The 1997 movie Starship Troopers, which starred a young Neil Patrick Harris, Clancy Brown, and even the OG Sam Fisher himself Michael Ironside, left a whole faction of 90s kids with the same impression: This would make an awesome video game. Luckily, the developers at Offworld Industries felt the same way and launched their squad-based co-op FPS Starship Troopers: Extermination on Steam.
If the goal was to capture the movie's frenetic energy and sense of overwhelming odds, then mission accomplished. Players in Starship Troopers: Extermination can squad up with as many as 15 friends and go toe-to-toe against waves of giant alien Bugs, building up their base and then defending it from the seemingly endless onslaught. As with any co-op shooter, there are some key tips for players to remember that will help keep them and their squadmates alive.
10 Down In Front
One of the most important tips to remember when playing is that Starship Troopers: Extermination embraces the idea of friendly fire. Players need to be mindful of where their squadmates are, and where they're moving to, so they don't catch them in the crossfire.
A good rule of thumb is for any players who are on the front lines to crouch down. Unless they need to run for cover, shooting from a crouch will allow the teammates behind them to shoot over their heads. It's the easiest way to avoid being an unnecessary casualty.
9 Stay In Constant Communication
Like any co-op FPS, communication between squadmates is a crucial part of success. It's no different from playing against other players when fighting against a horde of Bugs, every bit of information shared will help the team form the optimal strategy for fighting off the aliens.
When players are pushing forward or falling back, they should be saying as much to their team. If there is a large group of Bugs forming around one section of the base, that needs to be shared as well. Players should assign roles, and plan their positions. It helps that players will have built the base themselves, making it easier to describe a location they'll recognize even if they're unfamiliar with the game itself.
8 Build Layers Upon Layers
Speaking of building their base, one of the first steps to a game is every player working together to build the defenses of their base to protect the ARC Scanner. If the Bugs destroy the ARC Scanner, it's game over. Players can place walls, turrets, bunkers, and more wherever they see fit to pull this off.
While there are lots of ways to construct those defenses, the best practice is to build several layers of walls and turrets that the Bugs need to get through. Slowing their progress will allow players to pick off more of the Bugs' forces as they come up against wall after wall of protection.
7 Don't Get Swarmed
From a distance, even the biggest Bugs don't feel all that difficult to take down. A strong burst of fire from an assault rifle or even a pistol can capably take down one or two Bugs in no time. However, the tables can turn quickly if the enemy gets in too close.
Getting surrounded is one of the worst things a player can do. A knife strike can take down one or two smaller bugs, but it won't save players who are surrounded. They'll quickly lose their sense of direction among the hundreds of scrabbling Bug legs, and it becomes a lot more likely they'll get shot by their own teammates who are just trying to clear out the swarm.
6 Aim Rockets Carefully
Every one of the three available classes players will start a mission with has their own unique weaponry, but there are weapons scattered around the battlefield as well. One of those weapons is the rocket launcher. It's an extremely valuable weapon that can turn a huge wave of Bugs into a puddle of green goo in a second.
With that said, rocket ammo is very scarce, and players will only have a few shots to work with in the first place, making each missed shot a huge missed opportunity as well. Add to that the potential to blow up any teammates in the vicinity, and players should make double- and triple-sure their rocket will land where they want it to.
5 Do Repair Work
The time in between waves is just as important as the time during them. All players have the ability to repair their base's defenses, and it will often take all hands in order to get the job done on time.
No player should neglect repair duties when a wave ends. It's hard to keep track of how many players are still alive during the chaos of a Bug wave, so players should jump on repair duties as if they're the last man standing. They just might be.
4 Electrify The ARC
Some types of defenses can be repeatedly built until the team's ore resources run out, but other defenses have a limit. Ammo crates, turrets, bunkers, and electrified fences are limited to 4 per game, so players should use them wisely.
There's a lot of flexibility in placing most of those structures, but the electrified fences are best used as the last line of defense before the ARC Scanner. These fences will halt the attacking Bugs in their tracks, giving players an extra few seconds to exterminate them before they start to break through to the ARC Scanner.
3 Make Way
At the end of a match, a dropship will arrive on the map, and players need to make their way to it and get on board for the match to end. It's a mad-scramble situation that will often force players to run (or shoot) through a horde of Bugs in order to reach the ship.
For the players who get there first, there are two rules of courtesy that need to be followed. One, don't stand in the ship doorway, because it blocks other players trying to get on board. Two, don't stand off to the side of the ship to try and get more kills while making the rest of the team wait. Individual kill totals don't matter, so get on board and secure the win.
2 Swap To Pistol
We mentioned earlier that the only way for players to use the rocket launcher is to track it down during the game and pick it up because they can't equip it when they're choosing their loadout. This tip may be intuitive to some players, but for the rest, there's an important button to hit before they pick up a new weapon.
When going to pick up a rocket launcher, players should make sure to swap to their pistol beforehand. If they don't, they'll pick up the rocket launcher in exchange for their primary weapon. This wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for the low ammo reserves of the rocket launcher, and once it runs out, those players will be stuck with only their pistol to defend themselves.
1 Doing Our Part
It's been said in all sorts of different ways throughout this list, but as a general rule, players should always be trying to help their team. Some of that will come with practice and learning the game, but it's also a mindset that can only help them succeed against the Bug armies.
Sure, it's possible for players to charge into the fray and blindly shoot bugs until the mission timer runs out, but it's not really going to accomplish much. The joy and satisfaction of the game is all in its teamwork, and seeing a well-coordinated defense completely decimate an army of alien Bugs. There are few feelings like it in gaming, and it can result in making a bunch of new friends, but it has to be earned.
Starship Troopers: Extermination was released on Steam Early Access on May 17th, 2023, and is currently only available on PC.