Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 – Fastest Ways to Farm XP and Level Classes

Leveling every class and weapon in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 means replaying missions many times, and the base XP on standard difficulty is low. A clean campaign run pays out around 6,000 XP with no modifiers, which is why the fastest route always comes down to stacking reward multipliers on a mission you can finish quickly and consistently.

Quick answer: Buy the “Tools of the Trade” challenge card from Wrench for a 2.5x XP multiplier, run it on a fast campaign mission as a Medic, and equip the Veteran Marine perk for an extra 20% XP. For bulk leveling, switch to Horde Mode on Crash Landed and stack beneficial cards across 10–15 waves.

How XP is earned in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2

Completing a mission on standard difficulty without any challenge cards gives roughly 6,000 XP. Killing more enemies does not directly raise that payout, so grinding harder maps for kill count alone is wasted effort. What raises XP is the reward multiplier attached to challenge cards, plus a few passive perks that boost the final total.

Before challenge cards unlock, there is still one useful habit. Use your sidearm as much as possible during missions to level it and open its Augment slot. That pays off later, because the strongest early XP card forces you to rely on that same pistol.

Best challenge cards for XP

Challenge cards are bought from Wrench at the base. Each one adds a restriction or extra danger in exchange for a higher reward multiplier. The goal is to run the highest multiplier your team can still finish reliably, since a failed run pays nothing.

Tip: If Tools of the Trade feels too punishing, Primary Weapons Only and Slow But Sure are far more forgiving while still doubling or nearly doubling your XP.

Tools of the Trade: solo sidearm farming

Tools of the Trade removes access to your primary and secondary weapons, leaving only the sidearm. In return, mission XP jumps to nearly 15,000, more than double a plain run. It sounds harsh, but the sidearm has infinite ammo and hits hard once you buy a few attachments for it, so ammo management stops being a concern.

You will know it worked when the end-of-mission screen shows Challenge Complete alongside the boosted XP total and any unlocked attachments or traits.

Stack Veteran perks for extra XP

Perks add a passive layer on top of card multipliers. The Veteran Marine perk increases XP gain by 20%. When you reach max rank on any class, you unlock a veteran perk tied to that class, worth another 10% XP. The more classes you max, the more of these variants you own, so your effective XP rate keeps climbing the deeper you go.

Horde Mode farming on Crash Landed

For leveling several classes and weapons at once, Horde Mode is the strongest loop. You need to progress far enough through the campaign to unlock it, or join someone who already has access. Once inside, use the Crash Landed map on Standard difficulty and build your rewards by stacking challenge cards rather than cranking the difficulty.

The beneficial and low-risk cards below stack cleanly. Add as many as your group can handle while still finishing the run.

Form and Attachment lowers your reward multiplier, but it forces an attachment drop even in Horde Mode. It is worth slotting when you are filling out your attachment collection and already running several positive cards.

Do not jump straight to Wave 15 if your gear is weak. Build up in stages and cash in your rewards between runs.

A full Wave 15 run also pays roughly 2,000 to 5,000 Requisition, which becomes the real bottleneck once you are buying attachments and Augments for multiple weapons. Prioritize finishing the run over chasing maximum Requisition. Get XP first, raise your power, then push deeper for more currency.

Fastest campaign missions to replay

If you prefer short campaign loops over Horde Mode, the Rock Bottom missions give the best time-to-XP ratio. Mission 4.2, Running on Fumes, is the standout pick. It has open sightlines, plenty of ammo and items, and a straightforward terminal defense objective, which makes it easy to speed-run with AI teammates.

Missions 4.1 and 4.3 pay slightly more XP but take longer, so rotate them when you want variety. On any of these, add a negative card like No HUD for a 2.25x reward multiplier that barely affects your play once you know the layout.

Raising the difficulty to Extreme increases the XP multiplier further, but Standard or Casual stays fast and reliable for solo grinding since the bots hold up far better there.

Level weapons for Traits and Augments

Treat weapon XP as more than a stat boost. The real reason to rotate through your collection is to unlock each weapon’s one-star Trait, which can be transferred to a completely different gun. Level a weapon just far enough to grab its Trait, then move to the next one.

A good example is the Gecko, whose Trait grants 150% increased stopping power on the first shot in the magazine. Moved onto the L33 Pike, which fires a single shot before reloading, that first-shot bonus effectively applies to every shot. Those are the interactions worth hunting for.

Once a weapon reaches four stars, you unlock its Augment slot. An Unstable Augment can add Incendiary Ammo, letting you tune the gun toward specific enemy types. The clean progression is to level a weapon, unlock its Trait, push it to four stars, add an Augment, and then build around the combination.

Match damage types to keep runs alive

Long farm runs only pay off if you finish them, and the quickest way to stall is bringing the wrong damage type into a wave. Different factions have different weaknesses, so keep a mix of coverage across your squad and your Augments.

Put together, the fastest leveling comes from one repeatable choice. Pick a mission or Horde route you can clear without failing, stack the highest reward multiplier your team can survive, and let Veteran perks and Trait farming compound every run. Aim to max at least two classes early, and the perk combinations that open up will carry you into the harder difficulties.