Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 Weapon Augments
Stars, swappable traits, elemental ammo, and the Patch 1 explosive rewrite.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 treats a gun as a long-term kit, not a loot-score stick. Primaries plus signature weapons replace the old secondary pattern. Sidearms are customisable. Fully upgraded weapons gain augments that can change ammo type, how the gun fires, or the trait it carries. This page is the augment and element desk. Ranked picks live on the weapons tier list. Class pairings live on Loadouts.
Stars and traits
Weapons level in stars to a maximum of four — see Progression. A one-star trait is a modest identity (M41A2 recoil down, smartgun aim-assist up). Traits can be swapped across guns, even across types. Want tighter shotgun spread? Park a pistol trait on it. Some traits are also sold in the armory for requisition so you are not forced to main a gun you hate just to steal its number.
Patch 1 corrected attachment stat displays that showed the wrong values. Anything you evaluated on launch morning is worth a second look. The BD-48 Daittyo trait is 17.5 percent weak-point stopping power, not 117.5 percent. Forward Distribution Heatsink is +20 percent fire rate below 50 percent heat, matching the intended tooltip.
Elemental ammo and damage types
The sequel leans on thermal, electric, and cryo as real build choices, not paint. Xenomorphs melt to thermal and shrug electric. Synthetics are the inverse. Pathogen sits in the middle and punishes a four-stack that brought one element to Horde. Cryo (including Rain’s Jackson’s Star underbarrel) immobilises and shatters — it is also an early showcase of the element-mod system. Augments that convert a gun to an element usually take a damage haircut; Comic-Con commentary described cryo as a drawback-versus-control trade, and some mods rolling 50–150 percent of normal damage as a risk band.
Patch 1: elemental ammo stacks with itself and refills matching elemental weapons. Piercing Rounds can no longer be wasted on explosive guns. High Explosive Rounds lose the extra 25 percent damage penalty, show explosion radius per weapon, and sit in the same “honest area damage” bucket as Duelist Explosive Rounds (25 percent direct / 75 percent area, weak-point conversion spelled out).
Cosmetics versus power
You get three decal slots on a gun and split upper/lower body cosmetics on the marine. Colourways returned. None of that raises Combat Rating. Spend requisition on attachments and augment slots before you buy a chest decal. Premium packs (Ripley, Herk Mondo, Rain) add signature weapons and outfits — Editions — they do not skip star grinding.
Class-locked families
Most primaries are flexible. Marauder owns shoulder heavies (M12A1, OCAP-91 Volcan). Machinist owns plasma signatures (SMB-94 Zephyr, EDS-93). Hunter signatures include the BD-03 Djinn and Type 111 particle emitter. Medic leans X1 Fireball and Type 21. Duelist lives on two primaries (DB-48, HNT-1 E1). Specialist can borrow signatures you have actually unlocked on the source kit. Ammo types and melee tools: Ammo & Melee.
Related pages
- Weapons hub — families and Patch 1 gun notes.
- Progression — Combat Rating and the 42-slot board.
- Patch 1 — explosive and attachment corrections.
- Horde Maps — why two elements beat a thermal-only stack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2.
What do weapon stars unlock?
Up to four stars. They unlock traits and, on a fully upgraded gun, augment slots that can change ammo type, fire behaviour, or the equipped trait.
Can I put one gun's trait on another?
Yes. Traits can move across weapons, including different types. Some traits are also in the armory for requisition.
Did Patch 1 change High Explosive Rounds?
Yes. The extra 25 percent damage penalty is gone, explosion radius shows per weapon, and area conversion is spelled out the same way as Duelist explosive ammo.
Which element should I bring?
Thermal for Xenomorphs, electric for synthetics, mixed for Pathogen and for Horde where the faction can swap between rounds.
Do Premium DLC guns skip the star grind?
No. Ripley, Herk Mondo, and Rain packs add signature weapons and cosmetics. You still star and augment them like any other gun.