section.
There are different Challenge Cards that can modify the conditions of your mission.
Some make the mission easier, while others add restrictions that make the run more difficult.
The important thing for XP farming is that certain cards provide a significant reward multiplier.
For this method, one of the easiest options to use is the No HUD Challenge Card.
Why the No HUD Card Is So Useful
The No HUD card provides a 2.25x reward multiplier.
At first, playing without your normal HUD might sound annoying, but it’s actually fairly manageable once you’ve played the game for a while.
After spending enough time with Aliens Fireteam Elite 2, you’ll naturally learn where your ammo, abilities, grenades, and other information normally appear.
That means removing the HUD doesn’t necessarily make the mission dramatically harder.
You’re still able to play normally while receiving a much better reward multiplier.
For an XP farming run, that’s a pretty good trade.
How to Activate the Challenge Card
Once you’ve selected your mission, set up the run and choose your Challenge Card before launching.
Select the No HUD challenge and make sure it is active before starting the mission.
Then simply ready up and begin the run.
The card will apply its reward multiplier to the mission.
This is where the method becomes much more effective than simply repeating the mission normally.
You’re combining the XP bonus from your Specialist modifier with the additional reward multiplier from the Challenge Card.
What About the 3x Pistol Challenge?
There are also Challenge Cards that can provide an even larger reward multiplier.
One example mentioned in the method provides around a 3x reward, but it comes with a major restriction: your primary weapon, signature kit, and consumables are disabled, leaving you to rely on pistols.
If you have a really strong pistol build, this can potentially be an interesting option.
However, I wouldn’t recommend building your entire farming strategy around it unless you already know you can complete the mission comfortably with those restrictions.
For a simple and reliable farming method, I prefer the No HUD 2.25x multiplier.
You aren’t changing your weapons or dramatically altering the way you fight. You’re simply removing the HUD and getting a much better reward.
The Best XP Farming Setup
If you want to keep things simple, here’s the setup I would use.
Step 1: Choose Running on Fumes
Select Rock Bottom – Mission 2: Running on Fumes.
This is the mission used for the solo farming method because it has a straightforward objective, a useful map layout, and plenty of resources.
Step 2: Pick a Comfortable Difficulty
Start on Casual if you’re still learning the game.
Once you’re comfortable, move up to a higher difficulty if you can complete the mission consistently.
The goal isn’t simply to choose the highest difficulty available.
The goal is to maximize the amount of XP you can earn per hour.
Step 3: Equip Your XP Modifier
Go into your Loadouts and open the Perks section.
Find your Specialist modifiers and equip the XP-boosting option you’ve unlocked.
If you’ve leveled multiple characters, check whether you have additional XP modifiers available.
Step 4: Add No HUD
Go to the Armory and open Challenge Cards.
Choose No HUD for the mission.
This gives you the 2.25x reward multiplier while keeping the actual combat relatively unchanged.
Step 5: Complete the Mission Quickly
Now simply run through Running on Fumes and complete the objectives.
Make use of the ammo refills and other resources around the map so you don’t waste time struggling with ammunition.
The faster you can complete successful runs, the more XP you’ll earn over time.
Why This Works So Well for Solo Players
I particularly like this setup for solo players because you don’t need to rely on a coordinated group.
You can repeat the mission at your own pace, use the resources around the map, and focus entirely on leveling the character you’re currently working on.
The map also gives you enough space to reposition when things get hectic.
That is important when you’re playing without human teammates because you have to handle the enemies and objectives yourself.
If you’re comfortable with the mission, you can turn the process into a pretty consistent XP farming loop.
How to Make the Method Even Faster
Once you’ve learned the mission, start paying attention to your completion time.
You don’t need to kill every enemy you see.
If an enemy isn’t preventing you from progressing, there are situations where moving toward the next objective is more efficient than wasting ammunition on every target.
Keep your ammo topped up whenever you pass an ammo crate, and learn the locations of the important resources.
The more familiar you become with the map, the less time you’ll spend searching for what you need.
This is where a relatively simple mission can become a very efficient farming route.
Should You Farm XP on Casual or Extreme?
There’s no single answer for everyone.
If you’re still developing your character, Casual is probably the easiest place to start.
You’ll complete the mission faster and have less risk of failing a run.
Once your build becomes stronger, you can experiment with higher difficulties.
Higher difficulty provides more XP, but the enemies also become more dangerous.
For me, the best difficulty is whichever one lets you consistently complete the mission without slowing the farming process down too much.
If Extreme takes twice as long and you regularly die, the extra XP might not be worth it.
Can You Use This Method With a Team?
Yes.
The same basic strategy can be used when you’re playing with friends.
A coordinated team can potentially complete missions faster and handle higher difficulties more comfortably.
You can also take advantage of your team’s combined abilities to make some of the harder Challenge Cards more manageable.
If everyone is comfortable with the mission, increasing the difficulty can make the XP gains even better.
Just make sure your team isn’t choosing a multiplier that makes the mission so difficult that you spend more time failing than actually farming.
Don’t Forget Weapon XP
Remember that you’re not only leveling your character.
Your weapons also gain XP from being used during missions.
This means XP farming can help you progress several parts of your account at the same time.
If you’re trying to level a particular weapon, bring it into your farming runs whenever it makes sense.
That way, you’re not just leveling your Marine while your weapon progression sits still.
If you’re trying to level up quickly in Aliens Fireteam Elite 2, you don’t need to randomly jump between missions hoping one gives better XP.
For a simple solo farming method, I’d start with Rock Bottom – Mission 2: Running on Fumes.
The mission is straightforward, has plenty of useful resources, and gives you enough room to handle the enemies without constantly being trapped in one location.
The biggest part of the strategy is combining your Specialist XP modifier with the No HUD Challenge Card, which provides a 2.25x reward multiplier.
As you unlock more characters, make sure you check your Specialist modifiers again because additional XP bonuses can make your farming runs even more rewarding.
Once you’re comfortable with the mission, try increasing the difficulty to improve your XP gains further.
And remember, the fastest XP method isn’t necessarily the mission with the biggest number on the reward screen. What really matters is how much XP you can earn while consistently completing the mission.
So set up your XP perks, grab your Challenge Card, head into Running on Fumes, and start grinding. The more characters and weapons you level now, the more options you’ll have when you start putting together your endgame builds.